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Cooking time for 6 racks of BB's.


 
JeffB

JeffB

TVWBB Pro
I am having guests over this weekend for dinner. We will have 7 adults and 4 kids. The kids will likely not eat much. I am cooking BB's purchased at Sam's in packs of 3. I have 6 racks total. My questions are as follows:

1. How many should I cook to serve 7 adults? We will have a few side items as well.

2. If I want to serve them at 4:00pm, what time do they need to go on the smoker?

Thanks for looking.
 
Jeff,

I don't cook BB so I can't help you on the itme.

However on the servings it varies greatly depending on what is being served with them as well as the size of each rack. What are the weights on each pack ?

When served with a lot of other food I have served 4 ppl / rack, with no other meats 2 ppl / rack.
 
I rarely cook bb's, and usually use foil when I do. However, not foiling I'd guess that size would be about four hours cooking 235-250 by the gauge. Maybe faster, but you can hold 'em for up to an hour ok. Give yourself 4.5 if it'll make you more comfortable and give some more time to come up to temp.
 
Jeff,

BB's are the ONLY ribs I cook so hopefully I can help you at least a little bit. I've cooked hundreds of racks by now and I find that the average adult is satisfied with 1/2 a rack given a reasonable amount of side dishes. I know many adults can eat a whole rack, but my guests have rarely tried to eat so much. Usually if there are any ribs left over the guest take them home. I always plan on 1/2 rack per adult, but you may want more.

As for time, that is such a loaded question. Given near perfect conditions (no or light wind, no rain, moderate to hot ambient temps) I use a chimney of unlit with a few fist sized chunks of pecan and apple wood blended in (I have an 18 1/2 inch WSM) and about a half chimney of lit on top of that blend. I catch the temp on the way up (I use a clay dish and no water) somewhere around 250-275 (temp is not so important; high temps work for many people), and then load the smoker. On a near perfect day I would say that 4 to 4.5 hours would do it, but I never cook by time, only feel. They are ready when they are ready. If you absolutely have to have them ready by a certain time, prepare them to be done by 2 or 3 and double foil them in a cooler until 4.

By the way, the best thing I do for ribs in my smoker is put a little tin foil strip on the grate under the ends of the ribs, maybe 2 inches wide or so. This trick keeps the heat chimney that comes up the sides of the smoker from burning the ends while the middles get "just right". I've done this a handful of times with great success.

Good luck! And I'm envious of your weekend!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T Bounds:
Jeff,

If you absolutely have to have them ready by a certain time, prepare them to be done by 2 or 3 and double foil them in a cooler until 4.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

T Bounds, thanks for the post. In regard to your comments above, please expand if you will. I've read in this forum (I believe) that ribs should not be foiled and held in a cooler the same way you would with a Boston Butt. I think I read that if the ribs will be done too far ahead of time, the best thing to do is to pull them and cool them off as quickly as possible, and then to reheat them, and that foiling and putting into a cooler (like the butts) can dry them out. Am I wrong?

Thanks for the comments! 40% chance of rain this weekend. Please stay away!
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Cook all six slabs. IMO, put them all on at 11. If you cook ~250 they should be done, tender and still warm by 4. If done around 3, put them on a sheet pan and top with a piece of foil.
 
Running at 225 -250 it will be about 4 to 5 hours. If you go up to 275 they could be ready in 3 or 3.5. At least that has been my experience. Never had them take less than 3 and never more than 5. That doesn't count getting up to temp, that's just cooking time. Unless you have to eat at 4 on the dot, you can just get your sides prepped and close to ready and when the ribs are close to done, finish up the sides and it will be time to eat.

So that would be fire in the hole at around 11:30, ribs on by 12:00, beer at 12:05 and you'll be good to go.

Wish I was cookign some ribs this weekend.

Good luck
Brian
 
Dave and Brian-

Thanks for the posts. I'm just a bit sheepish on these because last time I cooked ribs for friends, my friends were LATE by nearly 2 hours (
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) , so I shut down the WSM and kept them in a "holding pattern" inside of it for an hour and then foiled them for another hour. They got a bit hard and overcooked, but were not horrible. Certainly not my best and nothing to brag about. That's why I'm hoping to nail a 4pm "dig in" time this time around. Plenty of cold Sam Adams Octoberfest shall be served!
 
How long they will take always depends on cooktemps.

No need to go into a 'holding pattern'. You'll just set yourself up for an overcooked finish, as you've discovered.

Cook till the ribs are done - i.e., tender - not by the clock. If your guests are late it is of little consequence. Allow the ribs to cool, unwrapped. Cover and hold on the counter for an hour or in the fridge if you need to go longer. Crank your cooker back up when your guests arrive, stick the ribs back in, and heat to serving temp.
 
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