variety

[Billy Hammond]

Im new to all this so bear with me. Im wondering with the WSM, if a person wanted to smoke a variety of meats in one session, how's it done. Say I had some ribs, chicken, pork butts, and sausage. Is there anyway to put em all on at the same time and finish up at the same time?

 

[Morgan Sziraki]

Hiya Billy

Assuming that you're going to cook at the same temperature (personally, I like 105*C lid temp for long cooks), you need to put each meat in 'Q at different times.

Last weekend I did a brisket and two chicken halves.

Brisket went in at 7:15 (am) (bottom rack)
Chix in at 12:15 (top rack)

All food came out at 17:15

It was a bit longer than I wanted for the chicken, but my wife buggered off for an hour and a half and left me watching my son, however, it was 'the tastiest, and most moist chicken I've ever Qed'.

I put that down to the low temp and brining.

cheers
(the weekend's-a-comin')

morganism

 

[Greg Rempe]

Billy, I'm not sure you want to put chickens uncooked on top of pork butts! I think there is a potential bacteria problem there. The other 3 things are fine together.

I agree with Morgan...some of those things would need to be started earlier than others. Pork butts take a long time depending on weight so the sausages would be done in a few hours where the pork butts could take 10-16hrs depending on what the weight is. Also, the ribs range in time also...BB ribs 4-5hrs and spares 6-8hrs depending on how you like them.

Just be careful to not let the chicken juices hit the other meat unless it's other chicken! I'm sure you can do a search to see where the danger lies but I wouldn't do it just to be safe...but hey, Morgan is still around now aint he?!!

 

[Morgan Sziraki]

Greg,
You speak the truth.
I didn't mention the foiling of the brisket ...

After the brisket made it to ~165*F (see I just converted to Fahrenheit ) I couldn't get it up higher, I was getting hungry and impatient, and was thinking we would be eating around 21:00.
So I put a blob of reduced beefstock on top and wrapped the brisket in two layers of foil, then threw the yardbirds on the top.

"It's a good thing" -- Martha

 

[John L]

I always cook things together that will take roughly the same time (eg briskets and pork shoulder). I only do ribs by themselves, because of the dinking you have to do with ribs, I don't want it to interfere with a loooong, sloooow cook of something else (again, briskets/pork). But that's just me.

 

[Chris Allingham]

The first time I ever cooked a brisket or a pork butt was at the Paul Kirk Pitmasters class in 1997. My cooking partner and I cooked a brisket, pork butt, a slab of baby back ribs, and a butterflied chicken in my WSM, each going into the cooker in the order listed and coming out in reverse order.

So with some planning, one could stagger the entry times of pork butt, ribs, chicken and sausage such that the exit times were all about the same.

Have fun!

Chris