Hi ya,
I did some baby back ribs the other week. I tried to do it how the PBC guy didn't on YouTube. It went really well, but 1 of the racks, half of them fell into the coals, I managed to sort them out but the string idea could be worth a go.
I'll check out an ash bucket. I managed to lift the coal bucket by hand. I've got the Weber BBQ leather gloves & that was fine.
Cheers,
James