4 Butts and sand


 
J

Joe. P

TVWBB Member
Hi all
Today I’m doing 4 Butts two 7.5# and two 7.9# with sand in the pan. I’ve been reading when using sand the bottom grate will cook hotter? Has anyone found this to be true? Originally I was going to put the larger ones on top and monitor the temps in one of them. I hadn’t even planned on rotating them. Just rub em put em on and let her go overnight.

But now im reading the bottom grate may hotter than the top grate. How does everyone do 4 or more at a time?
-Joe
 
Some people rotate them during the cook. I don't use the bottom grate with sand. I will stack a grate onto the top grate if extra space is needed. I have to order a Brinkman charcoal pan to use for the water in the WSM. I used that for bottom grate cooking, but found a hole in it.
 
I regularly do 4 butts at a time (why waste the empty smoker space?) I have never rotated the butts and have not really been able to tell the difference betwee tbe top and the bottom. Generally I run temp probes in one butt on each grate and quit when the lower temp is 195. Sometimes the other butt is up to 205 but it was ALL WONDERFUL!
 
Never done 4 on the top grate but I have done three with no problem. 3 Picnics
I've done three butts on the top and three on the bottom using water and did not rotate and they finished at basically the same time.
 
Joe

I think what you see most often as a problem with sand and the hotter lower grate, or perhaps radiant heat from the sand, is with a brisket on the bottom which is a lot different than a butt. I've done 4 butts with sand a number of times, without rotating and haven't noticed a problem. I'm sure rotating is good, but it provides another opportunity for temp spikes unless you're mighty fast. I wouldn't be concerned. However, I do spray with AJ regularly and I think that helps. You can do that pretty quickly.

Sounds like cooking 4 butts is popular tonite - Maybe you and Ron can trade war stories
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Have a great cook.

Paul
 
Sorry Joe, I thought I read somewhere here where others were rotating the food because of the radiant heat from the sand. Guess I was wrong.
I will change it to "I" don't do it because of the heat. I had taken 3 shoulders to 205 and for my taste, they are to dry. That is why I rotated the food, to keep it balanced, and the bottom of the shoulders on the bottom rack were dryer. Of course, that could bring up the skin on/skin off debate.
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