Baby Back Ribs question

[subotai]

Ribs look good to me!  Smoke ribs one day, cool and reheat? No problem here, as long as the cooling and reheating is done within proper time limits.  We often will smoke ribs for the day, and then keep them hot in our shaminator.  IF we don't sell out the racks we will cool it down and then cook it right on the grill the next day for a full rack or half rack...always comes out nice and tender on the inside and a little crispy on the outside.

So most folks around here want it cooled rapidly, the faster the better because the meat will deteriorate at an increased rate when "out of temp" or in the temp danger zone (40F - 140F).  So the longer the meats stay in the tdz the more chance bacteria will grow, causing you extra time in the restroom later! Many home fridges won't have enough cooling power to cool a large rack of ribs fast enough, so my advice would be to cool them in the freezer for a few hours first to get them a head start.  Also putting a rack underneath them to get some good airflow under the rack while in the freezer would cool them even faster.  

After they have cooled to 40F or below you can put them in the fridge and reheat them on the grill, oven or smoker.  Following this cooling procedure could save you some stomach aching.  Good luck!

 

[aklee987]

What about putting the hot ribs in a cooler full of ice? Then to the fridge?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Yep, what AL said but use indirect heat and keep an eye on them, the high sugar in the FJ can burn easily...160* oven will take forever and although unlikely, in this case, is a temp that can incourage bacterial growth...Always reheat, whether in the oven or on the grill, at 325*F or higher...JJ

 

[chef jimmyj]

Never put hot food in a home Freezer!...It can raise temps that can cause slight thawing and subsequent product damage...You are better off putting the foiled racks between Ziplock bags of Ice in a cooler, you don't want them to get wet...JJ

 

[aklee987]

Thank you guys so much for the advice. I think here is my revised plan:

Thursday night: put rub on ribs

Friday after work:

  1. Smoke ribs for 2 hours

  2. Put ribs in foil, meat side down with FJ. Go another 2 hours

  3. Keep in foil, let cool on counter for 30 minutes

  4. Place in foiled ribs in individual plastic bags, place entire mess in a cooler full of ice, layering ice/ribs/ice/ribs

  5. Place in refrigerator, flipping ribs over so the meat side is UP

Saturday morning:

  1. Grill at 350

  2. Meat side down for 15 minutes

  3. Meat side up for 15 minutes

Am I shooting for a specific internal temp on the reheat?