Getting to the Bottom Butt


 
S

Steve Cutchen

TVWBB Super Fan
I'm thinking I'm doing this wrong...

Two butts going. What do you do to get to the bottom butt to baste or spritz? I've been lifting out the top grate, but then I have to have a place to set it (been setting it on the grill of my Genesis) and the grill is wide open for a long time.

Is there a better technique?
 
I don't know how big your two butts are, but I look for two that will both fit on top. You can get two good sized butts on top. I don't baste or spritz either, just the way I do it. Many do. Otherwise, got to be quick.
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I didn't even try to fit both on top. That seems so obvious now that you say it.

All I was doing was spreading a little apple juice on them. Not sure if it added anything.
 
I sometimes cook two butts one on top and one on the bottom or more often a butt on the bottom and a brisket on top. I don't baste or spritz or open the top any time I don't have to. If I do open the cooker, everything I need is there and ready to go, so the lid is off the minimum amount of time possible.
 
I have sprayed the bottom while the top grate is still on. I have done this with butts and ribs.

One thing I recently bought was a 4' folding table from Menards. Like $30 if I remember correctly. I was getting tired of bending over to place things like the lid on the ground.

The only problem I had with the table I got is it has a white plastic top. The lid from the wsm leaves rings! To fix this two sheets of wide foil and a little bit of duct tape. All good and cleanup is pretty quick! Vince
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The only problem I had with the table I got is it has a white plastic top. The lid from the wsm leaves rings! To fix this two sheets of wide foil and a little bit of duct tape. All good and cleanup is pretty quick! Vince


WEBER SMOKEY MOUNTAIN 18"/SMOKEY JOE/ VERY OLD 22.5" CHARCOAL GRILL </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve, you can easily get two on the top unless they are REALLY huge. I've done as many as six butts on two grates at one time. Forget about spritzing.I don't think it adds anything toward the flavor anyway. Get her going and forget about it for awhile
 
Steve,

I'm with Paul, I don't spritz/mop my butts. My kettle works very well for holding things off the wsm. As others have said, you should be able to spritz through the top grate without removing it.

Paul
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">All I was doing was spreading a little apple juice on them. Not sure if it added anything. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

most likely not. If you're looking to add flavor check out this thread.

IMO mopping/spritzing has limited usefulness:

1) it may help to briefly increase humidity inside the smoker and or reduce evaporative water loss. You'll see offset users speak highly of mopping, but their cookers move a lot of dry air through the tube. I don't think a choked down wsm moves much air, nor does it have nearly the volume of an offset, so a single butt won't dry out much, even with skipping the mop.

2) it may help even out cooking through evaporative cooling. Cooking any large roast has a trade off: you have to pump heat into the center but only through the outside. Mopping will briefly cool the outside as the mop evaporates, and maybe keep the outside from overcooking a bit before the center's done.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that these ideas are based on anecdotal evidence and discussions that occurred on this forum, and are most likely, partially or fully inaccurate
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No. They are quite accurate (if speaking of water-based mops/bastes). Food science, you know.

Mops and bastes do very little in typically recommended applications (in terms of timing). For barbecue I am not one to bother. But I do do so with some other approaches.

Water-based mops or based will slow cooking because of evaporative cooling. Fat-based will speed it because it creates a barrier to cooling. If the mop or baste is both water- and fat-based it is fairly neutral in terms of time. If one is seeking a flavor addition then either mop quite frequently throughout the cook - or at least very frequently near the end (this way the mop ends up being used as if it were a glaze, and performs like one, especially if thick-ish).
 
Hey Steve! As I see it..place the smaller butt on the bottom, then no need to take the lid off 'til the butts are done
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If you do lift the top rack off...you can set it on a chimney or on your Weber kettle...I swap the top and bottom racks mid-cook, when doing ribs (for even doneness), and use both the chimney and the kettle to facilitate the change which takes less than a minute
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I think spritzing with apple juice on ribs a few times can add a touch of sweetness in the last half of cooking. Sometimes I'll use a thicker cider and it almost becomes a light glaze.

But I agree no need to mop shoulders in most situations.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
Steve,

I'm with Paul, I don't spritz/mop my butts.
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I agree with these guys, I dont mop or spritz 99% of the time. I prefer to keep the WSM closed and doing its job for as long as possible.

"if your lookin' you aint cookn'"
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