what is best 1,2, 3, or 4 pits at a Cookoff?

H

habaneromike

Guest
I am not new to Cookoffs but timing and temp control is my biggest problem. One of the main factors is... different temps for different meats as well as capasity.
Example If I had my way... I would cook:
- Brisket at 350
- Butts at 250
- Ribs at 275
- Chicken at 300
Due to holding time and space on my two 18” WSM's this becomes challenging.
I would like to buy a nice smoker that will provide a better crust in a more humid environment.

So here is my question: If I buy one nice cooker will this be enough to cook everything at different temps and improve on holding times?

OR would I have to learn how to cook everything at one temp in order to make this work?

AND lastly do you need to have several cookers based on cooking at different temps for each category?

Many Thanks
 
If you time it right, I don't see why you can't do what you are talking about with your existing equipment. Butts and brisket each in a cooker. Pull and cooler/Cambro, then cook chicken and ribs after reloading fuel as needed.

Am I not understanding your question?
 
We have 4 cookers, but that works for us. There is no right or wrong answer. It depends on timing, and your cooking methods.
 
These are decisions only you can decide on. I cook all 4 on one cooker (my BWS Fatboy), and have a WSM with me in case it is needed, but haven't used it yet. It is all about your own cooking style and timing schedule. Do whatever gives you the best shot at winning.
 
Well yes, I could cook chicken and ribs in the same WSM but they would need to be cooked at the same temp and I would need to open the hood several times and testing for doneness on meat cooked on lower rack would be tough. Lastly opening the hood several times will raise the temp and if you are using a stoker… it will be really tough, as you will never have a chance to stabilize the cooker temp.
 
Jorge said:
If you time it right, I don't see why you can't do what you are talking about with your existing equipment. Butts and brisket each in a cooker. Pull and cooler/Cambro, then cook chicken and ribs after reloading fuel as needed.

Am I not understanding your question?
Click to expand...

huminie said:
These are decisions only you can decide on. I cook all 4 on one cooker (my BWS Fatboy), and have a WSM with me in case it is needed, but haven't used it yet. It is all about your own cooking style and timing schedule. Do whatever gives you the best shot at winning.
Click to expand...

So how do you cook on one cooker? This is what I am trying to find out, I am open to any method at this point. I am just weighing my options.
 
We cook everything on one smoker, except for whole hog which goes on another...

We do cook everything from 245-265.
 
habaneromike said:
I am not new to Cookoffs but timing and temp control is my biggest problem. One of the main factors is... different temps for different meats as well as capasity.
Example If I had my way... I would cook:
- Brisket at 350
- Butts at 250
- Ribs at 275
- Chicken at 300
Due to holding time and space on my two 18” WSM's this becomes challenging.
I would like to buy a nice smoker that will provide a better crust in a more humid environment.

So here is my question: If I buy one nice cooker will this be enough to cook everything at different temps and improve on holding times?

OR would I have to learn how to cook everything at one temp in order to make this work?

AND lastly do you need to have several cookers based on cooking at different temps for each category?

Many Thanks
Click to expand...
Cook your briskets in one cooker and your butts in another. Finish them early and put them in coolers or cambros. Change your temps and cook your ribs in one cooker and your chicken in the other.

Simple.
 
I cook butts and brisket at the same temps...low overnight and then foiled and cranked up in the morning. I get additional temp variations by careful placement inside the cooker. They are usually done before ribs go on, although sometimes the brisket needs a few more minutes, but that isn't an issue. I start my ribs and position them in the middle of the cooker. Chicken goes on at the top shelf giving it a higher cook temp.

One lesson learned is that with my stoker I have to shut the blower off when I open the door for more than a few seconds. Since my cooker is insulated it holds temps and the blower will cause a raging fire if I don't do this. That day sucked.
 
We use two but could do them all on one if we had to.Like everyone else has stated it's really what works for you..and more importantly what affords you the most sleep!
 
Bigmista said:
Cook your briskets in one cooker and your butts in another. Finish them early and put them in coolers or cambros. Change your temps and cook your ribs in one cooker and your chicken in the other.

Simple.
Click to expand...

Well not so simple, as I am working on holding my brisket for hours, not sure if you saw my post from two weeks ago but... holding a brisket for4 hrs can be tough, at least for me.

This started a huge conversation based on “you should not hold a brisket for 4 hrs and Cambro’s are made for catering not competition”. Ribs take 3+ hrs and I like to have an hour leeway to be safe.

How long do you hold your brisket and do you pull it early so it goes in hot
or do you vent and reheat etc,?

Thanks,
Mike
 
huminie said:
I cook butts and brisket at the same temps...low overnight and then foiled and cranked up in the morning. I get additional temp variations by careful placement inside the cooker. They are usually done before ribs go on, although sometimes the brisket needs a few more minutes, but that isn't an issue. I start my ribs and position them in the middle of the cooker. Chicken goes on at the top shelf giving it a higher cook temp.

One lesson learned is that with my stoker I have to shut the blower off when I open the door for more than a few seconds. Since my cooker is insulated it holds temps and the blower will cause a raging fire if I don't do this. That day sucked.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the good insight to your method!

I have been using the stoker for 4 years now and I have had the same challenge with the blower and constant hood opening. I assume you know about the Blower “off for 5 minutes” feature?
 
big matt said:
We use two but could do them all on one if we had to.Like everyone else has stated it's really what works for you..and more importantly what affords you the most sleep!
Click to expand...


I know you guys took Myron's class, uses his pie and power cook at least your brisket so if I could ask...what is your cooking method/schedule? I am trying to come up with a new one as mine is not working for me!

Thanks,
Mike
 
habaneromike said:
I know you guys took Myron's class, uses his pie and power cook at least your brisket so if I could ask...what is your cooking method/schedule? I am trying to come up with a new one as mine is not working for me!

Thanks,
Mike
Click to expand...
No problem Mike!..our butts and brisket go on at 5 am,pit temp is 350 to start,we cook until our bark is set and our color is where I like(about 3 to 4 hours)then we pan and cover with foil,let them go another hour and start checking for probe feel.at this time our temp is 275 and our ribs are on,our cook runs 7 hrs max sometimes less..hope this helps.
 
I discovered that there is a temperature difference between the top rack and the bottom rack in my smoker. I wonder if yours is the same? If so, put your meat on the appropriate rack.

I guess in a perfect world, I'd have 4 cookers at 4 temps (along with a financial angel, a larger trailer, and a couple of helpers). Since owning and hauling 4 smokers ain't in the cards, I'd opt for a fairly large smoker (filling a smoker to capacity has a way of extending cook time) and a smaller smoker that I could adjust temps a little easier.
 
If you can afford 4 different cookers, have at it.. You can cook 4 different catagories from 3 different animals, with 2 different temp settings on 1 cooker.
 
habaneromike said:
Thanks for the good insight to your method!

I have been using the stoker for 4 years now and I have had the same challenge with the blower and constant hood opening. I assume you know about the Blower “off for 5 minutes” feature?
Click to expand...

My pleasure! I like to travel light, so I did a lot of practice to get a method that worked for me with one cooker.

I learned about the "off for 5 minutes" feature after my disaster. It has made a huge difference!
 
I do everything in one cooker now. When I pull my briskets and butts, I vent them until they get to 170 then they go in the cambro.
 
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