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8 Rack Rib Cook

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    8 Rack Rib Cook

    My wife has invited several people over this Saturday and has asked me to cook up some baby back ribs. I've never done a full 8 rack cook. Questions: will this affect cooking time? If so, how much longer should I plan for?

    Thanks in advance.

    #2
    I am curious myself. Sounds like a party. Pics or it did not happen. 😎

    Comment


      #3
      What are you cooking on?

      Comment


      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        Probably the PBC, since he posed the question under the PBC discussion area...

      • Thomassen
        Thomassen commented
        Editing a comment
        PBC, using DigiQ fan system to maintain temps.

      #4
      Depends on what kind of cooker and what method of cooking the varying racks - I have used some rib racks in the past, if it keeps the ribs TOO close together, it will definitely slow down the cook and they could be uneven from rack to rack and even the center vs. edges of each rack. May require some rotating and flipping, etc.

      Comment


        #5
        For some reason, I thought Thomassen. Was cooking on a PBC.

        Comment


        • DogFaced PonySoldier
          DogFaced PonySoldier commented
          Editing a comment
          Oops. Yeah I just look at stuff on the main page, I didn't see this was in a PBC section. My bad. I don't have anything to contribute, I guess, since I have never used one. Once again, my apologies for not looking at what section this was in.

          I'll go sit in the corner now.

        • Alan Brice
          Alan Brice commented
          Editing a comment
          Aww, it’s not all that. 😋

        #6
        8 racks shouldn't be an issue or impact timing much

        My only suggestion would be to make sure the coals are well lit before hanging the ribs and monitor the temp at the beginning. That many ribs shouldn't cause a problem but when I use a full barrel, I find that the dripping fat could snuff out some of the lit charcoal at the beginning, so you just need to keep an eye on it to make sure you are getting the coals lit.

        Provided you keep the temps up, I don't think the cook time will be impacted much

        Comment


        • hoovarmin
          hoovarmin commented
          Editing a comment
          That's PBC wisdom to be heeded

        #7
        It's been a couple of years, but I did 6 racks in the PBC once. I think I let the chimney go for an extra couple minutes longer than normal to make sure I had plenty of heat to start since 6 cold racks of ribs was a lot of thermal mass. I didn't have any real issues that I remember. As long as the drum temp stays in the normal range, it should be ok. Just space the racks as best as you can without having them touching each other or the sides of the drum. For what it's worth, I try to hang ribs that are close to the sides so that the bone side is facing the outside of the drum. I feel like the sides of the drum are hotter than the middle due to the convection that is generated. Or I could be off my meds. Not sure which it is. I don't have any hard data, but my memory is that I was able to keep the drum running around 250 -275 or so and it took about 4 to 4.5 hours.

        I hope it all works out. Sounds like my kind of party!

        Comment


        • Steve B
          Steve B commented
          Editing a comment
          Beautiful doggie. ❤️

        #8
        As shify mentioned above--- I don't have a PBC but I did do 7 racks on a Bronco. The first hour was a fight because of the drippings. The fire would snuff and then spike. I just had to be nearby to monitor and work the vents. It settled into a purr after an 60-70 minutes.

        Comment


          #9
          I have smoked 8 racks on my PBC once before, 4 racks hanging from each rebar. Yes they touched somewhat here and there but I did place them as evenly apart as I was able. Due to the fact that almost every sq. inch of cooking space was taken I rotated the racks around during the cook once or twice. Also, you will notice a ton of moisture dripping onto the coals so load the charcoal to the gills.

          Again, due to the moisture, don't try to cook to slowly. I would be sure to get a good lighting going on the coals, then just let her do her thing on the temp but watch for a possible need to crack the lid if the temp starts down.

          I did not notice much difference in the time required. Temp will be your main factor, which will of course be impacted by the excess moisture. Enjoy, they will be great!

          Comment


            #10
            Ditto on shify ! Just did 4 full racks untrimmed. Slight problem was not havin a fully lit load of coals, so took a tad (hour) longer. Watch yer coals also, you might have to partially reload over halfway thru cook.

            Comment


              #11
              I've done 6 racks, yes, definitely rotate them every so often to share any hot spots. I use the toothpick probe to test for doneness and found some done at least a half hour before the last ones. Good luck!

              PBC, PBC, PBC!

              Comment


                #12
                I've done 8 racks on my PBC. It did take an extra hour or so. I've also stopped hanging full racks as the bottom few bones end up over cooked and dry. I bought extra hooks so I can hang 1/2 racks.

                Comment


                  #13
                  My 8 rack cook turned out to be 6 racks as some folks bailed on coming. Their loss, I'd say. Swift Baby Backs from Costco. They cooked quickly, done in two hours. I use the DigiQ fan system to control temps - set at 290. Ambient probe in center of barrel surrounded by ribs. Here are some pics. As Alan Brice said, "pics or it did not happen". Click image for larger version

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                  Comment


                  • Alabama Smoke
                    Alabama Smoke commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Looks like you did good! I like the third rebar idea as well.

                  • bep35
                    bep35 commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I am about to cook 6 racks of St. Louis Ribs on my PBC. I see you had one hook per rack of ribs on some of yours. I was worried that one hook might not hold the racks up as they cook but yours came out. Any issues with the single hook?

                  • hoovarmin
                    hoovarmin commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Looks fabulous!

                  #14
                  NICE!

                  PBC, PBC, PBC!

                  Comment


                    #15
                    Wow, a 2 hour rib cook at 290° PBC temp. Pretty impressive. I don't think I've ever seen this, or experienced it. My shortest babyback cook was 3 hours at 290° PBC temp.

                    That PBC and you must both have been in top cooking form! Congrats!

                    Kathryn

                    Comment


                    • Thomassen
                      Thomassen commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I'm thinking the short cook time was related to temperature difference between the center of the barrel where my probe was, and the sides of the barrel. I hang the probe down centrally by a shorter piece of rebar suspended perpendicular over the rebar where I hang the ribs. I do not have a probe by the wall of the drum. I use the DigiQ and Pit Viper fan system from BBQ Guru to maintain and monitor temps. I was expecting 3 - 3.5 hours. Just my guess as to why it was a fast cook.
                      Last edited by Thomassen; June 6, 2022, 09:35 AM.

                    • DogFaced PonySoldier
                      DogFaced PonySoldier commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I agree, I bet the temp near the outside of the cooking chamber was a good bit hotter - to get done in 2, it had to be. The question is, how did they taste? Not too tough after just a 2h cook?

                    • Thomassen
                      Thomassen commented
                      Editing a comment
                      @DogFacedPonySoldier - Not touch at all, nice and juicy. Our company ate them up with lots of positive comments.

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