To wrap or not

[Bryant Reynolds]

Smoking 25 racks of babyback ribs for work. Do I wrap or not

 

[SonnyE]

When Ima doin Baby Backs,
I do not wrap,
I just turn on time,
And keep the sauce a flyin,
I sit and patiently wait,
Whiskey on Ice,
Or a beer is Great,
While I sit between turns,
And watch my little backyard retreat,
It's my solitude and Peace,
But no thanks please,
I.. do.. not.. Rap.

Aren't you sorry you asked?

 

[SonnyE]

Actually Bryant, 3,2,1 Ribs in the smoker I do do the foil wrap for the 2 hours.
And I love the way the ribs come out, myself. They fall off the bone, and are really good to eat.

But... and it's a big butt...
The DIL, and the wife, both told me DON'T mess with the ribs.
I have grilled ribs that bring the Family runnin.
And oddly enough, they don't like smoked food.
They simply have no taste, IMHO.

 

[Bryant Reynolds]

Lol ! I like the rap.

 

[terpdx]

I find that it depends on the fat content that you're starting with. If you get some butcher-cut ribs with a good layer of fat, then the wrap isn't necessary - only mopping or spritzing. However, if you're going with store-bought ribs, or ribs that have been trimmed down to very little fat, I've found that not wrapping can result on ribs that are too dry for my liking.

That being said, wrapping 25 racks of ribs is a pain in the rear depending on your level of patience and/or how many people you have helping. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a little experimentation. Wrap some, mop some, see how they turn out!

 

[William89]

Wrapping 25 racks of ribs sure sounds like a chore.... I agree with what terpdx said, might be a good time to change a few things up. It'll all be good!

 

[Danno44]

My wife and daughter prefer fall of the bone so I wrap, however I would agree with terpdx and experiment.

 

[MeatSkull]

I ran a BBQ and we never wrapped, I still don't. We/I also use a wet marinade with canola oil. Probably corn oil it was 30 plus years ago. I use canola oil myself now.

 

[Bryant Reynolds]

Great ideas ! Thanks everyone. Don’t know why I had it in my mind it was either wrap or don’t. Great opportunity to experiment.

 

[chef jimmyj]

How you going to transport? What you got for pans to store or reheat? You taking them hot, ready to serve or reheating? Reheating in what?
If you need to do ahead, foil! Easier to store, transport and reheat in limited equipment. If you are taking them to work hot, then pull from the smoker, stack in a cooler and go. If not served right away, they will hold several hours. Same goes for reheating foiled Ribs at your place, coolering and going to work. FORGET FOB or Bite Off or crunchy bark. All the heating, storage, reheating, or coolering and holding is going to give you FOB unless you are super experienced with cooking timing, transportation and catering. This is why the average Joe likes FOB. That is the way they end up being at all but the best Q Joints. CHILI'S Baby Backs, what the average public judges us against! SAD...JJ

 

[Bryant Reynolds]

Couldn’t agree more Jimmy. I am going to bring my smoker to work. So they will be coming right off the smoker .

 

[Bryant Reynolds]

Also Jimmy, I just wanted to give you a shout out about jjs finishing sauce! All I can say is WOW!!! That stuff is awesome!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Thank you Bryant and Welcome to the SMF Family...JJ

 

[E's Smokin]

On a side note , how big is your smoker, this sounds like a tremendous undertaking, I wish you the best of luck & personally I do a modified 3-2-1 method,

 

[E's Smokin]

On a side note , how big is your smoker, this sounds like a tremendous undertaking, I wish you the best of luck & personally I do a modified 3-2-1 method

 

[Bryant Reynolds]

I’ve got a Deep South gc 28 smoker . Plenty of room in that sucker .

 

[damon555]

No need to wrap ribs at any time.....Fall off the bone or a slight tug, whichever you prefer.

When I first started smoking ribs they always got wrapped.....After wasting a bunch of foil and time I got lazy.....much to my surprise the finished product was far superior to anything that ever came out of a foil pouch.

The key for me was to let them ride for five hours (a little earlier if smoking above 225) before even looking....it's tough not to look but it will pay off in the end.

 

[Bryant Reynolds]

Well 25 racks turned into 32 and a big pan of beans with brisket. Everything turned out awesome, love the new smoker. Now it’s time to get ready for the next competition.

 

[CSR]

Did you wrap or no?

I echo what Damon said. I stay at 225-230 and let em go for 4+ hours. I love fall off the bone and they are juicy without the wrap.

 

[motolife313]

I’ve never foiled any of my ribs.im a little different tho. I put my meat on the grates then build my fire, works great. If it were me and I was cooking for that many people I’d just do what I know and use my normal method of cooking. Nice job on the final results sounds like everything worked great and welcome to the forum