Help with thighs and 4 racks if spares

[Sean M.]

Need some advice, please.

I have about a dozen thighs and 4 racks of spares (St. Louis).

Question 1:
Do you think I can fit the chicken on the bottom grate, and the 4 racks on the top grate?

(I am thinking of modifying with bottom grate by adding an extra level as shown in the modifications section.)

Question 2:
How would you stagger the cook?

Add all the meat at once, cook the thighs about 3 hours, remove chicken then finish the ribs for another 2 hours (+/-) to the tear test?

Or, start out the ribs, and 2 hours in, add the chicken so they finish approximately the same time?

I follow Jumping Jims thigh recipe as best I can.

Would like to shoot for a completion time on the ribs to be 2:00 PM.

Thanks everybody for your guidance.

~ Sean

 

[K Kruger]

If you roll the ribs they'll fit. Or do the mod.

The chicken goes into a sauce bath after the initial smoking/cooking so there is that to consider. Then they are finished indirect, out of sauce. Both steps add time to the chicken.

Me, I rarely mix meats in a cook because I use different rubs and don't like one dripping on the other for flavor reasons (and I use much less wood for chicken), but you could do them together. Start the chicken up top so you can remove it after smoking. Put the thighs in their sauce bath and place on lower rack, moving the ribs to the top. When the ribs are done remove them and immediately remove the thighs from the sauce, placing on the grates. Go for a somewhat higher heat to finish the chicken for a few minutes, while you serve the ribs and sides. Return to the cooker, platter the chicken and serve immediately.

 

[Chris E]

I botched my ribs and butts by mixing wrong. Ended up opening smoker too much to mop butts which extended the cook time and dried out the ribs too. From now on I am going to cook serially--butt first overnight then ribs then chicken etc. If you could time your meats reliably so you open the smoker once to add second meat and then they get basted/mopped etc on the same cycle you might be ok. I'm not that good.