Ribs and Meatloaf - Rack Placement

[Wik]

Hi all,

New to smoking anything outside of summer & breakfast sausage as well as electric smoking with #3, so maybe I'm over thinking this question.  But tomorrow I plan on smoking some Ribs for the misses and myself & for the kids some meatloaf at the same time.  My question it this, is there a big difference between different rack temps?  And any guidance on ribs on top or bottom due to this or other reasons?

I was thinking of putting ribs on top thinking I would be a bit hotter and thinking it would be better for rib juices to drip on meatloaf than the other way around.  Or maybe I put some tin foil between them.

Anyway if anyone has any feedback / suggestions / opinions I'm all ears.

Cheers,
Wik

 

[benjammn]

My thoughts exactly, putting ribs up top and meatloaf below. Only thing might be the rub dripping down on the loaves but that might not be a big deal. I would place the loaves up high just under the ribs.

Hopefully someone agrees

 

[Wik]

Thanks Ben!  Was hoping to put them both in at startup, but looks like I'll have to wait a bit for the meatloaf to be prepped / defrosted some more this morning.  Granted I'll loose some moisture when I crack the door, but the Nut Brown ale in there should bring it back up quick enough.  Decided to "learn" via skipping Hickory which I used on 1st smoke last week with great success and see what Apple alone taste like.  I really had to fight back the urge to use a mixture of the two, but I would like to understand what each wood brings to the table.  Baby steps for me...  Definitely feel like a kid in a candy store after my first SI#3 smoke.  I don't know why I waited so long to pull the trigger on a quality smoker!

Cheers,
Wik

 

[benjammn]

And a quality smoker indeed! I sometimes kick myself for not buying the #3 but overall I am super happy with my #2. Sounds like you have a great plan in motion. I too tend to rely on Hickory for quite a bit of my smokes but it just works so well. I am doing my butt right now with Cherry and it has such a great smell to it. First time using just Cherry alone.
Let us know how it all works out. Of course pictures don't hurt too!