I finally have a rare Saturday with nothing planned for me. So I've been up since 6:30, cleaned the WSM for cooking, and put my 4 lb butt on about 7:30. For the first time I hand packed the charcoal ring, standing the kingsford bricks on end in concentric circles, dodging the wood. I packed it pretty tight two layers deep since I probably need no more than 10 hours of heat. We'll see if the packing makes a difference. 13 lit coals on top, settled in at 290 now, and the day is mine! Now if the rest of the family would just get up we might have some fun today! And if only it were a college football Saturday it would be perfect!