I need some help &/or advice. I've done two cooks now: Chicken and Ribs. Both were good. Neither was outstanding.
That's the reference to Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. When that movie came out in 1969, it was met with absolutely rave reviews. I couldn't wait to go see it. My brother went to see it and called it the best movie he'd ever seen. (Now, at the time, he was only 26, so his sample size wasn't what it has subsequently become) My expectations were unbelievably high. I went to see it. I was disappointed. My expectations were so high, I guess it would have been impossible for the movie to meet them. That's kind of where I am after two cooks.
I know this thing should be a set it and forget it experience. I think I've got the vent set appropriately. But, how do I know for sure? Am I looking for an internal temperature range or do I simply set what's about 1/4 the way open and not tinker from there? Just keep cooking, until I get things right? It seems to me that there is an ideal temperature range inside the barrel. If I know that range, and I'm not in that range, then my fire starting technique may be wrong. My amount of coal may be wrong. There may be something else wrong.
One thing for sure will improve things for me. The rubs that came with the unit are far too high in salt content for my taste. If you look at the list of ingredients for each of the two included rubs, salt is the first ingredient listed. I'm going to go with Meathead Goldwyn's Memphis Dust, which is a salt free rub, and see what that gets me.
Do any of you use a temperature probe to determine appropriate cook times? I'm thinking a ChefAlarm probe in my chicken or turkey should give me an idea of when I'm where I want to be. That probe probably won't work with ribs, since I'm not sure I can get the probe in a place in the rib rack where it isn't affected by the temperature of the bone. However with poultry, I know the temperature I'm looking for. So why not hang it and forget it until the ChefAlarm goes off at my target temperature?
Speaking of ribs, I've never cooked them before getting the PBC. The ones I just cooked seemed done at about the 1:45 mark. At that point, I sauced them and laid them on the rack for 10 minutes a side. They were just OK, in my opinion. Seemed pretty tender. Had a nice smoke ring. As I said, my wife loved them. I liked them. I didn't love them.
Can any of you recommend rib cooking techniques which involve saucing? When you sauce, do you continue to hang? Do you lay them on the grill?
I know I'm nitpicking here. Even though I say I was disappointed in my first two cooks, the product wasn't all that bad in either of them. I'm just looking for suggestions/advice to get better.
In advance, thanks for the help.