Ribs for a crowd, over time

[Jdean]

Apologies if this has been answered someplace, but I'm hoping for some advice. We're hosting a gathering for my wife's coworkers this weekend, and I'm smoking six racks of St. Louis on my PBC. People are going to be coming and going between 4pm and 7pm. Since I'm not sure when exactly people are going to be here to eat, I'm worried about the ribs either not being done or being cold.

My thought is to aim for the ribs to pass the bend test by 4pm, take them off without saucing them, and wrap tightly in foil in a faux cambro. Then take the ribs out one rack at a time as people eat them, sauce them and put them under the broiler to finish.

Is there a better way to do this?

[Oak Smoke]

The ribs will keep nice and warm in a crock pot set on low with a well fitting lid. As long as no one leaves the lid off for too long they won’t dry out at all.

[Johnny Booth]

One at a time might be a little chaotic, depending on the timing of the guests. Ribs will hold for a long time at 170F. The sauce will be ok if you wanted to sauce them before wrapping and holding.

I used to have party’s where people would rather drink than eat. I used to pile them up in a foil pan with some liquid on the bottom and hold them for over 4 hours with good results.

[Ace]

@Jdean
I think your plan is pretty solid as long as the meat temp stays above 140* during the hold. Yes, tightly wrapped and you might consider adding a little moisture before wrapping for the hot hold box. Light spritz of warmed apple juice, warmed thinned sauce, or even a light spritz of warm water will help if it turns out to be a longer hold than expected. A quick broiler with sauce to finish is an excellent idea. Don't forget the pictures.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Cook 'em all til done, If done around party time, wrap all but one rack tightly in foil and place in your oven on the lowest setting (if it's 170 or higher, then just run the oven 30 minutes on 30 minutes off that should keep the wibs above 140 without drying them out). You can also cook 'em the night before and slice 'em up, then grill or use the oven to reheat portions. Lotsa options here.

Personally, I'd advertise food will be ready at 5pm. Anyone showing up after that can have less fresh or reheated ribs via the microwave that they can use themselves.

[RonB]

ItsAllGoneToTheDogs said: Personally, I'd advertise food will be ready at 5pm. Anyone showing up after that can have less fresh or reheated ribs via the microwave that they can use themselves.

I like the way you think.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

RonB unless it's a wedding or something... I bought the meat, the fuel, the seasoning and did the prep and cooking... especially at my house? I'm eating and drinking beer with everybody else...

[Jdean]

Well the ribs took care of it themselves! Three were ready when the first wave of guests showed up. The next three were ready 30 min later.

Thanks for all the help!