Meat stacking in cooker help

[holehogg]

Need advice on stacking the different meats I’ll be smoking coming Friday. The load consists of 2 racks spare ribs, smallish pork belly, 2 off 9 pound butts and a 13 pound brisket. My thinking is the brisket on the top rack. The 2 butts side by side if they fit on same grid otherwise the pork belly next to one of them and the 2 racks spare ribs at the bottom. Should I place a drip tray under each of the grids or 1 only on the lowest shelf to catch all the drippings?

[Fire Art]

Waiting for all the big guns to help us out

[dshaffes]

I'm assuming from your description that you have some sort of cabinet smoker. There will be a lot of moisture in there with all that meat. I would be concerned about sufficient air flow, fat drippings that will impact bark and enough fuel for the cook. You will be putting your big meats (brisket, butts) on first so I would go upstairs with brisket and place a drip tray in middle rack and butts downtown. By the time your ready for ribs you will most likely have your brisket and butts wrapped. You can remove drip pan and put ribs on that rack below wrapped brisket and pork belly underneath the ribs. There are probably lots of variations that will work, but that's how I would do it. Good luck!

[holehogg]

Thanks for input. I made a big schoolboy error and didn't take the ribs and belly out this morning to defrost so i'm only doing the brisket and butts only. Might take the spare ribs out and salt and let it defrost and hope that works. The other will have to wait until next week.

[dshaffes]

You can always put ribs still in criovac in water bath and that will defrost them relatively quick.

[holehogg]

Defrosted and cooked and spare ribs are not something i'll hurry to do again. More to do with me than the ribs.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

What didn't you like? My wife doesn't like spares, either, but she loves babybacks. Might try those next time, or what exactly was the problem? What did you rub them with and how did you prep them? Basting/mopping, wrapping? There's no reason not to like ribs - not for most folks, I've found, at least when they're prepared right!

[holehogg]

Cooked while doing the butts and didn't give them the attention they deserved. I cooked 2 racks and the person that had the one rack just whatts app me to say they were delicious and the other rack i gave to my brother. Yet to hear from him. MMD naked and about 3 hours at 245F. They looked dried out and the small piece I picked off was crispy.