Michael Vrobel
TVWBB Member
I did a cook of the following last weekend:
Chicken sausage (planned cook 2 hrs)
3 slabs baby-back ribs (planned cook 5 hrs, then rest in aluminum foil for 1 hour)
3 beer-butt chickens (planned cook 4 hrs)
BBQ beans (planned cook 1/2 hour)
My timing was:
Start with baby back ribs (planned cook of 6 hrs) on top level, and chicken sausage on bottom level.
After two hours: Remove chicken sausage, put beer butt chickens on bottom level. Baste ribs w/ apple juice
After another two hours: Check ribs, baste chicken and ribs with apple juice. (Applied BBQ sauce as glaze to ribs)
An hour later, pull ribs, put BBQ beans on top level.
It all worked out really well, but I could have used an extra three arms when I was doing the first switch (sausage off bottom grate, chicken on bottom grate, ribs staying on top grate.) All I have to rest things on is a flimsy, portable plastic table; me and the wife were juggling the WSM lid, a hot grate of ribs, and platters of food. Especially the beer butt chickens that tend to be rather top heavy. (Last year I dropped a beer-butt chicken in a similar situation...luckily, the rub was on thick enough that the guests never knew, once we picked all the grass clippings off.)
My question is: do people have techniques, tools, or anything else they can recommend when moving a lot of food around on the WSM? I've got a hot pad under the WSM that I can put the grate on, but I really don't want to put food on it...
Chicken sausage (planned cook 2 hrs)
3 slabs baby-back ribs (planned cook 5 hrs, then rest in aluminum foil for 1 hour)
3 beer-butt chickens (planned cook 4 hrs)
BBQ beans (planned cook 1/2 hour)
My timing was:
Start with baby back ribs (planned cook of 6 hrs) on top level, and chicken sausage on bottom level.
After two hours: Remove chicken sausage, put beer butt chickens on bottom level. Baste ribs w/ apple juice
After another two hours: Check ribs, baste chicken and ribs with apple juice. (Applied BBQ sauce as glaze to ribs)
An hour later, pull ribs, put BBQ beans on top level.
It all worked out really well, but I could have used an extra three arms when I was doing the first switch (sausage off bottom grate, chicken on bottom grate, ribs staying on top grate.) All I have to rest things on is a flimsy, portable plastic table; me and the wife were juggling the WSM lid, a hot grate of ribs, and platters of food. Especially the beer butt chickens that tend to be rather top heavy. (Last year I dropped a beer-butt chicken in a similar situation...luckily, the rub was on thick enough that the guests never knew, once we picked all the grass clippings off.)
My question is: do people have techniques, tools, or anything else they can recommend when moving a lot of food around on the WSM? I've got a hot pad under the WSM that I can put the grate on, but I really don't want to put food on it...