Using a Vertical New Braunfels Water Smoker

For St. Louis style spare ribs, your temp and time seem about right to me.

I've never hung ribs. The smokers I've had, up until now, would not accommodate that. But I'd always be paranoid about them breaking apart and falling to the floor.

The characteristics of your smoker will determine whether you need to add a water pan. In a Cookshack, you would not need it because it is a very moist cooker. I'd avoid it unless your cooker runs very hot and dry. If you can smoke at 200 to 225, you probably don't need water. I have seen those smokers, but I've never used one, so I can't say.

Foiling the ribs makes them more tender and soft. I used to do that, but I've come to prefer a rib with a clean bite and firm texture.

Welcome to the board.

I don't know much about that smoker either, but your temp 225* sounds like a good one. Our mentor, Smokin', has been nice enough to share his knowledge on ribs and telling doneness. This may be of some help to ya.

Have FUN!

SkipQ,
I suppose there might be some scenario where the ribs could break free of the hooks. I've smoked many racks of spares in my CS 055 and have hung them all beginning with the first batch. I was worried initially but not once have they fallen. I have not pushed my luck however, always placing two hooks two or three ribs from the top of the wide end. I do that primarily because the smoker is not tall enough to accomodate full racks without nearly touching the woodbox (when cold). The hooks are about 3-4 inches long so I put the space to use.

I would prefer to hang the racks wide side down to avoid overcooking the narrow end but don't have that much confidence in the strength of the ribs. Even I won't risk trashing a rack of ribs for such a small advantage.
Grub

Thanks for the description of your process, Grubmeister. I always wondered where you'd hook them if you were going to hang them.

What are the advantages to hanging the ribs? Is it just that you can fit more racks in the cooker simultaneously? Or something else?

To All...Skip-Q and Grubmeister: THANKS!!! What a great forum...I hope to be able to repay in kind when a newcomer to smokin comes along and there's some words of wisdom I can offer...

I have been looking for a good digital meat thermometer (one I can monitor the meat temp and chamber temp at the same time). I saw the Maverick ET-7 (little pricey) but I also saw some poor reviews of this unit as well. I guess you always will see someone sabotaging the others...Any sound recommendations??

CHEERS!!! Depending on the outcome...Thinking of calling my Smoke Grub "Fairly Nefarious"..I am 44 now and my retirement vision is to travel our great country hitting all the BBQ Competitions...I want to be that crazy guy with the beard down to my sternum wearing a rib-bone necklace...Wife is on board (at least now)...take care!

MT, there is a Thermometer subforum where people comment on and recommend thermometers. You might want to check that out. I know a lot of people use that ET-7, but there are other popular thermometers too.

I have two inexpensive Acurite remote probe thermometers that I got from Home Depot years ago. They work very well, and I have no complaints about them. They look similar to the Taylor thermometer you can find on Amazon. They are not wireless remote therms though. You have to go out to the smoker to check the displayed temp.

I've got the Maverick ET-7, and it has worked flawlessly. The remote is less than 25' from the transmitter through glass only. It almost never loses its signal. Very accurate.

That said. I can almost read the Cookshack's therm reading from where I sit in the family room. Get up and walk a few feet (still inside) and read the therm through the window. So the non wireless Taylor remote would work very well. It's also a lot cheaper and very reliable. Many on this forum use it.

Take a look at your needs. A remote may work well for you. If you can get by without it, you might want the Taylor.

SkipQ,
I may have originally entertained the idea that using the hooks allowed more ribs to fit in the smoker. The truth is, I find it easier to hang them than to tangle with 3rd party racks and other contraptions that sit on the shelves. I just apply rub, poke in the hooks and hang...problem solved. No cutting them up to length, no problems getting the racks to fit within the smoker, especially if there are more than one shelf worth of ribs. Less clean up, although the goo on the hooks is the typical challenge.
I'm not an expert by any means. I'm just a guy looking for a simple solution to smoking ribs. I like the results of a simple smoke and don't require apple juice sprays, painting on sauces to obtain the "perfect" glaze or anything else. For that kind of angst I can tune into Iron chef. Watching other people sweat while they smoke is exactly why I bought a cookshack.
I'm not saying anybody else is wrong in their technique or recipes, I'm just happy with my results and especially happy with how I manage to get them. Besides, it leaves me more time to have a cold one and do the other things I enjoy.
-Grub