Within the next week I would like to do some ribs...

Could someone post some pictures on how to use the rib hooks that came with my model 50?

Here ya go......

ribs.jpg (79 Kb, 693 downloads) Rib Hooks

Great thanks for the picture. I would think the ribs at some point would rip apart towards the end of the cooking cycle.

Smoked 11 racks of babybacks yesterday, used the cookshack rib hooks and the ribs do not come apart. I use the hooks for ribs all the time and have no trouble. Hook them under the second bone and you will be fine.

quote:

Originally posted by tigerfan:
Smoked 11 racks of babybacks yesterday, used the cookshack rib hooks and the ribs do not come apart. I use the hooks for ribs all the time and have no trouble. Hook them under the second bone and you will be fine.

How many cycles does it take for you to smoke 11 ribs? And what unit do you have?

I have an AmeriQue. Did all the ribs at one time, no problem at all.

I'm wondering how many one could hang with a 50/55 at once...

Experiment and let us know.

Don't matter if they touch, as long as smoke/air/heat flow gets in and around them on the way up and out the top.

How many ribs should I expect a full grown man to eat. I know for myself, I would need a full rack, but for others, I am not sure.

My father in law wants me to make him some ribs next week. I know I can get a three pack at BJ's.
Should I buy 1 or 2 packages?

My problem is, I eat till they're gone. I'd do two packs. He'll apprecitate the leftovers if there are any.

I have four special rib racks sold for the AmeriQue and I do not like them - use the hooks exclusively. I have smoked, at one time, three packs of spareribs bought from Sam's Club and that is nine full spareribs. I place the hook between the third and fourth ribs. If the ribs touch one another or the smoker, I don't worry about it.

They taste better than any other ribs I have tasted - close to falling off the bone, but still attached, easy to pull the meat off the bone with my teeth, sweet, juicy, but not oily. Got where we eat some of the grizzle up at the top it is so tender.

Kosy

Here's a pic of what I'm doing today.

DSCF2842_(Small).JPG (70 Kb, 434 downloads)

Vettman1, it looks like you could fit another 3 racks in there. Let me know how they turn out.

These were spareribs and I think that I could have gotten at least 4-5 more in there. They turned out pretty good, but were a bit drier than I wanted.

Sorry VM, but semantically looking for clarification on your last statement. "...but were a bit drier that I wanted." (which would indicate that you are looking for drier ribs the next time you cooked ribs...which can be fixed with 10 minutes on a hot grill)

Unless it was a clerical error and you meant, "...but were a bit drier THAN I wanted." (which would mean that these ribs were dry and you wanted moister ribs...which might be remedied with a cooler cook, a pan of apple juice in the CS, or a few 'mistings.')

Please clarify

than I wanted... I didn't think that they'd make it in time for dinner so I cranked it up to 250 for the last hour and a half. That might have did it.

250* is not too hot for any ribs. If you had turned it down, it would have been over the drying heat even longer and dried out more. Hotter does not mean drier.

So what should I have done differently?

I put them in at 2pm at 225, looked at them at 5:45, and cranked them up to 250 because I feared that they would't be done enough. Took them out at 6:50. I wrapped them in foil for about 15 min and cut up the slabs.

There are a lot of variables here Vettman. What was the weight of each slab? Were they trimmed to St Louis or KC cuts or left whole? Did the rub have a lot of salt in it? How easily did the bone twist when you checked them? Or did you try the toothpick check? I did some BB's Sun.. a 3 pack (total 6.2lbs) but each rack was right at 2lbs each. I rubbed them down with HomeBBQ's rib rub, laid them on the racks, added 4 oz of mixed cherry and white oak, and cranked em up to 250*. 3.5 hrs later I opened and twisted a bone and it started to move easily so I stopped. Put the glaze on them and shut the door. Took them out at the 4 hr 15 min mark and we ate. The meat was tugable... it didnt fall off the bone, and we prefer them that way. It takes a while to learn your smoker and the meats we cook in them. Take good notes. Weigh everything. Read ALL the 101's. Then smoke, eat, and repeat till ya get it right according to your tastes.

bob

quote:

Originally posted by cadillac:
Read ALL the 101's. Then smoke, eat, and repeat till ya get it right according to your tastes.

bob

Good advice, Caddy!

GLH speaks truth, to me...TOO low and slow does nothing but make dried up jerky out of otherwise ok meats. If there's enough fat, connective tissue, etc. you can get away with smoking temps of 190-200 degrees, but it seems to me, I've had more success with most smokes between 235 and 245-250, depending, depending, of course.

Others? Or should this be another topic?

Sounds to me like it would be difficult for folks using the search function about temps, to access it under Rib Hook Pix.

I'd suggest the topic would be better suited to open a new thread,and then folks could read it with the rest of the threads on the topic.

Just my $0.02

yup, keep in mind when you reply, if it starts going down a "new" topic path, just start a new topic.

98.354% of users, just search on the topic title by browsing through the forums. So, you can see, someone browing and seeing "rib hooks" would miss the good discussion.

Thus ended the Moderator Moment

Am I understanding correctly it is ok for hanging ribs to be in slight contact with each other, and that folding them over as in Qnorth's picture is also ok?? Previously I have only hung my ribs as straight pieces, cut to length so they clear the wood box sufficiently, and with space between. Using that method the most I have fit in my Amerique was six slabs, cut into 12 halves. Looks like I can load it up even more now. Thanks!!

Yes, I can't see why hanging ribs like that would be a problem. It does not matter if they touch each other or touch the sides of the smoker. They might burn where they touch the woodbox, however.

Experiment, take good notes, have fun!

In my AmeriQue, I hung 4 full slabs on each side and 3 slaps in the middle. No problem, came out great!