Rib Advice, please...

[JDLones]

Alright, I'm planning on doing a couple racks of ribs, probably baby backs, this weekend on my kettle.  I have an electric smoker and have typically done them at 225* for about four hours.  This being the first time I've tried them on the kettle, how should I set it up?  Should I bank the coals on one side, or should I use a snake or fuse setup?  From what I've seen on here the fuse can go well over four hours, but I figure pouring lit coals on top of some unlit should be able to go at least that long too.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?     

I appreciate the advice.  I will, of course, post pics after they're done.   

[pbe gummi bear]

Always start with less charcoal than you think you may need. It's easy to get the temp up, but a bear to get it down. I think the snake or fuse is more foolproof for this reason. There's a good thread about charcoal setup somewhere- hopefully Buckie or Hank can point you to it. You can set your fuse thickness similar to what others have done successfully. Good luck!

[1buckie]

JD.....Gummi's right about less to start; here's a way I've used a lot that work decent:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/one-rib-method/msg13609/?topicseen#msg13609


But, I would use a little less lit & a longer chain of unlit than shown in that demo.............

You can also build smaller rows on both sides, like this:



I burn in opposite directions so there's always a place to rotate the grate that will keep the meat from being right above burning coals...



Also good to run the ribs parallel to the flip-ups, so you can add coals or wood if you'd like:
(didn't start like that on the beef ribs up above~ )



Don't know where I might have any descriptive pics, but you can just pile in on one side, kinda like that 1st setup (link) and go ahead and add as needed.....works fine..........

Have a grate cook !!!!

[pbe gummi bear]

Here's that thread: http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/what-post-best-describes-the-snake-method/

[JDLones]

Y'all are fantastic. Thanks!!  I'm excited for Saturday. I love ribs.

[Troy]

How many racks are you doing?

This page has a bunch of options: http://weberkettleclub.com/blog/2013/11/05/smoking-on-a-weber-kettle/

I personally prefer a basket or firebricks vs snake for ribs. mainly because ribs are a long piece of meat and with the snake method you'll either have to rotate the ribs or one end of the rack will cook faster.

[MacEggs]

The snake method is my go-to method for ribs on the kettle.
I like to put some foil over the areas of charcoal that will have drippings on them.
Light 15-20 briquettes, then load-up the grate with racks of rib goodness.

On a one-touch, I keep the intakes at a quarter to a third open.
On a 3-wheeler, I keep two intakes closed, one fully open.

About every hour or so, I lightly touch the bowl to find out where the "burn" is.
Then rotate the lid so the vent is opposite the burn. Lid vent is always fully open. YMMV

Takes about 4.5 to 6 hours using this method. Ribs turn out fantastic!