How should I position meat Brisket, BB Ribs and Sausage in BTDS108P?

[tem9458]

New to smoking and my BTDS108P. Not sure how to position meat in smoker. My thoughts are to have Brisket on bottom ribs in middle and sausage on top. Any cooking tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi tem9458;

Welcome to the forum.

If smoking all those meats at the same time, you choice of placement of the meats are good. I would try to get the Bradley to 225°F - 250°F. If you are not familiar with low and slow cooking; take some time and search the forum for recipes. Your first cook looks ambitious. Maybe for you first cook, try focusing on one meat to see how the Bradley works. Below are listed a few cooking tips, but there are so many that you should ask specific questions, or take time to look around the forum.

Although you can cook these three at the same temperatures, these three meats have very different smoking and cooking times. The sausage will be done first. Though fresh sausage can be fully smoked/cooked in the Bradley, you need to keep the Bradley at 200°F (USDA recommends 225°F), but with the amount of meat you are smoking/cooking, it may take the Bradley a long time to get to that temperature. For this load, you either want to use a sausage with a nitrite added, or a precooked sausage. The baby backs will take 4 - 6 hours; depending on the cabinet temperature. The brisket will take at least 10 hours, depending on the size, and whether it is a whole brisket or just a flat. For brisket, a loose/general guideline is to cook 1.5 hours per pound. For smoke times, the sausage about 2 hours, rib 3 -4 hours, and brisket 4 hours. After the smoke has been applied continue cooking until the meats are done. Keep the vent at least half open. You may need to adjust it from there to prevent moisture buildup which will keep your temperatures down. Try to avoid peeking. The more you open the door during the cook, the longer it will take for you to complete the cook.

[Edward176]

Hello tem9458 and welcome to the Forum.