IBCA Comp on a single 18.5" WSM


 
M

Max

TVWBB Member
Sorry if this has been covered in another thread, I didn't find anything from the search function, if anybody has another thread, link to it please.

My question is: I'm sure this is is possible and someone has done it, but is it possible to cook the three different standard meats at an IBCA comp on a single small WSM? :confused: That would be brisket, chicken, and pork ribs.

If the chicken turn was at 12, ribs at 1, and brisket at 2, what time would you start cooking them and in what position on the WSM? I was thinking brisket first on the top rack, then ribs also on the top (if you can fit them vertically?) Then chicken down on the bottom and last so they don't drip on the ribs and brisket.

Basically, I've never done a comp and I was wondering if I have to pony up and get another WSM if I want to do all the meats. I'm thinking I do, but I'd be interested to see how other people have managed with a single WSM.

Thanks and keep on smoking! :D
 
This could be tough. Brisket is no problem as you could pull it and let it rest, but the chicken and ribs cook at such different temps that it could be hard to cook both at same time.

I have never pulled ribs that early and held them, but you might be able to as you can do chicken in about 2 hours max if you finish on a grill to set the skin.

Even Harry Soo, as good as he is uses two 18.5's.
 
I am not much of a chicken smoker and that is my main question/problem with this whole thing.

With gas money, meats, and equipment, a competition is already expensive enough without me buying another WSM just to cook chicken on. I can buy another WSM if it boils down to it though.

What about using an old weber kettle with some of those off-set baskets to smoke the chicken on? Any body tried to smoke chicken on a kettle with those baskets? If you cook 6-8 breasts, that might be getting some a little too close to the coals eh?
 
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If it were me, I'd give it a shot with the kettle. If you come in dal, then think about another cooker.

I've never done comp chicken start to finish on a kettle so I'm going to defer to the others on here that know more than I do about it.
 
I've done KCBS style events with one 18.5 WSM successfully. I've also done them with the addition of a 22.5 OTG and I've competed with a partner and multiple cookers. While it's easier with two cookers it can be done with just the WSM. You have to practice to establish a time line which includes holding the brisket in a Cambro while you cook the ribs and chicken. When cooking at the comp, you have to stay true to that time line. Get behind and you'll struggle to catch up. If you have the means, I'd go with two cookers. Note...to lessen his carbon footprint, Harry has been using one WSM and one bag of charcoal at events whenever possible.
 
Al, what meats did you cook on the OTG? Use the offset baskets or just piled your wood and charcoal on one side?
 
Max said:
Al, what meats did you cook on the OTG? Use the offset baskets or just piled your wood and charcoal on one side?
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WSM -Pork, Brisket, Ribs Get the big meats done early and hold. This frees up both racks for ribs.
OTG - Chicken and ancillaries like appetizers, dessert, anything but.

I usually use the baskets on the OTG but the foil pan method works too.
 
Max said:
I am not much of a chicken smoker and that is my main question/problem with this whole thing.

With gas money, meats, and equipment, a competition is already expensive enough without me buying another WSM just to cook chicken on. I can buy another WSM if it boils down to it though.

What about using an old weber kettle with some of those off-set baskets to smoke the chicken on? Any body tried to smoke chicken on a kettle with those baskets? If you cook 6-8 breasts, that might be getting some a little too close to the coals eh?
Click to expand...
You could use a Smokenator. I have one of those in my back yard, I use it instead of firing up the WSM when I'm cooking small batches of stuff. The baskets do a decent job of indirect cooking, but you're right that the closer you get to the coals, the hotter it is. The Smokenator largely solves that since nothing faces the meat. If you keep the water pan topped up it keeps your temps pretty stable.

The major downside is that a kettle is nothing like a WSM when it comes to managing temps. There's no "set it and forget it"--you can find the sweet spot and get maybe an hour of cooking with no interference, but when that water pan runs dry or the wind changes you're back to adjusting the vents.
 
I've done my last 3 comps (IBCA & LSBS) on a single 22.5 WSM. You work your timing based on on turn in times, and a Cooks Choice thrown in there can affect things. A rough example would be to start the brisket at 2100 Friday to be off by 0600 Saturday, foiled and placed in a small cooler wrapped in towels. Start your ribs so they are on 2-3 hours until ready to be foiled. Wrap ribs and put on chicken on lower rack*, with foiled ribs on the top rack. My chicken cooks about the same amount of time I have my ribs foiled.

* I don't like the birds right on the bottom rack, so I place 3 bricks on their sides on top of the bottom rack and put the another rack with the chicken on top of the bricks.
 
IMO it would be pretty tough, you have to manage your cook times pretty good like D. Logan describes. Also don't forget you turn in 1/2 fully jointed chicken.. not pieces. It also seems like judges really like chicken that's cooked hotter with a bit of a grilled taste. You could always get a kettle type grill or an old smokey grill for less than $60. Some of the best comp. cooks in TX use those old smokeys for chicken.
 
It could be that I'm just overthinking it, but I can't fathom doing comps without at least two cookers. I actually carry three. It just helps to not have to juggle meat around a lot. But then, I cook more than some will for turn-ins. Two briskets, at least three racks of spares, a pork shoulder (if it's a category...sometimes in Texas it's just brisket, ribs and chicken) and two spatchcocked chickens (best of four halves is the one turned-in). But the biggest advantage to isolating cooks is the ability to cook at different temps, as well as with different woods, etc. That's a big deal to me, and I think without that ability it's severely limiting us in the final product. I know there are plenty who do it, successfully, I just think it would be very limiting for us.

Regarding kettles, we do high-heat cooks on chicken, and the kettle is perfect for this. I have a Smokenator, but I also have the big 26.75 kettle, so I still have plenty of room. So, a WSM and a kettle would definitely be advantageous.
 
I will give you my experience from doing a comp last year with one 18.5: we only had butts and ribs, but the biggest problem was the transition. I started with butts on top with little to no problem for about 10 hours. Then came the transition to add ribs. In the process of moving the butts to the bottom grate, placing the ribs on top, trying to add charcoal... all of my existing coals lost their momentum. Temp dropped drastically and it took me significant time to come back up to rib-cooking temp (which was higher than butts). Time is everything in comps and this really hurt my rib turn-in. I've learned that these WSM work wonderfully by maintaining temps for a long time, but that disrupting them you really throw things off and the balancing act starts to fall. In hindsight, for a one WSM comp, I think I would take the butts off in transition and basically start from scratch by reloading fresh unlit/lit charcoal, since butts (I think) are a bit more foregiving and can handle to hang out on the side for 30 mins or so.
 
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