New weber Smokey Mt. smoker


 
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Ernie Pomatto

New member
Hi;

Just got my WSMC for Christmas and want to do some racks of ribs for new Years. Approx. how much meat to buy for 5-6 people, and how long should I plan on cooking them. What is the best way to check for doneness.

CAN'T WAIT TO DO THESE!!!!! THANKS

Ernie
 
Welcome to the board Ernie...

I am pretty new here but lets see if I can answer your questions

When I do ribs I figure 3/4 of a slab per person, but it depends on the people eating them and how good the ribs look. I did St. Louis cut ribs yesterday and 2 slabs fed 3 people which didnt quite make 3/4 per person and we wanted more. Some of the guys I know can eat a whole slab of baby backs, but they are big eaters. It also depends on how many sides / appetizers you are having with them. The good thing about ribs is they are great as leftovers and not to bad even if you freeze them

I did my two slabs for 5 hours total, 3 hours on grate, an hour foiled with apple juice and an hour to firm them back up. It really depends on how hot you run your smoker. I do ribs a little higher at around 265.

Baby backs take less time. I do them 1.5 hours on grate, 3/4-1 hour in foil and hour back on grate to firm them. If you dont foil them at all they take a little longer

The bend test is how I tell if they are done. Pick up a full slab with tongs and if they bend and the meat starts to crack, then they are done. The ones I did yesterday were a little thin and I was at work so I slightly overcooked them and some of the bones fell out easily. That is a little too overdone for ribs in my opinion.

Hope this helps, but I am sure you'll get more replies from some of the seasoned vets on here, as I am by no means a competition cook
 
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Did some ribs on X-mas eve for the in laws. There were 6 of us (3 couples) & 2 side dishes and the 3-pack (7.5 pound) from Costco was more than enough for us. I'm with Rick on the bit higher temps & less cook time. 4 hours cooking time was more than enough. (2 on rack, 1 wrapped in foil, 30ish brushed with sauce a couple of times)
 
Chad Bman said:
Did some ribs on X-mas eve for the in laws. There were 6 of us (3 couples) & 2 side dishes and the 3-pack (7.5 pound) from Costco was more than enough for us. I'm with Rick on the bit higher temps & less cook time. 4 hours cooking time was more than enough. (2 on rack, 1 wrapped in foil, 30ish brushed with sauce a couple of times)
Click to expand...

oops, ya I left out the brushed with sauce part... I usually thrown them on the grill at high heat (cheat) for just about 5 minutes to carmelize the sauce.
 
Hi Ernie and welcome aboard.

4 St. Louis cut racks should be fine.

Make sure the membrane on the back of the ribs is removed and trim off any big pieces of fat. Then rub with your favorite rib rub.

I cook spare ribs at 275F, unfoiled for 2 1/2 hours, I then foil them with squeeze butter, honey and brown sugar for about another 1 1/2 hours or so. Push a toothpick in between the ribs, when it goes in like hot butter, they are done.

I do not sauce my ribs, I take them out of the foil, cut them up, and serve them.

Good luck,

Bob
 
Ernie Pomatto said:
Hi;

Just got my WSMC for Christmas and want to do some racks of ribs for new Years. Approx. how much meat to buy for 5-6 people, and how long should I plan on cooking them. What is the best way to check for doneness.

CAN'T WAIT TO DO THESE!!!!! THANKS

Ernie
Click to expand...

My familly and friends enjoy Baby backs. I figure about 1/2 rack per person and when in doubt err on the "more is better side". I try to keep the temps around 250-265. I'll cook them for 2 hours unfoiled, then wrap them in foil for an hour and finally finish them off unwrapped and sauced for about 1/2 hr to 1 hr. If doing St Louis ribs, (trimmed spares), I'll do the famous 3-2-1 times.

To tell if they are done, you should see the meat pulling up on the bones 1/4 inch or so. Another way to tell is the "bend" test. Pick the rack up in the middle with a pair of tongs, each end of the rack should bend down 45 degrees and you're good to go. I usually cut the racks every three bones and pile them up on a platter and let the crowd have at em.

I've seen cook times fluctuate quite a bit depending on how much food is in the cooker, the weather, how well the temps are holding and if the price of tea in china has changed. Waiting for the meat to pull up and the bend test have worked well for me. :)

Here's a pic I found on the web that shows the meat pulling up on the bone.

BabyBackRibsSmoker_Feature_300_zps4c2dd65f.jpg


Here's another picture I found showing the "Bend Test"
bendtest_zps8990a65a.jpg
 
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Ernie do you have time to do some chicken this weekend before your guests come over for new years? I'd highly recccomend that so there are no surprises when you are cooking for a crowd.

As for number of ribs, if it were me I'd go to Costco and pick up 2 or the smaller 3 packs of baby backs.
 
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