n00b needs a little help


 
M

Mike Dinon

New member
Hi All,

So work got in the way of any preparation I was planning for my very first cook on my brand new 18.5 WSM. I am attempting to cook two pork butts today after getting a very late start (pork was on at 9:30am). Now I am using the minion method and I have a Maverick remote thermometer that I am using. I didn't have a cork or a potato on hand so I have it hanging over the first rack above the second rack, so somewhat in the middle. I started with all vents open and when the stock weber thermometer and the maverick both reached 200 degrees then I shut the bottom vents to 25% open. My maverick is showing the temp at 219(climbed to 222 while typing) while the weber meter on the lid hasn't budged above 200. What I want to know is am I perhaps getting an inaccurate read from the maverick and therefore try and get the weber thermometer up to 225 or relax and trust my maverick? It has been a hectic first go so far just due to the fact that all my time to pre-plan and prepare just got trashed by my other responsibilities but I have been dying to try out my WSM so I am forging ahead anyway. Thanks in advance for any help. Oh and because I am in the lovely Pacific Northwest of course a light rain is falling
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Mike
 
Mike, just relax and enjoy. The maverick is probly closer to actual temp. Is this your first time using your wsm ? It may run hotter until you get a few cooks in, and are you using water in the pan ? How much do the butts weigh ?
 
Yes, this is my first time using it (put it together last night). I am using water in the pan, foiled at the bottom. I have two pork butts on which in total weighed 15 lbs, so I am thinking around 7.5 lb or so per butt. I am trying the Renowned Mr. Bown method. The weber lid temp is now a little under 225 and the maverick is at 228 so they seem to be more inline now. The light rain has intensified to more of a real rain so I have a patio umbrella covering. Thanks for the help.
 
The dome temperature usually runs a little higher, but your WSM is a little hotter near the edges, so if your Maverick is close to the side, it may read hotter. Relax and enjoy your cook. Butts turn out fine whether cooked at 225 or 275. Worry about thermometer readings later.

Some people claim that the Weber thermometer is inaccurate. I can't say since I have an older model WSM, but it really wouldn't matter to me. Check your Maverick in boiling water, and if it's accurate, compare grate temps to the dome temp on a few cooks. If the Weber thermometer reads, say, 25 degrees lower, no sweat. Now you know that if it reads 200, your food is cooking at 225.

Edit: just read your last post. Looks like everything is fine. You will enjoy your WSM.
 
I am thinking I must have put the maverick probe too close to one of the sides as the temp has reached 250 but the weber lid is showing 225. I am trying to resist the urge to lift the lid and reposition the maverick...
 
I would go with the Maverick. I use mine for every cook and I usually use the little clip that it comes with and I clip the temp probe in the center of the top grate. I pretty much ignore the dome thermometer. Good luck.
 
Mike if I were you I would open up the vents and get temp up to about 275. Thats a whole lot of meat on there, I usually only cook one and it can take 8 - 10hrs.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave O:
Mike if I were you I would open up the vents and get temp up to about 275. Thats a whole lot of meat on there, I usually only cook one and it can take 8 - 10hrs. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok, thanks for the advice. Right now the maverick is reporting 246 so I will try and get the temp up a little.
 
Hey I would just like to thank you all for your help. The pork butt came out far better than I expected. I am definitely hooked!
 
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