Cooking and re-heating 18 racks of baby backs

[jeffh]

Okay, so I've been volunteered to cook ribs for lunch on Thursday at the office for about 30 people. I've searched and read about a dozen threads on cooking and re-heating ribs and I have a plan, but I'm basically looking for a few people to validate my plans.

I'm going to cook 18 racks of ribs. I'll skin & trim/rub them tonight, then tomorrow around 1:00 pm I'm going to put 6 on the PBC & 4 on one of my Kettles, cook at around 275° for two hours, then wrap for 1 hour in tinfoil w/ a little apple juice.

I'll then take the ribs off the cookers (and replenish the PBC with the remaining 6 racks) open the tinfoil to let steam escape and slow down cooking, then refrigerate. I'll then repeat the process for the last 6 on the PBC.

Thursday I'm going to bring the ribs into work (still wrapped in the tinfoil), and reheat them in an oven @ 200° for about an hour.

To finish, I'm going to quickly thrown them on our gas grill at the office and sauce them before I serve.

While I know they won't be amazing, I think they will turn out pretty good.

Has anyone cooked ribs in a similar fashion? Is there anything I've overlooked? Any advice (and hopefully positive) feedback is appreciated!

 

[bbqlearner]

I don't know but seems overkill to cook 18 full racks of ribs for 30 people. I'd think 10 racks are enough for 30 people. To answer your question though, I've done this method before so if you really need 18 racks, that should work. It won't be as good as fresh but it's still good. The oven though, I would reheat it at higher temp like 275 because it takes a long time to reheat otherwise - I'd allocate 1.5 hour instead of 1 hour for that. Oh and yeah, I would use butter during reheat.

 

[Stlsportster]

I would agree 18 racks sounds like a lot, especially for lunch and if there are sides.

You could simplify by doing 8 racks at a time on the PBC and forget about the kettle. Also 2 hours before wrapping seems kinda light. You could do 3 hours unwrapped, 1 hour wrapped in your oven at home...then your 1 hour reheat and the quick hit with sauce/grill plan at work.

Also...let me know what time I should be there. Sounds like you will have some happy coworkers!!!

 

[jeffh]

Thanks guys, I agree the 18 is a little overkill, but that is what Management thinks we need. One time last year I made pulled pork for 30 and we had enough to have lunch two days in a row :roll:

 

[JohnnyB]

I always put butter, honey, and brown sugar in the foil for the reheat. Makes an amazing sauce that you can pour all over the ribs after you slice.

 

[Evil-g]

According to my BBQ calc you'll only need 8 slabs for 3 bones each. I'm cooking for a hundred on Memorial Day and plan to do 18 slabs at the beginning of May and freeze them, so I'm very interested in the replies.

Good luck with your cook.

 

[Deanr]

I have never reheated like you are doing. I am sure there is a reason for doing two separate days but it just seams timing wise to start the whole process early on the day of lunch.

However, given your approach, I would plan for 2 hours in the oven. Check them after an hour, however you desire,(probe with toothpick, bend test or pull back from the bone) Then foiled and into the cooler when they pass your test. Otherwise you may end up with underdone ribs.

And I also agree that is way too much unless you have big eaters and nothing else served.

 

[Chitown_hillbilly]

I also think you're going to need more oven time. Especially if you put all 18 in the oven at the same time, thats a lot of mass to heat up.

I've done exactly what your planning and I think it turned out pretty good. They were more done than I like but, that's the way the Masses tend to like em and everyone raved about them.

Good luck.

 

[jeffh]

Thanks all. I've just received the ribs. Boss man decided to buy 21 racks of ribs instead of 18...

Anywho, I've decided to cook them 8 at a time in the PBC and 5 in the Weber (having to refill the PBC once), 3 hours naked, 1 hour in tinfoil w/ apple juice/brown sugar, then flash chill, and reheat in oven for two hours tomorrow and finish with a little sauce on the gas grill at the office.

I'll let you guys know how they turn out.

 

[Twisted T's Q]

good luck, I bet they will turn out great......

 

[WilliamD]

Good luck with those now 21 RACKS!!!!!! You'll be fine!

 

[JeffJ]

I've cooked ribs in advance of serving and reheated them on a number of occasions. I would smoke them in advance and refrigerate. When it came time to cook I'd light all of the burners on a gas grill and would sauce and flip, sauce and flip, usually several times, until I ran out of sauce. They turned out surprisingly good and given this closely mimics your plans consider my post to be validation.

 

[jeffh]

The ribs were a success! Thanks everyone for their suggestions and encouragement!

I ended up cooking the day before like I had planned (3 hours on the Weber & PBC, then 1 hour wrapped), chilled overnight then about 2 hours in the oven at work (@250°), then finished on a gasser with sauce.

Came out fantastic! Pics below:

 

[KevinJ]

Well done, those bones look good. :thumb:

 

[bucko]

I will take any left overs they look awsome

 

[Stlsportster]

How many racks did they finish at lunch? Love to see the PBC loaded down with 8 slabs!!!

 

[jeffh]

How many racks did they finish at lunch? Love to see the PBC loaded down with 8 slabs!!!

We put away 17 of the 21 racks - leftovers went home with myself and a few others [emoji6]

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Nvoges]

They look great, glad your timing worked out!