cooking 4 shoulders tonight cooking time ?

[Tom Raveret]

I have run out of Q in the freezer and owe some friends some favors so its time to cook a motherload on the WSM. I picked up 4 shoulders at Sam's yesterday totalling 27 lbs for $1.12/lb and coated them with Suthern succor rub from the Mr Brown recipie last night for tonights cook.

I'm trying to estimate time whats your experience been with a load like this I was going to target for teh 225-250 zone for cooking but am open to suggestions.

Also would you put the smaller ones on the lower rack and woudl you bother what recommendations (if any) do you have for rotating them during the cook?

Thanks, its been a while sincce i've been out here but its good to be back!!!!

 

[Paul G.]

I did an almost identical cook on Fri/Sat. Started at 11:00 a.m. and finished at 8:30 a.m. Sat. At 7:00 p,m, I rotated the larger to the bottom and flipped. My method was unusual because I didn't want to get up between 10/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif.m. and 6:00 a.m. so at 7:00 p.m. I disassembled the cooker and filled the ring with unlit. It was clearly stable by 9:00 and everything went perfect. I used sand and had to be careful. I removed the pan with leather gloves and then the center section. Of course I had already taken the meat off - that was when I rotated and flipped. Meat finished at 198. 20 people at my hunting camp are very "happy campers".

Paul

 

[Jim Pye]

I did 12 pounds yesterday. I ran in same zone as you and used Southern Succor/Mr. Brown recipe. I used the Minion Method for my fire. Meat went directly from refrigerator and onto cooker at 7:00 am. I noticed temperature start to drop around 5:30 so added 20 lit coals.
The first butt came off about 8:00 pm because everyone was starving. It was around 175 degrees internally. We sliced that meat as it wouldnt pull. I left the second butt on until about 11:00pm and internal temp was 195. This pulled nicely and honestly tasted better.
It was a longer cook than I expected.

 

[Guest]

I have cooked pork butt 3 times with 3 different amounts. The only thing I have been able to count on is it is going to take longer than I would predict. It seems that 14-16(closer to 16) hours is what it has always taken me at a 225 to 250 lid temp to get the internal to 195. I have always done night cooks and everyone has always enjoyed the outcome. Pulled pork is always a fan favorite.

 

[Tom Raveret]

Surprizingly this cook took shorter. I was going by the time model of 1-1.5 hrs per pound than I expected and thats with a ton of wind and 26 lbs of meat (see my gale warning post) Started at 8:00 pm and by 12:00 noon the next day 2 of the 4 roasts had to come off to get wrapped and put in my oven for a 170 hold before pulling. All in all tow of the roasts took 16 hours and the other tow took 18.