2 Different Meats Smoked At The Same Time Inside 1 Drum.

This weekend was the first time we’d ever tried smoking 2 different kinds of meats at the same time together in the same drum.  To our surprise the experiment turned out fantastic!  For the longest time I had wondered, that if by smoking 2 different meats, with 2 different flavor profiles in the same vicinity if it would impact each others flavor.  Nope!  The ribs came out tasting like they were supposed to, and so did the chicken.  They both had similar spice blends, but with some exceptions.  It was like one of those burning desires to know the answer to something, that can sometimes keep you up at night!

We used a meat hanger for this cook.  Since I didn’t have to leave the rib rub on overnight the cold temperature of the ribs was able to come up a bit by letting them sweat for about an hour on the counter, on a sanitary tray of course.  Couldn’t do that with the chicken though.  Marinated chicken went straight into the smoker from the refrigerator.  It’s never a good idea to allow chicken to “warm up” for any period of time before cooking.  Taking it beyond its safe zone of 40°F or below will grow bacteria rapidly becoming unsafe to eat.

Any who, I proceeded to build a fire.  For this particular cook I chose to combine some hickory and mesquite wood chunks with my lump.  When cooking ribs by themselves, I normally use a combination of hickory & cherry or peach wood.  Sometimes just peach or cherry by themselves.  Since both chicken and ribs would be cooking together I figured I would use a combo of hickory and mesquite, since mesquite tastes good for chicken.

Once the fire I had built inside the drum was ready at 275°F the first ones to go in were the ribs, followed by the chicken.  Oh boy, looking at their color after cooking for about an hour and a half or so was a beautiful thing!  The mahogany on the ribs and golden yellow on the chicken, which would eventually turn a golden brown.  So good.  I was beginning to get hungry.  My eyes were bigger than my stomach!  Couldn’t wait for them to be done just for the taste test.  275°F is a good temperature zone for both baby backs and chicken.  Actually, anywhere between 250°-275°F is a good temperature range to be in for both.  Helps with yield.

Now, chicken usually doesn’t take very long, and is usually done before other meats.  If I remember correctly the chicken took about 2.5 to 2.75 hours, whereas the ribs took about 3.5 hours with wrap, but not including the time it took to wrap and replace.  This wasn’t a hot & fast cook.  Hot and fast is usually around the 300°F mark, and meats naturally cook faster at higher temps.  I normally smoke spareribs at 300°F, which is a great temp for them.

I also wanted to see if the meats would come out any juicier if cooked for a little longer at a lower temperature.  Chicken did, but baby backs were the same as when I do spareribs hot & fast.  Nevertheless, they were delicious!!  Aside from being smokey the chicken had no choice but to squirt as it was being bit into.  And the ribs…the ribs were so tender and juicy.  I don’t like my ribs fall off the bone like some people do.  There’s nothing wrong with fall off the bone.  I just prefer mine with a bit of a snap when biting through, and a tiny bit of tug or pull when taking the meat off the bone.  Personal preference, nothing more.  The flavor profile of the rub is what matters in my opinion.  Now, some people like just the natural flavor of the pork with not so much seasoning.  I’m the other way around.  I like a sweet heat, with sauce on the side.