Smoking Baby Back Ribs Day Before Event

[StanT]

I need to smoke my ribs the day before my event (don’t have time to do this the day of the event). What’s the best way to do this to keep the ribs tasty and moist?
Thanks

 

[traeger860]

Do you have a sous vide cooker and/or a vacuum sealer? If so, seal them after you smoke them and then reheat to 165'ish when you're ready to eat.

 

[Shedd]

If you don’t have a SV or a vacuum sealer then you can put hem into freezer bags after they cool down. Get you a big bowl of water them submerge the bag keeping the zipper just above the water level then tilt the top down so most of the air is forced out of the bag by the water pressure. You can Google Sous Vide cooking with ziplock bags and you’ll find some videos showing how to get the air from the bag. Then refrigerate until about an hour or so before you need them.
Then have a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to it just starts to boil then turn the heat down. Put the bag of ribs into the pot keeping the zipper above the water. If you use a large enough bag you can lay the zipper outside and either put the lid on. If the bag is floating you can set some weight on it like a saucer or something that will keep the bag submerged. You can keep a check on the water temperature to keep it under 190. You can tell when they are heated good by squeezing the bag for softness. Then you could put them in a crock pot or something to keep warm.

The oven or microwave will dry them out, before I knew what a Sous Vide or vacuum sealer was a friend told me about this method for pulled pork, ribs and chicken. It works great. Just use the name brand bags and the freezer ones because they are thicker. If you’re worried about them leaking you can get the jumbo “Hefty” ziplock bags and put the other bag inside it. Just remember to remove as much air from both bags. It’s easier than you think. Post up some pics and let us know how it goes!

 

[StanT]

Do you have a sous vide cooker and/or a vacuum sealer? If so, seal them after you smoke them and then reheat to 165'ish when you're ready to eat.

Thanks. I have a vacuum sealer that I can use. Do you recommend refrigerating the ribs? How do you recommend reheating the ribs?

 

[StanT]

If you don’t have a SV or a vacuum sealer then you can put hem into freezer bags after they cool down. Get you a big bowl of water them submerge the bag keeping the zipper just above the water level then tilt the top down so most of the air is forced out of the bag by the water pressure. You can Google Sous Vide cooking with ziplock bags and you’ll find some videos showing how to get the air from the bag. Then refrigerate until about an hour or so before you need them.
Then have a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to it just starts to boil then turn the heat down. Put the bag of ribs into the pot keeping the zipper above the water. If you use a large enough bag you can lay the zipper outside and either put the lid on. If the bag is floating you can set some weight on it like a saucer or something that will keep the bag submerged. You can keep a check on the water temperature to keep it under 190. You can tell when they are heated good by squeezing the bag for softness. Then you could put them in a crock pot or something to keep warm.

The oven or microwave will dry them out, before I knew what a Sous Vide or vacuum sealer was a friend told me about this method for pulled pork, ribs and chicken. It works great. Just use the name brand bags and the freezer ones because they are thicker. If you’re worried about them leaking you can get the jumbo “Hefty” ziplock bags and put the other bag inside it. Just remember to remove as much air from both bags. It’s easier than you think. Post up some pics and let us know how it goes!

Thanks a lot for your detailed response. I do have a vacuum sealer so I can definitely use it. Thanks again.

 

[Shedd]

Thanks. I have a vacuum sealer that I can use. Do you recommend refrigerating the ribs? How do you recommend reheating the ribs?

Since you would have to cut the ribs to smaller sizes to fit in the vac bags and if you don’t have a Sous Vide circulator, put them into a pot of hot water. They won’t take long to reheat and you will be amazed how they taste just like you took them off the smoker. Easy peasy!

 

[StanT]

Will do. Thanks for the info. I’ll post a follow-up on how it went.

 

[traeger860]

Thanks. I have a vacuum sealer that I can use. Do you recommend refrigerating the ribs? How do you recommend reheating the ribs?

Definitely refrigerate. I usually set my sous vide cooker to 165F and reheat the bagged BBQ leftovers for an hour. 90 mins if they are frozen. I know these aren't leftovers, but same process. You can do it in a pot of hot water too. Just monitor the temp. Since you already have a vacuum sealer, I'd highly recommend looking into a sous vide cooker. It's a great sidekick for your Traeger.

 

[StanT]

Thanks all for helping me with suggestions! I smoked the ribs Saturday, vacuum sealed them, refrigerated them, and heated them in nearly boiling water on Sunday. They were a hit with my group. I will definitely look into getting a sous vide cooker.