scared to death about the long weekend


 
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DarrenC

DarrenC

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Hi folks! Thanks for the great welcome I got on my other post. I really appreciate it.

We are heading on a family camping trip for Labour Day weekend. As soon as word got out I was going to dust off the smoker, my Mother-in-law insisted I bring it camping and do a pork butt for Saturday dinner. I agreed, but now I am freaking out! I have a few questions:
Is a 6 pound butt sufficient for 9 adults?

Can I count on 2 hours per pound, or more?

If I use the Renowned Mr. Brown rub, can I rub it on Thursday night if I'm not using it until Saturday?

I have replaced the flat firepan in the bottom of my Sunbeam smoker with a grate approx 1 1/2" above the bottom. I have also added charcoal rails to keep a small channel of airflow up the middle of the grate. The bottom has a large rotary vent in the center. If I use the minion method, any guesses as to how long I should be able to maintain heat on one burn?

I bought a candy thermometer which I want to mount through the dome lid just above the cooking surface. If I just drill a small hole and hold it in place with alligator clips will that suffice, or should I drill a bigger hole and put the thermometer through a cork?

The body of my smoker was packed in two halves which had to be joined. Is there a way I can caulk the seam along both sides?

It is hard to locate whole wood or wood chunks here. Will the shavings or pellets suffice? If so, what is the best to use?

Any help I can get would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Darren
 
Darren-

I just tried pulled pork a week or so ago, and found that it took a good 2 hours per pound at 250 F in the dome. I had an 8 lb piece of meat, so it took 16 hours. Since I did not do an overnight cook, we didn't eat the pork until the next day.

I'm not sure about 6 lbs. feeding 9 adults --you will get some shrinkage. Is it boneless? If so, you can probably feed 9, especially if you have several sides. If it has the bone, then I think you may be pushing it to feed 9, but I don't really have enough experience to say.

Hope this helps.

Ken
 
Thanks, Ken. I haven't ordered it from the butcher yet, so maybe I'll bump it up to 8 lbs to be sure. It's not the extra cost that bothers me, it's the extra 4 hours (Groan) Looks like I'll have quite an early morning on Saturday.
 
Actually, a thought just occured to me. If I get two 4-poun butts, shouldn't that drastically reduce the cooking time? Is a 4-pounder too small to properly Q?
 
Hi Darren,
I used the excellent Mr. Brown recipe from the site and began with 2 bone-in (small bones) Boston butt (shoulder blade) roasts weighing 5.7 and 5.2 pounds before trimming. After discarding some small fat pockets, I wound up with almost exactly 5 pounds of pulled meat, plus maybe a few ounces more that I used solely for testing purposes (yeah, right). So it looks as if the yield is about 46% of the weight as purchased.

I'm pretty new at this, so cooking time was about 12 hours, but I had a little delay while I tried to get the temp down (I used the standard method that time). I pulled the meat off a little early because it was so late, but luckily it was wonderful. Next time I'll plan on the recommended 2 hours a pound. I 'll also use the Minion Method the next time - I seem to have more control using that method and like it a lot (thanks, Jim!)

Has anyone out there eaten at a reasonable hour after making the pulled pork for the first time?

Our usual 4 ounces cooked meat per serving looked a little sparse on the plate, so I bumped it up to 5.3 ounces (1 pound pulled pork to serve 3) and the ladies and senior men were more than satisfied - almost too much. Pretty rich stuff. For football types and active folks, I'd serve more, of course. By adding a side dish or two such as grilled garlic bread, you could probably stretch the meat a bit. You won't need as much if you'll be putting it on sandwich buns.

Best of luck,
Rita
 
Darren
9 adults, outside, camping, do a couple of
butts in the 5 to 6 pound class, give yourself 14 hours (reason for extra time covered below). Have a dry cooler ready so when your done you can wrap the butts in foil and place in dry cooler ( can hold heat for a few hours). Pull the pork just before your ready to eat. The butt you don't eat will store well in a cold cooler for another meal or snacks. You will eat more than one of the butts in the first meal.
With the cooker you are using you should be able to maintain temps for 5 to 7 hours but keep an eye on the pit temp. You may need to empty the fire pan of ash before the cook is done and add fresh coals (plan for it).
I'd give myself 14 hours for total cook time.
You can at the point that you clean out the ash, wrap the butts in foil, they will finish faster. As they reach the internal temp you want (say within 7 to 10 degrees) unwrap the butts and finish them, this will give you drier bark.
Rita
I love your post, I'm glad we found you!!
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Keep up the great work.
Jim
 
Thanks, Jim - I'm soaking up all the great advice here. What a wonderful group this is - everyone's enthusiasm is so contagious!
Rita
 
Ooops! Wrong smiley!
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(I'll get the hang of these yet.)

[This message has been edited by Rita Y (edited 08-29-2001).]
 
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