First Long Cook!


 
A

Andrew Wands

TVWBB Member
Hello board! I am going to attempt my first Boston butts on my 22.5 this weekend. ill prob do 2-4...just a few questions. I would assume I fill the ring to the very top of the ring and then use a full chimney lit to minion the start. Do I wait til the temp comes up to put meat on? How much smoke wood should I use throught the cook? When I refuel do i throw lit or unlit in there? Im thinking about starting it around 10pm but am kinda worried to sleep on my first cook but dont wanna wake up at 4 and monitor it til 5 or 6pm...any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
I use 1/2 chimney to start my 18.5. Not sure how that translates to the 22.5. If you have to add additional fuel, light it in a chimney before adding it. A full ring usually gives me 12-14 hrs at 250. I don't usually need more time than that. Again, that's in an 18.5.

I usually use about 3-5 tennis ball size chunks of hickory for butts.

I know lots of people recommend putting the meat on right after starting the fire if you are using the Minion Method, but I wait until my WSM has reached the desired temperature. For overnights, I make sure the WSM, meat and all, has been steady for at least 30 minutes before going to bed.

I probably wouldn't sleep during my first cook; I would use it a couple of times first. Having said that, your first overnight will cause you a great deal of worry, but afterward you will be saying, "man, that was easy!"
 
The wonderful thing about butts is you can cook them from 200F to 350f & they still taste great. I'm old , cook & learn where to set your vents during a daytime cook & for the overnite cook " Set It & Forget It"
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Andrew, check out everything Chris A. has written about his butt cooks on his wsm in the cooking topics section here on the forum. Except for charcoal and meat amounts, most everything else seems to translate over to the big wsm, from what I hear.

Don't fret too much over temps, and cook to tenderness, not a certain temp. I'd check any gauges with boiling water to have an idea about accuracy, just to know, but as long as temps are in the 200-275 zone, you're bbqing. (Maybe that's why that is shaded and called the "smoking" zone on the weber gauge.)

I use a Maverick probe at the vent and it gives me a temp that's about 15 degrees higher than the grate, so I like to cook in the 225-250 zone going by the vent temp. If going by the factory gauge, be sure to check it for accuracy, but it'll read about 25 degrees low if you have much meat on the cooker, at least for the first part of the cook. In other words, don't try to get 250 on it if cooking overnight.

I cook butts overnight and into the next day for 15-18 hours, depending on conditions and how much meat in my little wsm. The most forgiving thing about butts is the fact that you can wrap in foil and keep hot in a cooler for several hours til supper time.
 
Andrew,

I have the 22 also. Correct on filling to the rim. I usually light about 30 (yes, counted). When ready spread them as evenly as you can. Add your wood and meat immediately. When the temp hits 200, close down the vents to about 25% open. Then just monitor the temp and adjust the vents so you run 225 - 265 range. I try not to let it go over 265. As far as wood goes, I'd use 4-5 chunks for your first time. For refuel (typically I only refuel once), I throw a small layer of unlit in, and then another 30-40 lit. That's gotten me easily 16 hours and probably could have gone longer. As for sleep, I usually wake up twice overnight just to check on things. BTW - if you start cooking at 10 pm, 2-4 butts will not take until 5-6pm the next day!!! That's 19-20hours. Your butts (if doing pulled pork) would be done, assuming a pretty stable temp in the 250 range, in about 14 hours. Maybe a hair longer, maybe less depending on temp. Relax, Chill Out, Have a few cold ones, and it is MANDATORY (for some us) to see pic's.
 
Sheeeeesh! What's all this talk of 20-hour cooks?
Cook at 275° and 2 butts will be done in 9 hours.
Got the T-Shirt on that one.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Charles Howse:
Sheeeeesh! What's all this talk of 20-hour cooks?
Cook at 275° and 2 butts will be done in 9 hours.
Got the T-Shirt on that one. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, I think you would really have to pack your WSM to need 20 hours! And probably some real BIG butts! Rich
 
Andrew, Good luck on the long cook. Just wondering, how many you will be cooking for? (There is quite the diff. in bbq between 2 or 4 butts.) Any how, Its gonna get pretty cool down here this weekend, and I'm sure that will play a role in the amount of fuel your 22 consumes. I cooked my BB around 250 for about 12 hours. If you are planning on eating around 5/6 in the evening, I would probably get the meat on the WSM around 1-ish. that way if you plan on a 14 hr smoke(and thats on the long end) you can get the meat off around 3ish and foil it. Also, I went to tenderness as well as temp. You want the temp probe to slide in the Butt like you would a toothpick into a cake. As I write this, I just went outside and checked the wind. It seems to have died down and I see some stars in the sky, so the temps will begin to drop pretty quickly. Like I said earlier, I think the temps will be your biggest obstacle.(and even that isnt a big deal.) I'm just down Hwy 52 from ya, you know if you need any help eating the leftovers and all...
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Charles Howse:
Sheeeeesh! What's all this talk of 20-hour cooks?
Cook at 275° and 2 butts will be done in 9 hours.
Got the T-Shirt on that one. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've never taken 20 hours to cook a butt, but I have had them go 18 or so, especially when I packed four or more in my little wsm. I like to cook low-n-slow at 225-250, measured at the vent and stretch out my cooks since the Missus always wants the bbq for supper the next day, not lunch. I find that the hotter I cook, the faster the water boils off the pan, and I have the time cooking overnight, anyway.

I find the wsm is a set and forget cooker with a ECB water pan and good charcoal. I typically monitor for the first hour or so, then go to bed and not worry about filling the pan again until the next morning. No refueling on the little wsm is needed unless it's really cold/windy.

BTW, I put out the queastion a while back on two different forums concerning all-day butt cooks for supper, vs. overnight and holding til supper. NOT ONE person encouraged me to get up early or cook at 275, with the exception of a couple of guys that suggested foiling to speed up the cook. I don't want to mess with foiling if I'm cooking butts on both racks, and I like the texture of the bark best with a long low-n-slow cook, anyway.

Just thought I'd give the reasons for the long low-n-slow cooks. It's more a timing sort of thing, really. When I cooked three for a family reunion this summer, I cooked a little hotter to get 'em done that morning. If I remember correctly, I set the Maverick for 240-265 or so, and yep, they were done a good bit quicker, just as planned.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tim (the grillaholic):
Andrew, Good luck on the long cook. Just wondering, how many you will be cooking for? (There is quite the diff. in bbq between 2 or 4 butts.) Any how, Its gonna get pretty cool down here this weekend, and I'm sure that will play a role in the amount of fuel your 22 consumes. I cooked my BB around 250 for about 12 hours. If you are planning on eating around 5/6 in the evening, I would probably get the meat on the WSM around 1-ish. that way if you plan on a 14 hr smoke(and thats on the long end) you can get the meat off around 3ish and foil it. Also, I went to tenderness as well as temp. You want the temp probe to slide in the Butt like you would a toothpick into a cake. As I write this, I just went outside and checked the wind. It seems to have died down and I see some stars in the sky, so the temps will begin to drop pretty quickly. Like I said earlier, I think the temps will be your biggest obstacle.(and even that isnt a big deal.) I'm just down Hwy 52 from ya, you know if you need any help eating the leftovers and all...
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Hey Neighbor! Thanks for the info. I just picked up the butts. they both weigh around 6.90 Lbs. Im still wondering whether I should do the overnight thing and put them on around 1am sunday or just wait til 5-6am sunday and be able to monitor and see how it acts. but they are somewhat small butts so maybe it wont take nearly as long. I can cook a 10 pounder in my Orion in about 4.5-5 hrs but thats not the real thing!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Charles Howse:
I put 'em on at 9:00 am, and they're ready by 6:00 pm.
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Charles, just to clarify: We're talking untrimmed 8 pound bone-in butts cooked to tender with no time in foil? The bone pulls clean and meat practically falls apart? 275 at the grate, or on the gauge lid?

My cousin has been doing some quick cooks on his modified ECB, but he says the outside bark ends up pretty tough where the highest temps come up around the outside. He wants a big wsm.
 
Andrew, 2 Butts @ 6.9, (untrimmed?) I did a smoke of 1 butt (about the same size) on my 18.5 and I woke up a little before 4 Am and fired up the smoker. I had all my things ready, the charcoal ring was full, the chimney was loaded, and I had the wood chunks nestled in the charcoal ring, the night before. Once I poured the glowinw chimney on the unlit, I went ahead and placed the full water pan(warm water) on the smoker and went ahead and placed the Butt on the top rack. I think I was up to temp (225/250) by 5:15. Being my 1st long smoke, I stayed awake for another 45 mins to an hour, (just for peace of mind) But was back asleep by 6:30ish. I pulled the Butt off the smoker between 5:15-5:30 that evening.
IMHO, I don't think you need to have your meat on the WSM any sooner than 03:00/04:00. (assuming you want to eat around 6:00/6:30, that would allow you 14 hours smoke time.)
Again, good luck, Keep me posted as to the progress.
I think we are heading to Sams this evening, (somehow, a 3 pack of loinbacks seems to always wind up in our cart
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) I'll swap pics with ya tomorrow!
 
Hey Tim! I decided to do an overnight starting at about 10pm or so. Im going to fill the ring almost overflowing above the air holes and start with 40 lit Briq's. When it hits 200 ill close all 3 bottom vents to 25% as suggested and wait.Probobly check on it 3 or 4am and go from there. I hope I dont have to add more fuel but I have plenty if I do. Call Chefsmart in Winston to see if they still have that killer deal on Kingsford Charcoal. 2-20lb bags for $13.95
 
Thanks Andrew, I plan on giving Chefsmart a call tomorrow after church. We will be headed into Winston for lunch, so hopefully I will be able to load up on some charcoal!
Sounds like you've got a great plan in place! Just make sure to cook to tenderness, and make sure someone is around when you pull the bone out. (before you begin 'pulling the pork') I was not expecting the impressive remarks I got when the bone slid out clean as a wistle!!
Its official, That pack of loinbacks wound up in our cart again, its 2 racks memphis dry rub, and 1 rack lathered in sauce tomorrow for supper! Man, I can't wait!
AGAIN, BEST OF LUCK!!
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Good deal! Hey, I plan on giving most of this to a couple of people. Would it be best to go ahead and pull, sauce, and bag them up or just keep one whole (try to) and just give it to them in foil? I'm thinking of just pulling all of it, throw a little vinegar based like little richards sauce and just putting it in a ziplock to give to them on monday.
 
Andrew, I'd definately pull and ziplock unless you're giving a butt to someone that really knows bbq. Let us know how it turned out.
 
Since My wife is a veggie I give away lots of bbq to friends, I seem to have trouble eating a 18 lb shoulder by myself. I always pull it and zip lock it but usually don't add the sauce but will include a little jar of my home made sauce on the side. I also tell anyone I give it to that if I find out they put some factory made crap with added smoke flavour on it then it's the last bbq I'll ever give them.

Cheers

P.S. Don't forget to add some of your rub to it while your pulling it.
 
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