Unattended Ribs!

[robby6pack]

My oldest daughter graduates this Friday at 10 AM. It is a small school about 45 minutes away. She has asked that we have Ribs(spare) for lunch. We will arrive home no later than 1 from the ceremony. I am smoking 4 racks of ribs and they will be unattended. I was planning on putting them on at 7:30ish at 225. Anyone have any suggestions, or just hope and pray? Thanks in advance for the advise.

 

[smokerjim]

i've done it before, "with some hope and prayers" as it goes with smoking anything can go wrong or right, anymore I usually do them the day before or even 2-3 day's ahead of time and then heat them in the oven the day of, tell you the truth they taste better after sitting a day or two.

 

[robby6pack]

If I have time, I'll give it a shot. Do you slice ribs before heating in oven, or heat the whole rack? How long and what temp?

 

[hawtsauc3]

I think it depends how you cook them in the first place. I've been eating leftover ribs for lunch all week and they've been just as good if not better than the day they came off the smoker. That said, less cuts = less spots to lose moisture.

 

[crazymoon]

R6P, I agree with Jim about doing them in advance if you have the time.I usually slice them and add some extra sauce before wrapping in tin foil. Heat on the grill or in the oven for15-20 minutes indirect heat or low oven temp 350 or less. I usually take them out of the smoker a tad sooner than where I want them for doneness as the reheat will cook them a bit more

 

[phatbac]

If you are going to sauce the ribs i recommend smoking them without sauce and then when you get home from the ceremony heat up the grill to real high heat and put a layer of sauce on them then grill at real high heat for about 3-4 minutes each side. this is called char-glazing. it blackens grill lines on the ribs and heats them back up and set the sauce. gives them a char flavor with the smokey flavor. its wonderful!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[smokerjim]

If I have time, I'll give it a shot. Do you slice ribs before heating in oven, or heat the whole rack? How long and what temp?

I cut them in half" so they fit in my mes30" I don't slice them when reheating, I put them in a baking dish or foil pan add a little water and cover with tinfoil, bake at 300 for a 1/2 hour-45 minutes , just check them and make sure they hot enough, as mentioned if your adding sauce to them I don't add when smoking just when they are heated in the oven take tinfoil off and add the sauce then. but that's totally up to you.

 

[motolife313]

If I have time, I'll give it a shot. Do you slice ribs before heating in oven, or heat the whole rack? How long and what temp?

I cut them up before reheating other wise it will take longer to heat and not cook as even. Usually only takes 15-20 minutes at 350 or so in the oven. Ribs usually take 6 hours at 225 for thicker ribs

 

[SmokinLogs]

I have done some unattended smoking, and I believe it comes down to knowing and trusting your smoker. If you feel like you can leave it for a few hours and your temps won’t swing too much, I’d put the ribs on right before you leave and then check on them AS SOON as you get home. Also, to be on the safe side of not overlooking the ribs I’d set the smoker temperature as low as you feel comfortable smoking at. Good luck!