Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

[tortuga]

So gotta do ribs for 16 people on Mother's day, that is a lot of grill space and hoping that the timing is right.

Thinking about cooking them ahead, then reheating. This would take a lot of stress off the rest of the prep, and allow me to cook them to the right "chew" without worrying about timing. depending on the temp, wind, etc.. my rib cooking style means they could be just right anywhere from 4 to 5 hours, and during that time I have a million other things to do. Anyone have good luck with reheating ribs?

Also thinking about buying some of the Weber rib racks to get more grill space going. I am curious about these as it seems like it would promote the juices running off, which I don't want. Any comments on those, or a better option for getting more racks in the same space?

[av8rds]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

I've had good luck smoking them just short of done and then reheating on the regular grill the next day.

I actually think it might be 'better' than just smoking as you get a nice smoke flavor and then some charring from re-heating them.

[Delta 4 Wheel]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

I haven't done this with ribs, but have done it very sucessfully with copius amounts of tri-tip. I would think it would be easier with ribs because they are thinner and less dense so getting them up to temperature the next day would be a snap with out over cooking.

What I would do is smoke and grill them (if you like) and before they are done I would pull and foil them face down with some Coke or apple juice. Then I would put them in the oven at 225 until they are done to your liking.

In case anyone wonders, the tri-tip was smoked until 110 internal degrees at 225 smoker temp. It was pulled, wrapped and immediately put into a spare refrigerator to stop the residual cooking. We took the 80 pounds of meat to the event location and stacked it all up in the oven at 150 degrees until the meat came back to the internal 110 or so. Then we grilled at a moderate temperature until 130 internal, re-wrapped with foil and put into ice-free ice chests wrapped in towels to hide out as we grilled the rest. I let all the meat rest for about an hour before slicing. Juicy and yummy!

[Broncrick]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

My wife was a Executive Chef, she marinates, wraps is plastic wrap (yep!) then foil and starts them in the oven. Then they go to the barbi whenever you want. Works good for crowds

[Efibroncoman]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

When I do pork ribs, I season and bake them in the oven in a foil covered baking pan at 280 +/- for 3 hours. Then apply barbecue sauce and grill at low heat just to get the look for about 20 minutes. I'm sure there are more secretive recipes and maybe even better ways to do ribs... But I cook to eat, don't really care about winning a rib cook-off or getting props for making the best ribs....

[JP23]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

I always use pork back ribs. They are more money, but well worth it. Always remove the membrane that is on the bottom side of the ribs. Sometimes it has been removed, but most times not. If you do not remove it before cooking it will adhere to the ribs and make them tougher. Thoroughly wash and pat dry with paper towels.

I then either place each rack in foil or if you have a large roasting pan that you can cover with a lid or foil that will work well especially when doing large quantities. I cook the ribs in the oven at 225*-250* for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. Check them at 2 1/2hrs. They are done when the meat is starting to separate from the bone. At this point the ribs are fully cooked and you can store them for later.

The last step is to smoke/grill them. I use a no name BBQ from Sam's club. I use whole lump charcoal also available at Sam's club or Bevmo. Let the Charcoal burn until it is all burning at a glow and the flame is gone. Damper the BBQ down so that is is a low heat high smoke fire. Use your favorite BBQ sauce or salt and pepper and garlic, and just cook until the sauce is dry and sticky. I use Mesquite charcoal, but some say that Mesquite is to strong for pork, but I like it.

JP23

[tortuga]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

Thanks for the tips. After considering the options, I used the big horizontal smoker to cook the ribs as it had the room needed - the rib racks I bought were crap, the ribs folded onto one another.

Took one off about 3/4 done, and half of one all the way done. Vac sealed and frozen for testing later.

Since I first posted, it got more complicated - my fishing buddies asked for a rib dinner at camp, which means everything gets brought in by boat. So....

When I took the ribs out of the freezer, they looked a bit freezer-burnt, unusual for vac sealed meat. Googling that showed many reccomendations to wrap in saran-type wrap first to keep the bones from puncturing the vac bag. I'll do that next time. This time, I cut the bags and re-sealed them, because my thawing technique was going to be a big drastic.

Took the frozen ribs and threw them in an ice chest with hot water to thaw and heat; water was near boiling on my outdoor/camp range, in the ice chest with the ribs it started at 175, dropped to 145 after an hour or so. Took the test pieces out, put them back on the UDS (ugly drum smoker) at about 240 for an hour or so, started watching for over-done and took them off when it seemed right. Experienced judges (wife, neighbor, me) thought they were both pretty damn good. I didn't think they were as good as right off the bbq, but I've made worse batches and made people happy.

Got a new drum today, starting on another UDS.

[backpain]

Re: Rib Tech: Cook ahead/reheat and rib racks

If I'm pressed for prep time on the day of eats, I smoke in advance - as much time as you have to do so and low temp (you want flavor not excessive cooking), when finished wrap tight as heck, chill overnight, and then slow cook in the oven until tender. If you like char'd, open up the foil and broil them at the end. If you like sweet, add some brown sugar/spice blend and caramelize at the end.

You do have to monitor cook time if you like firm ribs vs fall off the bone. When they are done this way tons of moisture stays in the meet/cooking package. After practicing, you may choose to open up the foil early and let them dry cook in the oven part of the time.

I have let them stay in the oven at 200d on serving day for as long as 4-6 hrs and they are not overcooked. The smoking from the prior day carries all the flavor.

With a vented gas oven, the house smells like you have been smoking all day (but all you did was "reheat")