Critique My (big) Game Plan

[CivilTrojan]

I’m smoking some ribs and chicken for the super bowl and would like to know if you think my planned temps and times will work the way I want them to.

What I’m cooking:
1. Baby back ribs.
2. Boneless skinless chicken breast.
3. Chicken legs.

What I’m using: Camp Chef XXL pellet smoker.

The plan:
1. 11:30-12 put the ribs in at 180* for an hour to hopefully get some good smoke on them.
2. 12:30-1 increase the temp to 225* for 2.5 hours.
3. 3-3:30 increase temp to 250* and put the chicken in for about 2 hours
4. 5-5:30 ribs and chicken are done for halftime

Additional information:
1. I’m planning on having a pan with some water on the bottom shelf.
2. I will be sure to put the chicken in under the ribs.
3. I’m not planning on wrapping the ribs, but may foil boat some to see how that affects things (and help with cleanup,) and will probably hit a couple racks with bbq sauce towards the end.
4. I’ll pull the chicken out when it’s done (not going to let it overcook just because it isn’t halftime yet) but am hoping everything will be ready then.
5. I’m hoping to brine the chicken but we’ll see if that actually happens…
6. Seasonings aren’t set in stone yet but for the ribs I will do 1 rack with traeger seasoning as a reference, and at least 1 rack each with Naturiffic’s Sir Porkalot’s rib rub and Oakridge BBQs Dominator rib rub. For the chicken will probably try Naturiffic’s Hot Salt and Oakridge’s Chili Lime and maybe some Jah Love, but don’t think too many people cowill be able to take the heat. (How spicy is hot salt compared to Jah love?)

Thanks for any help or advice you may have!

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I would do thighs instead of chicken breast- more flavor and more forgiving Definitely brine- I use thirdeye's light brine with about 1/2 of the salt- kosher- I let the thighs soak in brine for 2-3 hrs, rinse, pat dry, and let sit in fridge till ready to cook- at least 3 hrs Comes out great every time
I have checked my mail No invite yet

 

[Moose]

Sounds like a solid and well thought out plan overall! A few comments:

I agree with George - chicken thighs are way more forgiving than chicken breasts. I like boneless skinless.

Jah Love is hotter than Hot Salt, though I would go with Smokey Chile Lime. While the ribs are resting, why not crank up the pellet machine and cook the chicken at higher heat?

Have you ever tried butcher paper instead of foil? I never really liked how foil changed the texture of ribs, but butcher paper allows the meat to breathe and has a gentle effect while still speeding up the cook process.

 

[CivilTrojan]

Thanks for the responses!

I agree with you on the chicken thighs, unfortunately the boss doesn’t care for dark meat chicken and the boss gets what the boss wants.

How long do you usually rest ribs for? Long enough to cook chicken? What time and temp do you recommend for the chicken? Max temp on my pellet smoker is 350* I believe. If I do this should I change the times and temps I have planned for the ribs? If yes, how so?

I have used butcher paper on ribs before and was pleased with the results, but I don’t currently have any right now and was trying to reduce the amount of work needed. Do you think I should try and get some and wrap them?

 

[jzadski]

I think your plan is pretty solid. I normally rest ribs maybe 15 minutes or so. If check chick temp 1/2 before finish time to see if you have to crank the temp up

 

[Mikhail]

I sincerely hope your game plan is better than the Rams'. :mrgreen:

 

[Stingerhook]

My only criticism is I wasn't invited. Enjoy your day.

 

[CivilTrojan]

Thanks for the votes of confidence! So given these times and temps you think everything will be ready about the same time?

Can you use table salt for the brine? I’m leaning towards Thirdeye’s lite brine and it sounds like as long as I go by weight I should be good. Or maybe I’ll try his idea of making my own using some old rub…

Also, how do I know how much brine I need? I’m probably going to do 4-6 b/s chicken breasts and 5 legs, do I need to make a full gallon?

 

[food4thot]

I'd skip the water pan.

 

[1MoreFord]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +1

You need to cook the legs over 300°F to get good skin.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

If doing breast definitely brine