Just finished my first cook hanging ribs….


 
N

NDekens

TVWBB Member
So, I just finished cooking three racks of baby backs on my 22” wsm. It took about 4 hours and 20mins to get them done at 275 degrees. I was expecting it to take closer to 3 hours.

My question is; Is it normal to lose the bottom one to two ribs that are hanging closest to the charcoal?

The ribs looked fantastic…..have to wait until the 4th to try them….stupid diet. I seald them up and froze them until then.
 

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NDekens said:
So, I just finished cooking three racks of baby backs on my 22” wsm. It took about 4 hours and 20mins to get them done at 275 degrees. I was expecting it to take closer to 3 hours.

My question is; Is it normal to lose the bottom one to two ribs that are hanging closest to the charcoal?

The ribs looked fantastic…..have to wait until the 4th to try them….stupid diet. I seald them up and froze them until then.
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It looks like the hooks were in the broader end of the racks, right? I have never (or have yet) to hang ribs, but plenty of retraction happens on the racks that are laid flat and cooked with the pan in. I have had more than a few racks lose their smallest rib, so I think it would make sense that those same ones would get lost in the coal tray when hung. Those look great, btw.
 
CaseyMcC said:
It looks like the hooks were in the broader end of the racks, right? I have never (or have yet) to hang ribs, but plenty of retraction happens on the racks that are laid flat and cooked with the pan in. I have had more than a few racks lose their smallest rib, so I think it would make sense that those same ones would get lost in the coal tray when hung. Those look great, btw.
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Thank you,

Yes, I put the hooks in the fatter meatier end of the ribs. Just wondering and checking to see if my cook time was off causing the last rib to burn. But after some more research I found that when you don't wrap that this is what normally happens.

Thanks
 
When I hang full slabs in my 18 WSM, the rib closest to the fire can get crunchy. Not a big deal to me. But if you care about that, there's a few things you can do.

1. Hang slabs cut in half. In a 22 WSM, you've got plenty of room to hang six half racks versus three full.

2. Rotate the racks top-to-bottom part way through the cook. That evens the effect out.

3. Trim a couple of bones off the slab before hanging.
 
Another thing you can do with an 18, if you own a Vortex, is place it in the center of the charcoal grate with the large end up and disperse your charcoal around the Vortex. Hang your rack with the end over the center of the Vortex. This will shield the end of your rack. No Vortex, substitute a gallon tin can or I've used a loop of roof flashing too.
 
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