Weber Kettle Club Forums
Grill Talk => WSM: Weber Smokey Mountain => Topic started by: abett on July 09, 2017, 09:35:58 AM
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Yesterday I had 4 racks of St. Louis ribs going on the top rack (using a rib rack) and 2 whome chickens on the lower rack. I overcooked the chickens and may have slightly undercooked the ribs. I should get a thermometer and I could have monitored the chickens better.
I usually cook the ribs between 225 and 250 and the chickens at 300.
Maybe shouldn't have attempted all that at once.
Anyway live and learn I guess.
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Yesterday I had 4 racks of St. Louis ribs going on the top rack (using a rib rack) and 2 whole chickens on the lower rack. I overcooked the chickens and may have slightly undercooked the ribs. I should get a thermometer and I could have monitored the chickens better.
I usually cook the ribs between 225 and 250 and the chickens at 300.
Maybe shouldn't have attempted all that at once.
Anyway live and learn I guess.
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I don’t have a WSM but that is a lot of mass so it would take more heat to maintain temperature. Thermometers definitely make it easier to control even if you just get a cheap oven thermometer. Thermoworks smoke is also great but more expensive.
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IMO, your mistake was the type of meats being cooked. Ribs like low and slow, chicken does better hot and fast.
Next time, try ribs and a Butt. I try to put the meat that will take longest on the bottom and the shorter cooking one on top.
The WSM can handle a lot of food in it. They just all have to cook about the same temp.
Good luck in future endeavors!!
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Yup wrong meats together. Best option would have been hot and fast for everything. You need a thermometer for those chickens.
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Agreed. I also couldn't have the chicken on top since I didn't want it dripping on the ribs.
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I also learned the hard way that a thermometer is a must for poultry. I have yet to cook chicken on my WSM as I usually off-set it on my 26'er or beer can it on the performer with the weber beer can attachment.
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I can't believe that Lemans hasn't chimed-in here ... he'd probably say something like ... you need TWO smokey mountains :)
SJ
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The time before this I made just chicken and no water in the pan. Kept temp at about 300 and it was good.
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I kind of agree. Chicken/Ribs is just the wrong combination.
The time before this I made just chicken and no water in the pan. Kept temp at about 300 and it was good.
Back when I was competing, I won a chicken wing contest doing exactly what you're describing.
BD
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I agree with a lot of this advice, but have a few thoughts. The top rack typically runs a little hotter than the lower, so I would've put the ribs on the bottom and the yardbirds in a pan (maybe a round cake pan) up top. The pan would prevent poultry drippings from hitting the ribs and being on top would allow them to cook at a slightly higher temp than the ribs below. I would also put the ribs on 1-2 hours before adding the chickens because the birds will cook more quickly, and that way it's all done around the same time. I've been really happy with the chickens, turkeys, pork shoulders and ribs that I've cooked on the WSM, but the one thing I haven't been able to do well is a friggin' brisket. I should probably take another stab at it.
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Excellent ideas, but will the pan prevent the chickens from getting the wood smoke ?
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Excellent ideas, but will the pan prevent the chickens from getting the wood smoke ?
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They will get plenty of smoke. Chicken takes on smoke really easy.
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Excellent ideas, but will the pan prevent the chickens from getting the wood smoke ?
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iCARRY is correct. The heat & smoke fills the entire WSM, so as long as your chicken pan is smaller than the diameter of the WSM the heat and smoke will circulate properly and everything should turn out great! FWIW, I usually use the disposable rectangular aluminum pans, but any old pan will do.
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Oh BTW. You don't need two Smokey mountains..
But it helps. Two different meats two different times
Can be done on one WSM but two is easier.. unless I use my Ranch
..SJ are you happy now.. lol
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Im in a diff view on this..
You can smoke meat at ...225/250/275/300...those are all smoke temps...ive run my smoker at all those temps and meat comes out great under all temps...i tend to run mid 200s at the lowest temp these days unless im smoking jerky treats for the puppy where intarget 150-200s.
Ive smoked ribs at lows 200s..mid 200s and now tend run hotter 275/300s..i prefer the higher temps.
Also prefer to smoke ribs without the water pan...find the ribs catch better flavor with the fat and juicy dropping directly into the coals...meshing that juice back intonthe hot coals..which reflavorizes back into the ribs
Imo undercooking ..overcooking is a matter of IT monitoring.
This is where the maverick double temp probe earns it keep...theres many ways to monitor it temp...remote therms are extremelyconvenient.
Umdercookong /overcooking can happen with the same meat that are diff size slabs.
I smoked slabs of short ribs this past weekend...and had probe in each slab bc diff size...
The smaller one hit 203 about 40 mins faster than the large slab
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my wife's favorite chicken was the time i had to stoop to using a nonWeber device and it would not get above 240 F. it was bone in/ skin on thighs done for about 2 hrs. i have to admit they were excellent.
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