Calling All KBQ Owners!

[RG]

I have a bunch of people to feed this weekend and would like to cook most of the stuff in the KBQ since I'll be tending to it anyway. I originally was just going to do a 10 pound brisket and a tray of baked beans on it and the rest on other cookers but now I plan on adding a rack of baby backs (just because) and a whole chicken as well as a Boston butt cut in half to help it cook faster. I know the KBQ has lots of shelves but that doesn't necessarily mean it can cook well with that much in it. My plan is to start the brisket and the butt at the same time then later add the beans and ribs. Once beans are out, add the chicken.

Placement would be from top to bottom : brisket, butt, ribs (when time to add), beans to catch drippings (once all meat is at a safe temp). Later remove beans, add chicken.

Have any of you KBQ owners cooked a smoker full before? Any thing I should be aware of? I thought about maybe needing to rotate things but I don't know since I am putting the longer cook stuff up top. Any tips or ideas are welcomed!

[RG]

Well it looks we are in uncharted territory here, lol. I guess it'll be up to me to figure this out on the fly, so I will!

[Hub]

Almost all of our KBQ "stuff" has been in one thread so it is harder to search for capacity/temperature issues.  However, you are very wise to be suspicious of potential overloading.  There's quite a bit about this error in the PBC section where many have learned of that cooker's inability to create sufficient temperature rise when overstuffed.

Every cooker has a ceiling on temperature achievement and an internal method of moving heat from fire to meat that can be impeded by overloading the chamber.  Common sense tells us that it takes longer to cook more when that ceiling is reached and that we may even exceed a cooker's capability to cook effectively at all, especially when the manufacturers don't often give us a spec for this. 

I think you're blazing a new trail here 

Hub

[GusRobin]

I don't own a KBQ but my only advice is the obvious, allow more cooking time than normal just in case and be prepared to FTC (or other method) in the event it gets done in normal time.
I guess also to space them so that vertically they allow for adequate airflow.

[RG]

I have decided to eliminate the chicken from this round, I'll save it for another cook. So, I'll be doing the brisket, split pork butt, ribs and pan of beans. We'll see how it goes!

[RG]

I had a change of plans, was expecting more to eat the Q than what actually was able to attend so I also 86ed the ribs. I did do the brisket and butt and beans and everything went well. I'll make a post detailing the cook in a bit.