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For an upcoming party I'm trying to please everybody by smoking both some pork ribs and some chicken quarters in my 008 Smokette. I've successful at smoking just ribs, or just chicken, but am worried about smoking them at the same time. Particularly,

1. Cooking time: Because ribs take longer, but my experience has shown me that its hard to predict exactly how long a given rack of ribs will take. How long should I wait before I introduce the chicken to the smoker so that they would be done around the same time?

2. Wood. Do you just combine the amount of wood that you would use if you were smoking the ribs and chicken separately? Like, if I would use 3oz wood for the ribs, and 2oz for the chicken, Would I load the box with 5 oz, or would the chicken end up absorbing too much smoke. Is it better to save 1-2oz of wood to add when I introduce the chicken?

Besides these questions, anything I'm missing? I plan to put the chicken below the pork to avoid the chicken dripping on other meat, and will try the foil and cooler method on the ribs for an hour before serving. I'm also gong to stick with fruit woods like apple so I don't oversmoke the chicken. Thanks guys.
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1. Depends on weights, volume and cook temp. Assuming 250 o temp you're probably looking at 4-5 hrs for 3# SL or loin back ribs. Chicken(s) whole? Spatcocked? Pieces? More info would be helpfull but 2 hrs for whole or half birds would be in the ball park.

2. No, don't double up. I'd go with 3 oz.

The rest of your plan sounds fine.
I'll be donig about 3lbs loin back ribs and the chickens will be quartered.

Does the amount of wood used depend on what type of wood it is? If I was using hickory instead of apple, would I need to use a little less wood?

I always end up using more wood that what most people recommend- I guess I get scared a few hours into a smoke when I don't see that thick smoke billowing out of the vent. Am I correct in thinking that the good, flavorful smoke is not the dark stuff that goes away after an hour or so, but a light smoke that will be present throughout the cooking process?
Also... if you need the space... you can always pull ribs or chicken foil and "gasp" finish in the oven. They aren't going to take much more smoke on anyway... (rumor has it that meat doesn't take on much smoke after 140 deg internal temp)

For example, you could load up with a bunch of ribs, pull them at 2.5 hours double wrap with foil and finish in the oven... then start your chickens... Then you don't have to worry about chicken dripping on ribs or vice versa...

Nordy
quote:
Originally posted by mastiff0:
Does the amount of wood used depend on what type of wood it is? If I was using hickory instead of apple, would I need to use a little less wood?



Wood is wood...just different nuances in flavor and intensity.

Many CS newbies tend to use too much wood. 2-4 oz will suffice...really! Initially your wood will burn blueish-white. As the pieces char and carbonize, white smoke is being released and this is the "purer" smoke.

As for timing of your ribs and chicken, I stand by my time on ribs. Check final doneness with a toothpick. Depending on the weight of the chicken your quarters are cut from, I'd guess 1.5 - 2hrs. White meat is done at 165; dark meat 170-175. Clear juices are an indicator of doneness but a thermometer check is always a good idea.

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