Adjusting for larger quantities of meat - suggestions?

[jdanham]

Hey everyone, here in Canada we have our version of July 4th on July 1st - which for those who are interested is our 150th birthday So we're having a gathering of about 8-10 people and I have a 24" Camp Chef (gas) smoker with lots of room/racks to have enough tasty protein for all. What I am concerned about is how to ensure even cooking @ 225F. Should I get rib rack(s)? Can I load multiple racks with ribs and is there a potential issue with drippings on racks below (or is this a good thing?).

I just realized that this will be the first time I need to provide for more than a few people, so hoping to get some advance tips on dealing with this and achieving the same delicious results I have had making Last Meal Ribs on a smaller scale.


Thanks!

[Spinaker]

I wouldn't worry to much about the drippings dropping onto the other racks, especially if it is going to be all ribs in the cooking chamber. If you are concerned about uneven cooking, you can rotate the racks with in the cooking chamber. Just rotate the shelves, this will bench easier. I do this sometimes in my KBQ, when it is really weighed down with briskets or shoulders. Ribs are pretty thin so you should still be getting pretty good air movement through out the cooking chamber. However, if you do see uneven cooking, you can always rotate racks. and don't be too concerned with hitting 225 F. This temp is a guide line. So anywhere between 225 F and 275 F is you sitting pretty

One tip about making multiple racks. If you are done early, place the ribs in a aluminum or stainless serving tray with a wire rack in the bottom. Then cover the pan with foil. Then place the pan in a warm oven. This will keep the ribs warm but it will prevent them from being steamed and becoming mushy!

[jgreen]

It can also take a bit longer to cook. I would give yourself at least an extra hour if you load up that smoker. You can always hold in a cooler (cambro) if they are done early.

[jdanham]

AWESOME thanks - this is great feedback! I'll post the results next weekend.

Cheers!
Dan

[theroc]

Happy Canada Day, @jdanham!

I've loaded up my 24" Camp Chef SV a number of times. Three racks with 3 racks of baby backs or 2 racks of full cut
spareribs on each rack were no problem. I put temperature probes on each of the three racks and was pleasantly surprised to
see that the temps ranged by no more then a few degrees between the racks. Drippings weren't a problem with ribs - really just
like basting. I have done multiple pork butts that dripped a lot, and the drippings did sometimes suppress the bark
formation a bit. But ribs haven't had that problem. I did rotate the racks just to make sure the smoke exposure was evened out,
but not sure that was necessary. As long as you're holding your temperatures, I don't think you should expect longer cooking times.
But as jgreen says, give your self a little extra time reserve. The faux cambro is your friend.

Good luck and an enjoy.

[jdanham]

gotcha - thanks! This is very encouraging. Tomorrow I will begin preparations and will definitely be getting some rib racks for my Canada Day cook! Cheers

[jdanham]

Hey today is the day - one thing I realized I may have mistaken is the term`rack'. Originally with the number of ribs needed I was wondering if using the 'rib rack' method was better than trying to lay down the racks on the smoker rack. I was thinking of Meathead's comments about air flow actually and with the `rib rack' product I believe the use of vertical space between the smoker racks is a good thing to allow this natural convection to occur. So I did buy 3 Weber rib racks and plan to use 2 on the top smoker rack and one on a lower rack. I hope that all makes sense! I am going to allow extra time of course