Smoke (Saturation Point)

Most experienced Q'ers will tell you meat will take on smoke internally until the temp of the meat gets around 140*. However, the smoke will continue to flavor or collect on the outside of the meat. Sometimes too much.

I think we may be blending two threads.

There seems to be a consensus that the chemical reaction that is smokering formation ends around 140º.

You can lay smoke "on" a product,until you quit doing it.

Thus, you have heard of some pure log burners that may put meats in a paper bag,or foil,to finish a cook.

Also,some product will take up smoke much easier than others.

There are some fine comp cooks that may cook on charcoal ,and add a chunk of wood just at certain times in the cook.

Just a couple of thoughts.

I've heard for years, that meat stops absorbing smoker at 140. Funny, that's also the upper range of the danger zone. Yes, smoke ring will stop forming at a temp and maybe it's 140. I'm sure it has to do when the protein molecules close up so much that smoke can't penetrate.

For now, I'll keep with the 140, but I'm still looking for the real answer...

Here's the real reason I'm asking this question. Last week it was raining and I didn't want to smoke the ribs in the rain (I know, weak excuse). So, instead I just cooked them in my oven (low & slow of course).

The people who ate my ribs told me this was the best ribs I have ever cooked....it was very moist. I thought to myself...you gotta be kidding me!

The only difference I done was baste the ribs (bbq sauce) at the 3 hour & 15 minute mark when cooking them in my oven (total cook time 4 hours @ 225 degree). Granted, I have never basted the ribs in my smoker...I always kept the door closed until I was ready to pull them out for good (4 hours @ 225 degree). Then I would put the bbq sauce on them, foil them, and kept them warm under some towels.

So, rather than smoking the ribs in my smoker for 4 hours, I was thinking of just smoking them in 2 hours and finishing them in my oven. Then applying the bbq sauce at the 3 hour and 15 minute mark. And by doing this I would get the great smoke flavor and not dry them out so much.

Or should I just open the door at the 3 hour and 15 minute mark and baste the ribs with the bbq sauce inside of my smoker?

I will spritz my ribs with apple or pineapple juice every hour and glaze on the last 45min, I've done ribs in the oven also and they turned out great,just remember your smoker is a big wood burning oven!

CookShack is an electric oven that uses wood to flavor the meat.

HairBear, "Braised" short ribs (and pot roasts of beef) are terrific! Basically what you did was take your ribs (pork, spares or baby backs I'm supposing) and braised them in the oven. They come out moist, soft on the palate, and with a good full flavor...how bad is that?

People from the midwest, I'm from Chicago and family from Indiana, so please don't take this as a slur on you and yours, tend to not understand barbecue.

Barbecue beef to them (formerly 'us') was pot roast cooked up in a saucepan with Chris and Pitts poured over it! And my mother, bless her soul, b b b b boiled pork ribs before she had dad dry them out thoroughly on the grill! And though some great Q is showing up in the midwest, some are holding on to taste traditions.

Your conclusion that you can CS smoke them for 2 hours and then finish in the oven will certainly work, and may be good for you and yours. Some keep them only in the CS and cook at a lower temp. Some like a crackly-dry crust on the outside so they grill them after the long smoke. Some need to cook them them until they fall off the bone, others like a little resistance to the bite.

Point is...there's lots of ways to cook a rib, and they, I believe, are among the most controversial because almost no two people agree on exactly what is the perfect rib.

I will suggest, however, that the barbecue competition judges won't think your oven basted ribs are the way to cook them for a true barbecue competition...but if you're not cooking for them, and you are cooking for you and yours, what does it matter?

CS's do GREAT at what they do, but I wouldn't try to cook an egg in one (hmmm, or 'maybe' I would????). We just need to understand that the electric CS is an extremely well insulated (important and unlike any other cooking method except maybe burying in the ground), controlled temperature (holding low cooking temps with very little variation, unlike almost any other cooking aparatus), nearly without outside air influences (keeping most smokes extremely moist), with the ability to effectively add smoke to what you're cooking, makes for an amazing little machine, capable of extraordinary results, largely unlike you would be able to achieve by any other method.

BUT, if you like your ribs oven braised, don't feel like you're 'betraying the troops,' by not using the CS for everything. The CS will keep most of your meat moist due to the lack of free air running past it, but too hot and too long will render out all the fat and toughen up the meat, defeating your intentions.

As for me...glad you asked...I find the ribs come out TOO moist and succulent with only a CS cook, and I'm of the opinion that a char on high heat after a long smoke works best for me...and I even sorta kinda like the taste of burnt bbq sauce, but I try not to admit it!

Anyhow, long post...apologies..but your question seemed very sincere and I hoped to be able to help a bit.