A good way to travel with Ribs.


 
R

Rob O

TVWBB Pro
Good morning everyone. I put 3 racks of Competition Ribs on about 45 minutes ago. We're taking them down to the beach for a picnic this evening. (No grills or fires allowed)

Anyway,

I like the comp ribs recipe when I do this. The juice in the foil keeps the ribs moist and by adding a heated cooking stone to the cooler I can actually finish cooking the ribs in the cooler. (!) Cuts down on the prep time.

They get very tender (some would say mushy) when I hold 'em that long but short of hauling my pit down to the beach this is a great way to go.
 
Rob,

Recently I had to keep about 35 pieces of chicken warm for quite a while after taking it off the grill. I filled my cooler with very hot tap water and let it set for 30 minutes, and then dumped it out and put the chicken in the cooler (in plastic bags) as soon as I removed it from the grill. It stayed nice and warm for over two hours without any additional cooking that I was aware of. Maybe you can eliminate the hot stone. Just a thought.

Ray
 
Thanks Ray,

That is certainly a good idea and I've used it in the past. I think it was Doug D who first called it to my attention about a year ago.

The thing here is I'm going to need to get the ribs in the car around 10 to 11 AM then they won't get served till about 5PM. Given the length of time I'd be concerned about the temp dropping below 140* for a while.

The cooking stone (not that I don't love hauling a very heavy cooler over sand
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) is actually a way of combining two steps.

It'll help me hold the ribs for the 6 or so hours I need. And, since the Comp Ribs recipe calls for 3 or so hours of cooking in foil, I'm using the heat generated from the stone to accomplish this step.

I wouldn't recommend this all the time but it just seemed sort of an "elegant" method of solving a logistics problem.

Personally I like my ribs fall off the bone so I like them fine and the Comp Ribs recipe compliments that. However, you've got my mind working.... Wonder if there's a way to hold "dry ribs" for 6 hours or so?
 
Rob,

Did not realize you were holding them that long.... cooking stone sounds best for that length of time.

Have you considered taking them off the WSM a bit earlier and letting the final cooking take place in the heated cooler (boy - that sounds dumb). That way you may avoid the mushiess you mentioned.

Have a great day at the beach!

Ray
 
Rob, Have you considered one of those Igloo coolers that run off the cigarette lighter in your car?

Mine has a plug that either heats or cools, depending on which side of the plug is up. You could leave the cooler in the car until you needed it. You might have to run the car for a few minutes every 2 or 3 hours though. Actually, it depends on the ampere hours of your battery (I think) when the car is off. You'd have to check with Igloo to see how long you can expect it to run off your car battery when the car isn't running. Mine lasts for over 2-3 hours without having to jumper the car, which has happened a time or two because I forgot to unplug it when I got home.
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On talking to Igloo, they indicated that it should run longer. I have an AC adapter for mine, a handy accessory.

Costco sells a small model, too small for our uses, IMO. I have this one - it would hold a lot of ribs. They say it warms to 155*F, so that should be plenty safe:

http://www.igloocoolers.com/products/Thermoelectrics/Travel/2856

It's great when we travel...no ice to contend with. Can plug it into the wall for overnight. Just wish it had wheels.

Rita
 
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