Chris S in YEG
TVWBB Fan
Hello All
I recently organized a Beaver Camp (Scouts Canada) for 15, 5-7 year olds and their parents. It has taken me a few years to convince others in my group that camp food did not have to be roasted hot dogs all the time. Last year at our spring camp I smoked 5 chickens which turned out great and had rave reviews. This year I set my sights higher and was doing pulled pork. The Cub pack who was also camping was joining us for dinner, so I had a little over 50 people to cook for. I brought along 4 10lb pork butts and my 22" WSM. My only concern was the monitoring of the WSM during the cook. We had activities and hikes planned throughout the day which meant I could not babysit the WSM or I would miss out on all the activities and spending that time with my son (he is a beaver). I stressed about whether I would be able to pull off the pulled pork dinner and dedicate the amount of attention needed to run a successful camp. I considered asking a parent who did not want to participate in an activity to monitor the WSM, but that was quickly dismissed. Prior to the camp I was browsing the forum and I came across the Smoker vs Oven debate.
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?77799-Smoker-vs-Oven&highlight=oven
After reading through the posts I settled on my answer, I would use the ovens in the mess hall to finish off the Pork Butts once they were wrapped.
So at camp I started trimming, salting and seasoning the butts around 11 pm and had them on the WSM around 1:15 am. Monitored them from my cot in the mess hall till my son woke me up at 5:00 am. Got up made coffee (alot of coffee) and started breakfast. The butts hit 150 at 5:30. Breakfast was done and cleaned up at 9:00 and the Beavers were out playing. The butts had stalled and were sitting at 160. I took them off the WSM wrapped them in foil and had them in 2 ovens preheated to 225 around 9:30 am.
I was able to provide some quality time for the parents and their children by taking them on a few adventures and running a few activities.
At 4:30 pm the butts hit 200 and I probed tested, they were fall apart tender. I pulled them from the oven and let them rest while we prepared the rest of the meal. At 5:30 I pulled the pork and server some very hungry kids, parents and leaders. The reviews were great.
The camp was a success and I had some very happy and satisfied families.
So in summary. Thank-You all for your knowledge and wisdom.
Chris in YEG.
I recently organized a Beaver Camp (Scouts Canada) for 15, 5-7 year olds and their parents. It has taken me a few years to convince others in my group that camp food did not have to be roasted hot dogs all the time. Last year at our spring camp I smoked 5 chickens which turned out great and had rave reviews. This year I set my sights higher and was doing pulled pork. The Cub pack who was also camping was joining us for dinner, so I had a little over 50 people to cook for. I brought along 4 10lb pork butts and my 22" WSM. My only concern was the monitoring of the WSM during the cook. We had activities and hikes planned throughout the day which meant I could not babysit the WSM or I would miss out on all the activities and spending that time with my son (he is a beaver). I stressed about whether I would be able to pull off the pulled pork dinner and dedicate the amount of attention needed to run a successful camp. I considered asking a parent who did not want to participate in an activity to monitor the WSM, but that was quickly dismissed. Prior to the camp I was browsing the forum and I came across the Smoker vs Oven debate.
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?77799-Smoker-vs-Oven&highlight=oven
After reading through the posts I settled on my answer, I would use the ovens in the mess hall to finish off the Pork Butts once they were wrapped.
So at camp I started trimming, salting and seasoning the butts around 11 pm and had them on the WSM around 1:15 am. Monitored them from my cot in the mess hall till my son woke me up at 5:00 am. Got up made coffee (alot of coffee) and started breakfast. The butts hit 150 at 5:30. Breakfast was done and cleaned up at 9:00 and the Beavers were out playing. The butts had stalled and were sitting at 160. I took them off the WSM wrapped them in foil and had them in 2 ovens preheated to 225 around 9:30 am.
I was able to provide some quality time for the parents and their children by taking them on a few adventures and running a few activities.
At 4:30 pm the butts hit 200 and I probed tested, they were fall apart tender. I pulled them from the oven and let them rest while we prepared the rest of the meal. At 5:30 I pulled the pork and server some very hungry kids, parents and leaders. The reviews were great.
The camp was a success and I had some very happy and satisfied families.
So in summary. Thank-You all for your knowledge and wisdom.
Chris in YEG.
