Well, up until this weekend, I have good results doing pork ribs in the PBC. This time, however, not one, but both of my racks of ribs ended up falling into the coal basket. The first one got pretty well charred and the second one, not so much since I managed to rescue it not long after it happened. Just like I always have, I hung them with the thicker side up and the hooks running between the 2nd and 3rd bones. The only thing I think that was different this time was that I probably left them in the cooker a bit longer. Several times in the past I had pulled them after 3 to 3.5 hours and then, after determining that they weren't quite tender enough, foil-wrapping and tossing them into the oven on a low temperature to finish. So I figured they probably needed somewhere between 4 and 4.5 hours in the PBC to achieve the right degree of tenderness.
I think it was at about the 4-hour mark that I first checked on them and the first rack had already fallen. (By the looks of it, it had been down there for awhile). I rescued it and brought it inside to see how much edible meat I could salvage from it while intending to leave the other rack in the cooker for about another half hour. When I returned to get the second rack, it too had fallen into the coals.
So has anyone else had similar experiences when leaving ribs in the PBC 4+ hours? I'm trying to think of measures I can take to avoid this in the future. I've seen others split their racks into two half-sized racks, which could be one solution, although if I'm wanting to cook a lot of meat at one time, this wouldn't be the best option. Would leaving the membrane on the backside of the ribs intact help hold it together? I'm not sure that peeling it off (as is typically recommended) adds all that much value.
Just looking for some advice from the seasoned PBC vets around here. Thanks in advance.
- Robert -