Maximum butts in a WSM


 
R

russell swift

TVWBB Super Fan
Is it practical to cook more than 4 butts in a WSM? I will be catering a private party of about 50 and estimate needing 6 8lb butts--can you stack 3 on the top grate and 3 on the bottom? The good news is I will have plenty of time to cook the meat and plenty of fuel to burn.
 
Russell you can do 6 butts with no problem. I would suggest if you don't already do, to use sand or an empty water pan because there will already be alot of humidity in the cooker with that much meat. Overload your charcoal ring as well.. Here's some pic's of 6 I did a while back for my daughters graduation party.

 
Larry, those pics looks awesome! A few questions: 1) how much additional time did the 6 butts take as opposed to 4? I generally cook at 225-240F range and 4 8lbers can take up to 16 hrs. 2) How fuel efficient was your WSM during this process? Mine is bad about losing heat around the 12 hr mark and I always have to refill whether its cooking with lump or briquettes. 3) Did you swap top grate butts and bottom grate butts anytime during cook? 4) Is your rub available for sale anywhere in the Carolinas?

Sorry for all the questions but I really don't want to screw this up as it will be the largest crowd I've cooked for.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by russell swift:
Larry, those pics looks awesome! A few questions: 1) how much additional time did the 6 butts take as opposed to 4? I generally cook at 225-240F range and 4 8lbers can take up to 16 hrs. 2) How fuel efficient was your WSM during this process? Mine is bad about losing heat around the 12 hr mark and I always have to refill whether its cooking with lump or briquettes. 3) Did you swap top grate butts and bottom grate butts anytime during cook? 4) Is your rub available for sale anywhere in the Carolinas?

Sorry for all the questions but I really don't want to screw this up as it will be the largest crowd I've cooked for. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like to cook with a dome temp between 245*-260*. I did not rotate the grates and that particular cook took right at 20hrs. After an hour a huge thunderstorm came up and dropped temps for a bit, but then everything went smoothly from there. I initially piled as much Kingsford in the ring as I could and believe I had to add a little towards the end of the cook.
 
Russell, have done that many times. I would stand them on their sides,in a triangle shape. If you can get them on laying flat would be ideal. I've done over 60 lbs at one time. Takes some juggling when they are done as the ones on the bottom may finish before the ones on the top. Since I don't use water in my pan just foil I put the bigger ones on the bottom where they are exposed to the most heat.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
Russell you can do 6 butts with no problem. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Larry, these look great. I assume when you begin, the butts are touching each other. Do you have any problems with that? How long do you find it takes for them to shrink so they aren't touching?
 
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