butt cook at work this friday....need some advice!!!


 
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Jim_W

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I plan to cook about 5 or 6 butts at work friday. I am planning on going in and having the WSM ready by 6 am. I want them to be ready by 12 noon. Probably will be using smaller butts since that is what the local grocer usually has. My question is regarding the larger amount of meat on the WSM. I have never cooked more than 2 butts at a time. Will minion method get me up to temp fast enough, or will I have to do something different? Occurs to me that the more mass there is to absorb the heat, the more time it will take to cook.

any tips or tricks will be appreciated.
 
Might be difficult as it typically takes quite a while to get the meat up to temp. I would probably recommend using the standard method of lighting the fuel to save time, then you could add more fuel as needed using a weber chimney.
Would leaving the water pan empty help in raising the temp quicker?
 
Even if you are able to fuel and fire your cooker sucessfully, you are cutting yourself extremely close on time, even if the butts are small. Also consider the fact that it will take quite a bit of time to pull all that pork when it is done. You may want to consider doing this all in advance-- overnight perhaps-- and reheat the pulled product the day of. Pulled pork is often as good, if not better, on re-warming.
 
Hi Jim,

At 225 degF, I have never had a pair of butts finish in under 15 hours. Typically two butts on the WSM at the above temperature take from 15 hours to 18 hours, depending on the size of the butts, fat content, temperature inside and out, etc.

If you're putting on 5 or 6 butts, it may take 45 minutes to an hour to get the smoker back up to the desired smoking temperature. IMHO, I think you need to give it at least 15 hours, especially since you have a lot more meat in the WSM.

Just my opinion. Good Luck.

-mc
 
Oh BTW, Doug is absolutely correct. I find that butts and brisket taste better smoked the day before I eat. I wrap them in saran wrap and foil after I pull them and then reheat the next day in the oven.

-mc
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Warren:
[qb] I plan to cook about 5 or 6 butts at work friday. I am planning on going in and having the WSM ready by 6 am. I want them to be ready by 12 noon. Probably will be using smaller butts since that is what the local grocer usually has. My question is regarding the larger amount of meat on the WSM. I have never cooked more than 2 butts at a time. Will minion method get me up to temp fast enough, or will I have to do something different? Occurs to me that the more mass there is to absorb the heat, the more time it will take to cook.

any tips or tricks will be appreciated. [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Thanks for the input!!!! I have about decided to just do an overnite cook thurs nite instead of trying to carry WSM to work friday morn so early.
 
Jim, what you COULD do is start them Wednesday afternoon so that they're done Thursday morning, and go ahead and wrap them in foil and refrigerate them. Clean out the WSM, then take it in with you Friday along with the wrapped butts, replace the wrapped butts on the smoker, and just reheat them there. If someone asks, you just tell them that good barbarcue takes time and that you had to start them at home in order to have time to create the magic. Lay a few thick slabs of onion with a clove of garlic stabbed in the middle on the grates to start up that "what do I SMELL???" kind of reaction. Then you still get to make the production of taking meat off the smoker in front of an audience and pulling it, but you don't have to worry about the meat actually getting done in time for lunch - just getting reheated in time for lunch. Now your question becomes "how long will it take butts to reheat in the WSM at XXX temp?"

I've done something like this before, although not with something long-cooking like butts, and the hassle that is prevented by just re-heating in the WSM as opposed to the whole cooking process is well worth it.

Oh... what time's lunch? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Keri Cathey:
[qb] Jim, what you COULD do is start them Wednesday afternoon so that they're done Thursday morning, and go ahead and wrap them in foil and refrigerate them. Clean out the WSM, then take it in with you Friday along with the wrapped butts, replace the wrapped butts on the smoker, and just reheat them there. If someone asks, you just tell them that good barbarcue takes time and that you had to start them at home in order to have time to create the magic. Lay a few thick slabs of onion with a clove of garlic stabbed in the middle on the grates to start up that "what do I SMELL???" kind of reaction. Then you still get to make the production of taking meat off the smoker in front of an audience and pulling it, but you don't have to worry about the meat actually getting done in time for lunch - just getting reheated in time for lunch. Now your question becomes "how long will it take butts to reheat in the WSM at XXX temp?"

I've done something like this before, although not with something long-cooking like butts, and the hassle that is prevented by just re-heating in the WSM as opposed to the whole cooking process is well worth it.

Oh... what time's lunch? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>If I wanted the butts done by around 10:00 am friday morning, what time would I need to get them on thurs eve? 3 on top rack and 3 on bottom rack. I figure they gonna absorb ALOT of heat!!

BTW, the reheat thing sounds good, however I just got the butts about an hour ago at the Piggly Wiggly. I thought I would throw the head country to them thurs. morning so they can sit for a day in the frig. Begin cook thurs eve. when I get home from work. That would give them all nite and up until 10am fri. morn.Then allow them to stand for about 1 hour or so and pass them out to their respective owners at lunch. Whatya think?
 
Jim, Piggly Wiggly? Loved that store! Have'nt seen one around here for 20 years. Are we from some planet twice removed?
Keri, have you ever thought about doing an "Ann Landers" sort of web site? You are a wealth of knowledge and ideas.
Think about it. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
Boy that Keri C is some kinda sharp.
You skip the stress and go straight for the praise and good smell.
 
Bob--

We still have a few Piggly Wiggly's around in the Southeast. Had a few Hoggly Woggly convenience stores around here for a while, but they seem to have pretty much played out.

Tom
 
Jim
5 or 6 butts can take a little longer than just a couple, you need to start at 6 to 7 pm on Thursday.
Once they hit aprox 190? internal you can take them off the cooker and wrap in plastic wrap and foil. Place in a dry cooler or Cambro.
I would plan on pulling them at work, they will pull very easily and people like to see it done.
There is enough heat in the butts to keep them warm until it's time to pull them and they will climb to aprox 200? internal setting in the dry cooler before they start losing any temp.
If it looks like they are going to take longer than expected to finish (stuff happens) you can wrap them at aprox 7am in the morning and put them back on the cooker until 10am when you place them in the dry cooler.
Hope this helps.
Jim
PS:Yes use the MM other wise you have fuel issues you don't need to deal with, rotate the butts from top grate to bottom can help even out the finish time but will not make or break the cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Minion:
[qb] Jim
5 or 6 butts can take a little longer than just a couple, you need to start at 6 to 7 pm on Thursday.
Once they hit aprox 190? internal you can take them off the cooker and wrap in plastic wrap and foil. Place in a dry cooler or Cambro.
I would plan on pulling them at work, they will pull very easily and people like to see it done.
There is enough heat in the butts to keep them warm until it's time to pull them and they will climb to aprox 200? internal setting in the dry cooler before they start losing any temp.
If it looks like they are going to take longer than expected to finish (stuff happens) you can wrap them at aprox 7am in the morning and put them back on the cooker until 10am when you place them in the dry cooler.
Hope this helps.
Jim
PS:Yes use the MM other wise you have fuel issues you don't need to deal with, rotate the butts from top grate to bottom can help even out the finish time but will not make or break the cook. [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Thanks Jim M, for the help. I will get them on by 6 pm Thurs eve. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
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