What smoker should I get?

The two pink ones are for the kids. They are just beef and seasoning.

The four grey ones have beef, mushrooms, goat cheese, bacon, bread crumbs, and seasoning!
 
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I think this is the unofficial smoker thread?

Anyway I bought a used pit boss vertical pellet smoker from a coworker last week who upgraded to a larger model. Fired it up Friday and tried to make brats... Not so good.

Yesterday was ribs. 3-2-1 was my attempt. Smoker held 222° according to my thermometer. Eh not enough time. Ended up cranking up the heat wrapped for an additional hour and then unwrapped for another 40 minutes. I was hungry and it was 8pm so we took them out and ate. Mac and cheese came out good and ribs have great flavor but not fall off the bone. Mrs Squanch loved it even though she could not pull it off with a fork. I think her quote was "you're probably unhappy but I absolutely love it"

Need to get another rack and possibly try to hold 250° this time and do a couple spritz with apple juice?

What say y'all professionals?

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Squanchy said:
I think this is the unofficial smoker thread?

Anyway I bought a used pit boss vertical pellet smoker from a coworker last week who upgraded to a larger model. Fired it up Friday and tried to make brats... Not so good.

Yesterday was ribs. 3-2-1 was my attempt. Smoker held 222° according to my thermometer. Eh not enough time. Ended up cranking up the heat wrapped for an additional hour and then unwrapped for another 40 minutes. I was hungry and it was 8pm so we took them out and ate. Mac and cheese came out good and ribs have great flavor but not fall off the bone. Mrs Squanch loved it even though she could not pull it off with a fork. I think her quote was "you're probably unhappy but I absolutely love it"

Need to get another rack and possibly try to hold 250° this time and do a couple spritz with apple juice?

What say y'all professionals?

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Look at you go! That looks amazing! Great job!
 
You just need more practice. The food gets better every try.

And, start making smoked cream cheese for the appetizer. It's amazing!

Every time I turn on my smoker, my wife and kids ask if I'm going to smoke some cream cheese. It's like crack to them...
 
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Alabamacoastie said:
And, start messaging smoked cream cheese for the appetizer. It's amazing!
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My wife has been begging for cold smoked cheese since I asked her if I could buy this guy's smoker. He drug his feet buying a smoker and wouldn't part with this "small" one until he had a big one to replace it.

I'm not big on cream cheese myself but it's worth trying. I LOVE smoked cheddar from those fancy cheese shops at farmers markets.
 
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Squanchy said:
I think this is the unofficial smoker thread?

Anyway I bought a used pit boss vertical pellet smoker from a coworker last week who upgraded to a larger model. Fired it up Friday and tried to make brats... Not so good.

Yesterday was ribs. 3-2-1 was my attempt. Smoker held 222° according to my thermometer. Eh not enough time. Ended up cranking up the heat wrapped for an additional hour and then unwrapped for another 40 minutes. I was hungry and it was 8pm so we took them out and ate. Mac and cheese came out good and ribs have great flavor but not fall off the bone. Mrs Squanch loved it even though she could not pull it off with a fork. I think her quote was "you're probably unhappy but I absolutely love it"

Need to get another rack and possibly try to hold 250° this time and do a couple spritz with apple juice?

What say y'all professionals?

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I always preferred mine closer to 2-2-1 with a bit of a higher temp. Quicker cook, I don't find the smoke flavor to go up much after two hours anyways, and less losing heat from having to open and spritz over the course of that extra hour. If it doesn't feel "there" just yet, I tend to err on the side of leaving it in the foil or paper for a little longer, or using a foil boat method for that last hour with the top still open.
 
Supermatch said:
or using a foil boat method for that last hour with the top still open
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I didn't think about a boat. That's a good idea.

I did pour some apple juice on top of the rack of ribs before wrapping in paper hoping they would steam some.
 
Squanchy said:
I didn't think about a boat. That's a good idea.

I did pour some apple juice on top of the rack of ribs before wrapping in paper hoping they would steam some.
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If you do some digging, there is a guy called "The Smoking Dad" on YouTube. Dorky guy from north of the border, but has done a TON of experimenting and has some very good, detailed information about his methods for various smokes. This is where I got the foil boat method from:
 
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