Finished too soon

[ikinya6]

Last week, my ribs finished cooking about 2 hours before guests were supposed to arrive.  I left them in the smoker at just under 200, and they got a little dry.  They set up ok, and I could cut them pretty well, and the meat came off the bone very nicely.  Everyone loved them, of course, but the pitmaster in me wasn't satisfied.  I think they would have been perfect if I had pulled them earlier.  Any ideas on how to keep the ribs warm, and safe, if they get done too soon? I hate to put them in the refrigerator only to start heating them up a little while later.  (My thoughts were to just start eating... not my fault if my guests wait to get here on time when there's meat in the smoker...)

 

[demosthenes9]

Last week, my ribs finished cooking about 2 hours before guests were supposed to arrive.  I left them in the smoker at just under 200, and they got a little dry.  They set up ok, and I could cut them pretty well, and the meat came off the bone very nicely.  Everyone loved them, of course, but the pitmaster in me wasn't satisfied.  I think they would have been perfect if I had pulled them earlier.  Any ideas on how to keep the ribs warm, and safe, if they get done too soon? I hate to put them in the refrigerator only to start heating them up a little while later.  (My thoughts were to just start eating... not my fault if my guests wait to get here on time when there's meat in the smoker...)

Personally, I'd pull them a bit before they were ready, fridge them then reheat them.   Strange as it may seem, reheated ribs are very tasty  :) Reheat can be done a number of ways, spritz them and put them back in the smoker or oven, or do them on a grill. 

 

[seenred]

Same thing happened to me last weekend...I smoked 4 racks of spares and they were done early, over an hour before the scheduled dinner time.  I just foil wrapped them and covered them with a towel on a warm stove top for about an hour.  I wanted them to rest and stay warm, but not continue to cook because they were already nearly fall-off-the-bone tender.  If I had needed to keep them longer, I would have probably had to put them in a cooler or a warm oven.

Red