Whole Chickens and Whole Brisket Dilemna

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cp6485

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 12, 2014
11
10
I have a whole brisket and 3 whole chickens that I want to smoke on a 18.5 WSM.  I want to start them at the same time and pull the chicken when done for lunch and then wait out the brisket until ready.  Here are my thoughts about the positioning dilemma:

1.  Chicken on top would make the smoke easier but would it contaminate the brisket?  You always hear chicken always goes on bottom but the brisket will continue to cook for hours after the chicken is pulled so is contamination still a concern with this setup

2.  My concern with doing the brisket on top is not knowing if the brisket juices will pose a risk since the chickens will be finished and the brisket may not have reached a safe temp yet.

Let me know what you think so that I can make a better informed decision.
 
I wouldn't be too worried about the chicken on top. You could always pan them, or put a pan with a rack on top for them to sit on. Or how about this put the brisket in then a loose foil tent over that. Chickens on top. For me it's be more if a chicken dripping flavor messing with the beef, than a safety concern.
 
I wouldn't be too worried about the chicken on top. You could always pan them, or put a pan with a rack on top for them to sit on. Or how about this put the brisket in then a loose foil tent over that. Chickens on top. For me it's be more if a chicken dripping flavor messing with the beef, than a safety concern.
I think I will do the loose foil tent method as fitting three chickens on one rack with a pan would be tough with any of the pans I have available to me. 

I would still love to know if this would pose a safety concern without the foil as I am not exactly sure of the science behind the contamination issue.  One would think as long as the chicken and any of its juice reached 165, even if it fell on pork or beef underneath it, there would be no safety concern.  There has to be more to it than that.
 
Thanks for the info!  I went ahead and put the brisket on today and will do the chickens tomorrow.  For the future I will not hesitate to start them at the same time with the chicken on top since the chicken will finish long before the brisket.
 
Yeah sorry about breaking the first rules...just so you know it did happen here is the one serving we have left! 


As for the chickens they were deboned, a stock was made from the bones and then a HUGE pot of smoked chicken and sausage gumbo was made.
 
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