Charles Howse
TVWBB Wizard
Yesterday I cooked 2 Boston Butts. One was 7.9#, the other 7.5#.
I removed them from the Cryovac, rinsed with Vinegar, and patted dry with paper towels.
I rubbed them with Chris Lilly's Championship Butt Rub.
I filled the charcoal chamber with New Kingsford, and placed 6 small pieces of Hickory on top.
I lit 15 briquettes and waited until the ones on the bottom were lit and the ones on the top of the pile were just starting to light, and poured them over the unlit coals.
I filled the standard water pan with cool water, and put the butts on the cooking grate.
All 4 vents were 100% open until the grate temp reached 200°, which only took 14 minutes. Then I closed the bottom vents to 25%.
This cook took a little maintenance, so I'm glad I didn't do an overnighter!
I refilled the water pan after 3 hours, and again after 7 hours.
I did a little vent tweaking when the wind came up, but the WSM responded perfectly.
At about the 8 hour mark, the temp started to dip, so I took that opportunity to toss in a piece of oak, opened the upwind vents to 50%, and tapped on the leg screws to dislodge the ashes.
I had to tap on the leg screws twice more before the meat was done, but I got about 15 hours of cooking time at an average temp of 240°, and didn't have to add any more fuel.
I created a chart of the temperature profile of this cook, which is here, and the pictures are here.
Bottom line: the New Kingsford will work for me, but I've got to get a little experience under my belt before I can do it in my sleep.
P.S. It didn't have anything to do with the charcoal, but these butts were some of the best I've ever cooked! Delicious!
I removed them from the Cryovac, rinsed with Vinegar, and patted dry with paper towels.
I rubbed them with Chris Lilly's Championship Butt Rub.
I filled the charcoal chamber with New Kingsford, and placed 6 small pieces of Hickory on top.
I lit 15 briquettes and waited until the ones on the bottom were lit and the ones on the top of the pile were just starting to light, and poured them over the unlit coals.
I filled the standard water pan with cool water, and put the butts on the cooking grate.
All 4 vents were 100% open until the grate temp reached 200°, which only took 14 minutes. Then I closed the bottom vents to 25%.
This cook took a little maintenance, so I'm glad I didn't do an overnighter!
I refilled the water pan after 3 hours, and again after 7 hours.
I did a little vent tweaking when the wind came up, but the WSM responded perfectly.
At about the 8 hour mark, the temp started to dip, so I took that opportunity to toss in a piece of oak, opened the upwind vents to 50%, and tapped on the leg screws to dislodge the ashes.
I had to tap on the leg screws twice more before the meat was done, but I got about 15 hours of cooking time at an average temp of 240°, and didn't have to add any more fuel.
I created a chart of the temperature profile of this cook, which is here, and the pictures are here.
Bottom line: the New Kingsford will work for me, but I've got to get a little experience under my belt before I can do it in my sleep.
P.S. It didn't have anything to do with the charcoal, but these butts were some of the best I've ever cooked! Delicious!