I just threw on a st Louis spare rib on the drum. I am very experienced with it and like to cook the spares no peek at 250 degrees for 4 hours. The things I don't like are a tough chewy crust and the smudge smoke taste and I get a little of that the way I've been cooking them.
My drum has 3 racks 4,8 and twelve inches from the top. My 6 inch weber thermometer is just under the middle rack which is the one I cook on 95 % of the time. Last week I cooked baby backs with a light pizza pan on the middle rack (diffuser) my thermometer was under the pan and the baby backs on the top rack. I cooked at 280-300 and they took 90 minutes longer to cook than normal. They were everything I wanted but a little dry. That brings me to today.
Today I have the pan on the third rack and the ribs on the top rack. The thermometer is now above the pan. To experiment I put the pan in and took it out several times. When it's in there my thermometer reads about 50 degrees less. Why is this? I'm thinking it's blocking the radiant heat and that radiant heat affects the thermometer. I'm cruising at 250 right now but it is taking twice the fuel and air to do it because of the pan in there. I know where I have the intakes set I would be at 325 degrees without the pan. So I need some advice on what temperature I should be at now that my thermometer is above the pan, and about 5 inches below my ribs. Also at your recommended temperature how long will it take approximately for the ribs to be done if I don't peek?
My drum has 3 racks 4,8 and twelve inches from the top. My 6 inch weber thermometer is just under the middle rack which is the one I cook on 95 % of the time. Last week I cooked baby backs with a light pizza pan on the middle rack (diffuser) my thermometer was under the pan and the baby backs on the top rack. I cooked at 280-300 and they took 90 minutes longer to cook than normal. They were everything I wanted but a little dry. That brings me to today.
Today I have the pan on the third rack and the ribs on the top rack. The thermometer is now above the pan. To experiment I put the pan in and took it out several times. When it's in there my thermometer reads about 50 degrees less. Why is this? I'm thinking it's blocking the radiant heat and that radiant heat affects the thermometer. I'm cruising at 250 right now but it is taking twice the fuel and air to do it because of the pan in there. I know where I have the intakes set I would be at 325 degrees without the pan. So I need some advice on what temperature I should be at now that my thermometer is above the pan, and about 5 inches below my ribs. Also at your recommended temperature how long will it take approximately for the ribs to be done if I don't peek?