Ribs for 50

Tony S.

Question ...

My neice just asked if it was possible for me to cook ribs for 50 - 60 people for her wedding next summer. They would be babybacks ...

If I cook them over a period of a day or two, can I store them in the freezer and then thaw and reheat? I know I can, but would it taste the same?? Thoughts ...

I have not told her yes as of yet, as wanted to think and see if it were even possible.

Any thoughts would be really appreciated.

I made the mistake of making ribs for the family last weekend and they turned out too good ...

Car Wash Mike

cook them as normal with sauce. cut them up. food saver. reheat in an aluminum pan (covered with foil) add 8-12 ozs apple juice. they will be great. you might need to have some more sauce on the side. iwould guess 18-21 slabs will be plently.

Mike

Tony S.

Are you referring to vacuum sealed?

Car Wash Mike

for best results i would. my last party of 50, i cooked cut up and placed in a pan while still warm. covered and served the next day. or should i say reheated like i said. oven 250.

Mike

smoky b

no pressure! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Tony S.

No, no pressure at all. Just don't know if I can do it for that many with just the one egg.

Panhandle Smoker

What size Egg are you using? I am assuming a large. It sounds like a good excuse to invest in a Adjustable rig and a few oval shelves. You could get them knocked out in just a few cooks.
http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/ceramicgrillstore/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=226

Hoss

Try 2-3 eggs! :evil:

Tony S.

You talking about the spider?

Jeffersonian

No, the spider is an accessory for the Adjustable Rig, a ring with five external spokes that fit into your fire ring's dimples. You use it to hold a drip pan under the AR. The AR itself is a multi-level cooking rack that allows you to double, or even triple the capacity of your Egg.

With a Large Egg and the AR, you can do enough spare ribs for 25 people at once, minimum.

Tony S.

I have looked at one of the posts and looked at the AR. Is there still room for the platesetter?

Jeffersonian

No, you don't use the plate setter with the AR as it would cause the AR to sit too high in the dome. For a barrier when using the AR, I either use a foil-wrapped shallow drip pan (Tom sells them along with the AR as an option) or a foil-wrapped pizza stone placed on the spider. The arrangement I've used worked well and looked something like this:

TOP

* Ribs (4 racks) in inverted V-rack
* 18" grate
* Adjustable Rig
* Ribs (4 racks) in inverted V-rack
* 18" grate
* Foil-wrapped drip pan or pizza stone
* Spider
* Fire ring

Tony S.

Thanks ..

Looks like this is what I would be needing to buy then ...

http://ceramicgrillstore.com/shop-script_premium/index.php?productID=190

Panhandle Smoker

Yes and with the money you will be saving for the caterer get another Egg too. :laugh:

Jeffersonian

Yep, them's the goods...and what Panhandle said! :woohoo:

Tony S.

Thanks guys ...

Do the ribs on the lower rack cook faster than the ones on the upper one?

Jeffersonian

Not from what I've seen, no.

Tony S.

How do you think this would work? Scroll down to the bottom of the page ....

http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/ceramicgrillstore/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=226

Jeffersonian

I'm not sure which example you're referring to on that page, but what I use is the "two large grid" scenario and I keep the crossbars and oval grid in the cabinet. Of course, I cook spares, which are tall and need every inch of clearance the AR can provide between the two grids. If you're cooking babybacks, you might do them flat (with a pizza stone or pan barrier) with the two large grids and one or more ovals with crossbars in between the 18" grids.

Tony S.

Was referring to the 1000 sq inches of cooking space ... a grill at each level of the AR.

Jeffersonian

I see...that might work, but you'd need to make sure your babybacks will fit in the 1-1/2" space between each level. That might be cutting it pretty close.

Tony S.

That is what I am concerned about. Will probably order the AR combo .. comes with the spider and one large stainless steel grate. Will try that for a while, and then maybe order another grate, giving me a total of 3 cooking surfaces. If I did 2 - 3 slabs per level, then 3-4 runs of ribs would feed all the people coming to the wedding ...

You have really helped me tonight ... Thanks very much ...

I now think that I can cook enough for 50 or so people... never thought I would ever be saying that ...

Take care ...

Tony

Jeffersonian

I think that's the wise idea, as Tom says on the comment next to the pic, there are only few things you can do with close quarters like that like jerky and maybe pig candy.

No problem, Tony. I'm sure you'll have fun with the AR...I consider it the best purchase I've made besides the Egg itself. It gives a lot of flexibility to one's cooks. Best of luck with your cook and the wedding, too.

fishlessman

ive seen a pic of over twenty racks cooked in a large egg but its not something i would want to try, im thinking two eggs would be easier, maybe see if anyone wants to chip in for a large egg for a wedding present.