First long cook

[James Lake]

I'm preparing for my first long cook. I will be putting two butts on my WSM 22.5 Wednesday evening. I will be rubbing one and injecting the other. I have been following a lot of post on here, but could really use some last minute advise from you pros. I understand I should put the biggest butt on the top rack. I would like to cook between 220 and 240. I live where the outside temp will probably adjust down around 30 degrees during the night, I anticipate the cook to take 13 - 15 hours. Talk me through this guys.

 

[Matt Gard]

If you have the room to put both butts on the top rack i'd do that. It will make it much easier to work with the butts. If you put one on the bottom you will have to remove a rack to work on it. Just keep an eye on your grate temps and watch for the stall. It may take a few hours to get through it but don't worry it will pass. Good luck

 

[Briant]

My last overnighter was 2 butts on the top rack of an 18.5. Total load of 15.5 lbs. It took almost 16 hours going between 225-250. With your outdoor temp being that low you might want to plan on a little longer. You can always foil and put in a cooler if it cooks faster.

 

[Dave Penn]

If you have the room to put both butts on the top rack i'd do that. It will make it much easier to work with the butts. If you put one on the bottom you will have to remove a rack to work on it. Just keep an eye on your grate temps and watch for the stall. It may take a few hours to get through it but don't worry it will pass. Good luck

My last overnighter was 2 butts on the top rack of an 18.5. Total load of 15.5 lbs. It took almost 16 hours going between 225-250. With your outdoor temp being that low you might want to plan on a little longer. You can always foil and put in a cooler if it cooks faster.

I agree with Matt and Briant, and would add that you should try to keep your WSM out of the wind as much as you can. If the air is calm, especially with the 22.5, the WSM will maintain its temps really well. But if the wind gets at it, it'll really strip away a lot of heat. Make sure you load it up with plenty of coal, too; cold temps can really increase the amount of coal it'll take to maintain a given cook temp.

 

[James H]

You will do great. Butts are easy....set it and forget it since you can range from as low as 200 to as high a 275 aiming for that average around 225-250. What size butts are we talking about?

 

[James Lake]

You will do great. Butts are easy....set it and forget it since you can range from as low as 200 to as high a 275 aiming for that average around 225-250. What size butts are we talking about?

I'm thinking of butts between 5 - 7 lbs each. Which one should I put my meat probe into the bigger or smaller one, or does position on the grill more important?

 

[JimmyE]

My advice, FWIW, get 2 larger butts, there just as easy to do as smaller ones. Secondly, load up that WSM with charcoal, put your baseball sized chunks of wood throughout the charcoal. Light via Minion, get 'er up to around 250 degrees and settle it in. Put both butts on the top grate side by side. All you have to do is monitor your grate temp and keep it reasonably steady. Foil at 170 or not, but they should be 200 degrees in about 10 hours or so normally....at least in New Jersey they are.