14.5 and long cooks


 
D

D. Solis

New member
So far Ive done 2 cooks on my 14.5.

Both cooks were quick cooks at about 300 degrees for chicken. One was with lump and the other with briquettes.

I had intended to do some pork butt on the 14.5 but im not quite sure it will go the distance on a 12-15 hr cook. The ash buildup on my first cook with a ring full of briquettes, pretty much reached the charcoal grate.

The lump obviously left less ash, but ive never tried a long cook on lump.

Has anyone with a 14.5 tried an overnight cook yet? Wondering what others thought.

Besides that one small concern. I have found the 14.5 easy to use. Cleaning is a dream especially compared to the 22.5...I absolutely hate, detest, loath cleanup on the 22.5!

Thanks
 
I did a long cook with mine last weekend I started at 10:30pm and it was also 22 degrees. I had to add a 3/4 of a chimney at about 8 am and finished about noon with a 9lb butt.
 
Would really like to cook on a 14" WSM.

For me on my 18", I get smaller butts, in the 5 to 7 pound range. I find that I can start at 7am, cook at 250+, get good smoke and awesome flavor.

Try cutting the butt in half, it'll take less time. Foil at 160 or the color you like. You can cut your cook time in half.

Curtzo
 
B.Lasky said:
Same here.
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Dang. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to use my 14.5 or my 22.5 for 1 butt. I do NOT want to reload in the middle of the night. wonder if there's a way to increase the payload if you raise the water pan to the bottom grate level and just cook on the top grate, or if the ash on top will choke out the coals if they are stacked too deep...
 
Alan Soden said:
Dang. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to use my 14.5 or my 22.5 for 1 butt. I do NOT want to reload in the middle of the night.
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Know what Goldilocks would do if she had an extra $300? ;)

Just kiddin'. If it's a small butt use the 14.5 and cook all day. If it's a big butt cook overnight or get up real early and cook a little faster. It might get done faster than you think if you get up to temp quickly and stay on top of maintaining it. 275* is perfect for a day cook and will keep the cook in the 1.25 to 1.5 hr/lb range.
 
Dave Russell said:
Know what Goldilocks would do if she had an extra $300? ;)

Just kiddin'. If it's a small butt use the 14.5 and cook all day. If it's a big butt cook overnight or get up real early and cook a little faster. It might get done faster than you think if you get up to temp quickly and stay on top of maintaining it. 275* is perfect for a day cook and will keep the cook in the 1.25 to 1.5 hr/lb range.
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You're right Dave I need an 18.5. Priority this summer is to add a covered BBQ pavilion to our deck this spring so I don't have to keep putting the QwikShade up and down all year.
I have 3 family members coming over between 12 and 3 tomorrow, so I was planning to get it on between 730 and 8 tonight, have the temp dialed in by 9pm, set the Maverick alarms, then when it's ready in the morning get it in a hot cooler and it should be ready to pull whenever they get here. Better early than late, people who don't smoke can't grasp the stall and get frustrated...

Instead of using the 14.5 I decided to finally gasket the lid today and the RTV has to cure for 24 hours. Going to see if another charcoal basket can be wired on top without hitting the water pan.
 
Alan Soden said:
I have 3 family members coming over between 12 and 3 tomorrow, so I was planning to get it on between 730 and 8 tonight, have the temp dialed in by 9pm, set the Maverick alarms, then when it's ready in the morning get it in a hot cooler and it should be ready to pull whenever they get here. Better early than late, people who don't smoke can't grasp the stall and get frustrated...

Instead of using the 14.5 I decided to finally gasket the lid today and the RTV has to cure for 24 hours. Going to see if another charcoal basket can be wired on top without hitting the water pan.
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Only you know what you do and how you do it. In that case though, I'd just go old school with the 22. Even if you used water, I don't see why you'll run out of charcoal with just one butt.

Regarding foil, everyone has their thoughts on it's use. It doesn't matter what time I'm cooking for. I still prefer not to hold long enough to sacrifice the crispness of the bark. I can always speed up the cook by wrapping while it's still on the cooker if I get up and it's nowhere close to being done. What's the difference? I look at it as a crutch vs. a tool, I guess. It's always best when you can tweak the temp as necessary and pull the butts off the cooker within an hour or so of pulling, so that's always my plan from the beginning and the reason that I prefer to cook by day for supper. Last time the butts were huge though, so I had to cook overnight and hold a couple of hours. Still good, but the bark wasn't near as crisp. Be sure to let them lose a lot of steam before wrapping and holding, and good luck with your cook. :wsm:
 
Wow, quite surprised with the time you guys are getting on a load of fuel in your 14.5's. I would think they would have similar run times to the minis built on the SJS/SJG platform. I know on my mini, I can get 10+ hours @*250-*265 on a full load of Stubbs. Are you guys using water in the water bowl, or foiling the water bowl?
Tim
 
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