Racks of ribs - whole or cut?

[waynerto]

When I do pork ribs sometimes the rack is too long to fit without being cut.  Am I better off cutting a rack into two or more pieces?  Will this allow the smoke to penetrate the meat more since there is more surface area exposed?  Or is this a bad idea as it may lead to more juices running out of the rack and lead to less juicy ribs?

[waynerto]

Here's a recipe that calls for cutting the ribs individually:  https://www.smoking-meat.com/august-13-2015-pre-slicing-ribs-before-smoking-them

[Orion]

I’m putting 2 racks in as we speak . I always remove the silver skin, cut each rack in half creating four equal sections, light  coat of mustard and dry rub for two days in fridge, warm ribs for 3 hours on counter and then into smoker preheated to 280. 2 sections per tray and use the middle two shelves. I immediately turn temp to 220 and open vent fully. With burner on from start I begin smoke after 1 hour...usually 3 hours smoke. Then after about 6 hours I bump heat up to 230 and paint ribs with habanero apricot apple jelly with a bit of fresh garlic , pepper and other spices I have a hankering for. The rise in heat really starts to get the juices flowing and caramelizes the glaze.
You will not lose any juices by cutting them and  it’s important to not have meat hanging off the ends of the racks and touching the walls.
Rotate your racks up and down and front to back several times , monitor your water bowl. I also place tin foil on a third rack and place it on the lowest rails when I bump the heat up as this is when the oils really start to flow and it catches a lot making clean up much easier.
The slower you cook them the better they will be.

[Habanero Smoker]

Here's a recipe that calls for cutting the ribs individually:  https://www.smoking-meat.com/august-13-2015-pre-slicing-ribs-before-smoking-them

I first came across this method on the Dizzy Pig site, and I've never tried it, as of today anyway. I believe he smoke/cooks them at a way higher temperature. He uses a temperature of 400°F for one hour. If it works, it is a nice way to get your ribs to your plate quickly.

[waynerto]

The recipe that I linked to uses 240F and a 2-1.5-1.5 cooking method with the middle period calling for a wrapped foil pan. So not really a fast method.  And he uses a Bradley Smoker.

[manfromplaid]

I have used the method  from smoking meat.com and it works good for me. since I am not cooking to give restaurant or competition presentation cutting ribs in 2 or 3 bone sections before smoking makes sense to me. I don't sauce my ribs during the cook as some consumers here like them just spiced/rubbed and offer a heated sauce to those that want it. smaller sections get more rub more smoke coverage and seem to last longer on the table as smaller portions fill more plates. there are lot of ways to cook and table your meat. online search will find all kinds of options, so try what looks good or interesting. best way is for putting it on your table to see if you like it. goods luck and have fun.