18" WSM help, please


 
Dave,

It may be bad luck, bad technique, bad karma, or something else, but I've had so many butts of all sizes trend towards the 2 hours/lb that I do butts with caution. Two hours/lb for 10 lb'ers started at 8 would finish at 4. I know 20 hours seems crazy, and it looks crazy even writing it, but with my luck just as soon at I put them on at midnight 4 p.m. will come and I'll have plateaued pork.

I suppose I could start at midnight and finish on higher heat if I need to, but working on a schedule is never good for me! Still, your words give me room to think. Thanks!
 
Late the party, but if you will stand the butts up, blade down, you can get (4) 8-10 lb butts on an 18" WSM. We've done it several times in competition.

I'd rotate the meat after 2 hours and wrap them after 5 hours. You are looking at 9-12 hours possibly.
 
The majority of my butt cooks go 18 - 22 hours, that's what I love about a butt cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T Bounds:
Dave,

It may be bad luck, bad technique, bad karma, or something else, but I've had so many butts of all sizes trend towards the 2 hours/lb that I do butts with caution. Two hours/lb for 10 lb'ers started at 8 would finish at 4. I know 20 hours seems crazy, and it looks crazy even writing it, but with my luck just as soon at I put them on at midnight 4 p.m. will come and I'll have plateaued pork.

I suppose I could start at midnight and finish on higher heat if I need to, but working on a schedule is never good for me! Still, your words give me room to think. Thanks! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

T, I've had extra long butt cooks as well, but in my experience they're as much or more the result of cooking on the low side of low-n-slow with a long ramp coming up to temp, not AS MUCH because of the size of the butts. Anyway, I thought I read that you were going to use your Guru to cook up near 300*.
 
Dave,

Ribs, I can do with my eyes closed and left handed. Butts, though I've done many by now, are still more art than science for me. I suppose I should have taken Chris' advice from the beginning and kept logs. Alas!

I'm expecting good ambient temps and low winds Thursday night, and I know that butt cooks operate based on the individual lbs of the butts, not the total mass. So if I can get the guru to keep the temps between 275 and 300, how long would such butts take in your world? Or put another way, come hell or high water I'm putting them on at midnight Thursday night at the latest, so what temp should I shoot for to start to give me the best odds for a 12 to 15 hour cook? I know that last question is highly loaded, but I defer to better experience!

Thanks for any insights!
 
Never used an ATC, so you want other's input....and Larry...details, details! Please.
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Anyhow, I'm not too good with logs, either, but 18 hours sounds better as long as not cooking too slow. Assuming you're hanging a probe in the vent, I'd be more comfortable cooking in the 250-275* range, but the Guru will make it much faster for the cooker to come up to temp. Right? Anyhow, check the butts when rotating and a little later to see if you might ought to foil any.
 
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