Best way to get 4 racks of ribs and 2 chickens done at same time on wsm 22

N

needmorstuff

Knows what a fatty is.
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
137
Reaction score
73
Points
0
Location
wakefield
Hi All,

I have 4 guests (inc 2 young children) over at the weekend and my family numbers 4 (2 teenagers), so I plan on cooking 4 racks of baby backs and 2 chickens.

I have been reading a lot that chicken is best cooked high on the wsm @ 350.. personally I dont eat the skin anyway, neither would my wife or kids but my guests may want to..

Trouble is I have only done ribs once and low and slow at 250 for 4 hours..

so do I shoot in between and try figure out when to put each on??

I am concerned about the chicken being dry as I recently did a turkey breast and it was very dry.

or is it ok to cook the chicken at 250? if so should I brine it? and how long might it take...

any suggestions or ideas greatly received. thanks all.
 
I haven't done it myself before, and I do not own a WSM, but maybe go low and slow, putting your chicken on at/near the end of the ribs cook, and then crank the heat up to the 350 range to finish the chicken and crisp the skin while the ribs rest?
 
I could indeed rest the ribs in my coolbox and remove the water pan and grill directly over the coals if I halved the chickens.. I did think about that.
 
You can cook the Ribs at 275 easy, I do it all the time. After you pull them to rest open up the vents and you should be at 325 and climbing in no time if you are not using water in the water pan. Spatchcock or halve the chickens, they'll cook faster.
 
so lets say the ribs will cook in 4 hours at 275, if i put the chicken on at the 2.5 hours point and cook them for 1.5 hours at 275 - then pull ribs and rest.. then get rid of water pan and open her up and finish off until chicken is done?

or should i put them on at 3 hours..
 
I've done just about the same exact cook on my WSM before. What's worked for me is to start my ribs off at 250-275. 1.5 hr into the cook I put the chickens on (they should take 3-3.5 hrs at 250) As soon as the chicken breast hits about 165 internal, I pop them into a pre-heated 450 degree oven for about 3 or 4 min to crisp up the skin. Then pull them and rest them for 15 min or so, while you finish up your ribs. Everything might not be done exactly at the same time but it should be close enough. I do my ribs 3 hrs unwrapped- 1 hr wrapped- then .5 hr to caramelize the sauce/glaze I put on them. Do what works for you and good luck....I'm sure all will come out great.
Additionally...I like to brine my birds and or inject them with a little cajun butter concoction. Also, try and cook your birds on the bottom rack so you don't have chicken fat/juice dripping all over your ribs.
 
Last edited:
Art A said:
I've done just about the same exact cook on my WSM before. What's worked for me is to start my ribs off at 250-275. 1.5 hr into the cook I put the chickens on (they should take 3-3.5 hrs at 250) As soon as the chicken breast hits about 165 internal, I pop them into a pre-heated 450 degree oven for about 3 or 4 min to crisp up the skin. Then pull them and rest them for 15 min or so, while you finish up your ribs. Everything might not be done exactly at the same time but it should be close enough. I do my ribs 3 hrs unwrapped- 1 hr wrapped- then .5 hr to caramelize the sauce/glaze I put on them. Do what works for you and good luck....I'm sure all will come out great.
Additionally...I like to brine my birds and or inject them with a little cajun butter concoction. Also, try and cook your birds on the bottom rack so you don't have chicken fat/juice dripping all over your ribs.
Click to expand...

great! thanks for the info.. I did consider placement but forgot to ask.
I am certainly thinking of brining.. could you provide any recipe/time etc. that works for you? also - do you put the birds in whole?
 
I'd put the ribs in a rib rack on top rack and the birds on the bottom spatchcocked....cooking HOT

I'd put the ribs on first and then when about 90 minutes from rib finish I'd wrap, crank up the heat and put the birds down on the bottom.
 
You can do chicken at 250 & get good skin oil it & use a higher salt content rub put it on with the ribs and pull it the same time. I used to do it all the time when I had my ECB many yrs ago.

Blu's Bird Brine

1/2 gal water
1/4 cup pickle or table salt
1/4 cup honey
1 tbl cider vinegar
1 tbl Louisiana style hot sauce
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
Brine the poultry for 1 hr per lb rinse air dry in the refer for 4 hrs to over night.
 
Bludawg said:
You can do chicken at 250 & get good skin oil it & use a higher salt content rub put it on with the ribs and pull it the same time. I used to do it all the time when I had my ECB many yrs ago.

Blu's Bird Brine

1/2 gal water
1/4 cup pickle or table salt
1/4 cup honey
1 tbl cider vinegar
1 tbl Louisiana style hot sauce
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
Brine the poultry for 1 hr per lb rinse air dry in the refer for 4 hrs to over night.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice and brine recipe. Much appreciated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Neese’s Sausage, part 2
Replies
2
Views
798
1MoreFord
1MoreFord
S
Favorite rubs and marinades
Replies
5
Views
396
IamMadMan
IamMadMan
KC Smoke
Chicken and 40 cloves
Replies
11
Views
992
KC Smoke
KC Smoke
D
What to do with beef rib (lifter, wedge, blade) muscle
Replies
2
Views
395
Jordan5
J
J
Baby back beef ribs: A few questions please?
Replies
15
Views
937
Gore
Gore
Back
Top