First try at baby backs

Hi,

This is my first post to the forum. I'm so glad I found this forum since, within an hour, I found many useful tips and learned about the 2-2-1 method of preparing baby backs. I wouldn't have discovered the forum if I hadn't borrowed Steve's Sauces, Rubs, & Marinades from our library. Great book!

I decided to try grilling baby backs on my gas grill. I used Steve's basic BBQ rub from the book and applied a modified 2-2-1 method. Since this was my first try I only bought 2 racks of ribs---about 4 1/2 pounds. I thought I'd better cut back the cooking time so I went with 1 1/2-1-1/2 instead of 2-2-1.

I couldn't believe how they came out! They were great!

I also wanted to thank Bob-BQN for information he provided via email.

I did run into a small problem with my weber Genesis 1000 grill, in that, with 2 of the 3 burners on low for indirect, the temperature averaged a bit higher than I wanted. It was in the neighborhood of 300, while I wanted it closer to 225. This is one of the reasons I had to cut back on the time for grilling the ribs. Would it have been okay to turn off the back burner and leave only the front burner going to bring down the temperature? Or would I have had uneven cooking? Has anyone tried this with this grill?

Also, has anyone used an external heat source to start wood chips smoking--without having to heat them in the gas grill first? It took about 15 minutes at 500 degrees to get the wood to smoke, then I had to wait to let the grill cool down before putting the ribs on. I know this grill isn't made for smoking but I'd like to find a way to get around this if I could.

Thanks for your help!

Dennis

Welcome to the board guitarman3! Glad to meet ya.

Welcome to the board guitarman3.

I dont have a Genesis, but I dont see why you couldnt turn off one of the burners to get a lower heat. If you notice uneven cooking, rotate the meat. Even my offset smoker has a hot spot by the fire box. I usually end up rotating meat close to that spot. I have also heard of people placing charcoal on one side of the grill instead of both. This would be the same thing you are talking about.

About the smoke pouch, the side burner or camping stove would probably do a good job at starting the smoke.

Guitarman- Welcome to the board.
Hope you stick around and enjoy the insanity.
Absolutely you can use 1 burner. The heat is what you're shooting for. Where it comes from doesn't matter.
Turn 1 off and you'll probably have to turn the remaining one up a bit. On cold days on my D, I need to have the smoker box on hign to get the wood going and the next burner on low to keep heat. Then once the wood starts I back that down to med-low and bring the other up to med. Works like a charm. Just put the meat as far from live flame as possible. Flame = bad, low heat = good.
Many people start their wood before hand, but its not a necissity. My guess is you just need to put the wood pouch closer to the flame, like on the burner or vaporizer bars.
One more tip, when using gas for smoking always think about how the heat moves in te grill. Where does air come in, and where is smoke going out. Most vent our the back. Do your best to put your meat between the vent and the wood. This will draw the smoke across the meat. Often turning the grill so the wood is into the wind helps as well.
Good luck and see you around.