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Anything different for doing 4 butts?


 
J

John_H

TVWBB Member
I've done butts quite a few times on my WSM. This week I'm doing four at a time for a family reunion. (on the 18"). I've done 4 maybe one other time a few years back. But with cooking for so many people, I'm feeling like the pressure is on. I had a few question regarding doing 4 butts at a time.

1) Will total cook time take longer?
2) Should you rotate the butts or leave in the same spot?
3) With so much cool meat how long is normal for the WSM to get up to temp?
4) I'm wanting to eat at 6pm, I was thinking about starting around midnight, does this timing sound right?
5) What the easiest way to pull the meat off the bottom rack when it finished? BBQ gloves? pull the whole rack out?
6) At home I always light my charcoal while placing the chimney on my gas grill, any recomendations for where I should place the chimney while lighting?


Thanks in advance for all yourh help
 
1) it might take a spell longer, but nothing drastic. 2 to a rack (I'm assuming) and I don't plan any differently. 4 to a rack is a different story. :)
2) I leave em in the same spot. Check out post #12 in my thread below.
3) the trickier part is where I put the Maverick pit probe while filling up the racks. I try not to worry about the initial pit temp climb.
4) Starting at midnight is what I do just about every time. Except for the cook in the link because I was serving at 6 and brought the cooked meat to them.
5) Easiest would be insulated BBQ food handling gloves. I used 2 flippers coming in from each direction and lifting straight up.
6) This is always the funky part when I'm not doing this at home. I've come to just using the top cooking grate and giving it a quick cleaning.

While not exactly the same cook as you have going on, there might be some useful help spread throughout this thread for ya.
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?40887-65-pounds-of-pork-on-the-WSM&highlight=washington+airport

Good luck with the cook and take your camera. :)
 
Ditto what Chad said....
Don't forget to take pics and have plenty of adult beverages. :)
 
You will use more fuel but as long as the butts aren't jammed against each other the time is about the same as doing 1.
 
We just did 4 butts this past weekend. Total weight was just shy of 40lbs. Using minion method our 18.5 WSM was up to 225 smoking temp when I shut 2 of the bottom vents and about half closed the 3rd and left top vent all open. Added apple wood and then the 4 butts, 2 butts per rack. No problem holding the 225 temp. Butts went on at 10pm and came off at 11am the next day. Set it and forget it, I went to bed about an hour after the meat went on, didn't even look at the meat until 10am. I did check the dome thermometer when I got up about 8am. Put probe thermometer in meat at 10am and meat was about 179 degrees. An hour later it was 190 and pulled off to rest. Turned out great. As far as I know smoker stayed locked on 225 degrees throughout the whole smoke, or if it did vary it was when I was sleeping! It was still 225 when I shut things down and I never had to add any charcoal, and still had a small amount in coal ring that hadn't burned up yet. I really like my 18.5 WSM!
 
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