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BBQ Smokers, Pig Roasters, Chicken Cookers, and Grills From Meadow Creek

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120 Pounds of Chicken on a Meadow Creek BBQ26S

August 28th, 2015

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This month, I had the privilege of grilling at Shawnee Structures for their Open House. In one day we grilled 120 pounds of chicken legs and thighs on my (tiny) BBQ26S Chicken Cooker and 50 burgers on a second charcoal grill.

The Open House was on Friday and Saturday, but I was only available to cook on Friday, so they asked me to grill chicken for Saturday too. I had planned to cook only 90 pounds but since the chicken comes in 40 pound cases, I had gotten 120 pounds. The customer asked if I’d grill the extra meat for them, so I stayed a couple hours longer to grill the rest of it.

The BBQ26S holds around 15 pounds of chicken, so it took 8 batches to crank through 120 pounds of meat. I arrived on-site around 10:30 am, got the grill hot soon after 11:00, and the first batch of chicken done by 12:10. Batch 8 went on the grill at 7:15 and finished sometime after 8:00 pm. I certainly got my daily fill of smoke and sizzle that day!

You may be wondering why I’d fool around with a small backyard grill, being a blogger for Meadow Creek equipment and all. That’s a great question. For one thing, I am no longer in the same community as our warehouse, and I’ve never meant to pursue cooking for crowds. However, people keep asking me to cook for their events, and since I enjoy it so much, I’ll probably get myself a bigger smoker and grill within the next year or so.

BBQ26S_Trailer

Loaded and ready to hit the road!

Charcoal

Supplies

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Charcoal lit; grate open and hooked on lid

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Chicken loaded and grate closed

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Closer view of grate

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Smokin!

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Getting some color

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Grate rotating

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Grate open and ready to remove the meat

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Timing and Fuel

If I have a good hot fire in the grill, I can crank through a batch in 45 minutes. If the fire is not very hot, it will take over an hour.

I used Kingsford charcoal briquettes from our local True Value Hardware; they come in 14+ pound bags. I fired the grill with one bag, which covers the entire charcoal pan; one bag lasted for the first two batches.

For the best performing fire, I would recommend using the charcoal for no more than 2, maybe 3 batches, and then cleaning it out completely and starting over. However, I couldn’t wait for a whole new batch of coals to light every couple hours, and I didn’t want to waste all that partially burned charcoal, so I just took some ashes out the best I could with my little coal shovel and stirred the coals as needed between some of the batches.

After the second batch, I added roughly half a bag of charcoal to the existing bed of coals. After the fourth batch, I added the rest of the charcoal from the second bag. By now, there were a lot of ashes in the pan, but I stoked the coals with a shovel to give them more oxygen, and batch 5 got done in good time.

I had to clean out some of the ashes once or twice that day so that the charcoal would burn properly, and I can’t remember exactly when I did that. I used another bag and a half to finish the last batches. In all, I used 3.5 bags or 50 pounds of charcoal for the 120 pounds of chicken.

Worktable

My workspace in the pavilion

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Grilled_Chicken_2

Serving the Chicken

We put some of the chicken directly into a chest to keep it hot for serving Friday. The rest we put in aluminum pans to cool for a bit, then into gallon Ziploc bags for cooling and reheating the next day. On Saturday, they reheated the chicken as needed in an electric roaster.

Grilled_Chicken

Conclusion

Cooking 120 pounds of chicken on a BBQ26S in one day is a bit of a stretch, yet a fun adventure. Hopefully, you are inspired with how much can be done with big dreams, whether you have a small grill or a 4-pit trailer model, such as the BBQ144. 🙂

Meadow Creek makes the BBQ42, which holds about 40 pounds of chicken, and even larger models with multiple pits on a trailer. Where these grills really shine is mounted onto a TS120 or TS250 tank smoker trailer for grilling while you’re cooking low and slow!

Sizzling regards,

Lavern Gingerich

About the author: Lavern is a marketing agent for Yoder’s Smoky Mountain Barbecue in Kalona, IA. He works from his home in Bedford, PA, managing our online presence and getting the word out about Meadow Creek’s revolutionary smokers and grills.

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8 Responses to “120 Pounds of Chicken on a Meadow Creek BBQ26S”

  1. Seth (office manager Shawnee Structures) Says:

    The chicken was just great. The crowd was a bit smaller on Saturday so we did not go through as much chicken. We had lots of chicken left over for employees. Thanks for the great work.

  2. Lavern Says:

    Thanks, Seth.

  3. Sol Says:

    Sound like a great day grilling!! Wondering how did you prepare the chicken before grilling? Thanks

  4. Lavern Says:

    I had to trim it up a bit, but then I put it directly on the grill and seasoned it with Meadow Creek Gourmet Seasoning once it was on the grill.

  5. Rene Bauer Says:

    Great looking cook Lavern. What did you use for seasoning? I have to agree with your statement that a BBQ42 and a TS120 SHINE together…because mine certainly does.

    Thanks for sharing.

  6. Lavern Says:

    I used Meadow Creek Gourmet Seasoning on all the chicken. Delicious stuff!

  7. Bobby Riddle Says:

    No doubt about it, Meadow Creek chicken cookers make the best grilled chicken ever! I have a BBQ-41, PR-60, and a TS-120 mounted on a trailer. I love all 3 cookers but the chicken cooker is my favorite!

    I also use Kingsford along with my own rub that has some brown sugar in it. I have to be careful not to let the sugar burn but the rub makes the best brown crust ever and smells so good while coking.

    Good luck on your new venture. I enjoy watching your cooking videos and looking at your emails.

  8. Bobby Riddle Says:

    Sorry,that should have been BBQ42!

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Struggling to choose the right cooker for your needs? Check out our Meadow Creek cooker comparison charts. If you would like to discuss your dream cooker over the phone, call Marlin toll-free at (877) 602-1568 to get some good, friendly advice. Or if you're close by, come visit our display lot in Pikeville, Tennessee to check out these fine barbeques! We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all our Meadow Creek barbeque equipment (except the Ultimate Caterers—sorry, too much risk). Please realize that we (Yoder’s Smoky Mountain Barbecue) are a dealer for Meadow Creek. This promise applies only if you buy from us. If for any reason you are not happy with your unit, you may return the cooker to us within 30 days of the delivery or pickup date, and we will refund the purchase price minus the shipping and handling. You are responsible to pay the return shipping.
What did you think of the videos? Meadow Creek makes some amazing smokers, pig roasters, chicken cookers, and grills. All this equipment is made in the Amish Community of Lancaster County, PA. The talented craftsmen at Meadow Creek hand-make each unit. They seriously go the extra mile to make sure you’re smoked pink. What really puts the sauce on the brisket is all the revolutionary features and options that make barbecue fun and easy, and even a money-machine, if BBQ is your business.
Integrity: Meadow Creek cookers are made in a culture of Godly ethics—honesty, diligence, and fairness. Whether it’s a Shoo-fly pie or a barbecue smoker, you will be treated right.
Stainless Steel Grates: Every Meadow Creek barbecue cooker comes standard with non-rusting stainless steel grates. This eliminates the hassle of scrubbing rust and the danger of possible rust contamination on your meat.