Newbie New Year's weather question

[Guest]

Hello All. New to the TVWBB. Planning on smoking a full Bullet worth of spare ribs (dry rub, no mop, no foil) for our New Year's party, which begins around 8:00 p.m.

Weather forecast for tomorrow (northern Massachusetts): 38 degrees through noon with possible ice pellets (nice), temp climbing to high 40's but with the wind kicking up to 25 mph.

I am planning to rub 2 hours prior & let the meat come up to room temperature; no water in pan; Minion method with Kingsford; mixture of hickory & apple; no insulating blanket or wind barrier available, but I think I can tuck the Bullet into a corner to cut down on exposure to the breeze.

What time do you think I should plan on placing the meat in the smoker? I am guessing 12:30 p.m. on, 8:30 p.m. off, for an 8 hour smoke at an expected 225 degrees. Any guidance / recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Larry Wolfe]

Jim,
Start sooner, especially since you are not planning on foiling with a bullet full of meat (I am assuming three or four racks when you say full bullet top and bottom racks). If it were me I would rub the ribs around 7 or 8 am (actually I am parnoid and would rub them sooner) and have them on the cooker at 10am at the very latest. If they finish sooner you can foil them and let them rest in a cooler for a couple hours. Or if you decide to go with your original plan and it looks like they aren't going to finish on time, you could use foil as a last resort. Good luck and let us know how it turns out and post some pics!

BTW, welcome to the TVWBB!

 

[Guest]

Larry, thanks. If I understand you correctly, you recommend a roughly 10 hour run, in order to account for the possible temp fluctuations due to the precip and wind? Makes sense to me.

How would I know if they "finish sooner"? Are there any telltale signs, or (assuming I can keep the temp in the 225-250 range), am I safe to just keep 'em on until 8:00 p.m. and then let them rest indoors on a cookie sheet for thirty minutes or so?

BTW great idea on the foil + insulated cooler. I am learning already!

 

[Larry Wolfe]

Jim,
Not necessarily saying they will take 10 hours to cook, but to plan on the cook taking longer than you anticipate. Due to the amount of meat and the weather conditions. You don't want a bunch of hungry people hovering over you asking "are they done yet"?!

You will know when they are done when the meat has pulled away from the ends of the ribs by about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch. You can also do the "tear test". You do this by grabbing two bones and gently pulling them apart. If they pull away easily from the meat they are done. Once these signs are visible you should take them off the cooker to prevent the ribs from drying out.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> and then let them rest indoors on a cookie sheet for thirty minutes or so?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> If you are ready to eat as soon as they are done and come off the cooker that is fine. But if they happen to finish say an hour or more before you are ready to eat, double wrap them in aluminum foil and a towel and put in the cooler to keep them hot until you are ready to eat.