Rib Hooks

[Meatball]

Has anyone used them? Any benefits to using them?  Thanks!

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[SconnieQ]

I received them free with my smoker, which is funny because it's not even really possible to hang ribs in a #1. Needless to say I have never used them. No one else here uses them as far as I know. I see no real advantage to hanging ribs. It is supposed to be more efficient for space, but I don't think it is. Ribs smoke great bone side down, flat on a rack. If you want to get more ribs in, you are better off purchasing the optional side rail assembly that adds more shelves, and purchase some extra racks. I'm still trying to come up with some other use for for my rib hooks.

[Meatball]

Thanks for the info!!!!!

[RG]

I've not hung ribs in my #3 but I have cooked ribs that way before. It was in my Pit Barrel Cooker (which I no longer own). The problem was when they got tender, they would fall off the hook! Not good when you have a pile of charcoal below

[Meatball]

RG...  good point!!!!!!!!!  TY!

[NDKoze]

They might be useful if you have a #4 smoker. That would be the only smoker where I could see them as useful.

Even then, I think I prefer to let my ribs lay flat and have the juices rest on top of the meat keeping it moist. Whereas if they were hanging, more of of the moisture would drip off of the ribs down to the floor of the smoker.

[DivotMaker]

Lay ribs flat on the racks, bone-side down.  IMO, no other way to smoke them!  This does 2 critical things:  First, it shields the meat from the heat source below.  Secondly, the fat rendering in the meat stays in the meat!  If you hang them, or lay them on their sides (in a rib rack), the fat drips off.  Instead of keeping that wonderful rib meat moist, it ends up in the drip pan...what a waste of good pork fat!