14 lbs of ribs and a small smoker

[nofishfisherman]

So I have one of the cheap brinkman smokers and so far its been great. This weekend I may have bitten off more than I can chew though with a 14 lbs or ribs i'm hoping to smoke on saturday. SO far the most I've done is 9 so this is a pretty sizable jump.

Looking for ideas to get more meat in the small space. MY smoker has 2 round racks that are a little over 15 inches across. I thought about adding a 3rd rack in between the 2 but that would only give me 4 inches of clearance between the racks.

Anyone got any ideas how to make it work? I've got hungry people coming and a fridge full or spare ribs.

[picksbigwagon]

third Rack would work, just criss cross the rack layers....just leave space for the smoke to get through

[DonBo]

You could do a couple racks ahead of time, wrap in foil and heat them in the oven when it's time for dinner.

[nofishfisherman]

Normally I'd do some ahead of time but not sure I have time to do that. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze it in on Friday night.

I've also been looking at some of the rib rack stands you can put in the smoker. I need to do some measurements to see if they'll fit though.

[reinhard1]

even with rib racks i dont think you will be able to put them all in at once. if time is an issue Don Bos idea is a good one. also with the time issue i would do all the ribs in the oven till almost done and wrap in foil. then saturday i would give whatever amount you can put in there without touching an hour of smoke and do the rest the same way. then put them back in the oven at low temp covered with foil. leave at least a couple to do last with the hour with smoke as the guests arrive so they can see the ribs in the smoker and smell the goodness. then serve the ribs. good luck.

[nofishfisherman]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was just going over the time line in my head and I think I may have just enough time to do 2 batches in the smoker on saturday if I get up early enough. Based on previous rib experiments I think it takes me roughly 5-5 1/2 hours to smoke the ribs if I wrap them in foil after the first 3 hours. I'll just smoke the first batch just a little short of done then smoke the second batch and then use the gas grill to finish things off and sauce everything right before serving.

[reinhard1]

after you rub them and foil them, let them sit out till they get room temp before you put them in the smoker. it will save you cooking time also. good luck.

[McGurk]

As said: Make sure the ribs are thawed and close to room temp before cooking. That will help tremendously, and don't think that a little room temp time for the sealed ribs will automatically make them spoiled. A little time, though; not 10 hours straight.

If you are going to foil them (as I tend to do) you can finish them in the oven after that point. I like to look for the point at where the ribs are slef-basting or "weeping" to know when it's time to foil. The ribs stay wet on their own instaed of needing spraying or mopping. Smoke isn't penetrating the foil anyways, and the oven at 275 deg will work just fine to finish them off. Make sure to put them on some sort of lipped sheet (cookie sheet) in case some juices erupt. You can always put them on a grill or in the oven un-wrapped with sauce if desired at the end.

[nofishfisherman]

Sounds like I have my game plan. I usually do pull the ribs from the fridge an hour or so before hand to let them get up to room temp before they go in the smoker.

I think i need to go out tonight to pick up spices for the rub. not sure i have enough left to do 14 lbs.

Also I ended up getting the pack of ribs from Sams Club. $2.48/pound and it came in a pack with 3 large racks per pack. They look good and meaty.

[delcecchi]

Roll the racks of ribs up in a loose spiral and stick a skewer or two through them to hold them. Then you can put them on edge without a rack.

[Moose]

I used this recipe from Third Eyes site for ez ribs last weekend and they were awesome!!! and it cut down on the time by 1/2 I did mine on the Weber at 250 with cherry wood. I used a salt free rub and a homemade bbq sauce for the final smoke and added more when they went into the oven. and then followed the recipe for the oven.

[Note from admin: here is the link: http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/12/ezbb-ribs.html ]

[nofishfisherman]

that looks pretty good and it pretty similar to what i am thinking of doing. I'm going to do my best to remember to take some photos this time around.

[reinhard1]

Thirdeye is awesome!!!!or as the young people say "he rules". good luck.

[Leaky]

Yup - I'm an old folk and still say he rules.

[Moose]

Thank you to the moderators for not booting the link. Third Eye Rules and I'm no youngun...

[delcecchi]

here is what i meant by rolling them.....

result.

[delcecchi]

If you want details search for "best ribs in the Universe" and weber bullet.

[nofishfisherman]

i did the prep for the ribs this evening and it looks like i will be able to fit all three rack of ribs in the smoker after i did the trimming. All of the trim pieces will go in the smoker first but since they are small they shouldn't take too long to smoke and then I'll finish them in the oven while the large racks get their turn. I did have to cut one of the rack in half to get it to fit but it looks like 1 1/2 racks per grate fits perfectly.

Looks like it will be a cool and windy day tomorrow so I'll probably set up in a sheltered area and give the ribs a little extra time to cook. Last time I smoked ribs it was 90 degrees so I'm sure cook time will change a little.

[reinhard1]

hope it goes well for you on this cool day. let us know how it turned out. good luck.

[Big Dave2]

Why can't you stand them up in a rib rack? Are you only cooking 3 racks of ribs? I have cooked 4 racks in a rib rack on a weber type grill before.

[nofishfisherman]

I ended up cooking them in two parts. First I did the small trim pieces on the smoker for about an hour and then pulled them off, wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven at 240 degrees. Then the 3 main racks went on and they fit perfectly after cutting one rack in half.

Actually turned out that this way was perfect since the trim pieces were small they needed far less cook time then the ribs.

Ended up smoking the ribs for 2-2 1/2 hours and then wrapped them in foil for another 2-2 1/2 hours and then finished them on the gas grill for 20 minutes with sauce.

They turned out awesome and everyone ate WAY to much.

[reinhard1]

glad everything turned out great. great final results. good luck.

[Whoaru99]

Yup. That's what I do when I cook a mess of ribs on the WSM.