Inspired by this thread, I thought I'd give it a shot with a little different set up.
Stopped at Costco and thought I picked up a 2 pack of pork butts (for work pot luck) but when I got home and opened the bag, surprise ... Pork Cushion meat which is from the lower part of the arm/leg and leaner than pork butt. It was a total of 17 lbs and 5 pieces.
Set the kettle as follows (pics below):
1. Removed the Perfomer igniter to get it out of the way
2. Used a charcoal grate from an 18 inch kettle which is 14 inches. This gets the coals down a couple more inches.
2. Used a 5 x 14 inch expanded metal ring
3. Placed a full ring of coals around the expanded metal ring burying 5-6 chunks of cherry.
4. Placed a foiled 18 x 1.75 inch round pan (with 1/4 inch of sand) over the expanded metal ring.
5. Placed the grate with 4 pieces of the pork cushion meat (5th didn't fit) on the pan
7:45 am lit the fuse (one end), set bottom and top vents to half open and left to attend early service (never touched the bottom vent again)
11:00 am kettle temp about 260, flipped and rotated the meat, opened the top vent to 100% and never adjusted again.
12 noon added the 5th piece of meat (shrinkage allowed more room to add now)
3:00 pm wrapped the 4 pieces at 155-160ish
5:15 meat at 170ish, added a small shovel of coals (leftover from a chicken cook-couldn't wait to eat)
6:45pm kettle at 225, meat at 185, 5th piece at 158, dark outside, coals almost gone, maybe can go an hour more, removed and finished in a 350 degree oven
8:00pm meat about 200ish shredded and added liquid (bbq sauce, drippings, rub, water, and chicken stock) and cooled
The Cushion meat is drier than pork butt and can use a lot of liquid to give it more mosture
Kettle temps hung around 270-290 at the lid thermometer (maybe 25+- less at the grate), probably had variations when the cherry chunks lit. I rotated the lid every few hours to keep the lid vent opposite the fire
Overall the most stable, longest cook I have done on a kettle.
The pan I made from extra stuff I got from my son who does AC service work. If I had to buy one I would get an 18-20 inch deep dish pizza pan or this one
Ring of coals
Pan on Expanded Metal ring
Grate on Pan
Stopped at Costco and thought I picked up a 2 pack of pork butts (for work pot luck) but when I got home and opened the bag, surprise ... Pork Cushion meat which is from the lower part of the arm/leg and leaner than pork butt. It was a total of 17 lbs and 5 pieces.
Set the kettle as follows (pics below):
1. Removed the Perfomer igniter to get it out of the way
2. Used a charcoal grate from an 18 inch kettle which is 14 inches. This gets the coals down a couple more inches.
2. Used a 5 x 14 inch expanded metal ring
3. Placed a full ring of coals around the expanded metal ring burying 5-6 chunks of cherry.
4. Placed a foiled 18 x 1.75 inch round pan (with 1/4 inch of sand) over the expanded metal ring.
5. Placed the grate with 4 pieces of the pork cushion meat (5th didn't fit) on the pan
7:45 am lit the fuse (one end), set bottom and top vents to half open and left to attend early service (never touched the bottom vent again)
11:00 am kettle temp about 260, flipped and rotated the meat, opened the top vent to 100% and never adjusted again.
12 noon added the 5th piece of meat (shrinkage allowed more room to add now)
3:00 pm wrapped the 4 pieces at 155-160ish
5:15 meat at 170ish, added a small shovel of coals (leftover from a chicken cook-couldn't wait to eat)
6:45pm kettle at 225, meat at 185, 5th piece at 158, dark outside, coals almost gone, maybe can go an hour more, removed and finished in a 350 degree oven
8:00pm meat about 200ish shredded and added liquid (bbq sauce, drippings, rub, water, and chicken stock) and cooled
The Cushion meat is drier than pork butt and can use a lot of liquid to give it more mosture
Kettle temps hung around 270-290 at the lid thermometer (maybe 25+- less at the grate), probably had variations when the cherry chunks lit. I rotated the lid every few hours to keep the lid vent opposite the fire
Overall the most stable, longest cook I have done on a kettle.
The pan I made from extra stuff I got from my son who does AC service work. If I had to buy one I would get an 18-20 inch deep dish pizza pan or this one
Ring of coals
Pan on Expanded Metal ring
Grate on Pan
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Great work, J Reyes!
