Too much food for UDS

Q

QueInOveralls

Got Wood.
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
48
Reaction score
13
Points
0
Age
35
Location
Nashville, TN
Guys, I've run into a bit of a problem. I was asked to cook ribs for a cookout for a get together next weekend as a going away party for a buddy who is deploying. At first it was going to be just a small couple friends and 3 slabs would have been sufficient and I am able to cook 3 slabs on my UDS. However the group size has gone up a bit and now we are cooking 6 slabs. This is my problem.

I see myself having two options (if anyone else can think of an option please let me know).

Option 1. Start cooking early, after the first three slabs are done ( I cook 2-1-1) Wrap those ribs in new foil and place in the oven and just heat up before eating time.

Option 2. Build another UDS this week and have two going at the same time. I already have the barrel and an extra fire basket. I would just need to grind out the barrel and get the hardware put on it. Grinding out would be the long part.

Any suggestions?
 
Lion Bout The Q said:
buy a rib rack and cook the all at the same time
Click to expand...

^this

Still not enough room, cut some in half, seems like you can always fit more half racks..

Other solution - Cook them in 2 rounds early, and refrigerate till the party. At the time of the BBQ, fire them over direct flame with sauce (or without of you prefer dry) I've done this for parties many times, works great, and no one knows the ribs were precooked. You can't tell a difference at all
 
2 grates + 2 rib racks = 10 Racks Ribs Smoking Away - you may have to flip Top to bottom n bottom to Top halfway thru and I'd run a difusser plate
 
As Smitty hinted, add a lower grate below the existing grate
 
I'm kind of nervous about cooking them vertical since I've always laid them flat. Not sure if cooking for a group of people would be the best time for me to experiment. I cook meant up until wrapped and then meat down on top of everything inside the foil. This gives me a good bark especially since I don't put sauce on em. However this seems to be the way everyone agrees on.

What I worry about cooking one set and then cooking the other is that I don't want the ribs to dry out sitting in the oven while the others cook but I want them to be hot when everyone eats. Also would I run into any problems with them sitting out like bacteria wise?

I think I'm just going to end up building a second one this weekend. and cook all at the same time. You can never have too many smokers right? About half the people there have had my food and rave about it but the other half have not and don't want to disappoint anyone.
 
Cook them till they're 95% done. Put them in the fridge. Cook the others to 95%. Put them in the fridge. You can do this a few hours or the day before.

Party time, just fire them over direct flame. Don't even try to keep them warm the whole time, you'll ruin the first half. This works surprisingly well, and way better than spending a couple hundo on making another UDS. Hell it'd be cheaper to just buy a weber kettle and use that for the second half if you're going that route.
 
Gotcha. Well thanks guys for the input. It caught me off guard when my buddy called me this morning saying we need to cook double.
 
Don't build another UDS...just add a second grate. Go buy a second grate for $15 bucks 3 or 4 bolts and grab a drill. You'll have that shelf in in 10 minutes.

How far from the top is your first grate, flat lid or dome?

You can easily do 3 racks laying flat on 2 grates. You may want to rotate the grates halfway through. With 2 grates AND rib racks I've done 10 racks at a time.

Having only 1 grate on a UDS always seemed like a waste of perfectly good cooking space to me.
 
Aaron cooking vertical isn't any type of challenge. Simply cook @ 250-275 and cook till tooth pic tender....usually takes 3-4 hours. You can't screw it up so don't worry about experimenting. I like brushing olive oil on prior to my rub.



Very wet juicy ribs....aint nothin too it.

 
aaronmhooks said:
I'm kind of nervous about cooking them vertical since I've always laid them flat. Not sure if cooking for a group of people would be the best time for me to experiment. I cook meant up until wrapped and then meat down on top of everything inside the foil. This gives me a good bark especially since I don't put sauce on em. However this seems to be the way everyone agrees on.

What I worry about cooking one set and then cooking the other is that I don't want the ribs to dry out sitting in the oven while the others cook but I want them to be hot when everyone eats. Also would I run into any problems with them sitting out like bacteria wise?

I think I'm just going to end up building a second one this weekend. and cook all at the same time. You can never have too many smokers right? About half the people there have had my food and rave about it but the other half have not and don't want to disappoint anyone.
Click to expand...

I certainly like the idea of having an extra smoker, but honestly I have never noticed any major difference cooking with and without a rack except as it pertains to basting the ribs (which I don't). If anything, the fact that both sides are getting pretty equal heat distribution helps with developing a more consistent color/bark.
 
fingerlickin' said:
Don't build another UDS...just add a second grate. Go buy a second grate for $15 bucks 3 or 4 bolts and grab a drill. You'll have that shelf in in 10 minutes.

How far from the top is your first grate, flat lid or dome?

You can easily do 3 racks laying flat on 2 grates. You may want to rotate the grates halfway through. With 2 grates AND rib racks I've done 10 racks at a time.

Having only 1 grate on a UDS always seemed like a waste of perfectly good cooking space to me.
Click to expand...
Like this.
rack_zps0c27acde.jpg
 
Guys yall are amazing. I only have one rack in there and never even though about adding a second grate because I was afraid it would be too close to the fire. However with the pictures and what not I realize that it only had to be about 4 inches below the other one for this scenario with ribs. Just saved me a ton of time and effort. Don't know what I'd do without this forum.

My first grate is approximately 6 or 7 inches down from a flat lid. I can't remember exactly. Here is a crappy picture showing the distance.



I'll take some measurements and might even just add a grate above rather than below. I'll see once I get home.

As you can see one grate holds three slabs flat perfectly


You can also see from the bolts on the outside the grate level
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dietmar239
Vacation ribs
Replies
10
Views
571
Grain Belt
G
H
Too much airflow?
Replies
5
Views
507
Lynn Dollar
Lynn Dollar
SweetHeatBBQnSC
Ribs for college football
Replies
6
Views
547
kevinstaggs
kevinstaggs
K
Neese’s Sausage, part 2
Replies
2
Views
766
1MoreFord
1MoreFord
S
Small trailer offset smokers today?
Replies
18
Views
3K
cowboyupbbq
C
Back
Top