I must adit that I haven’t used the smoker since the first time effort with pork tenderloin. On Sunday I was home alone with the boys in the afternoon, so I decided to try my hand at smoking some ribs.

The test subjects were both short ribs and the great big ones. I slopped them in PC Smokin Stampede Beer & Chipotle sauce and tossed them in. This time, the outside temperature was a fair bit cooler than last time, so I figured it would be even harder to heat it up. After a bit of fooling around, I figured out that the best way was to keep the chimney open all the way and open the hopper door about an inch. This kept the cooking area nice and hot.

The result? Maybe the best ribs I’ve ever made! Never again will we boil ribs and then throw them on the BBQ. Well, maybe in a time crunch. The only problem with smoking is the time factor. It takes a long time, and you have to be there to control the fire. The results are worth it though.

The Real Canadian Superstore strikes again. It’s almost as bad as going to Costco. I’ve noticed lately that a lot of BBQ recipes call for smoking the meat, but we don’t have a smoker. We just got a new BBQ this summer, so buying a smoker really wasn’t in the immediate plans. Last weekend I thought we’d pick up one of those little boxes that you fill full of wood chips and put on the grate of the your gas BBQ to acheive the same smokey flavour as you would from a full on smoker.

The Seasonal Manager said they didn’t have any left, all they had was the full size smokers. When I said I wasn’t really intending to buy a big one, he said “That’s a shame, because I’m about to put them all on sale for 20 bucks. I want them all gone today, they are taking up too much space.” 20 bucks! Of course, I had to have one. Another guy was there and bought the last six, with plans to sell them at his Mom’s gas station.

Yesterday was assembly and seasoning day. As per usual, the instructions were more than a little vague. I had the thing almost fully assembled, when I figured out that the lower shelf must be installed before the legs are attached. Not mentioned in the booklet. After lighting a fire in the side fire box, I sat back with a cold Brick Pilsner and waited to watch the temp come up. It was a windy, chilly day and the temp guage never rose above warm. I’m figuring that in colder weather we’ll need to use some supplemental charcoal in the main compartment to keep it hot.

Today is a bit warmer, with no wind and the fire is keeping the temp guage on the high side of warm & into the ideal spot. We are preparing a fairly heavily modified version of the Men In Aprons Smoked Pork in Bacon. As I wasn’t sure of the temp, we’ve substituted tenderloins for a roast. If they aren’t cooked, a couple of minuted on the gas barbie will finish them off. Either way, we’ll let you know how they turn out.