Help with ribs, 28 cases.

[mark38090]

I've done ribs twice in my life totaling 3 slabs on my charcoal smoker, In large portions I mainly smoke butts and whole pork loins, but the powers that be want me to do ribs for 1200 people along with burgers and sausage. I have an Ole Hickory smoker that will hold around 36 slabs of spare ribs at a time. What's the best type of ribs for my money and the quickest and easiest to manage in large quantities? I'm feeding 3 shifts so I'll need about 65 slabs or so done by 10am, then another 25 done by 3pm and the final 25 or so by 11pm.

I'm figuring my count at 2 ribs per plate and approx 12 ribs per slab. The plate will have a burger, sausage dog, ribs, baked beans, potato salad, and corn on the cob.

 

[Chasdev]

Get another smoker or two and several helpers with at least some level of experience.
Get a lot of folding prep tables, heavy duty tin foil, large pans, cutting bock type surfaces, spices, and advil.
Baby back ribs cook faster but cook time changes with the weight and thickness of the meat cap on top so you will have some racks finish cooking before others in the same cooker load.
Spares are more uniform in size and cook time but take longer.
I don't know you or how much experience you have at feeding a giant crowd but I must say sir that you have bitten off a gigantic bite which will be hard to chew.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Like C Chasdev said and lots of Advil. I was going to say " BYOR " Bring your own ribs, just as a joke. This is just insane amount of work .
Good luck to you with this .
I have done some banquets and a wedding . But 1200, even at 3 shifts , wow

I hope this works for you and the many helpers that you need

David

 

[unclebubbas bbq]

Call in sick that day!!!

 

[smokerjim]

I would definitely start smoking them a few days in advance then just heat them in oven and smoker, I think st. Louis style work best a little more forgiving than baby backs. Good luck that is a tall order from above

 

[TNJAKE]

Pretty ambitious for your 3rd ever rib cook lol. Be careful and don't over commit yourself. Cooking for 1200 people will require many experienced helpers and tons of work. Good luck

 

[SmokinEdge]

Pretty ambitious for an experienced pit master, let alone a guy with 3 racks total under his belt. That said, I applaud your efforts. I’m with Jim, start cooking a day or two in advance. That way when something goes wrong, you have time to fix it. Don’t wait until the day of for heaven’s sake. Best of luck to you.

 

[ravenclan]

You can do it!!! Lots of pics!!!
The biggest I have cooked for is 40 people. I agree on the day before to cook as many as possible and then to "reheat" in the smoker to finish. Lots of help is needed , like others have mentioned a helper or helpers go a long way.
Good Luck!!!

 

[mark38090]

I had thought about doing the sides the day before but not the ribs. I'll do those ahead and then that takes the main stress off of me. I cook for 1200 at least 6 times a year so the quantity isn't new, just the ribs. I have six 8 burner grills and a pretty good kitchen setup to use so that helps. Usually these big meals we do sliced pork loin, pulled pork, and or leg quarters, which are all pretty simple just need lots of the right help.

 

[schlotz]

With that many to serve having meat that consistently gets done about the same time is important therefore I would opt for St Louis style. Next would be to decide on what temp smoke at. Something that would yield tender clean bite ribs in approx 5 hours, maybe 270ºish? Assuming you can successfully hold ribs for an hour or so?

 

[mark38090]

With that many to serve having meat that consistently gets done about the same time is important therefore I would opt for St Louis style. Next would be to decide on what temp smoke at. Something that would yield tender clean bite ribs in approx 5 hours, maybe 270ºish? Assuming you can successfully hold ribs for an hour or so?

I talked to a "pit master" at a local BBQ place today and he said 1.5 hours cook time for their St. Louis style ribs. I'm going to pick up 4 slabs and experiment with this smoker. That's the only way I can know for sure. I'd hate to plan on 2 hours but wind up taking 6. I'm definitely going to do the ribs a day in advance though, I think that's my safest option.

 

[pineywoods]

If your going to experiment try spare ribs smoker temp of 225 smoke 3 hours on grate then put them in disposable aluminum pan with a cover or foil over the top and back into the smoker (1.5-2 hours depending on how fall of the bone you want) after that time is up take the pan out and carefully (they will try to fall apart) take them out of the pan and back on the rack for 45 minutes to an hour if you want to sauce them do it in this last step. Saucing in the last 45 minutes to an hour will reduce the risk of the sauce burning since most sauces have a high sugar content.
If you decide this way of cooking them will work then do the 3 hour and 2 hour part a day or two ahead of time and store them in the aluminum pans (stack multiple racks in the pans) Day of event pull them out of the pans and do an hour or hour 15 minutes in a 225 degree smoke again if you are going to sauce them do it when you put them in for the final stage.
If your local "pitmaster" is doing them in 1.5 hours he's grilling them not smoking them

 

[mark38090]

If your going to experiment try spare ribs smoker temp of 225 smoke 3 hours on grate then put them in disposable aluminum pan with a cover or foil over the top and back into the smoker (1.5-2 hours depending on how fall of the bone you want) after that time is up take the pan out and carefully (they will try to fall apart) take them out of the pan and back on the rack for 45 minutes to an hour if you want to sauce them do it in this last step. Saucing in the last 45 minutes to an hour will reduce the risk of the sauce burning since most sauces have a high sugar content.
If you decide this way of cooking them will work then do the 3 hour and 2 hour part a day or two ahead of time and store them in the aluminum pans (stack multiple racks in the pans) Day of event pull them out of the pans and do an hour or hour 15 minutes in a 225 degree smoke again if you are going to sauce them do it when you put them in for the final stage.
If your local "pitmaster" is doing them in 1.5 hours he's grilling them not smoking them

The only 2 times I'd done ribs i used the 3 2 1 method. I think doing what you suggested sounds very feasible. On the one hour cook, am I looking for a certain temp or just a desired tenderness? If they come out of my cooler at 35 degrees it's going to take more than an hour to get to 165. I could go in early and take them out so they get close to room temp but how long can I sit them out?

 

[mark38090]

So I did my first test run today, turned out amazing. I did six slabs at 250 for 5 hours. After 3 hours I sprayed them every 30 minutes with apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and honey mixture. When I pulled them they weren't quite falling off the bone but they were tender and full of juices. I found boxes of kiln dried hickory at Walmart for $16.88 and 3 sticks was all I needed.

 

[smokerjim]

Looks good, looks like your ready to roll

 

[mark38090]

Got 190 cooked, they turned out great. Thanks for the replies. Another quick question, what wood do y'all use for ribs? I found boxes of kiln dried hickory at Walmart that seemed to work great and it was cheap but just wondering for future cooks.