Appreciate the feedback fellas. I'd expect to go two butts on the top and two on the bottom. I'm smoking on a WSM 22.5 but I don't think it will take four 12pounders, without touching each other, on the top level. That sounds like it would cause areas of bark to not get charred evenly like the rest of the butt...Any thoughts?
Good idea to have a Maverick probe in a butt on both levels.
Here's my Butt cooking method, an opinion column really, if you’re interested.
Rub of choice, a few hours ahead of time. I mentioned that I’ll go with Mr. Brown for this smoke.
Minion Method with a charcoal chamber full of Kingsford and 6 or 7 tennis ball sized chucks of Hickory stashed throughout the top half of my charcoal.
Here's my take on the Minion Method, Kingsford and Hickory...
The Minion Method allows me to bring the temp up slowly then hold it easily at my desired range of 225-250. The slow charcoal lighting process that's caused by the Minion Method maximizes the long burn time of Kingsford brand charcoal, which has always out lasted every other brand I've tried. I can take a full chamber Kingsford upwards of 20 hrs at 225, no refueling. As for the Hickory, it’s a staple of Alabama BBQ and I think my taste buds are a product of that. I was on the back roads in Florida this past spring and turned around shortly after passing a BBQ stand. The smell got to me and I had to stop for a bite. The BBQ was good, not great. It had all the signs of delicious Q: smell, flavorful bark, smoke ring, moist, long and stringy...all the usual suspects, but something was just a little off. The guy on the smoker told me they use Oak wood in FL; that they don’t have Hickory down there and it's too expensive to buy from Alabama. I guess that’s when I decided that I’m a Hickory guy, so I tend to use it as my primary wood for pork smokes. For me, Hickory provides a deeper smoky and spicier flavor than other woods I’ve used. Also, I don’t have any issues with a mixture of woods, I just always like to have Hickory in the mix.
Full water pan.
I will foil the butts after about 8-10 hours once my wood chunks are about done but charcoal is still going strong. I've gone back and forth on the age old question of "To Foil or Not To Foil." I settled it one day with a two butt smoke. Same rubs, same everything, except I foiled one about half way through. The results were absolutely conclusive. The foiled butt was so much moister and the foiling didn’t compromise the integrity of the bark. I still had excellent bark that wasn't the least bit soggy. So that settled that for me, and I've been foiling ever since.
Lid vent 50% open, two bottom vents @ 25% and the third bottom vent closed will keep my WSM at 225-250 for what seems like days.
I tend to pull butts off at 195 (usually 14ish hrs) and let rest, foiled, in a cooler for an hour or so.
I'll attach pics this weekend and we'll see how everything turns out.
Also, FYI -- I went to smoke some ribs two weeks ago and my WSM temp gage was not functioning. I called Weber customer support, relayed my problem on a WSM that's approx 2 years old and they sent a free replacement that showed up a week later. Great customer service from Weber. Has anyone else had their temp gage go out?
Sorry for the long read and Roll Tide!
