Smoker Size

[Rub-A-Dub]

Ok this is a newbie question. My sponcers have gotten me 5 cases of ribs. Thats about 45 racks of ribs. What would be the best way to handle this load as this will be my first EVER comp. Would I smoke them all at once or how is it done in large comps. The ribs are sold 2 tickets per rib. This is the annual fund raiser for this charity group. Confused need a little "Brethren Guidence" here. What size smoker would i need for this.

[Puppyboy]

If this is your first ever comp, I'd skip the "buck a bone" and focus on the turn in boxes.

My $.02.

[Rub-A-Dub]

have to feed the sponcers and keep them happy so they will do it again next year

[txschutte]

I would build rib racks to maximize cooking space for gen pub. Cook judged meat as younormally would in back yard. No expert, jmo

[QansasjayhawQ]

What's the capacity of your current competition setup?

Are you looking to add pure capacity just for cooking for your sponsor?

Rib racks are the way to go to maximize capacity in just about any smoker.

My favorite local BBQ place uses a horizontally rotating column of shelves and then places rib racks on those. They can smoke a couple hundred racks of ribs at once in their mobile pit.

But, yeah, sticking with what you know - and know well - for your first competition is definitely the way to go.

[nthole]

I just hope you're not planning on cooking 45 racks of ribs at once on the Smoke n Pit you mentioned earlier! I can't imagine even on racks getting more than 10 racks at a time in that. At 4 - 5 hours per set, your looking at 24 hours of pure cooking time.

What size smoker? Better call Jay and see if he's got a trailer Spice to lend you.

For reference I got the ol school 'Dera. I think it lists as about 960 square inches of cook space. On rib racks, I can get at most about 20 racks at time. 5 racks trimmed, standing on their sides, per grill rack. So even for me that's a 12 hour cook.

[Rub-A-Dub]

A friend and I are building a smoker that is 6 ft long 23 inches wide at the middle of the pipe, reverse flow with a 4 inch pipe for the stack 32 inches long and a firebox that is 20 inches long 18 inches high by 24 inches wide. If any of you brethren have any ideas plz let me know. I got the idea off the forms here. It well be an offset smoker.

[Sawdustguy]

Ok this is a newbie question. My sponcers have gotten me 5 cases of ribs. Thats about 45 racks of ribs. What would be the best way to handle this load as this will be my first EVER comp. Would I smoke them all at once or how is it done in large comps. The ribs are sold 2 tickets per rib. This is the annual fund raiser for this charity group. Confused need a little "Brethren Guidence" here. What size smoker would i need for this.

At most comps they will not let you sell because of health department regulations and vendors who have paid to sell food at the contest. If you got 45 racks, I would freeze 39 of them and take only 6 racks. That would give you plenty of ribs to choose your 6 ribs for turn-ins and the rest could be for your sponsors.

[Rub-A-Dub]

This is a local event and they have a bragging rights thing for who ever sells the most ribs. It is a fund raiser and it's one of those if you dont sell alot you might not get invited back

[willkat98]

This sounds more like a catering question than a "KCBS style" competition.

Popularity contest.

Go ahead and precook some, then reheat. Go with what is big, locally.

Sweet sauce, mustard based, vinegar based, etc.

Give them what they want, and you'll be invited back

[Rub-A-Dub]

This is just a local event to help the kids in our community. Sounds like I should smoke the entry ribs and grill the rest.