Butts on a Genesis - tips?


 
M

Melman

TVWBB Member
I just bought a used Genesis gas grill, and I'll be doing a couple of butts this weekend. My old grill was a Charbroil 2-burner, and I could indirect grill/smoke a butt fairly well on it.

Looking for suggestions from anyone who's done it on a Genesis. I was planning to put it on the front of the grill and run the back burner on low, but the manual says that the front burner should always be on?
 
I've cooked many butts on my Genesis prior to getting a WSM. I always put the butts on the rear and kept the front burner on. Technically speaking, the front burner is supposed to be a sort of "pilot light," which should be on all of the time. If you find that the other racks get in the way, take 'em out. I used to get my Genesis down to around 250. The butts always came out great. Good luck.
 
I also put mine on the back of the grill. With the front burner on low, the thermometer in the right side of the lid (near grate level) read about 300, but I don't think it was that hot since the butt took 11.5 hours. It was 7 or 8 lbs. uncooked - much bigger than anything I'd tried on the old grill, where about 1 hour per pound was typical.

I had trouble getting my smoke packets (hickory chips in foil) going. By the time I finally got smoke at about 3 hours, it was probably too late for it to do any good. At first I had them on the grate (as I used to do on the old grill), then down on the vaporizer bars. Next time maybe I'll remove a couple of the top layer of the bars, to get them even closer to the heat. (Unless there's a better way?)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Melman:... By the time I finally got smoke at about 3 hours, it was probably too late for it to do any good. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually, as I understand it, the smoke will continue to be deposited on the meat as long as it is exposed to it. The chemical Rx that causes the smoke ring to form, however, ceases after the meat reaches an internal temp of 140.

I've always had a problem developing smoke in my gasser.

Paul
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul G.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Melman:... By the time I finally got smoke at about 3 hours, it was probably too late for it to do any good. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually, as I understand it, the smoke will continue to be deposited on the meat as long as it is exposed to it. The chemical Rx that causes the smoke ring to form, however, ceases after the meat reaches an internal temp of 140.

Paul </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
My understanding is the same as Paul's. The smoke will be absorbed at or near the surface of the meat (i.e., the bark) as long as smoke is applied but the smoke ring will cease to form once the affected part of the meat reaches approx. 140ºF.

11.5 hours at 300º for a 7 or 8 pound butt doesn't sound unreasonable to me ~ I routinely cook 7.5 pound butts at 220º for 20 to 23 hours to reach an internal temp of 200 to 205º.

I've never q'd on my Genesis though ~ Only finished a loin back rack off once with very good results so I don't have an answer to your smoke issue. I pre-heated the grill and left the rear burner on and had no problems maintaining 225 to 240º measured at the rack of ribs with a Nu-Temp.

Good luck with your cook and Genesis.
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Bill
 
The tough part about smoking on a gasser is that you need to maintain the burner high enough to get the wood chips to smoke, but need the cooking area temp to remain low. I used to keep the lid open after I placed the chips on the bars. Once the chips started smoking, I'd turn down the heat and close the lid. Soon after, the smoke would stop, so I'd repeat this process a few times. Now you know why I picked up a WSM . . .
 
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