Smoked Baby Back Ribs


 
F

Frank Mitchell

New member
Hi from Panama.
I am going to try and do some ribs for the first time this weekend for a group of friends. I'm using the "Best Ribs in the Universe" recipe and I'm wondering how many ribs per person should I plan for?
 
Frank, how many people are coming over and what kind of ribs will you be serving? Also, serving up some aps like a fatty or two or perhaps some ABT's will help keep them from consuming a ton of ribs. And don't forget about the sides.
 
I'm doing baby back ribs, 3-4 lb. slabs. About 20 people and they all pigs also! I just need an idea of how many Slabs to do. I've never had any leftovers from a BBQ yet.
 
If they are big eaters I'd do a minimum of 6 racks. Not uncommon to have someone eat half a rack or more by themselves.
 
Hi Frank-

I usually shoot for 1/3 to 1/2 a rack of baby backs per guest, depending on how big the appetites and what I'm doing for side dishes. 3-4 pounds is a pretty hefty rack of BBs (compared to what I normally see, around 2 lb), so you might aim more toward 1/3 rack each... maybe ~8 racks for 20 people?

Whip up some beans, corn and rolls of some kind and your good to go.
 
Originally posted by Benny L.:
Hi Frank-

I usually shoot for 1/3 to 1/2 a rack of baby backs per guest, depending on how big the appetites and what I'm doing for side dishes. 3-4 pounds is a pretty hefty rack of BBs (compared to what I normally see, around 2 lb), so you might aim more toward 1/3 rack each... maybe ~8 racks for 20 people?

I agree with Benny on this one. I can eat a half rack myself nooooo prob. Good luck and have fun.
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If I have big heavy eaters I supplement the expensive backs with some cheap butts. And they're just as good!
 
Hey Frank-

One small tip that you didn't ask for.
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You mentioned that you'll be trying ribs for the first time, and using the Best Ribs in the Universe recipe. I used BRITU for my firs baby back cook and they turned out really nice, but one quick word of caution... In the recipe instructions Chris notes that the rub is very salty, and you should only use a "light dusting". He emphasizes this a couple times.

I applied what I'd consider a light-medium amount of rub, and the ribs were definitely quite salty even with the sweet sauce. Duh
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. They were very good, we just drank more beer.
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The second time I did BRITU I cut the salt in half and applied like I would any other rub, and I thought they were outstanding. I don't know how much you and your guests like salt, or how heavily you normally rub your BBQ, but I thought I'd just toss this out as a heads-up to believe what Chris says in the recipe.
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Good luck with the cook!
 
Thanks for all the help. I've already made up the rub and I'll remember to keep it "very" light.
FYI, I ended up buying 7 racks for 24 people. The weight of the slabs were a little over 2 lb. @ $3.63/lb, Panama Price. I had a hard time finding ribs that weren't already smoked and marinated.
I'll post an after party report.
 
Wow, I was kinda hoping to hear that the prices were like 80 cents a lb, or something. There's gotta be a few places in this world where supply exeeds demand,and you can get a killer deal.

Good luck with your cook, and let us know how it goes.
 
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