Dry Baby Back Rack Prevention

[MTSmokin]

Today I smoked some Costco baby back ribs.  They were big enough that I could only get two racks of ribs on each rack.  I put two on the top rack and one on the second rack.  I essentially followed the basic recipie, put rub on them the night before and started my 3D at noon with ~3 oz. of hickory and a mini loaf pan of water at 235F.  When I pulled them off at about 6:00 the bottom rack or ribs was dryer than the top the two.

So I was thinking...  Maybe I could add a "heat shield" such as a piece of foil on a lower rack to mix the air so the lower rack of ribs doesn't end up dryer than the top rack.

Has anyone tried this?  Does it work?  I hate to have to pull the lower rack early so that they all turn out moist.

 

[es1025]

My #3 has four slots for the racks, I typically go slot #2 for ribs.  Found out the hard way slot #1 drys out the ribs.

 

[Buck]

I used the 3-2-1 method yesterday for two racks of baby backs placed in shelves 2 and 3 out of 4.  1 bottom and 4 top shelf. Came out outstanding.

One crucial thing I also did was cook at 225F as the day before i got very dry overcooked ribs at 235F

 

[Pork Belly]

There are a few things I recommend:
Do not put the rub on the ribs until immediately before cooking, depending on the salt content the rib meat will leach out moisture wile they sit.
Continue to use the water pan and smoke the "No Peek" method to keep as much moisture as possible in the smoker.
If time allows smoke at a lower temp, 225 even 200 makes great ribs if you have the time to wait.
Do not try to add heat shields, I havent heard of any good results doing it in an SI.

 

[jcboxlot]

Try 3 2 1.  The "two" being wrap in foil with honey and brown sugar for two hours back in the can.  Smoke burn off will be done anyway after the 1st 3 hours  That should solve any dry problems.

 

[SconnieQ]

Six hours at 235 might have been a bit long for baby backs, depending on the size. Usually 4.5 to 5 hours at 225 works well for me, then wrap in foil and rest for an hour or more.

 

[SuperDave]

And in your scenario, the single bottom rack of ribs was your heat shield.  When cooking on more than one rack, try to put more mass on the bottom, it takes the brunt of the most heat.