Making baby back ribs under the gun

[wilburpan]

My wife promised our friends that I would make ribs for their party last weekend. “No problem,” I thought, as at this point I’ve made ribs enough times that I’m pretty comfortable with the process. Of course, that thought led to everything going wrong.

Sunday morning. I had planned to get things going around 7 am. Of course, I oversleep and wake up at 8:45 instead.

I go to light Smaug. At that point I remember that the propane tank/weed burner that I use to light the charcoal is out of propane. Rush trip to the home center to exchange the propane tank.

I get Smaug lit and going. It’s raining. Luckily, I have a KK grill, so the rain won’t get into the top vent. 

I quickly make up a rub and prep the ribs. I’m really in a hurry now because it’s close to when Mass is starting, and I have to make a decision: rush the preparation of the ribs, or wait until after Mass and be late for the party. I decide to rush it. My wife and kids have already left, because they are serving at Mass and need to be there early. I skipped taking the silverskin membrane off the back side of the ribs, which I normally would do, and hope that the ribs will be okay. I oil down the ribs with olive oil, sprinkle the rub onto the six racks I’m making, and get them into Smaug. I make it to Mass just in time to beat the end of the opening hymn.

All through Mass, I’m worried that I have the vents set incorrectly for a low and slow cook. I wanted to make sure the grill was at 225ºF. I shouldn’t have worried. KK grills are so reliable that the same vent settings get me to within 5-10ºF of my intended target. Smaug was running a little high when I got back from Mass, but it took a minor adjustment to dial him back down to where I wanted him.

The good news is that once I had the temperature dialed in, I didn’t have to do anything except wait. Here’s the result after 5 hours.

The ribs turned out great. My friends loved them. When they told me how much they appreciated all the effort I went to making these ribs, I just said, “No problem.”

[CeramicChef]

Wilbur - my Friend, you've got this deal dialed in and tied up!  Wonderful color on those racks.  You did those pigs quite proud with this cook!  You and Smaug make quite the pair when it comes to backyard cooks.  Kudos all over your New Jersey patio!  Kudos, kudos, and more.  You're a 4th quarter player for certain!

[Geo]

Great cook, Wilbur, and great recovery from one of those "Everything going wrong" mornings. I'm coking Baby Back ribs for a family gathering next month... Hope mine turn out that good!

[MacKenzie]

Perfect ribs as usual, wilbur.:)

[tinyfish]

Way to go. You would never know by the end result that you were rushed making the ribs.

[Jon B.]

You sure have the rib cook nailed down...........they look great!!!!! 

[kjs]

Those are some good looking ribs.

[ckreef]

Another great rib cook wilburpan.

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[tony b]

Excellent job for being "rushed."