Divorce or What?

[THE ICEMAN]

When she's not looking... Sneak a drop or two of liquid smoke in her scrambled eggs in the morning. Keep this up & after a while she will learn to love it & want more.

[Jimh]

Well Brother your not alone, I think I married her sister....

[MrZip66]

So what was there about she only likes my pork ribs that seemed to go over y`alls heads?
She loves the ribs done with a mix of apple and hickory thin blue curling around dem lovely bones-n-meat.
What makes you folk think I`m pumping enough smoke to make railroad ties or telephone poles, except when I`m doing ribs?
I`ve learned my lessons on how excessive smoke goes from tasty to bitter in a hurry.
Just for whatever reason, anything other than ribs, she holds her nose and heads for the pasta pot.
Chicken, chuckies, pork country ribs and chops, even did a meat loaf and they all came out on the plus side of good.
We aren`t going to go to blows over this sickness of hers, just needed a spot to vent she will never see.

Perfect then. Make Pasta, AAAAND ribs. You're good!

[veryolddog]

On occasion, you will miss her.

[MrZip66]

7KWB-MQ6S8X-FQQT
Do I toss all Hickory and Mesquite into a hole, using nothing but the most mild of Pecan, Apple, and Cherry?

So Folksies, what to do?

Those are questions.

[Richtee]

Hickory has it's uses... typically on larger hunks. Mesquite? I have found no use for it. Be judicious in your smoke..err on the side of lighter perhaps. Many woods out there...maple... alder... oak... in addition to the fruitwoods. Smoke IS an ingredient.

[DDave]

So what was there about she only likes my pork ribs that seemed to go over y`alls heads?
She loves the ribs done with a mix of apple and hickory thin blue curling around dem lovely bones-n-meat.
What makes you folk think I`m pumping enough smoke to make railroad ties or telephone poles, except when I`m doing ribs?.

I don't know that anyone thinks your "pumping enough smoke to make railroad ties or telephone poles" but something gave us the idea that you may be using too much smoke. What could that be? Oh yeah, maybe this.

Other than pork ribs, she has shunned, criticized, and generally relegated all other forms of smoked deliciousness to the land of UGH, it tastes smokey.

Sounds like she's telling you there is too much smoke as well.

So what is it that you do different with ribs that you don't do with the other meats? Are you using the same temps? Are you using the same woods? What is different about the other things you cook? Do the ribs seem to have the same level of smoky taste as the other meats do to you? There's got to be something different.

Dave

[seriouslyson]

Got a Weber kettle? Try grilling indirect at higher temps and open vents with a milder wood. Personally not a fan of Mesquite, and hickory is borderline for me.
No heavy bitter smoke taste, just a nice touch.

You can also do briskets and butts, etc. indirect on them.

Bam. havent read past this one but i would have posted it so this is what u should do.

[THUMPERRRR]

On occasion, you will miss her.

hahahhaaaa...

[Mark R]

Try smoking some chiggen using only lump, call it grillin. Work your way up, don't go mesquite, hickory or oak. Me $.02!

[SMOKE FREAK]

Hell I don't know if yer cookin with bad smoke or not...
But I will say that hickory...and even mesquite... should only be used if burning...Burning as in not smoldering...I love em both...Especially on beef...But I keep a clean burning fire at all times...

Good luck to ya and hope she comes around...My wife did after I learned a thing or three...

[seriouslyson]

Not sure what kind of smoker you have but my best advice is clear burn/ no smoke as you said. Most important is keeping your exhaust wide open and fire/temp control at the fire box( not the exaust). I have no clue what kind of smoker you have but if your exaust is not large enough to let the smoke escape freely, the soot will still settle on the meat making it smokey and bitter.
hope this helps what kind of smoker u have?

[Richtee]

Bam. havent read past this one but i would have posted it so this is what u should do.

We, in general... have been around the block. Well.sometimes we ran INTO the block..but yes, the free advice here tends to the good ;{)

[IrishChef]

"EEElectrical El Cheepo Brinkmann....Yup-That`s Right, I plug it in"

I see that is your signature, Mork. Unlike a few others, I went to college for 7 years to get a 4 year degree, so I might be a bit more observant......

I would venture to guess, that some of your problems may arise not from the wood you are using, but the cooker you are using them in...... Everybody who has used a ECB-mod E, can probably tell you a story or 5 about how inconsistent they can be, when it comes to temps, smoke etc..... If you dont layer the wood just right in the pan, use the right size chunks chips and dust in order, etc, etc..... It might be that, whilst your ribs are working for you, with what you are doing, it just isn't working for your other meats..... and you may be "biased".....

Keeping all of the above in mind, consider that a top of the line, 22.5" Weber Kettle will cost you less than a divorce lawyer spending 5 minutes of billable time thinking aboot your case and laughing, while telling his pals at the country club about "that client who got served papers over bbq".......

[DDave]

"EEElectrical El Cheepo Brinkmann....Yup-That`s Right, I plug it in"

I see that is your signature, Mork. Unlike a few others, I went to college for 7 years to get a 4 year degree, so I might be a bit more observant......

Ah, nice catch IC.

So here's a theory. Ribs don't have much mass. Or at least not as much as the other meats you mentioned -- "Chicken, chuckies, pork country ribs and chops, even a meat loaf". Well chicken, country style ribs and chops may not have as much individually but depending on how you load your smoker, you may be putting more meat mass in there than you do ribs. Thicker anyway. So if you using an electric which seems to be notorious for having temp issues, it may be that the lower temps are allowing condensate to form on the meat (warm moist air meets cold meat) which, when this happens in a smoky environment, will lead to a bitter taste on the meat. You don't have to be pumping out a ton of smoke for this to happen, or so I have heard.

What temps are you able to maintain when you smoke ribs versus other meats? Also, do you keep your exhaust fully open?

I know I liked the results off of my UDS a lot more after I added an extra vent and started burning lump. And so did the wife.

Incidentally feel free to critique my theory. I could be on to something or I could be full of shit. Seems similar to what I experienced so I am throwing it out there. And evidently there is something different about the way you smoke ribs vs other things that is a game changer for your wife.

Dave