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15 replies

rib racks

FM Former Member
hey guys i'm hoping you all might give me some suggestions. i have 4 rib racks for my fec-100.
my problem is the first cook we done i placed 40 racks of baby backs in the fec.the bones were north and south in the smoker cooking at 240 degrees.the ribs were touching one another not allowing good air flow between them.we were doing a farmers market and i figured about an additional 20% of cook time, but after 6 hrs.the ribs were between 135-140 and the areas
where the ribs were in contact with one another
they were still pasty from the mustard and rub combination.i had to finish the ribs off a few racks at a time in my traeger set at a higher temp.(grilling them) so when the market opened at 8:30 we did not have any ribs ready.since it was our first time at the farmers market i thought who would want ribs at 8:30 am ? a local food critic with a radio show thats who.
luckily she was great and understanding. she also critiqued the bbq on the radio the next morning everything went well but i was a little stressed out.the big concern i have is the quality i'm getting with large loads is not where i would like it. so i have been looking at past forums on here and seen where someone put their ribs laying on the racks(bones east-west). i thought this would be my answer for the next market.i thougt i would get more air flow and being the ribs were not touching one another. but it possed even a bigger problem for me.when i put the ribs in the smoker it took approx. 2 hrs. to reach 200 degrees by laying the ribs on the racks i pretty much resricted even more air flow.i had 4 racks of ribs laying on the top and 4 on the bottom of each rib rack. so the temp.climbed very slow and the location of the thermometer between the 1-2 racks the smoker was runing at full blast trying to achieve 240 degrees but by the time it reached 200(about 2hrs) the ribs on the bottom rack were burning. sorry for such a long post just trying to feel a little more comfortable about cooking large quantities of ribs. any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
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R ribdogMember
I'm not completely sure I understand how you used the racks. Let me ask a few questions.

First, I am assuming you are using the CS rib racks made specifically for the FEC 100. Yes?

Second, I don't understand how the racks would be touching each other. The CS racks are made such that you stand the racks up in each slot which is separated from the other slots. I have cooked forty racks before and they stay separated in the slots.

Third, it sounds like you are putting the racks into a just lit FEC or into the the FEC and then starting it. I, personally, will never put meat into a just lit or into an unlit FEC. I always start the FEC and let it come up to temp before putting meat in. Especially with a load of forty racks of BBs. You could be talking 80-100 lbs of ribs into a smoker. This is a very large mass of cold meat and makes it difficult to come to temp if not previously preheated. In fact, I would probabaly heat the smoker up to 275, put the ribs in and adjust it downward to 240 as you get a little heat on the ribs.

Fourth, because you have so many racks of ribs in the FEC at once, I would suggest that you spin the two middle racks 180 degrees halfway through the cook and switch the top and bottom racks at the same time while also spinning them 180 degrees.

BTW, it will take more time to cook this many ribs versus a smaller load. Something you just have to plan for.

Let me know your thoughts on this.
FM Former Member
thanks ribdog,
i do have the fec rib racks and i do rotate the rib racks through out the cook. the only thing i think i might have done wrong is when i loaded the ribs into the rack i didnt have the curve of the ribs running in the same direction
meaning )))))instead of()()()()if that makes sense.also having the smoker at or above temp.does make sense.but i do put about 100# of brisket into a cold smoker all the time with no problems(just a preffered method).i know the principle that the meat is done when its done.what is your time frame and method for smoking ribs for a particular deadline? thanks for the advice. chris
R ribdogMember
But brisket is a different meat all together from ribs. With ribs, I want them cooking as soon as they go in the smoker. With a brisket, it can run at lower temps and take on more smoke without it hurting anything.

With cooking that many racks, you are just going to have to have them come off ahead of time and then either drop the temp in the FEC to a 140 hold temp or pan with foil going into a preheated cambro.

I have never cooked forty racks at once in and FEC. My guess is it would take around five to six hours at the most to finish them. And keep in mind that this could change based on their size.

Yes, definitely put them )))))) or (((((( in each rack. And I tend to put them thick end down in to the rack.

Keep in mind that until you get the smoking process down just right, they will still be the best ribs your customers probably ever had!
FM Former Member
Good thread.

I think John, who's won MANY a first in ribs, is trying to say that bringing ribs up as the smoker is coming up has an effect and makes it harder to "time".

Because of the shorter cook time, ribs don't have as much ability to recover. By putting the ribs in a warm smoker already to temp you'll also be able to time them better.

I'd also move the racks up/down if you have a full load. You want even cooking.

Have you temp mapped your smoker? It good to know the hot zone. One mine, it's the back left and the lower shelf, then the top shelf. Your individual mileage may vary Big Grin

One thing I would do in try to be the meatier ones on the bottom shelf, thinner ones in the middle. Put the fat end of the rib towards the back (how's that for overthinking ribs)

We're here to help!
T tomMember
Yep Freddie,but you are a fine comp and volume cook.

If I'm at a farmers' market, and the locals are looking for something to pour the free sauce out of the gallon pumps onto,before they move on to the corndogs,good product in hand-in time-can be important.

There is no doubt,that a big heat sink is harder to move,when your morning money is on the line.

Some folks,out there, can't even spell "smokering" Wink

Just a thought.

Tom-Fl
FM Former Member
hey guys,
just wanted to let you know we had better luck with the rib racks.we had 39 racks of baby backs.
i did what ribdog suggested and had better results.we heated the smoker to 276* then placed ribs the temp dropped to 172* and climbed slowly it took about an hour to reach back to 224* but cooking in this range was alot better than the previous cook. i would strongly suggest anyone cooking this many ribs in the fec-100 to pre-heat the unit first. also the placement of the ribs into the was a big help ((((( instead of ()()(). we rotated the ribs through out the cook.it took between 5-6 hrs.to cook the ribs. i think these were the best ribs we brought to the farmers market yet and we also sold out.we also should be receiving our fec-750 on friday.

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