I think I'm out on Rib Racks, you?

[tallbm]

So I have a V-shaped roasting and rib rack.
If the V side is up then it is supposed to work as a rib rack:

If the V Side is down then it works like a roasting rack for big cuts (pork butt, chuck roasts, etc.):

I have tried about 3 times to use the rack as a rib rack with sub-par results (in my opinion).
I get nice baby back ribs from Costco and they are meaty so they don't fit well in the rack spaces (who would have thought meaty ribs would be any kind of issue lol).
These meaty ribs get stick in the rack, I can MAYBE only use 3 of the rows or else they lay all over each other. The last time I tried by standing the ribs vertically in the rack rows but then the top ends of the ribs got way more crusty than usual.

The whole point of using the rib rack is to be able to do more ribs at once but I just have too many issues and I'm not going to cut 1 slab of ribs up just to use the stupid rack, I will just lay them on the grates.

If anyone has had the same experience as me please let me know. Maybe I'm doing something wrong or missing something here but it seems very self explanatory.

I think I'm done trying to use the rack as a rib rack and will stick to just using it as a roasting rack which it does well.

What are your thoughts? :)

 

[gmc2003]

No, thoughts or experience here. I've always just lie them flat on the grate. Sorry.

Chris

 

[motocrash]

I don't get why some are so averse to cutting ribs to fit.Cut'em.

 

[normonster]

WSM has space for 6 baby back racks so I haven't considered a holder like that.

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please delete

 

[SmokinAl]

I have never used one, cause I never smoke that many racks at once.
But I would think that they would not cook evenly.
The outside racks would seem to cook faster than the ones in the middle, and all the juice would run out the ends.
But like I said I have never used one so I can't really give an accurate answer.
Al

 

[indaswamp]

But I would think that they would not cook evenly.

What Al said.....

 

[indaswamp]

BTW, from the title of the thread, I thought you were referring to prime rib rack...and I thought, "Is this guy on crack?!?!" :eek:

 

[noboundaries]

I used to use my rib rack quite a bit with the Kettle when smoking four racks of SLC spare ribs. Like the OP, I've found that filling up each rack slot causes the ribs to cook unevenly. Leaving an open slot between the racks helps that issue. I also put the meaty end up, not down. If I need more cooking space I just lean a rack of ribs against the end of the rib rack. You might have to play around to see what gives you the most surface exposure so the meat isn't touching.

Nowadays, I prefer big, meaty, untrimmed spare ribs. I've seen 10 lb racks at my grocer, but I usually stay in the 6-7 lb, maybe 8 lb range. I smoke two equally sized racks when it is just my wife and me. Since we're both on diets, that's just one rack these days. I smoke 'em untrimmed so only two racks will fit flat on a 22.5" WSM grate. Four untrimmed racks of spare ribs, about 24-28 lbs of meat, will easily feed the folks who visit us. Having two grates made the rib rack kind of obsolete for my needs, but I have it if I need to smoke more than four.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks for the input guys. Your experiences and insight help me know that it isn't just me hahaha.
I've cut the ribs to size to fit on the rib rack. I've tried different positions. I've tried about everything I can think of and it really doesn't help with anything. I think I am going to give up on this rack as a rib rack.

When I buy ribs at Costco I am basically getting 9-10 pounds out of 2-3 racks (3 for baby backs, 2 for spares). I will just use 2 smoker racks/grates rather than try to fit all of the ribs on one level with this silly rib rack.

Maybe I'll goof around with a rib rack design I have in my head and see if it works but this V-shaped design is just not going to cut it for me.

Again thanks for all of the input :)

 

[tallbm]

Well of course I couldn't let it rest hahaha.

I may try one of these!!!
Expandable Sous Vide Rack:

My thought is that I could basically avoid the issues with a fixed position rack and I could actually clamp down on the racks of ribs so they stand up rather than droop over lol.

Ikea sales these stainless steel pot/pan lid holders for even less and it is basically the same thing:

As you can tell I very much dislike being defeated hahahaha. I guess I gotta make the rib rack idea work somehow because I will not be denied :P