Keeping ribs warm

[Barry]

I plan on serving pork spare ribs at a party soon. I was wondering has anyone put the ribs in one of those trays that sit on top of a sterno can to keep them warm? I have read on the website about putting them in a cooler wrapped in towels, but I may need to use the cooler for other things.

 

[Bruce Bissonnette]

Barry,

Well the first problem right off the bat...you don't have enough coolers /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif Seriously though I have never used the warming tray with sterno, I have, however, kept baby backs double wrapped in heavy duty foil, wrapped in towels, in a cooler for nearly four hours and they registered 168 when I pulled them out of the cooler. Go buy another cooler. Good Luck!

 

[Chris Allingham]

You're refering to a chafing dish, which has a pan you put hot water in, then a food pan with lid goes on top, and the whole thing is kept warm by a can of Sterno.

I've used a chafing dish to keep barbecue hot for serving. It works fine, looks professional, and makes serving a breeze. I rented one for $25, buying a decent one is more like $50 and up.

But for $25, you can also buy a decent cooler at Costco or Sam's.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Dennis Solin]

We use chafing dishes for all our tailgaters and parties. Have four of them and one round one that we use for beans. They will hold all Q just fine for a long time and are used by most caterers. You can find a disposable on at Costco. I believe they are about $20.00 for two sets of them. A decent Chafer at Costco runs about $45.00.

You can also hold them in the oven at 170 degrees in a covered large aluminum pan for awhile. Lots depend on how long you have to hold them. The cooler or cambro works ok for a couple of hours. Beyond this you might need to consider whether to put them in the frig and reheat. The key is to keep them out of the 40-140 range.

 

[Barry]

Thanks all for your replies. I think I will take Bruce and Chris up on their advice and get another cooler. I should only have to keep them warm for 2-3 hours. That is if I plan my smoking time correctly!!!