# Mixed Bag



## seabass (Sep 10, 2011)

As many have decued or been told outright, I've got a Southern Pride DH-65 and I'm developing my procedures for a take-out.  As such, I'm not able to smoke one meat at a time like I would have before in my small backyard smoker.  So I am interested in your strategies for smoking mutliple meats at a time,of different kinds and weights and fat contents.  I've got what I think is a decent method, but this smoker cooks so freaking fast.

Ok, last time I had a brisket flat,not much fat on this thing, and had to divide it into 3 2 lbs hunks to test some different rubs.  Along side this was a 10 lbs boneless pork shoulder cut into 3 parts for the same reason.  I started at 300 for 90 minutes and then 205 for 9 hours.  Of course it overcooked, pulled them at 208F internal and it was dry, although the pork fared much better than the beef.

So this time I know the rub so I keep my cuts whole, a 10 lbs boneless shoulder and a 6 lbs point, plus a 10 lbs bone-in turkey breast, skin on.  I peel the turkey skin up from the bottom and rub underneath on the skin, returning the skin back down because the fat is there, ya know.  Dropped the time at 300F to 60 minutes followed by 205.

Well, turkey and point JUMPED up to 180F, pork glided to 150, after the 60 minutes.  it's now a mere 5 hours in and everything, even the pork, is 190F.  So I pulled (from the smoker), foiled and towel wrapped the turkey and will pull it in a couple of hours, I really don't want it to dry out, but I'm afraid it will, being turkey.  I'm pulling everything else at 200.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

The hot-then-warm is one that I learned a while back, and it has always worked well for me, almost like searing the outside and then gradually easing the inernal temp up to doneness.  I've found that I have a little wider window of time to pull between not quite and too much.

My question, if you're still with me, is what do YOU all do about cooking a smoker full of different meats.  And in particular, with something as consistant as an electric smoker with wood chips, what ways do you find a consistent and equally important "low-maintenance" method of smoking the farm?


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## mdboatbum (Sep 11, 2011)

I'd make sure your temps are accurate first of all. Then I'd abandon the 2 tiered cooking method. I'd do the bird at 325˚ all the way through, and everything else at 225˚. You want consistent, simple repeatability in a retail environment, not only for yourself, but anyone else who may be doing the cooking for you. You can do your long cooking meats (butt and brisket) overnight, and do your turkey, chicken and ribs in the daytime as they tend to need a little more futzing.


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## venture (Sep 11, 2011)

Cooking poultry and other meats together is difficult because of the different temps required.

Maybe you could do a reverse sear on the poultry.  Cooke it lower with the other meats and blast it in an oven at the end?

Good luck and good smoking.


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