Question for the Backwoods guys.

[Smokesignalsfromtx]

This ones for the Backwoods users if your out there.......what temp do you cook your brisket in? Pork? How bout ribs? Do you use the water pan or no? What about Wrapping and when? Just a question.........oops! Sorry, I'm running mine w a guru at 225 and wrap at about 165 respectively...

[palmtreefrb]

I have an Extended Party. The past year I've kicked it up with great results. Cooking everything now between 270-300.
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[John Bowen]

I have tried it several ways and it seems to me (with my Party) it settles in and runs best at 240 with my Guru. I can get almost 11 hours burns at that rate with lump. I can run it hotter but I have to tend to it more and I don't get the burn times that I do in the 230 - 240 range.

[IamMadMan]

When I used a competitor;

Yes I did use the water pan, always. I had better temperature control with it.

With the use of a BBQ Guru I had best results set at 235-245.

I would wrap according to the color I wanted on the pork, brisket I have never wrapped..


I have now acquired a Humphrey's which is similar to a backwoods competitor in some ways, but more room and more efficient in my personal opinion.

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[abangs]

For competitions: our pork and brisket go low and slow at 225 until foil. When they get the color we like we foil them. From here we bump the temp to 250-260 to finish. Our ribs run 250-260 start to finish. Cooking at home, I cook wherever the cooker I am cooking on decides to settle. Most backwoods cookers will "like" to run between 240 and 260. This is the sweet spot. Running hotter...275 is not a big deal and running cooler...225 is equally easy. Run whatever you feel comfortable with. Wrap on color not temp and you'll be golden!

[Jason TQ]

Are you having any issues with your current technique or just looking for other options?

[The Cosmic Pig]

I also get better control of temps in my competitor with water in the pan, and cook everything at 225 until I pan my butts, brisket, or wrap my ribs. This usually happens at around 150 - 160 degrees internal, depending on color. I pay less attention to temps after that. I use an Auber controller.

[Smokesignalsfromtx]

Well, I'm satisfied with the flavor and tenderness, just seems like something's missing. And wanting to do my first comp this year. Idk, maybe more bark.? Just thought I'd try something else.

[CabinFever]

I am running a Fatboy. It likes to run at about 225*. I can run it hotter, but that seems to be where it naturally wants to be, so I usually go with that. Always run with water. Thought about a Guru, but it locke and holds temp so well I have never felt it would improve things that much. Sometimes I wrap, sometimes not. Sometimes put brisket/butt in a foil pan to collect more juice to add to the meat. I have been vac sealing a bunch of meat and like to add a little juice sometimes.
Lately if I wrap I have been using butcher paper in place of foil. I have been pleased with the results of the paper over foil. Bought it in late summer and have not done any comps with it yet. I probably will and at that time will be trying to tweek everything a little for optimum results. Love my cooker.

[cpw]

I run my fatboy at 250 for everything, with water pan and wrap. Unless I'm feeling lazy, then no water, sometimes wrap and 300, til done.

One of the top pork cooks in South Carolina told me they don't foil their butts at all for competition pork while cooking on a backwoods, so the bark sets a little better.

[ATLSean]

I don't do any comps, but I run my Party G2 at 250 (seems to be its sweet spot, dead on Bangs!) and I never foil anything. I always run water in my pan, my temps hold steadier that way. I don't have a guru but it stays rock solid for 7-8 hours once I get locked in. I've never had a bad cook, and since Fnbish gave me some tips my smoke rings are great!

[ATLSean]

I do run up to 325 for the Thanksgiving turkeys, but I still run water.

[Smokesignalsfromtx]

Fnbish, care to pm me for smoke ring help?

[martyleach]

For ribs, I run my Chubby at 250. The convection makes it cook a lot faster than I am used to with my other cookers. At 3-1/2 hours I may foil them for 30 minutes. It feels like I am cooking at 275 even though I have a Thermaworks probe in the cooking chamber that says 250. Yes, I use a water pan and a heat diverter.

[BigBellyBBQ]

my fatboy likes 230 /240 however it will run any temp from 200 up to 500. The water is used for most cooks, however will not allow the meats to bark up..sometimes I wrap other times I dont...I think everythings comes out better not wrapped....the only thing I found with mine, was to start the ribs upside down for the first part of the cook..