4 Butt Headache


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
Butts are easy, we all know that. Last night I started a 4 butt cook at 10 pm. Cold meat, room temp water in std. pan, Royal Oak Lump, 3 pecan, 3 hickory. I used new K to start a minion cook. I used 1/4 of a chimney of hot coals. That should have been more than enough coals to get it cooking.
What a slowwwwwww start. Going to 211 was quick and so I closed the vents to 25%. Unfortunately, I could not get to 220. I kept opening the lower vents more until they were 100% open. It took 3 1/2hours to get to 222. That was a pain. Can you say guru or stoker?
By 1.30am I was ready for some sleep. Guess what, I left the vents fully open. Dumb. Woke up at 5 and temp was 280! Closed the lower vents to 25% and the temp settled at 235-240.

Just when I think I have masterd this stuff, I have a learning experience.
 
Doesn't surprise me Steve. You've got almost 35lbs of cold meat in the WSM, it's gonna take awhile to get up to temp. That's a pretty big "heat sink"

Using room temp meat, more lit coals, and hot water in the pan, should get you to temp quicker.
 
Live and learn as they say. I use a few more lit and off-boiling water for a large cold meat cook.

280 ain't an issue. I cook butts near 280 routinely. I don't think they require--nor benefit from--lower temps.

Enjoy your dinner!
 
Hi Steve. Charlotte, NC here also!

As wierd as it sounds, those are typical temperatures for a 4 butt start up because all of the cold/cool meat. Also, you may want to invest in a electronic Smoker/Meat thermometer. I purchased a Maverick ET-73 from Ebay for only 40 bucks and it has a range up to 100 feet.

One more thing, I have stopped using water in the Brinkmann or Weber water pan. I just triple foil the water pan and continue as is. Temperatures stay very consistant, meat is as moist (if not better) and the clean up is quick.

Travis
 
Yall are right about all that cold meat. If I had just closed those vents some at 1.30...

280 did not really hurt the butts but the bark in a few areas was a little tough-more so than a lower temp cook. I am not convinced that the flavor of a 13 hour butt is better than an 18 hour usual cook for a larger butt.

Travis, I use an et-73 but do not set the alarms for some reason.
 
I do four butts pretty often and use hot water in the pan. It takes about an hour longer for me to settle in on my good temps.
 
You bet, this is another reason I love my Guru. It gets to temps quick even with 35-40 pounds of butt in there.
I also do butts higher then most anymore. I see no difference in the results from when I used to do them at 235 lid temps, and now do them at 260-280 lid temp.
If you get one that you think the bark may be a little to hard for you, wrap it bark side down to leave it rest. Most I cook for do not like the bark to be to hard.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob T.:
I see no difference in the results from when I used to do them at 235 lid temps, and now do them at 260-280 lid temp... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
You can go hotter than that too. My last couple of butts I injected, cooked at 300+, foiled from 160 to 200 and let them rest an hour or two. I was enjoying excellent pulled pork in way less time than if I'd done 'em low 'n slow. IMHO, they were as good as any that I've cooked using traditional methods. In fact, I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.
 
Interesting, I always use water and it takes about one hour to get to 230 or so. When I am putting 4 to 5 butts on, I let them sit out of the fridge for an hour before putting them on, and put HOT water in pan..
 
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