4 racks BB ribs is too much for the #1

petrmorse

New member
So it?s official ? the #1 can?t handle 4 racks on 4 grates. I have done 2 and three racks (cut in half) no problem before. I always do our standard mustard/rub/rest in fridge 5-5.5 hrs no peek and they come out amazing!  This was a fail! 

The internal temp never got beyond 205 after 5.5 hours. They are cooked, and def falling off the bone (not my ideal pref), but they def didn?t produce any bark. I suspect because the moisture inside was too much for the smoke and lack of heat to contend with, and perhaps the bottom rack was too close to the smoke box preventing appropriate circulation?  Your thoughts appreciated. Do I need a rib rack?  And yes, I know I need a #2 or #3 by now, but alas I do not have one yet. For now, help me solve this problem. I am cooking a ton of ribs (and vac sealing and freezing) in advance of a party in 2 weeks. I have 2 racks done from last weekend but these 4 imo are not presentation worthy.
 

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You are fine just smoking on the standard racks. Nothing wrong with rib racks as they fully support ribs along their length in an upright position; if using hooks, and the ribs get fall off the bone 'super tender' they could tear and fall. Try smoking just 2 at a time till "nearly" done. This will keep them firm for reheating without falling apart. The reheat should finish them off. For a good bark, try brown sugar. Also, before sealing, maybe you can cut them into 2 to 4 bone sections for easier handling.
 
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So it?s official ? the #1 can?t handle 4 racks on 4 grates. I have done 2 and three racks (cut in half) no problem before. I always do our standard mustard/rub/rest in fridge 5-5.5 hrs no peek and they come out amazing! This was a fail!

The internal temp never got beyond 205 after 5.5 hours. They are cooked, and def falling off the bone (not my ideal pref), but they def didn?t produce any bark. I suspect because the moisture inside was too much for the smoke and lack of heat to contend with, and perhaps the bottom rack was too close to the smoke box preventing appropriate circulation? Your thoughts appreciated. Do I need a rib rack? And yes, I know I need a #2 or #3 by now, but alas I do not have one yet. For now, help me solve this problem. I am cooking a ton of ribs (and vac sealing and freezing) in advance of a party in 2 weeks. I have 2 racks done from last weekend but these 4 imo are not presentation worthy.
 
I had no problems with 4 racks. I positioned them going left to right and then front to back on alternating racks. Good luck!
 
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