What temperature was the smoker at inside? "Not ready" as in still a little raw? Or just didn't seem tender enough?

 

Update/Lessons Learned:

I did not use a thermometer. However, I could tell the rib was still a bit raw, but it was fine after another 2 hours in it.

I am not going to smoke beef ribs anymore. It's too greasy. Almost made my husband sick. Our neighbor guinea pig also did not like it too much, but he ate most of it since he's a bachelor who can't cook. The water pan was filled with grease and fat floating on top. It's probably why there was no steam generated.

Every hour, I'm going to throw in more wood chips to keep the smoke going.

The chicken needs to be soaking in brine longer.

The dry rub on the baby back ribs need to be cut back more.

Before I analyze the Green Egg, I'm going to give El Cheapo another try this weekend. Also going to try apple wood or mesquite or oak. Using hickory now.

Finally, I have to resist the temptation of opening the little door and the lid to look at the stuff. Smoking meats is like watching paint dry - takes patience and faith.

 

Pellet smokers. Set it and forget it. Perfect temp control.

 

I have both a Green Egg and a pellet smoker. The pellet smoker gets 90% of the use but you can't beat the egg on steaks. I spent big bucks on a top of the line pellet grill and it's fantastic. If I want 225 degrees for 14 hours it holds it rock solid. Fantastic results. Go to pelletheads.com for more info.

 

Vagabond,
If you haven't already, you might check out amazingribs.com for some great information on techniques and the science of smoking - not to mention some fantastic recipes.

 

Brisket on a weber kettle grill. Snake method charcoal. Build a ring of charcoal 3/4 of the way around the grill 4 briquettes deep and sprinkle with soaked mesquite chips. put a drip pan under the other quarter. Dump hot coals on one end of the snake and put the brisket on the grate on the opposite side. Check once every hour to adjust vents and rotate the grate to keep brisket farther from the fire. It'll run about 5 hours good for a medium size brisket. Wrap it in foil and let it sit for another hour while the coals go out.