Electric smoker help(food taste like cigarettes)

Hi, I just tried my new electric food smoker.
I made pork ribs,
first I put them in a brine for 2 hours,
the rinsed and patted dry.
added a dry rub, smoked them with hickory chips for 2 1/2 hours finished them on grill.
But they taste awful, like cigarettes,
Did i do somthing wrong?
Pleae help.
Thanks

Too much smoke. The same thing happened to me when I tried smoking ducks on the stove top. A smaller amount of chips might help; maybe the chips were not damp enough. Those small smoker thingees don't have the space for the smoke to ramble around in like a regular size one, therefore it's my guess the smoke gets too concentrated if you are not careful.

Cigarette-flavored ribs.....I want the patent first!!!!!!!

Why do you brine the ribs. This can make them hammy tasting. Try them with just the rub and let it sit on the ribs for 1/2 to one hour before putting them on the smoker. The amount of time to let them sit would be based on the salt content of the rub.

John

This is very strange and, yes, I'd say you did something wrong .

What do you mean by an electric smoker? A counter top unit or a Brinkmann cylinder? Did you maybe use too many wood chips and stir up the ashes unwittingly?

I've made very good ribs many times in a Brinkman. I just use dry rub, no brining and no grilling; usually there's some other meat in there which may be dripping fat down on the ribs, helping to keep them moist, but usually the ribs are on the top level.

quote:

Originally posted by namret

Cigarette-flavored ribs.....I want the patent first!!!!!!!

In my state of mind (and lungs) I want anything that tastes like a cigarette!

It's a True North.
Outdoor unit.
Uses an element to heat chips.
How much wood chips should I be using and what kind?
If possible can someone give me a step by step,
Thanks

AHHH Grasshopper when you can remove the stone from my hand.

you didn't like the taste? Too much smoke. soak it in water but don't keep it smoking all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by cocotse

It's a True North.
Outdoor unit.
Uses an element to heat chips.
How much wood chips should I be using and what kind?
If possible can someone give me a step by step,
Thanks

Do you have a way to weigh the chips? If so, start small...maybe 2 oz for anything but a larger piece of meat. 3-4 oz's for a larger. Try it..keep notes on the flavor..adjust and try again.

I would never soak the chips unless your smoker requires that you do that.

Rib Rater: Just a question? Why would you never soak your chips. I was always afraid they would catch fire, burn and dissapear and leave a foul taste.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I always soaked chips up until about 6 months ago. I was reading some posts over at a bbq forum and noticed some of the more advanced "smokers" (not in age but in technique...ha!) always said don't soak the wood chips..it dilutes the smoke. That explained why my offset (when I was used chips) would never give me the flavor I was looking for but when I actually cooked with wood I would get a real nice smokey meat and a good smoke ring.

So, I stopped soaking the chips. When I put the (cold) meat on, I put a handful of dry chips in an open pouch of heavy duty aluminum foil....right on top of the hot coals. Shut the smoker..close the vents..and let it roll. After about an hour, open the vents to bring the temp back up a little and let it stabilize. If it's a larger piece of meat like a pork butt, I'll drop a second packet of dry chips in at about the 45 minute mark and let it roll for another 45 minutes.

Perfect smoke..perfect smoke ring...no fire. I don't really care about the smoke ring but if I'm using the offset I sure like to see a nice one.


Really changed the way I use my offset because I could use nice charwood charcoal that burned long and slow without having to worry about oversmoking or having to use a chimney to get more coals/wood burned in.

I'm no expert paul so I hope that response was clear.

Rib Rater, I think you did a very good job explaining your point of view. I certainly am not an expert and that is the reason I ask.

Paul

Step by step:

1. Use baby backs
2. Do not brine
3. Coat with Frenchs yellow mustard and a rib rub
4. Use no more than 2 oz of wood, no need to soak
5. Smoke for 5 hours at 225
6. Take out, cover in bbq sauce, wrap in foil, back in for 1 hour
7. Eat em'!

Hope this helps. If you don't have an insulated smoker such as a Cook Shack, you would want a pan of water inside of your smoker. Something to keep things moist.

I use dry mesquite chips or Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 chips wrapped in foil packets with one one hole punched in it. I heard a BBQer on the Food Network say that smoked food takes all the smoke in within the first 5 to 10 min, and that smoking beyond that does not help, and can definitely be a bad thing.

I was 19 before I tasted my first mesquite BBQ, and when I got back to Indiana the first time, I threw rocks at all the hickory trees. I have had good luck with apple and pecan wood, as well.

Does anyone please have the True North rib recipe?