How many Racks on an 18

[AJ328]

A friend asked me how many racks of baby back ribs I can put on my 18" wsm and I have to admit, I have no idea. My typical big cooks, I'll put 4 butts on the wsm and handle the ribs, turds, etc on the kettles (I typically have 3  going). I've just never used the wsm exclusively for ribs.

If I had to guess, I'd say 6-- but I'm sure there are some crazy inventive people on here who've gotten a lot more than that!

Also, has anyone used one of those hanging racks? Does weber still make them?

Thanks!

[Mike in Roseville]

If you hang them, you could fit 7 or 8 on an 18WSM.

[TD15]

I use the weber rib rack that tilts the up on their side.  I’ve tried 5 on the top rack but it gets a little too snug at the lid.  4 on top an 3 on the lower rack is effective.


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[AJ328]

Thanks for the info. Any problem with the ends burning or drying out since the heat flow comes up close to the sides?

[Mike in Roseville]

Thanks for the info. Any problem with the ends burning or drying out since the heat flow comes up close to the sides?

They ribs themselves won't be dry. I spritz them, but usually do that with any method. If you leave them "as-is" they can get a little crispy on the bottom 1-2 bones (my wife usually claims those). If you comp trim them you should be ok (but not necessary for backyard cooking). Also, hanging with Gateway is good because you can rotate the whole rack which is nice if you side-light, minion style. You can't rotate the Weber hanging rack.