smokette, how many racks of BB ribs?

I have used a Weber rib rack to get as many as 5 1/2-racks into a shelf... would use 2 shelves, thus could get 5 racks into the little Smokette that way.

Howdy,dma

Like woodburner says,"put 'em in there".

They're going to be in there a while.They ain't fresh paint,who says they can't touch something.

Open the door and move 'em around,that's why the cook is the most important factor.

I used to think the CS was different than all other cookers,where I had to do things that seemed to make sense.

Try some variations,you can always cook things till they get done.

It is really versatile,if you let it work for you.

Thanks. HAve a batch in there now. I just got done with seasoning it. I didn't have time to make a rub so I used 2 parts Brown sugar and one part CS rib rub and some extra paprika

Sounds like ya made a rub to me.

So roughly how long did the smokette full o ribs take? I've been debating gettin a smokette but was wondering the same thing - will it be big enough for parties?

-Mike

Mike, This is what I do and have had great results
1.prep ribs with rub
2.place in smokette for 4 hrs meat side down
3.flip and spritz with apple juice.
4.wrap with heavy foil
5.put back in for 2 more hrs

I like my ribs "fall off the bone" Many feel this is over done. Each to their own.
I set the cs at 225deg and ler her do her magic. Keep the door closed and let them cook. I often do three slabs of BB at a time. And only use two shelves in the smokette. I cut my racks in half and put three halves per shelf leaving the lowest of the three shelves for beans.Many here dont like to foil the ribs but to me that is the process that has worked for me. As for the smokette being big enough for a party I would put two 8lb butts in and feed an army. Thats a lot of pulled pork!!! Good luck and keep a good journal so you can duplicate your results.

Bubba, in your reply to Mike, you mentioned that you wrap in foil after 4 hours. Your right, many on the forums don't like to wrap. Can you tell us the pros and cons of wrapping?

I usually do my BB's (3 slabs) in my Smokette @225 for approx. 5 to 6 hours depending on the size of the slabs. They come out okay but seem to be very dark and hard on the surface and a bit over cooked. If I do them for shorter times, they don't seem to be quite done.

I am thinking the hard and very dark surface was due to the rub, have tried CS and Famous Dave's rub. I also spritz with apple juice after the first 3 hours. But, just can't get them looking and tasting as I think they should. So, that's why I was wondering if the wrapping would help! Oh, one more thing. I have never done them meat side down. Maybe this could be part of the problem as well?

Grumpster

mike2326. The smokette is very efficient and in fact, prefers a 3/4 full smoker, so adding more doesn't mean less time. It tries to maintain a steady temp regardless of how much/little is inside.

Sorry mike I didn't remember posting this.

I did 3 racks meat down for 4 hours and up for an additional 2. I should have gone another 1/2 hour though.
I did not foil until the end. But, I put them right in the fridge as they finished late in the night.

I reheated with a little water in the foil on the grill then pulled the foil and crusted them on the grill. Very tasty and very tender. Color was good.

Oh, I did apply some red Q sauce when they came out of the smoker.

Grumpster, try foiling them about half to two-thirds way through the cooking process and see if you prefer it. I wouldn't sweat it if you prefer foiling, somebody in this hobby is always going to think your technique is flawed, regardless if its perfect. Heck a lot of people automatically discount us for using an electric smoker. Smokin's motto is "Its done with its done" but my motto is "Don't care how it gets there as long as it gets there." Its not really, but you see my point.

Well folks,

My smokette came today ... a day before the 4th. Tomorrow I'm going to Maine to meet some of my girlfriend's friends for the first time. The smokette is coming with me. How brave am I? First smoke with people I haven't yet met! Wish me luck!

The smoker is seasoned. I bought 4 racks of nice baby backs and 3 small chickens. I have 3 webber rib racks. I know I probably won't get all the chickens in with that many ribs, but I'm going to do as much as I can. I'm planning on 225 for 4-5 hours. Putting the chickens and ribs in at the same time. Plan on using about 3 chunks of wood.

Anyone see anything wrong with my plan? They say a way to a girl's heart is through Q :-)

one piece of advice... get the chickens in on the bottom rack, with the ribs on top. main reason is that the chicks need a higher temp, IMHO, than the ribs do. the chickens may get done first, and when you take them out you can foil them up and place in a cooler for a couple hours til the other stuff gets done.

Thanks for the advice, I had planned that. I've actually used one of the "digital control" cookshacks before in a resturant. But that was a number of years ago and my memory is fading. I loved it so much I bought one of my own :-)

and another reason to put the chickens low. They drip, and when they drip, they leave these weird streaks on whatever is below them and the ribs won't look good.

Good luck, give us a report when you get back.

now about foilin' I'm not purist, and I'll foil for certain reasons and certain times. My thoughts about foiling is that it tends to steam / soften the ribs and the outsides come out with a different texture.

A simple technique, you might have heard elsewhere is the 3-2-1. 3 hours of smoke, 2 hours of foil, 1 hour back out and finish with a sauce. Works for most people.

Smokin'

Smokin, with the 3-2-1 technique, would you suggest placing the ribs meat side down for the first 3?

Thanks, Grumpster

Oh and one more question. Would you spritz with something like apple juice during the process, such as at the time of foiling?

Ok, I'm back from maine. Here is the report. Put 4 racks of BB ribs on webber rib racks on the top two shelfs. On the bottom shelf I put 3 3lb birds. Two chunks of hickory and started her up. At about 3 hours the chickens were done. I foiled them and set them on top of the smokette. I also did the foil/water trick on 1/2 of the ribs. I left the ribs in about another 1.5 hours. The ribs were good. The chix were excellent. I was doing the internal temp thing and I think I left the ribs in too long. The foiled ribs were very tender, but the ones without foil were a bit dry. I think next time I'm going to do the 3-2-1 on the ribs. But overall - I LOVE THIS THING!!! I got huge complements!

-Mike