thebigonion

Carbon steel would probably work better than stainless steel. Stainless does not hold heat as well as carbon steel. Stainless does look nice and won't rust as much but you may have trouble keeping you smoker up to temperature on cooler days. You could probably get almost the same results by starting with a larger fire and tending it more often but it will cool down quickly every time you open the lid.

Texas Smoker in Uvalde makes excellent smokers. I have the 20" grill w/ firebox. http://texassmoker.org/ They are made by the fabricator who used to make Lyfe Tyme smokers. They are pretty much identical to the Lyfe Tyme smokers but cost way less. http://www.trampolinesales.com/bbqsmokers.shtml

Owsley Stanley designed the first high-fidelity sound system for rock music and his designs culminated with the “Wall of Sound”. Owsley met the Dead in ’66 and was their first sound engineer. He was known as the Dancing Bear and the bears that appear on the Dead’s albums are an inside reference to him. Owsley also helped design the Dead’s “steal your face” logo. Owsley family included senators and governors from Kentucky, English aristocracy, European royalty and he is thought to be a direct descendent of Charlemagne. However, the most interesting aspect of his life is his private lab that manufactured probably 5 million hits of LSD during the sixties and fueled such events as the Gathering of the Tribes, the Muir Beach Acid Test, the Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test and of course the Monterey Pop Festival which he supplied with free Monterey Purple. Owsley is also famous for his high fidelity concert recordings, most of which have never been released. He is also involved in the manufacture of high end musical instruments and concert sound equipment. Here are some musical references to Owsley from Wiki: In 1966, the Grateful Dead sometimes performed a song titled "Alice D. Millionaire", which is a reference to the newspaper headline of when Stanley was arrested. The headline read "LSD Millionaire Busted".The Jimi Hendrix cover version of the Beatles song "Day Tripper", from a 1967 BBC session first released on CD in 1987, features Jimi Hendrix clearly shouting out, "Oh Owsley, can you hear me now?" during the climactic guitar solo.The title of the Jefferson Airplane song "Bear Melt", from their 1968 live album Bless Its Pointed Little Head, is a reference to Stanley's nickname "Bear". Paul Kantner also refers to Stanley by name on the album. The Jefferson Airplane song "Mexico", which was released as a single in 1970, opens with the lyric, "Owsley and Charlie, twins of the trade, come to the poet's room."The Frank Zappa song "Who Needs the Peace Corps?", from the Mothers of Invention' 1968 album We're Only in It for the Money, satirized the hippie scene and features the opening verse:What's there to live for? Who needs the peace corps? Think I'll just DROP OUT I'll go to Frisco Buy a wig & sleep On Owsley's floor[5]The Steely Dan song "Kid Charlemagne" from the 1976 album The Royal Scam was inspired by Stanley:While the music played you worked by candlelight Those San Francisco nights You were the best in town Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl You turned it on the world That's when you turned the world around Did you feel like Jesus Did you realize That you were a champion in their eyes On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene But yours was kitchen clean Everyone stopped to stare at your technicolor motor home Every A-Frame had your number on the wall You must have had it all You'd go to L.A. on a dare And you'd go it alone Could you live forever Could you see the day Could you feel your whole world fall apart and fade away Owsley is still around – check out his website http://www.thebear.org/

Some interesting info from wikipedia: Harry Nilsson's London flat Nilsson's 1970s London flat, located in the building at 12 Curzon Place on the pricey edge of Mayfair, was a two-bedroom place decorated by the design company that ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and Robin Cruikshank owned at that time. Although Nilsson cumulatively spent several years at the flat, which was convenient to Apple Records, the Playboy Club, Tramps disco and the homes of friends and business associates, his work and interests took him to the U.S. for extended periods, and while he was away he lent his place to numerous musician friends. During one of his absences, ex-Mamas and Papas singer Cass Elliot and a few members of her tour group stayed at the flat while she performed solo at the London Palladium, headlining with her Torch Songs and "Don't Call Me Mama Anymore". Following a strenuous performance with encores, Elliot returned to the flat to relax and sleep and was discovered in one of the bedrooms, dead of heart failure, on July 29, 1974. Four years later, on September 7, 1978, The Who's drummer Keith Moon returned to the same room in the flat after a night out, and died from an overdose of Clomethiazole, a prescribed anti-alcohol drug. Nilsson, distraught over another friend's death taking place in his flat, and with little remaining need for the property, quickly sold it to Moon's bandmate Pete Townshend and consolidated his life in Los Angeles.

Try using an electric starter. It's just an three prong electric cord with a heating element on the end. You can get them at Home Depot for about $15. Put down a layer of brickettes or wood, lay the element on top and put another layer on top of the element. Gets the coals white hot in about 15 minutes, even on a cold day with no wind. Also, the reason the temperature spikes is because because you need a hotter fire at the start because the meat is cold. When you put the meat on the grill it lowers the temperature of the smoker so you need a larger fire to quickly bring things back up to the required temperature. When the meat starts coming up to temperature it has less of an effect on the overall smoker temperature, so if you are maintaining a large fire there will be a spike. There is a transition period after about 30 minutes when the temperature may become hotter than required. The key is to start with a large amount of coals, put the meat on and let them burn down for about 30 minutes. Then then add only a small amount of new coals and keep the fire smaller for the rest of the duration. You will still have a temperature spike but it will be smaller with less risk of getting the fire too hot and overcooking the meat.

FYI from ronniemontrose.com The first time I saw Edgar perform was with his brother Johnny at Fillmore West. Johnny played a hot set, and in the middle of it, out comes Edgar... his presence on sax and Hammond B3 did nothing short of blow the roof off the joint (or at least help Johnny finish the job)! The next time was when I was doing a small tour with Boz Scaggs as the second guitarist in his band (side note: Boz is a great guitarist!) and we opened for White Trash somewhere in the Midwest. I remember standing on the side of the stage with my mouth hanging open! Heavy, powerful R&B coming from that band! I didn't actually meet Edgar on that tour, only saw him play, and am not sure if he heard me play that night. But when I got back from that tour, I received a call from a fellow who knew my style of playing would be right, who told me that Edgar's management was looking for a guitarist for what was to become "The Edgar Winter Group." They wanted to have a rock band as opposed to an R&B band, and needed a "rock guitarist"... His manager, Steve Paul called me in California, and asked if I would be interested in coming to New York to audition. My first response was concern for getting back to California in case it didn't work out! I was sent a round-trip ticket, and don't believe I used the return half... My previous gigs with Van and Boz were more Blues/R&B based, and even though that was truly Edgar's background, this chapter of my playing would be my first introduction to what we called "Coliseum Rock"... I recall calling home and stating that I couldn't believe I was having so much fun, and actually getting paid for it! I used Johnny's amps for the first shows, and had only one guitar - I broke a string during the show, and had to change it between songs... needless to say, I got a spare guitar immediately after that! I had boundless energy on-stage, and people responded to it nightly. There seemed to be a "chemistry" balance between Edgar and myself, and I always enjoyed the musical energy exchange between us. (Keep in mind that I was still trying to learn how to properly play, and hadn't started writing much of anything... at that time, a simple thing like "vibrato" was a challenge!) The band went through a few drummers in the beginning (Andy Newmark, Rick Marotta, and a couple of others) before we settled on Chuck Ruff - connection: Chuck was in the band "Sawbuck" with me in California. Bass was handled by Randy Jo Hobbs ("White Trash," "Johnny Winter And") until he had a stroke and couldn't continue. I recall we were backstage literally right before a show we were playing in Texas when it happened to Randy... he was taken to the hospital, and the show was sold out, so Dan Hartman simply picked up the bass and the show went on. An altogether eerie night, to say the least... Dan Hartman was the other guitarist in the band and when we officially became a "four piece" that night, switched over to bass. My memories of Dan are good ones... very "up", talented, enthusiastic, etc... I heard tape demos that Dan had made at his home using a pair of two-track tape recorders bouncing overdubs back and forth that blew my mind! He would use things like cardboard boxes for drums, etc., a prodigy in every sense of the word... Both Randy and Dan have passed away, and are missed by many... When we became the "four piece", we went into the studio in New York City to record this album. It spawned the songs, "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," still staples on classic radio today... I don't think anyone in the entire organization had any idea how huge "Frankenstein" would become... I sure didn't! We played constantly, on many, many shows of all sizes from 450 people to 450,000 people and eventually, I grew "restless" and felt the need to "stretch out" on my own... Back home to California then, the story continues...

Frankenstein was some of Ronnie Montrose's best guitar work. His follow up group had a pretty good lead singer.

Seti, Keeping the temperature low is always the tricky part. It's a lot easier if you have a heavy walled smoker but it is still pretty easy on a grill. The key to keeping the fire temp low is to build a small fire. If you use a grill (like a Webber) put a pan on the lower grill that covers up about 80% of the space and build a very small fire (only 20 to 30 pieces of charcoal) off to one side. Add 5 to 10 pieces of charcoal every 30 minutes and the fire won't get too hot. If it does get hot just stack your ribs as far away from the fire as possible until it cools down. The cover should stay on the grill unless you are turning the meat. The top vent should stay closed, adjust the bottom vent as necessary to keep the heat low or close it completely for a few minutes if it gets too hot. Slow smoking is the key to old school ribs. Give it a try and let me know how it works. You may not get it perfect the first time but they will still be great. The second time they will be perfect. If you don't want to slow smoke them you might modify your recipe by putting them on the grill first then in the oven. I think the flavor comes from the grill so I put the meat on the grill first as opposed to after they are already cooked. If you grill them first do not put the sauce on or it will burn. I think putting the ribs in the oven after they are cooked is the key to making the meat fall off the bones. If you cover the container the cooked ribs will steam and that seems to really make them tender. Also, it helps if you are drinking beer. Good Luck, Ronny

Here is my recipe for pork Baby Back Ribs <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Preparation One of the key preparation steps is to peel the membrane off the back side of the ribs. You do not have to do this if you are using pork short ribs or country ribs. You can start peeling the membrane at one end or one corner and if you work slowly you might be able to get it off in one piece. You can leave it on if you want but it will be crispy and the meat will not take on as much flavor. After removing the membrane rinse the ribs under cold water then salt and pepper both sides and coat with Worcestershire sauce and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Louisiana hot sauce. Put them back in the refrigerator for an hour or two while the fire heats up. You can cut each rack of ribs into 2 or 3 pieces to make them easier to handle. Start a fire using charcoal briquettes in the fire box of your smoker. If you do not have a smoker with a separate firebox you can use a Webber grill and build the fire on one side. It helps to use an old broiler pan or large aluminum pan under the meat to keep the coals isolated to one side. Do not smoke the ribs over direct heat. Do not use charcoal starter fluid. Use either an electric starter element or a chimney. Let the coals get white and stay white long enough to get the smoker up to 190 to 210 degrees. Put a small aluminum container full of water under the meat to keep the meat from drying out. You can add water to the pan if you are using a Webber grill. Cooking Put the meat on the smoker as far away from the fire as you can. The ribs should cook for 5 to 6 hours. Try to maintain the temperature as close to 200 degrees as you can. Turn and rotate the ribs every 30 minutes adding coals to the fire every time you rotate the meat. After an hour start adding hickory or mesquite to the fire for flavor. If you use chips be sure and soak them in water for an hour to keep them from burning up instead of smoking. It is better to use larger pieces of wood. After 2 or 3 hours the surface of the ribs will start to dry out a little. Coat the ribs with Stubbs mopping sauce when you turn them. You should only have to do this once but twice is probably better. After the ribs have cooked for 5 to 6 hours take them off the fire and coat them with Stubbs BBQ sauce. Put the ribs in an aluminum container (like the ones made for a turkey), cover the top tightly with foil and put them in a pre-heated 220 degree oven for another 3 hours. Ribs should be slow cooked for 8 or 9 hours depending on the size of the ribs and how many racks you are cooking. You can cook them for a lot longer if you want but you will have to maintain a lower heat to make sure they dont dry out. When the ribs are done they should be almost black on the outside and dark pink on the inside and they should fall off the bones. The best part is you can take the leftovers and put one or two pieces in the microwave for a minute of so and they will be just like they came out of the oven. You can use this same recipe for country ribs or even brisket but you need to cook the brisket for a couple of hours longer. This is a Texas recipe so it might be different than you are used to. Substituting a dry rub for the marinate, eliminating the mopping sauce and waiting until they are out of the over to add BBQ sauce is okay but everyone that has tried these loves them the way they are. Let me know if you have any questions. Ronny

I'm in Atlanta, probably about 5 or 10 miles from Lilburn. I also have a truck so picking them up would not be a problem. I have limited storage so I wouldn't want to hold them too long but am happy to help. I'll check later and leave contact info. if anyone is interested. Ronny

I bought a similar Marantz system in the mid 80's. The receiver/equalizer/tape deck was a one-piece plastic front unit. It also had a turntable and 2 floor speakers. The system also included a cabinet and cost around $800. Nothing fancy but it was fine for me for about 5 years until I could afford a better system.

I have a similar setup. I have the RB-35s for fronts with RF-35s for zone 2. Also have the RC-35 and RS-35s with RS-25s for the rears. I use the RW-12 instead of RSW-10. I use an Integra DTR 6.5 receiver which is an Onkyo product. The specs are almost identical with a minor difference in frequency response. I think it is a great setup. You will enjoy the Onkyo receiver. I use omni mounts 10.0s for the rears and 20.0s for the surrounds. Enjoy! RCC

I had a similar piece of material in one of my RF-35s and a round piece in the other one. I think it is adhesive material for attaching the foam. If you push the foam to the sides and the rear of the opening so the port is not blocked you should not have to use the adhesive material.

I've been enjoying the forum for the past few months and decided to make a first post. Decided to replace my 15+ year old system a couple of months ago and ended up with an Integra DTR-6.5 receiver, Integra DPS-6.5 DVD player, RB-35 fronts, RC-35 center, RS-35 surrounds, RS-25 rears, RW-12 sub and RF-35 zone 2 speakers. I use the zone 2, fronts and sub for 2-channel and it ROCKS. Had to keep my old Bang & Olufsen Beogram TX2 for vinyl. Just wanted to point out for discussion purposes that the RS-25's have a label on the back that proudly states they are internally wired with Monster Cable. None of the 35's do. They all still rock. Thanks for all the free advice. RCC