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Ribs... rackem or roll em?


 
M

Matt Simmons

TVWBB Member
So yesterday I smoked 4 racks of spare ribs and felt that they didn't hold as much smoke as I would have liked. I have a rib rack and cut them in to 8 half slabs and all but 1 fit in the rack (last one was placed on top). It was a pretty tight fit and kind of a pain when trying to rotate/flip them.

So. My question is... could the tight fit in the racks be the reason there was less "smokeyness"? Is there any downside to rolling the ribs instead? What is the preferred method?

Also, I have yet to venture in to using both top and bottom racks at the same time. When I do, do i need to switch up the racks while cooking ribs in order to cook them all evenly?
 
i'f i'm doing 3 racks i prefer to roll them and use only the top rack. 4 racks is too many to fit on the top rack rolled without being to far to the edge of the grate. i usually use the bottom rack for 4 and just lay them on the grates. at the anticipated midway point i will swap the bottom two racks with the top two. i have used a rib rack on the top shelf with 4 full racks in it when i had a pot of beans under them. i just think the rack is too much of a hassle.
 
I like to roll mine up, works well for me at least.

I would probably have bought a rib rack if rolling them up didn't work so well for me...haven't had a need for a rib rack yet.
 
I think I will give rolling a shot just to see if I prefer it over the rack or not.

On another note... I am thinking about buying a ET-73 but have one question. Where would the best place be for the grate clip to go when cooking multiple racks? Edge of the grill rack, in between rib racks in the center of the grill?
 
I have noticed that if the grate probe is too close to the edge or too close to metal(rib rack or foil) is gives me a falsely high reading. If your grill is too full, you could always just drop it through the top vent.
 
I used to roll and they came out fine. Then my wife bought me rim rack and thats how I cook em now. Other than the fact that the lay flat when you cook em in the rack, I never really have noticed a diffarence in hoe they com out.
 
I user a rib rack that has slots for 6 racks, so I can run 4 racks with some space between them or 8 racks total if needed. Never had a problem with running 4 racks, though I have noticed a little less smoke ring with 8 racks (the 8 racks tasted fine though.) These experiences have been using the same amount of smoke wood.

What I've done is increased the amount of smoke wood when using more than 4 racks a bit and/or opening the bottom vent (the one I leave open when I get to temp) a little more than usual and closing the top a little bit more. This seems to hold a little more smoke in the WSM and increases the smoke ring a little more.

With the 22.5, I have been able to rack 8 slabs and roll a few more up per grate (using silicone bands instead of skewers) while increasing the smoke and having good results.
 
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