Disappointing cook time with Royal Oak lump


 
K

Kirk Boorman

TVWBB Super Fan
Sunday we had a practice cook for an upcoming competition in which we have to prepare pork butt in less than 8 hours. We used a packed ring of RO lump, started it by dumping on a 1/2 chimney of lit Kingsford and held the temp at 300 or better whenever possible. This required all vents to be open 100% and the door to be flipped over and left open a crack. I'm sorry to say that we only got about 3hrs before it was time to fire up more coals. We had to refuel twice during the cook which is not a big deal, but I really thought we'd get a longer cook out of it. I must say though, we weren't able to get much in the ring weight-wise. I think we only managed to squeeze in about 7 lbs.

Once again I'd like to thank those who came through with tips on how to cook butt this quickly. The end result was great!
 
I usually get around 12 hrs cooking at 225 grate with Royal Oak. I don't think Royal Oak has enough density to hold temps at 300 for very long.
 
I can vouch for that! I don't mind having to refuel once but this will be used for competition - I'll have plenty of other things to do besides tend the fire.

I'm wondering how a mix of Kingsford and lump would work...
 
I get the same - about 12 hours with the RO lump before having to add more to keep 225 going. Maybe longer - but I usually get paranoid and add fuel too soon in general
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It is very light, I can see how it would be hard to keep at 300+ for long.

I just saw the new Kingsford lump here at Walmart. It is a lot more dense than RO lump. Might give it a try, but only when I can't find RO lump.
 
Hey Kirk,

I'm planning on doing some some quick butts this weekend, just to play around a little. Shooting for an 8 -10 hour cook.

Plan - full ring of RO lump, about 25-30 briquettes dumped on, small water pan about 1/2 full. We'll see how it goes.

Joey Mac
 
BT, I had no water in the pan. I had it set up like Chris recommends for catching juices when doing a turkey. I had it wrapped in foil but I made sure that there was about an inch of airspace between the foil and the bottom of the pan. That way the drippings didn't burn. That part worked out great. I injected, rubbed, then cooked for 3 1/2 hrs or so, double wrapped in foil and took them to 200 - 205. I gave them a 1/2 hr rest before pulling and the results were excellent. I would definately do it this way again.

Joe, try to pack that ring as tight as you can and make sure them coals are really burning when you dump them in. I had a hard time keeping the temp up to 300 even with no water in the pan. The first time I tried to refuel, I just threw in some more RO. Well, the temp plummetted until the new stuff lit up and then it creeped back up over 300 for a bit. If (when) it's time for more coals, definately add lit as opposed to what I did. You may lose a little burn time but at least your temps will stay up. Let us know how it turns out.
 
Kirk, glad you had good results with the empty pan route. I'm doing almost 40lbs of butt this weekend with an allnighter. I'm not a big pulled pork fan but the stuff I got from my first dry cook was great. The bark was really good even after 2 hours wrapped up in a cooler
 
Kirk,
What were the wind condidtions? Even a slight breeze could effect your temps with the cooker that open. I always use my wind block when cooking that hot.
I don't know about the mix of RO and Kingford, but Kingsford is what I use for turkeys and that will hold in the 300-350 range easily for 5 hrs, maybe more I've never let it go much longer.

Joe,
I highly suggest the no pan approch. Using RO lump and a bbq guru pit minder to control temps I didn't have any trouble keeping the cooker at 225-250. 8# butt took 13 hrs. I'm going to try another one with the butt butterflied and try to take a few hrs of that. The final product has different taste, a little more roasted flavor but really good. The smoke flavor seems to penetrate all the way in. Even internal meat with no bark or smoke ring had a nice smokey flavor.
 
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