Thoughts on this weekend's smoke... two 6# shoulders on the mini


 
Robb Kruger

Robb Kruger

TVWBB Member
So I have maybe 20 or so cooks on the SJS Mini; 2 of which have been single boneless shoulders. Respectable results...
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So... I volunteer to cook a butt this weekend up at the cabin for the six or so that are going to show up... then the plans change... 10-12 people will be there, and I am still the chef du jour. So... what do you guys think... Can the SJS-Mini handle a pair of pork butts? About 12# total starting weight.

My concerns are two-fold. Temp variation from one rack to the next, and the amount of liquid I have to deal with in the drip pan.
 
Robb

If I was attempting this with my mini I might try cooking the first butt until it reached 160 (a lot of cooks stall here anyway). Then I'd move it to the lower rack to finish and start the second butt on the top rack. When the first butt hits my 190 or whatever you're aiming for here, I'd foil it, wrap with towels and place it in a cooler.

The last time I cooked a picnic shoulder I pulled it off at 3am and put it into a cooler using the method above. I woke up at 6:30am and pulled it apart.

On the drip pan I got nothing for ya. I don't use any sort of drip pan or catch pan in mine.
 
I would probably do as Adam suggested and start them one at a time. The other option is foiling the one at 160 and using your oven to finish it. You'll lose the bark but the taste will every bit as good. As far as the water pan goes, if it's just foiled without water, there shouldn't be a problem; the juices will burn off for the most part.
 
Well, here we are. And I can tell you that I read the advice, spent some more time trying to understand all of the great data over on Amazingribs.com and came up with a plan... the proof will be when I pull it out of the cooler here in about an hour to pull.

I set up the mini with 60 K-comp and 3 half-fist sized chucks of apple. I started 10 briqs in my mini chimney and had her all set at 250 by 7 am. I placed the smaller shoulder about an inch off my terra cotta plate and the larger one on the top rack... there was less than an inch of clearance to the SJS top.

Both butts slowly climbed into the 160 range by noon... generally they were less than 5 degrees off one another. I had to stir the coals twice, but I only pulled the lid off to peak at the color once. This could have been luck, thermo placement, the incredible efficiency of the cooker... or what I think it is.... that the top butt had less airflow around it and though it was in a hotter area.. it cooked slower.

So at 160 I wrapped. Placed both on the center rack, throttled back the air to be in the 225 range and by 3:00 pm the thermos on both are reading at 195-200. I unwrap and they are falling apart. And wet. So I put 'em back on the rack to crisp up. I pulled 'em off and stuck 'em in the cooler. Nice bark, maybe a little mushy... we'll have to see.

There will be no pics. But questions, challenges, crazy talk is welcome.

I will say I had major anxiety over this cook. And it isn't in the bun yet! ;-) Thanks for the advice.
 
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My loving wife took a pic while I was pulling it. I will post it up. I am pleased with the results... and continue to be amazed at the ease of which this little cooker can put out food. I used the Memphis rub off of amazingribs.com and it did not yield as dark or as think of bark as some others that I have used.

But if the compliments were any proof... everyone was well fed.
 
Did you add those handles to the pot?! Those look great, they aren't on the IMUSA pot I bought today for my mini WSM project.
 
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