Planning brisket AND ribs, and frozen vs. fresh question

batboy · June 2013

Planning an upcoming bbq, would like to smoke a 15lb. brisket and 6 racks of BB ribs. Wife is demanding a 5:30 PM chow time. Problem is that I have only 1 large egg-like smoker and a Weber gasser.

My plan is to put the brisket on at 250 around 6PM the night before and let it go until noon (18 hours). At that point the brisket will come off and the ribs will go on - figuring 5 hours for BBs. If the brisket is done at the 18 hour mark, I will just FTC it for 5 hours; more likely it will need some more time, in which case I will wrap it and put it in the gasser which I can rig for low/indirect by only putting on the back burner and adding a drip pan for protection from the heat. In my fantasy world, the brisket will be done no later than 4PM (22 hours), with time for rest and slicing, and the ribs will be done by 5 (5 hours). What are the odds that I can pull this off?

Second question: my Restaurant Depot cannot seem to keep fresh BBs in stock - they sell out the same day they come in. This month's RD specials just came out and they are selling frozen/cryo BBs for $2.69/lb. (actually $2.39/lb per case - but I don't think I can justify a whole case). Do I need to bust my ass to get fresh BBs, or will there be no noticeable difference with the frozen?

Thanks

Deviledegger · June 2013

I'm far from a pro and cant answer most of your questions. I have cooked previously frozen ribs and didn't notice any differance. I would say close to half the ribs I've done have been previously frozen and they always come out great good luck!

Foghorn · June 2013

Your timing plan sounds reasonable although I would make one modification. I would plan to put the ribs on an hour earlier than you are currently planning. Then if they are done early you can FTC. I always find that I'm 30 - 60 minutes behind schedule on these sorts of things so adding in an extra hour can be key. I can't help you on the freezing issue.

bostonjosh · July 2013

@batboy - how did it go? Specifically, the timing? I'm planning on a similar dinner with similar constraints (brisket and ribs, one large bge). Some differences: I'm planning on a smaller packer (maybe 12lbs before trimming) and I'm planning on foiling once I hit the stall. So right now I'm thinking the brisket should go in the grill at about 6am (not the night before), and should hit the stall late morn/noon, at which point I'll foil and put in the oven and put the ribs on. Thinking the brisket will be done at about 2-3pm, at which point I'll FTC. Dinner served at 7pm. What do you think? Am I ok to wait till am to get started?

TexanOfTheNorth · July 2013

You can easily FTC a brisket for 5 - 6 hours. I think if it were me, I'd do the brisket on the egg and plan to have it come off with enough time to do the ribs. If you see that the brisket is taking longer than expected to cook you could always wrap it an bump the temp to git 'er done.

As far as the frozen ribs... I did two racks last weekend that I had frozen a week or so earlier and did not notice any difference. I'll be doing another 2 tomorrow (bought at the same time as the previously mentioned 2).

Planning brisket AND ribs, and frozen vs. fresh question

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