First Time TODAY!

[Guest]

Okay a virgin to this am I!
I wanted to try two spatchcock chickens and a slab of spare ribs. I began them abour 1pm (eastern). I put the chickens on top and the ribs on the bottom. I have a waterpan with some apples in it. I lit some Kingsford in a chimeny and added some hot coals over some unlit coals. Once the temp reached >275 I added the hot water and the meat. I have the top Vent open and will keep it that way. I have had the bottom vents open 100% and the temp will not get above 230. Am I doing something wrong? I have read so much about it getting too hot. The meat went on at 2pm. I turned it at 4pm and sprayed it with apple juice. Should I expect to check the temp of the meats around 6pm?
I am so excited!
I love being an AMERICAN!
Any advice would be great.
Darren

 

[Bruce Bissonnette]

Darren,

Where are you measuring your temp at...lid or top cooking grate? If at cooking grate 230 is OK, if at lid, it's probably 210 to 220 at grate, a little cool but not bad.

I would have put the ribs on top instead of having poultry juices dripping onto meat. I always put poultry on bottom, just to avoid ANY chance of cross-contamination.

The apples in the water pan...Ok don't know how much flavor they'll add but they're OK. Spare ribs will take at least 6 hours I would think at those temps. What kind of smoke wood did you use?

My last question...what the h--l is a spatchcock chicken? GOOD LUCK let us know how it turns out.

 

[Konrad Haskins]

Spatchcock is what the real chefs call it when they cut the spine out of a small bird and lay it flat,what some folks call butterflying. It is a very nice technique, he cooking time is shorter and all the skin is on one side. I do it all the time.
HTH,

 

[Dave Lewis]

Darren,
Did you make sure all the coals in the charcoal ring were a nice ash covered gray before you assembled your WSM and started cooking? It sounds like your temps initially came up nicely and then sort of died off. I did that a couple of cooks back where I sort of brain farted and did a combination Minion method/standard method and almost snuffed out my coals. I had to open my bottom vents 100% and open the access door for a while to get things fired up again.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I lit some Kingsford in a chimeny and added some hot coals over some unlit coals. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Sounds like you did the same thing.

Standard method (short 2-6 hours cooks): Hot coals on the bottom, unlit coals on top. Assemble when all coals nice ash covered gray. Close bottom vents until temps drop to 300-315 degrees, meat on, then open and adjust as needed to control.

Minion method (long cooks): Full ring unlit coals on bottom, a 15-20 lit coals on top, assemble immediately, meat on, open vents 100% until temps come up 200 degree range, then adjust vents down as needed to control.

P.S. chicken on the bottom!!