Eight Butts on the WSM


 
Tom_M

Tom_M

TVWBB Super Fan
Eight Butts I did overnight on my 22.5 WSM to be sold at the concession stand for the boys high school alumni game and public scrimmage tonight. Used pecan wood and rubbed with my own rub, took 16 hours at around 240 to reach 200 internal on one and 199 on another so I pulled them off, wrapped each one in foil and am storing them in a large cooler. I usually just start pulling them and making sandwiches right at the time they open so I won't get any shots of it pulled.

The 22.5 WSM just makes it so easy!

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I imagine they will be quite good when they are pulled. Nice looking smoke!!!

Did you have to reload the chamber with any coal? Any water in the pan?

So all the butts finished up around the same time and temp?
 
Thanks. Nope, no extra fuel needed,I packed it full of Kingsford and a few small pieces of pecan and it was still running steady at 241 when I shut it down.

No water in the pan, lined it with heavy duty foil to make cleanup easier.
The one I had the probe in showed 200 and another was 199 and the bone was sticking out of the others.

They were all just a bit over 6 lbs each so they were nearly identical in size. A couple on the bottom rack fell apart as I was trying to lift them out.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jack Bordeaux:
I imagine they will be quite good when they are pulled. Nice looking smoke!!!

Did you have to reload the chamber with any coal? Any water in the pan?

So all the butts finished up around the same time and temp? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
Tom, great looking butts. Well done.

In follow up to Jack's question on fuel, I've done a total of 3 smokes on my 22.5, 2 ribs and 1 chicken, so I'm a relative newbie. I've always pulled the meat and closed the vents, and ultimately all of the briquettes are used up. So, my question is--how long can you get briquettes to burn without adding fuel? I'd love to try my first brisket but I've always **assumed** that I'd have to get up at some point and add fuel. It sounds like maybe that's a fallacy.

Thoughts? Thanks.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
Tom, great looking butts. Well done.

In follow up to Jack's question on fuel, I've done a total of 3 smokes on my 22.5, 2 ribs and 1 chicken, so I'm a relative newbie. I've always pulled the meat and closed the vents, and ultimately all of the briquettes are used up. So, my question is--how long can you get briquettes to burn without adding fuel? I'd love to try my first brisket but I've always **assumed** that I'd have to get up at some point and add fuel. It sounds like maybe that's a fallacy.

Thoughts? Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm lucky because I have all of my smokers in a large shed so they're out of the weather when I cook, which can make a huge difference in the use of fuel. If it's really cold,humid,rainy or windy that can increase the use of fuel.

All I can suggest is just go for it and see what happens, that's what makes it so fun. It seems like it takes around an hour or so for the temp to stabilize, in this case it was at 235 when I went to bed and 240 when I got up, and that was with two vents open a very slight amount.

Pack and pile as much charcoal as you can get in the ring. I usually have some left over after short cooks and I save as much of that as I can to use later as either starter coals in the chimney or short cooks like chicken.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Richard Diaz:
How many sandwiches were cold? Thats alot of meat. Nice job. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually none were cold. The butts stay plenty hot in the cooler, I just took some out and made the sandwiches as needed. Sold all of it except about 1 and a half butts, and those are going to be sold at a scrimmage game Wednesday.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom Meneou:
Actually none were cold. The butts stay plenty hot in the cooler, I just took some out and made the sandwiches as needed. Sold all of it except about 1 and a half butts, and those are going to be sold at a scrimmage game Wednesday. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's some fine looking Q there Tom..

I put shoulders in the cooler all the time for the office. Will sit from 3 to 5 hours just find (probably longer, but 5 hours is the longest I've tried). They are still smoking hot when you unfoil them. I usually time mine to be done between 8-9am, foil and put in the cooler and head to the office. Start pulling as the line forms at 11:30am.

Oh, I also will spritz mine with either apple juice or a mixture of apple and pineapple juice just as I'm foiling them. It seems to soak in the bark and give a nice sweetness to it on top of the other flavors.
 
Hello, I'm a little late to this thread party but I have a couple questions... Did u use the minion method to fire up your coals? If so Do you use a coffee can for the minion method? And lastly, did you use any water in your pan? thanks a lot and those butts look great!
 
Simply amazing!!! I love pictures like this!

Matty he said that he did not use water and just foiled the pan. I would assume for a long cook like that he did use the minion method with 20 or so lit briquettes. :wsm:
 
Tom, way to go. I love the simplicity of the "pull as you go" and find that if you cook slow as you did, there's hardly any fat or connective tissue left and pulling is a cinch. I prefer water in the pan for butts most of the time, but would probably cook dry if cooking two full grates worth. Do you notice any difference in the final product comparing cooking one or two butts vs. a full cooker when cooking with no water in the pan?
 
Hey Matty. Yes, I used the Minion, always do on long cooks, but I don't use a coffee can, I just throw a handful or two of unlit coals in the chimney starter. I salvage leftover coals from the WSM's after they cool off and keep them to use in the chimney or for short cooks.

No water, I quit using water after the first couple of cooks with my first WSM and have never went back.

And thanks for the compliment! I had a lot of fun cooking for the high school soccer team concession stand, my son played but after he graduated I quit doing it.

Matty J said:
Hello, I'm a little late to this thread party but I have a couple questions... Did u use the minion method to fire up your coals? If so Do you use a coffee can for the minion method? And lastly, did you use any water in your pan? thanks a lot and those butts look great!
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Dave.Honestly I can't really tell any difference between a full load and one or two. The ones on the bottom rack have a bit different outside texture from the drippings from above, but that's about the only difference I can see. I have a theory, and we all know how valuable that is, that all of the natural moisture/humidity that's produced from a large amount of meat while it's cooking eliminates the need for the water pan.

Dave Russell said:
Tom, way to go. I love the simplicity of the "pull as you go" and find that if you cook slow as you did, there's hardly any fat or connective tissue left and pulling is a cinch. I prefer water in the pan for butts most of the time, but would probably cook dry if cooking two full grates worth. Do you notice any difference in the final product comparing cooking one or two butts vs. a full cooker when cooking with no water in the pan?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks, Tom.

It seems if you're (our) theory is right, then there should be four times the moisture in the pit (from evaporation from meat) with eight butts than if only cooking two. Either way though, it's a dryer environment than if steaming with the water pan, but a more moist environment than if cooking on a cooker with more air flow, like an offset.

Anyhow, for myself, I don't care for making lots of vent adjustments so I use water. I know...if I'd just use Kbb I probably wouldn't get many temp spikes....eight butts is a lot of heat sink, though.
 
Thanks for all the info guys! So do you find that with the water pan empty you have to fiddle with the vents more often??
 
What is "The Kbb"
Dave Russell said:
Thanks, Tom.

It seems if you're (our) theory is right, then there should be four times the moisture in the pit (from evaporation from meat) with eight butts than if only cooking two. Either way though, it's a dryer environment than if steaming with the water pan, but a more moist environment than if cooking on a cooker with more air flow, like an offset.

Anyhow, for myself, I don't care for making lots of vent adjustments so I use water. I know...if I'd just use Kbb I probably wouldn't get many temp spikes....eight butts is a lot of heat sink, though.
Click to expand...
 
That sounded like fun. I have a couple of follow up questions. Was your apple / pineapple spray a 50/50 mixture? Did you use any finishing sauce or BBQ sauce after you pulled therapy?
Thanks
Paul
 
Hey Matty Kbb is the normal Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes. Kingsford Briquettes Blue bag. I also cook with a foiled water pan and my temps are just as stable as when I used water. That is a huge debate among WSM owners. The water pan and what to do with it. Some put a clay saucer in it, some use sand, some use water, some just foil it and some remove it all together. Then to further compound it some buy a Brinkman water pan. I don't think one way is better then another but I settled for no water and just foiling the pan. It works for me but try out all the methods and you decide what works for you.
 
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