ColbySheridan
New member
Smoked 6 pork butts on my 18.5” WSM and had a real hard time getting above 300. I was short on time, thus I was aiming for “turbo butt” style to feed 65ppl during a scout camp out. Aiming for dinner time; putting them on the night before was not an option.
-Air temp was upper 60s-low 70s, calm wind and lots of shade.
-6 pork butts totaling about 48 lbs; all went on at ~45 deg meat temp
-Water pan ¾ full
-Used a Maverick 732 dual probe, with the smoker thermometer clipped to the upper grate. Accuracy confirmed afterwards with boiling water test
-Upper vent wide open entire cook
I went from all 3 vents partially open to having them wide open, and never went above 260. Only when I cracked both the door and the lid did I break 300 and got to ~310. I tried adding more charcoal as well as occasionally poking the fire to ensure good airflow. I’d get a spike, then the temp would settle back down.
I wrapped with foil to finish them on time – they still tasted great but of course didn’t have the bark I wanted. Total cook time was 9 hours (including 1 hr wrapped, 30 min rest in cooler)
Thoughts? Simply too much meat on an 18.5”? Thanks in advance.
-Air temp was upper 60s-low 70s, calm wind and lots of shade.
-6 pork butts totaling about 48 lbs; all went on at ~45 deg meat temp
-Water pan ¾ full
-Used a Maverick 732 dual probe, with the smoker thermometer clipped to the upper grate. Accuracy confirmed afterwards with boiling water test
-Upper vent wide open entire cook
I went from all 3 vents partially open to having them wide open, and never went above 260. Only when I cracked both the door and the lid did I break 300 and got to ~310. I tried adding more charcoal as well as occasionally poking the fire to ensure good airflow. I’d get a spike, then the temp would settle back down.
I wrapped with foil to finish them on time – they still tasted great but of course didn’t have the bark I wanted. Total cook time was 9 hours (including 1 hr wrapped, 30 min rest in cooler)
Thoughts? Simply too much meat on an 18.5”? Thanks in advance.
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