Pre-smoke baby backs

[foudy]

I have seen a lot of posts about this, but I have a couple questions I couldn't find an answer for. I am smoking six racks of ribs on my MES for a family reunion tomorrow. I have done the 3-2-1 (no sauce). Ribs only up to 170. I did see they are safe at 160, so would it be ok to take them off at 170, and reheat tomorrow? Will they tenderize enough if pulling at 170? Also, a friend of mine says he does the 3-2-1 day before, again, no sauce, and when he reheats, he uses a crock pot on low for a couple hours. Adds minimal liquid just to keep them moist. Does this sound feasable?

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

Al's Perfect Ribs go by temp and he takes them to 185℉ for chew, and 200℉ or 205℉ for more fall off the bone but still some chew, if I understand his description correctly.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/perfect-ribs-every-time-this-really-works.240916/

I haven't cooked ribs by IT. Baby backs are 2-2-1, which is cooking at a temp of 225℉ for 2 hours smoked, 2 hours wrapped, and 1 hour smoked. Spare ribs get 3-2-1. To get more fall off the bone, I am between trying leaving them in the wrapped stage a half hour or so longer (they dry out too much if unwrapped), or trying wrapping and holding the ribs for an hour or so when they're done (which raises the final IT, cooking the meat more while sitting).

I've reheated cut up ribs on a foil lined baking sheet in the oven at 350℉ for about 10 or 15 minutes with sauce on them. Maybe put foil over them, tented, if they're unsauced. I try to only heat them through, not cook them anymore. I have not reheated in a crockpot. I'd probably reheat fully cooked ribs in the oven and then put them in the preheated crockpot on the warm setting to keep. Mine are usually leftovers though. You have the opportunity to reheat whole slabs. In that case, you could cover them with foil and reheat in the oven, then cut and put in the crockpot on warm or serve fresh cut out of the foil. That'll keep the outsides of the individual ribs from getting a bit dry or cooked during any reheating.

 

[normonster]

The crockpot reheat sounds totally feasible to me. I can't say I have done it with ribs but I have many times with pork shoulder.