Planning help for a cook this weekend


 
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Paul Berman

TVWBB Member
Guys,

I could use some help planning out a cook I am doing this weekend for about 50 guests. Guests arrive at 5:00 PM. I am doing this on a Smokey Mountain 18.5". Should be fun! I want to cook a whole brisket, 2 pork butts, 4 whole chickens, 3 slab of beef ribs and 6 slabs of spare ribs. All Low and Slow -- no High Heat method. Except maybe the chicken.

I was planning on obviously cooking the brisket and butts over-night. How long can I hold them in a cooler wrapped in foil/towels? I am hoping I have enough time to cook the ribs after I take the big pieces off.

Will it work if I time the brisket and butts to come off leaving myself about 6 hours? 4-5 hours to cook the ribs. And about 1 hour at the end for the chicken? As a backup plan I figured I could throw the chickens on the my Weber kettle and cook them on that. And I do have some flexibility in when I serve my guests too of course.

I know I need things to go like clockwork more or less, but do you think this has a chance of working? Any recommendations or suggestions?

Thanks guys!
 
That's a lot of food to do in 1 smoker and 1 kettle. What date are your guest coming over?
 
I think I'd do the ribs ahead of time, put them in Foodsaver bags for storage.

Then do the pork butts and brisket overnight, planning for them to finish about 2pm - keep them warm in a cooler with towels taking up the extra air space.

Cook the chickens on your kettle - that way you'll get nice, crispy skin. When meal time comes, reheat and sauce/glaze the ribs on the WSM.

Last summer I cooked a pork butt and brisket, planning for a 4pm dinner - the brisket was done about 10am, the butt was done at 12pm - into the cooler it went. No one was hungry at 4, so I didn't open the cooler until 5 - the pork was so hot that it was painful to handle (a good sign of 140°F or above). Everything was well received.

Good Luck.
 
Guests are coming over this Saturday.

How do the ribs turn out when you reheat them on the WSM a day later? Will they be dry? I have never tried doing that. Also, sounds like you are saying keep the ribs dry until I reheat them, right? One issue I see is that I may eat a lot the ribs if I cook them the day before. I may have to put more slabs in there. :)

This would take some pressure off me to time everything perfectly if I could do the ribs in advance.
 
On the ribs, I agree with cook ahead...we regularly reheat on day 2 or 3, wrapped in foil with just a little liquid. Could be water, apple juice, beer...just a couple of splashes to get some steam going. Use kettle or gasser...I actually like 'em better 2nd time around.
 
I would do the butts in advance. You can pull and reheat in a crockpot or oven. Overnight the brisket so it's done about 1pm and then do your ribs. Chickens on the kettle. A butt will stay warm in a preheated cooler that is stuffed with towels for 6 hours. I've never actually held a brisket for more than 2 hours but I'm sure it would go 4-6 hrs in the cooler.
 
If your confident in your low and slow times on the brisket and butts then go with it. Beef ribs low could take 7 hours if they are thick. Instead I would smoke until a nice color at three hours then foil till tender. Chicken on the kettle.
 
And another thing too hot to handle for some people is 130. Turn your water on its hottest setting, let it run, then take the temp and put your hand under it.

Also unlike cooking when you are holding it is not interior temp its exterior since the meat cools from the outside in. I am not saying you can't hold the butts that long.
 
You can only be so confident in cook times. We all know there are lots of variables. Who knows how long it will take for the brisket and butt to push through the plateau for example. :)

I know in theory the times could work, but I need "green lights through town" so it makes me nervous.

I like the idea of doing the ribs a day in advance. That opens up a big window of time for me to let the butts and brisket finish. And let's be honest -- my friends coming over for the BBQ don't know good BBQ. I'm not trying to be mean. Just the way it is. I think I will give this a try.

How about the brisket? Would it be worthwhile cooking the point and flat separately? I could slice the flat and make some burnt ends out of the point. I have always just cooked the brisket whole but I am thinking this would shorten my cook time. Maybe I could get it to start and finish at the same time as the butts? Has anyone done brisket this way; or should I cook it whole? Am I thinking about this right?

Thanks for all the ideas and feedback guys. I really appreciate it.
 
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I'd reheat the pork before anything else and wouldn't waste beef ribs to be reheated.

What about butts and brisket on the 18", ribs on kettle and chicken on the 18" once the butts and brisket finish up ?

You said no high heat but it makes things like this much easier.
 
I can't keep consistent temps on the kettle. The WSM is "set it and forget it". I could do the chicken on the kettle at high temps. I like the ribs, butt and brisket to be cooked low and slow.
 
Bear said:
How did they come out?
Click to expand...


Ribs turned out really good. I did some quality control last night. Hopefully they taste good when reheated later today. I ended up doing 10 slabs.

I put the butts and brisket on after the ribs came off. They should finish up a little after Noon today. It was a cold night but when I woke up this morning the WSM was going like a champ! :)
 
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