Testing the capacity of the 22 wsm


 
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RickH

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Hello, planning a big smoke on September 28th. Two briskets of at least 15lbs and 4 8lbs pork butts. Any suggestions on meat placement? Pork on top, or pork on bottom? I really wished I had an 18.5 so I could split up the cook, just don't think I will need a second smoker too often. Thanks for your suggestions in advance.:)
 
I have both the 18.5 and 22.5 so I went with the both theory. Just find a deal on one on craigslist like I did. Otherwise I would run the pork on top so fat drippings land on the brisket. I run my brisket slightly warmer and there is a 15-20 degree difference at those locations.
 
I would do pork on top and beef on bottom.
Sounds like your having a big party. Don't forget to take pics. :wsm:
 
RickH said:
Hello, planning a big smoke on September 28th. Two briskets of at least 15lbs and 4 8lbs pork butts. Any suggestions on meat placement? Pork on top, or pork on bottom? I really wished I had an 18.5 so I could split up the cook, just don't think I will need a second smoker too often. Thanks for your suggestions in advance.:)
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You can easily add a middle rack for both briskets on the bottom,, and then the 4 butts on top should fit fine.
 
Hello, first thanks for all the suggestions. I thought long and hard about what I should do. I then convinced myself and the wife of the need for yet another WSM. I opted for the 18in this time around. I have been cooking on my 22in for over a year now. The ability to hold constant temps hour upon hour with little fuss is magical. I broke in the 18in a week before the big cook. It took a little longer to get a stable temp, likely due to being unseasoned. It did however turn out a tasty 8lb bone-in pork butt.

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I started my cook at about 11:30pm on Friday. Full charcoal rings on both (kingsford blue) with a few chunks of pecan in each. I was not able to track down the 30+ pounds of bone-in pork butt I was looking for. So, I ended up with 31lbs of boneless pork (cushion meat). I didn't have anything to tie up the roasts with so I used some skewers. I did get two 13+ packer briskets, the largest I could find (USDA choice). Got both cookers to settle in at about 250 degrees. Loaded the briskets in the 22in and pork in the 18in. Turned out the lights and didn't check them until around 8am. Found both hovering around 230 degrees. I added a couple handfulls kingsford blue to both cookers. Continued cooking until around 11am for the pork, pulled it at 200 degrees internal temp on the fatest butt on the bottom rack. Wrapped them in foil and put them in he cooler. Removed the brisket at 198 degrees after probe testing at about 12pm and wrapped in foil.












Everything got served about two hours later, piping hot out of the coolers. The crowd was about 50-60 people. They wiped out the brisket and ate all but 1 8lb pork butt. Southern California's seem to like brisket and tri-tip more than pork. I got good reviews from everyone I spoke to, so I guess it was a success.
 
That meat looks delicious! Good call on the 18.5" WSM. I've been trying to convince my wife to let me get the 22.5", but no luck yet. Like Bill said, any large cook like that done well is a job well done. Congrats on the great cook!
 
I've smoke two full briskets (trimmed total weight was 22 lbs, bottom rack) & two boneless butts (19 lbs, top) in my 22.5 at once last June in an overnight smoke (Start air temp 77F, 61% RH, high day temps was 87F). My overstuffed ring of KO, foiled wrapped clay plan saucer in pan lasted almost 12 hours. I then pulled, foiled & wrapped the briskets and finished them off in my kitchen oven and Genesis at 350F. I added more briquettes, re-assembled and finished the the two butts.

It was a very long weekend. I ran out of cooler space to rest the meat and got real tired portioning and sealing the meat. An extra set of clean, knowledgeable hands helps.

Your results look good and congrats on snagging a 18.5. I may buy a 18.5 ring for shorter duration smokes.
 
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