first 2 layer butt smoke


 
M

Matt Simmons

TVWBB Member
This is the first time cooking on both top and bottom rack in my wsm. I am cooking 2 9lb pork butt's and am interested on any tips to try to finish them about the same time. Do I need to rotate racks half way through? Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

one more thing... I cooked a 10lb pork butt a couple weeks back that took about 15 hrs. How long should I expect for 2 9lbers? I know it is all off the feel in the end, but looking for a +/-2hr window guesstimate
 
Here is a cook Chris did with 4 butts and has great detail. Those 9 pound butts must be huge if you have to use the upper and lower grills.
 
I could squeeze them in but rather than having them touch up against the lid I figured now would be a good time to get comfortable using both layers
 
i find using both racks to be a pain. if i'm doing 2 butts i put them on their sides and use a wooden skewer to keep them apart. i have done two 10 pounders and three 6 pounders this way. usually i only use the bottom rack if i have 4 or more butts or if i do a pot of beans.

edit, to answer some of your questions, swapping midway won't hurt, but isn't really needed. if the top one gets done first just wrap it in foil and throw in a cooler full of towels. and i would guestimate 14-16 hours for the cook
 
2-9lb butts will fit on the top grate and for all practical purposes, I'd cook them there! Just make sure there is enough space between them for airflow, don't worry about the edges. After a couple hours, they will shrink down and there will be more than enough room.

When I'm doing more than 2 butts, I cook butts on both grates and honestly, they all end up finishing like they were cooked on the same grate. Initially you will have a big temp difference with that much meat between the uppper and lower grates. After an hour or so they equal out and the WSM does it's magic.
 
Great advice, thanks guys. I think I will do what many suggest and not swap grates.

So long as my et73 does not run out of batteries and fail when I am sleeping, things should turn out well I hope.
 
With the 18.5 using the minion method and the full till it going to burst ring of charcoal you should be able to stabilize the temp. and relax. The first butts I did came out great. The temp just held so steady I was amazed.
 
i did 4 butts last weekend using both grates. I just put the smallest ones on the bottom. they all finished around the 17 hour mark and were perfect. the ones on top were not over cooked and the ones on the bottom were not undercooked
 
Butts turned out pretty darn good. Started them at 530 last night and took them off about 1030ish this morning. This time I saved the drippings from the foil when in the cooler and poured it back over the pulled pork along with a little bit of run. Used the Carolina sauce again with extra ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to tone down the vinegar a tad. Oh, and a bunch of cayenne to heat it up.
 
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