Opinions on Rib Racks?

[Bobby_K]

I was curious to hear some people's opinions on rib racks. Does anyone really like them for doing multiple racks? If so which are the best racks to get the job done right? Any techniques so that you have an effective cook using them. I am debating purchasing a rack to do a few parties this summer but wanted to get some opinions on them.

[DeusDingo]

i have some weber rib rack thing and i didn't care for it. at least when you put ribs in every slot. it packs them together too close which reduces smoke penetration and increases cook time. i might try it again with a rib in every other one but i'm not in a rush to use it again. i do understand the necessity for them for smaller cookers, i just didn't do it right

[CeramicChef]

Bobby_K - I have a very large kamado and have found no need for a rib rack. I've seen a few, but at the end of the day, I prefer to lay my racks of ribs flat on the grill. I can easily lay 5-6 racks of ribs on two levels.

I have friends who, when they cook ribs, cook many racks at once. When they do, they roll the ribs into a cylinder, and then run a skewer through the rib rolls and stand them on end to cook. I've seen as many as 15 racks done this way.

[Bobby_K]

Do they come out good with the spiraling method? Anything special need to be done using this message? Thanks for the reply!

[CeramicChef]

The ribs are indistinguishable from those laid flat. Of course, you can't sauce the ribs if that's your thing, but other than that, no difference.

[SoonerBQuer]

I did the spiral skewer method when a buddy got a Kamado Joe just in time for a house warming party. We cooked 12 slabs or full spare ribs at once and they came out great! Spacing was key.

[Craigar]

i have some weber rib rack thing and i didn't care for it. at least when you put ribs in every slot. it packs them together too close which reduces smoke penetration and increases cook time. i might try it again with a rib in every other one but i'm not in a rush to use it again. i do understand the necessity for them for smaller cookers, i just didn't do it right

I have had similar experiences. The one thing you have to be careful of too is the top edges of the ribs will brown much more quickly than the rest of the rack. Be sure to flip the ribs, which is somewhat a pain in the rear, so you can achieve a more even browning effect. Coming off of a long winter where I didn't smoke more than 2 racks at a time, I used my rib rack and ended up with the top end of the rack being a little crispy. Of course the kids mocked me by asking if they were burnt ends. One other item of contention I have is the rack I purchased upteen years ago doesn't have slots that are wide enough for my liking. When the ribs cook the meat shrinks off of the ends of the bones, but it also gets thicker. I have had problems with removing the ribs from the rack without damaging the ribs, especially with baby backs. The next time I have to smoke more than 3 racks I am going to try the coil method.

[Bobby_K]

Awesome! Let me know hos the coil method goes.

[Danjohnston949]

Bobby_K, I use a rack on my Weber & S 'n S Kettle with a DigiQ-2 Control! I can put two racks of St Louis on the Inverted Weber Roast Rack!
On my COS I use 2 - 3 racks! I like them!
Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan

[Bobby_K]

Awesome! They look great!

[fuzzydaddy]

There you go Danjohnston949 showing us your ribs again! Now I'm hungry and I just had dinner! They do look fantastic by the way.

[Danjohnston949]

fuzzydaddy, Thanks fuzzy, I'll try to do better next time! From Fargo ND, Dan

[Huskee]

I strongly believe rib racks are great if you need them, and useless if you don't (duh! right?) Like sunglasses or a raincoat.

If you have a nice amount of grate space for what you need to cook, you're probably never going to need rib racks. If you have a kettle or small kamado with a smaller grate footprint, rib racks might come in very handy. However, as mentioned by others, if you like to sauce your ribs before/during cooking, or as in my case add a nice topping layer of brown sugar, rib racks just don't work too well. Flat is better in these instances. Meathead has some racks he recommends like MAK's and Weber's. But he cautions the same as the other members here regarding any racks you use, they need enough space between the ribs to allow hot smokey air though.

[sfrancis353]

In my opinion, rib racks are great right up until the point that they are getting close to being done. If you are doing a 3-2-1 or variation of that, the rack is phenomenal for the first three hours. During the wrap, I don't use it. I just kinda stack my ribs in foil. The problem I run into however is when I unwrap, the meat is usually pretty tender and extremely hot. Getting those suckers sauced and back into the rack is near to impossible. Attempting to re-sauce at any point is also a non-starter. So I have a weber one that I have used on UDS's but I really am not a huge fan.

[Craigar]

Hmm...I wonder if a person could use a Wagner power painter to sauce ribs in the rib rack?

[Strat50]

If its liquid, a Wagner probably would shoot it. I would imagine one would use the tip for high viscosity stuff.

[Skinsfan1311]

I've never cared for rib-racks. For me, anyway, they're a pain and there's too much moving stuff around, to get an even cook.

The Hovergrill, that you could get with the Smokenator, works pretty good too. You might still be able to find them on Amazon.

I use it with my SnS. Since I do 3-2-1 ribs, so I can only get two full slabs, going with the Hovergrill. Since I'm usually only cooking for two, that's seldom problem.