Calculating cooking time


 
Hawk Redhawk

Hawk Redhawk

TVWBB Member
Cooking time = weight x temperature. I get that. But, is that combined weight or individual weight? Let's suppose that I have 2 Pork Butts, each weighing 6 pounds. Do I calculate my cooking time based on 6 pounds or 12 pounds? Or is there a formula that figures the correct time somewhere in between the two. I know the most accurate way is to use a probe thermometer but is there a rule of thumb for calculating time??
 
Each butt will absorb thermal energy. My guess is that two six pound butts will be less than one 12 pound butt. If it was me I would split the difference and call it 9 pounds and plan for that. Take good notes and check both with an internal temperature.
 
No expert here but the way I look at it is it's the thickness that makes the difference. 2 would cook the same as one given the same dimentions and starting temp, enough space between, and a steady temp. I've noticed on the WSM the temp drops when I put cold meat on, the bigger the cut, the lower it goes and the longer it takes to get back to my cooking temp. For a long cook, like a butt, it would be fairly insignificant. The pellet pooper temp recovers much faster then the WSM, probably more from the door being open then the meat being added.
 
JWorden said:
Each butt will absorb thermal energy. My guess is that two six pound butts will be less than one 12 pound butt. If it was me I would split the difference and call it 9 pounds and plan for that. Take good notes and check both with an internal temperature.
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This was my thought. I do a lot of conventional oven cooking. When I do Lasagna the recipe calls for 30minutes cooking time, then remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes. It has been my experience if I am cooking 2 pans of lasagna o ad another 50% of the. cooking time, so 45 minutes foiled and then another 5 unfoiled and it’s perfect. I just wondered if this also applies to smoking.
 
A WSM is basically an oven. As long as you have a couple of inches of space between the butts for air flow the 2 butts will cook as fast as 1 butt.
 
Time is the same when you cook 1,2,3 or 4 butts once your WSM comes up to temp.
And that's the only variance, more butts might take an extra hour getting to temp and you'll use more fuel, but weather also plays into that also.

Tim
 
Only difference in what Tim and Jeff said is that there is no quality control consistancy in bbq meats as there is with the individual components in Lasagna. Each animal is different. Trying to cook bbq as you would Lasagna is not a road I would suggest one travel....
 
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