I use the RecTeq RT-700 pellet grill. Their seasonings are great as well. Also their pellet wood blend gives the best smoke flavor I have tried so far.
For burgers I throw them on the grill frozen on the lowest “extreme smoke” setting (180 degrees). Leave them for 20-30 minutes in the smoke. Thaws the meat and let’s a thick smoke layer sink into the surface. Then crank it up to 400 degrees to finish them off. Sometimes put a thin layer of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce on the burgers after the initial smoking session so it glazes during the final finish on high heat. Takes longer to do burgers this way, but the flavor is so amazing that it’s worth every extra minute in my opinion.
For ribs I quit doing the 3-2-1 method. Takes so long and requires constant attention to get them right in the end. Tried a much faster way to do them and found the results are way more consistent with every bit as much flavor. You can do whatever you like for your rub and BBQ sauce but the cooking method remains the same. Ribs turn out awesome and take a 1/3 of the time compared to the 3-2-1 method. See below:
1. Put on your spice rub mixture over both sides of the rib racks. Don’t forget to peel the membrane off the backside first. Can use a light layer of cooking oil to make the rub stick better if you want.
2. Set the grill temperature to 200 degrees F and smoke the ribs for 45- 1 hour. While smoking, prep large pieces of heavy duty tin foil capable of completely enclosing each rack of ribs. Baste the entire bottom side of each piece of tin foil with “real” butter then throw your rub all over the top of the butter layer
3. Take ribs out and turn your grill up to 350 degrees.
4. Baste the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce mixture then place them on the prepped heavy duty tin foil. Wrap the tin foil pieces all the way up and around the racks and fold the tops so the foil is closed but leave a small top part of the sides open. Make sure the opening is facing up so juices don’t escape and run down into your grill.
5. Put ribs back on the grill (which should be close to 350 degrees now) and let them cook for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes or so. Check them until you see the meat starting to recede from the bone tips just a little bit.
6. Take ribs off the grill and take them OUT of the tin foil. Brush another layer of BBQ sauce on the ribs and put them on the grill without the tin foil. Continue grilling at 350 degrees for another ½ hour or so until the BBQ sauce has developed a nice glaze.
Check every 10 minutes to see if they are finished. If the meat isn’t receding off the bone tips 1/4-1/3” after 30 minutes then you can crank the temp up to 400 degrees at this point. Just makes sure you check them often. Tho this is not an exact rule of thumb. Some racks won’t recede off the bone as much as others. Can use a toothpick to poke them if not sure. It will go in and out very easily if the meat is ready.
Final: With most meats, except for maybe burgers, one of the main keys to great meat is the resting period after cooking. Needs a minimum of 10 minutes but 15-20 is best and what I prefer. Just wrap the ribs back in the tin foil to keep them warm if you like. Meat should pull off the bones effortlessly and leave a nice clean bone if done correctly.
