Excited (nervous) About First Big Cook

Well, it has happened...my first BIG cook (well, for me). I've got family flying up from Arkansas this weekend and other family driving up from DC. I already had planned on the 6 adults from Arkansas and wanted to test the knowledge I've gleaned off of this great site. I volunteered to cook some ribs, a couple of fatties and some vidalia onions (in foil with gobs of butter, lemon pepper and some cajun seasoning).

Well, now, I will be cooking for 9 adults. There are only one or two big eaters out of the bunch and we are doing a pot of beans, some full-sized, Jersey-grown sweet corn cobs and a huge loaf of french bread. My wife is talking about some kind of dessert, also.

So, the question is now: how many racks of ribs? My parents are helping to pay for the meal. So, I'm thinking of doing baby-backs (haven't come close to doing spares well, yet). With sides and everything else, my wife and I can just about be pleasantly full on a single rack. From that, I am planning on doing 5 racks of ribs. Enough?

The other question is whether or not I can fit 5 full racks in the Smoke-n-pit. I have split the racks in two in the past and could do that, again. It's either that or I may run down and buy a couple of rib racks.

I'm not sure if I'm really asking these questions or just venting nervousness to a bunch of guys who've been there, done that. Any tips you've got for me, though, fire away!

B.S.

Re: RE: Excited (nervous) About First Big Cook

Ron_L said:

Do you have a Williams Sonoma store near you? They have some very nice non-stick rib racks and they are on sale at $3.99! I bought two...

http://ww2.williams-sonoma.com/cat/...|15|0||||||rib rack&gids=sku6669436&cmsrc=sch

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Checked the store locator, and I've got one in Shrewsbury, about 2 miles from my house. I'll have to go and check it out. Thanks for the tip. I'll call them to see if they have any left.

Thanks for the tips.

B.S.

Re: RE: Excited (nervous) About First Big Cook

BoarneSupremacy said:

Ron_L said:

Do you have a Williams Sonoma store near you? They have some very nice non-stick rib racks and they are on sale at $3.99! I bought two...

http://ww2.williams-sonoma.com/cat/...|15|0||||||rib rack&gids=sku6669436&cmsrc=sch

Click to expand...

Checked the store locator, and I've got one in Shrewsbury, about 2 miles from my house. I'll have to go and check it out. Thanks for the tip. I'll call them to see if they have any left.

Thanks for the tips.

B.S.

Click to expand...

You can also buy Weber rib racks at Ace Hardware or Home Depot. They're not non-stick, but they work great. I'm not sure how far shrewsbury is from you, but I know there's some Home Depot's close by

Go with 6 racks of ribs....if somebody else is willing to help pay for it anyway, might as well have plenty of food. Besides, that gives some extras for snacking and leftovers as well. Good luck....relax...you'll do fine.

Re: RE: Excited (nervous) About First Big Cook

BrooklynQ said:

You can also buy Weber rib racks at Ace Hardware or Home Depot. They're not non-stick, but they work great. I'm not sure how far shrewsbury is from you, but I know there's some Home Depot's close by

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My house is one of those houses in Middletown with a Red Bank address, off 35 near Navesink River Road. No, I don't own one of "those houses" on Navesink. Mine would more likely be a servant's quarters compared to the houses only 1-2 miles down.

Home Depot we've gone to in the past is in Hazlet which is kinda on my way home. The wife and kids are going swimming somewhere in Long Branch and are going to stop by the Williams Sonoma in Shrewsbury on their way back. The lady on the phone said they have 8 in stock, but they are marked at $8.99 per. She said they may be cheaper, though, as they are clearing that stuff out.

If the wife is unsuccessful, I will stop by Home Depot on the way home tonight.

B.S.

nucleargeek said:

Go with 6 racks of ribs....if somebody else is willing to help pay for it anyway, might as well have plenty of food. Besides, that gives some extras for snacking and leftovers as well. Good luck....relax...you'll do fine.

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I thought about the snacking and leftovers aspect. I guess I'm just too sensitive about spending somebody else's money freely. That happens when you were raised in a fairly miserly family. :lol: Compared to them, I'm a spend-thrift!

Thanks everybody. I just put too much pressure on myself at times...especially when I've bragged to everybody about how good I've gotten with BBQ.

B.S.

Hate to dredge something back up that is this old, but I never let you guys know how it went or said a complete thanks for the help. I had family in all last week and spent more time away from the computer than usual. That's probably a good thing. We spent so much time visiting that I forgot about the pictures. Sorry.

I ended up cooking 6 racks of baby backs, 4 vidalia onions and two fatties. Nothing but smiles all around the dinner table. My uncle from the DC area said that the food rivaled Famous Dave's BBQ. I haven't tried Famous Dave's before so I don't know if that's a good thing or not. They turned out really well in my book, though.

We ended up having quite a few leftovers, but those didn't go to waste. Everything we had that day turned out wonderfully.

Here are a few lessons learned, though:
1) Starting an hour or so before I thought I should start turned out to be some of the best advice I got from you guys. I'll keep on doing that.

2) Cutting the baby back racks in two so that they fit in the refrigerator to marinate causes problems in the rib racks I bought from Williams and Sonoma (another great tip, $19.99 racks for $3.99). The ribs had to be set in them "just right" to stay standing up.

3) The extended chimney mod (down to the grill area) in the SnP would not allow me to put both racks in the smoker. I couldn't place the racks front to back and close the door on the chamber. So, I had to remove the mod for this cook. That brings up number 4...

4) The extended chimney mod makes a huge difference in temp control. I battled to keep a constant temp all afternoon, successfully, but still a battle. Usually, it is just "set it and forget it."

5) The smell of hickory in the back yard makes your guests very impatient. What makes it worse is when you bring the ribs inside to foil them. I had to slap more than one hand trying to pick the meat off a rack while I was spraying and wrapping.

A good time was had by all and I made a big step in putting into practice what you guys have been preaching.

B.S.