1st time smoking today...any suggestions?


 
R

Ron D

New member
I have the 18.5 WSM

Cooking a 5 lb chicken and 1 slab of ribs. This is what I have done so far.

Lit about 75 briquettes and let them burn for about 45 minutes. Threw another 25 on top and let them burn another 15 minutes. Coal is all grey now. Added 2 chunks of mesquite.

Filled the water pan.

Placed the whole chicken on (had prepped with only salt/pepper some rub and olive oil). Cut the slab of ribs in half and put the same prep on them.

Put everything on the top grate.

Keeping the heat around 250.

Jow long do you think I should smoke it and any suggestions? Maybe what I should have done in the beginning or what I need to do going fwd?

Thanks everyone!
 
Hello Ron and welcome to the forum
Where are you from? Doesn't really matter, we're just nosy.
Here's a good place to start for chicken. The same area has a lot of advice and techniques for ribs.
You'll find plenty of advice and recipes for both on amazingribs.com, among dozens of others.
Most of us find that mesquite is quite strong on chicken, but that is according to individual taste, of course.
Have fun and good luck.
 
You might be done by now, but I'd pull the chicken off when the juices run clear are you get a 170 degree reading in the thigh.

Smoke the ribs til tender, and that doesn't mean "falling off the bone". Moisture, flavor and texture really start to suffer if you cook too long, but if you're gnawing the bone to get the meat off and wondering where the toothpicks are, they didn't cook long enough.

You can start checking them by picking them up in the middle and watching for whether the meat is starting to crack anywhere, or you can poke with a toothpick.

I would've put the ribs on first as they take a good bit longer. Cooking spares at 250 will take maybe 5.5 hours depending on the size, the chicken, maybe around half that time.

You can cook chicken or ribs at a variety of temps, but with either, I always use very little smoke, just a wisp.
 
Thanks for the replies. I am from Houston, TX. Nice good bbq weather right now. Around 80 degrees.

Food is still on. Been on for 2.5 hrs. and keeping the heat at 250 has been very easy.

I was thinking about checking on the chicken at the 3.5 hr mark. The link in the above says 45 minutes, but that is if you are cooking it at a higher temp and not using the water pan. Wasn't sure about when cooking with the water pan? Then maybe leaving the ribs on another 1-2 hrs?
 
Just checked it at the 3 hr mark

Looks like I still have a ways to go. Chicken hasn't really turned a golden color or anything....i flipped the bird and the ribs and added about 20 briquettes.

How accurate is the themoter on the lid? That is what I am going by. The WSM is in the sun, which like I said is around 80 degrees. The lid them. says it has been at 250. Wonder if that is accurate
 
Ok, been 3 hr 40 min. took the temp of the chicken and it is at 158 degrees. ribs looking delicious. I am guessing chicken needs another 30 minutes. cranked the heat to 290
 
My unit is a 2008, so no lid therm. I have used the therm from my performer to check on things, which I have checked in boiling water.
I gather, from the posts of others, that accuracy of the built-in therm is questionable.
Knowing the temp is handy, but if you pierce the breast of the chicken, and the fluid runs clear, no coloration at all, and internal temp in the thigh is 170 or higher, your bird is FOOD.
Sometimes it's easier to let the food tell you when it's ready, rather than time or temp.
 
Been on now 4 hrs and 15 min. Chicken looks done. Accidentally tore some of the skin while flipping, but oh well, would take it off anyways. GOing to slap some bbq sauce on it.

Ribs still looking good....will let them go another hr
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">How accurate is the themoter on the lid? Wonder if that is accurate </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I checked mine in boiling water when I first rcvd it and it runs 15 degrees low. Same with my preformer. I have heard that these can be as much as 40 degrees off
Good luck
 
Just had dinner.

Chicken was good. Cooked through and pretty tender. Meat was sliding off bone tender. Smoke was good. Wife hates smoke and she said she liked it as well. Not very overpowering at all. Would like to have it a little juicier. Next time I am going to try the chicken by itself and not use any water in the water pan. Will try cooking it at a hotter temp for a shorter time.

Ribs were slide off the bone tender as well. Hard to cut the ribs b/c the meat was falling off. Probably would cook the ribs next time around 4 hrs at the same heat or slow it down and cook longer.

My question...do most major supermarkets remove the membrane from the baby back ribs? I always try to remove the white part on the back of the rib but I am unsuccessful. Doesn't come up easy.

All in all, I give it a 3+ out of 5. Very satisfied for my 1st smoke in my WSM.
 
The supermarkets (3) in my little corner never remove the membrane.
Some say that the membrane should be left on to promote tenderization.
Since I like to roll the ribs, I do remove.
I like to start at one corner with a 'table' knife to get it started. Once started, I grab it with a paper towel and pull it off. Usually comes off in one piece.
It's perfectly acceptable to leave it on, and I have done so, but then, before serving, I cut the ribs apart along one side of each bone.
The membrane gives a nice 'pop', or nice mouth feel when left on.
I am glad to read that your cook went well, and the product was enjoyed.
When you next try a chicken...consider this.
My wife also insists she"doesn't like a smoky food."
She has never been shy about finishing what she has on her plate though.
This is one hobby your spouse won't gripe about.
 
Ron, Welcome, sorry that I'm late to the party, had to drive to the airport yesterday. All day thing. Glad your food came out. You hit on a success. The way you talked about raising the temp at one point sounds like you are in control of your cooker. If you don't want to add coals during a short cook you might try the Minion Method. Overall everthing sounds great. Many different ways to skin a cat around here.

Mark
 
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