Comp cooking with one FEC-100?

You will have to determine your times. Do some practice runs in your driveway and you'll quickly come up with some times that work for your methods. You won't have success trying to match someone else's methods since how you finish the meats, etc vary so much.

Generally, however, you need to start your butts and briskets early enough that they are coming off the smoker about the time your ribs go on. Then if you're doing chicken in the FE, you just have to work out the timing of finishing the ribs at or near the time your chicken is going on.

Sound advice from a proven winner. The only thing I'd add is consideration of different temps for different turn-ins, i.e. ribs and thighs.

Timing is up to you and will come from practice. I cook 1 brisket, 2 butts, 4 ribs, and 10 thighs. Brisket goes top 2 racks right side, butts go top 2 racks left side. In the morning they get wrapped prior to the ribs going on the 2nd from bottom. My chicken goes on the top rack after the brisket and butts come off. All of my meats cook at the same temperature.

It took me many, many practice cooks to figure out my timing, positioning, and temps. If you are doing a comp I highly recommend doing a practice competition at home to help pinpoint your times. Write everything down and make a schedule for yourself and then try it again to see if you can duplicate it.

My question is about the chicken contaminating the ribs. Are the ribs wrapped or off when you do the chicken?
Also, what temp are you cooking?
This is really interesting and am going to give this a go this winter.

Thanks for the post!

I never cook chicken above anything. I keep it down low to get more heat.

That's what I thought and practice.

I would "guess" if your cooking your chicken in a pan, there might not be any juices to drip?

quote:

Originally posted by cal:
I would "guess" if your cooking your chicken in a pan, there might not be any juices to drip?

Either that or a half sheet pan to catch the drippings would work. The key to everything is figuring out how to time everything and what temps work best for accomplishing that while keeping the final product how you want it. .

quote:

Originally posted by GaryT:
My question is about the chicken contaminating the ribs. Are the ribs wrapped or off when you do the chicken?
Also, what temp are you cooking?
This is really interesting and am going to give this a go this winter.

Thanks for the post!

My ribs are wrapped when my chicken goes on so I don't worry about it dripping on the ribs. The temp I'm using has varied from 225 to 275 and all of the meats turn out well but as you know, the temps affect the timing.

I saved a lot of hassle and am getting better chicken by buying a cheap cheap charcoal grill from walmart. Leaving the FEC for ribs/brisket only. (we dont hafta turn in PB)

Good thing you have a PB impresario coming down to Tejas next month

Who?

Lookin forward to it! Dead in the weeds otherwise

Well,I'm no yardbird expert-but I have cooked with a few.

Now,Coach speaks from experience and comes from an area that does KCBS pieces and half birds.

Sometimes, both contests at roughly the same time.

Yes, the FEC can an does make great chicken,but when you are cooking by yourself it is nice to focus on one thing.
A lot of fine cooks think poultry ought to taste and look like "bbq chicken".

25 mins on a tiny Weber can give grill marks,crisp skin,flavor from juices dripping in the fire,and looking at and pricking the pieces while it is cooking.
The grill gets ready while your ribs are on and the big meats are in the hot box.
Your ribs can then be resting under tented foil,ready to cut and go in the box.


You like to take your chicken pieces fresh from the heat,rest a few mins on the table and go straight to the turnin box.

Even with an FEC-you only have two hands,so planning is critical.

I apologize to Coach if I gave away any secrets.

LOL

no secrets at all Tom!

Nail on the head.

Down here, I would say more have a seperate 'chicken' cooker than have not. No matter what their big pit is. Our chicken had been suffering most of the year. The next to last comp we did we thought we had our little chicken charcoal cooker settled in on temp and the bird on the grill. A quick bite of breakfast sounded good. We came back and the grill was at 450! Dammit! we thought we burnt it up. Luckily we caught it just in time. Chicken won first Crispy skin! I think I'm going with the hot n fast chicken method from now on

Yup Coach, I remember that turn-in

That'd be crispy!

You guys got it all wrong, that's BARK...

quote:

Originally posted by Coach:
LOL

no secrets at all Tom!

Nail on the head.

Down here, I would say more have a seperate 'chicken' cooker than have not. No matter what their big pit is. Our chicken had been suffering most of the year. The next to last comp we did we thought we had our little chicken charcoal cooker settled in on temp and the bird on the grill. A quick bite of breakfast sounded good. We came back and the grill was at 450! Dammit! we thought we burnt it up. Luckily we caught it just in time. Chicken won first Crispy skin! I think I'm going with the hot n fast chicken method from now on

We had a similar thing happen. The guy, who is no longer on the team, was off socializing and we got distracted. My calm and cool team mate looked around and saw the chicken was done, well done. He got a spatula out and started scrapping off the grill, it stuck. I jumped in because he was about to throw it all out, no turn in. I found 7 pieces that I thought were decent and turned them in. We not only won 1st place but did so with a 180!
Did it again a couple weeks ago and only got 3rd.

With stories like these, any WONDER why some of us don't compete anymore?

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
With stories like these, any WONDER why some of us don't compete anymore?

your right S.O. That's why I think I'm gonna change our name to 'Blind Hog BBQ Team'

Well at least,when cooking those month old baby fryer parts without the bones completely formed and prominent blood veins along the thigh bone bright red that get you DQed,they won't show up.

We did our chicken on a WSM for a contest in the Kingston points chase. Since we have to use 20 pounds of charcoal in that contest, it all went in the WSM, as everything else was on the FEC. Putting 20 pounds of charcoal in a WSM and going to take a shower and letting someone else watch the chicken might not seem like a good idea. It seemed less so when I came back to a pile of blackened chicken.

You know how this story ends. 1st place, 172 points.

LOL!....correct me if I'm wrong, but ain't a GOOD judge suppose to judge the entry as presented by the cook, not what he WANTS to judge. With this theory, if presented burnt chicken then it should be judged as burnt chicken. Yep, just doesn't work like that many times thou!