Tips for getting butts done in time for supper!

[Dave Russell]

Been cooking butts on the wsm overnight for 14-18hrs since I got the thing, and was convinced that the only way to get pulled pork off the wsm by day was to foil.

Anyway, since I've been waking up 'round four in the morning anyway lately, I had my 7.6 and 7.7 pounders on by 4:45 yesterday morning. Pulled and bagged the first one for leftovers at about 2:00 and actually SLOWED the cook down to finish the second one for supper, believe it or not.

Got out of bed at about 4:10, pulled the butts out of the fridge that I'd rubbed the evening before, and turned my teapot burner on to boil.

Poured the bag of Stubbs in the ring and lit three spots with the torch. Went back in and filled my AJ jug with almost a gallon of hot tap, and went back out and layed my wood in the three unlit zones (so they'd start smoking slowly and I wouldn't have to wait for "good smoke"). Put it all together and poured the boiling water in right before putting the butts on. All that in about thirty minutes.

I used to hang my probe in the top vent, but I decided to clip it UNDERNEATH the top grate, with the tip dead center of the grate between the two butts. My new "hi temp" probe has six foot wire, so I had it all ready to go with the grate hanging on the cooker to make pouring water easier. (Just be careful not to damage the wire by pulling kinks through the grommet hole.)

The cooker reached 225* by 5:00, 250* by 6:30, and I targeted that for the rest of the day til I actually slowed things down when I saw that I had more than enough time. I also went back to my "UDS days", and flipped and rotated the butts 180* at the four and eight hour marks, and didn't leave a probe in the butts. I simply checked with my Thermapen when I turned them and periodically probed for tenderness after that. With water in the pan though, temp recovery is very quick after lifting the dome. Also, due to turning/rotating and using water, only had about two square inches most of hard bark. It tasted good too, though.

Another thing I like about cooking by day is that I can MAKE SURE my smoke is right since the wsm has a door. Sometimes just tapping the cooker legs good will get some more smoke going, but I'll reach in and move chunks occasionally. However, I'll often get bad smoke if I TURN OVER the chunks, so I don't do that anymore. If the smoke doesn't look or smell right, I can simply pull the offending chunk out. Did that a couple of times yesterday morning, and I'm now convinced that green wood in a charcoal smoker simply isn't the best way to go, even if Myron Mixon uses green peach in his smoker. What you see and smell during the cook will translate to what you taste at the table.

Anyway, just wanted to encourage anyone that had the time to enjoy this nice bbq weather and not be too intimidated about pulled pork "by day". Any tips of your own?

 

[timothy]

That's normally how I do my butts also. "Early Riser" compared to an "Over-niter"
I've only done a handful of O-n's and never felt comfy at all.. I'm up at 3:30 for the last 25yrs so starting early just fits my time so to speak.

I don't use the water, and I cook @ 275-300 measured @ the top vent. And that usually takes a buck and a quarter to a half per lb on my WSM in my backyard.

I agree with you Dave, everyone should experiment and don't get in a rut on how to do the BBQ.
It's all good over wood.. Right?

Tim

 

[Dave Russell]

You got it, Timothy, and I'd simply encourage folks not to take what seems like (bbq forum) consensus as the gospel without testing it for yourself. My point is that low-n-slow pulled pork or brisket off the wsm doesn't have to take forever, even with water in the pan. I'll repeat myself some here, but it's just an FYI for those wondering about these long cooks.

Measuring temp at the vent has been my go-to method from the get-go on my wsm. However, I think I'm gonna stick with measuring at the grate from now on. I'll put it like this: Without foiling, I've only gotten butts done in twelve hours or less TWICE so far, and BOTH times were when I was measuring temp at the grate. All the times I've measured temp at the vent I ended up cooking for 14 hours or more if memory serves...and I certainly don't trust the DOME GAUGE. Like I believe I originally posted, if I'd gone by that I wouldn't have been done by supper since it became obvious by midday that the sun was affecting the measurement there. I would've shut the vents back when in fact my grate temp was still just fine, needlessly prolonging the cook.

Anyway, clipping the probe on right between the butts on the UNDERside of the grate worked like a charm, and it's really no surprise since I always had my old UDS gauge right below the grate. Going by what I've read and my experience thus far, I'm pretty comfortable in concluding this time/temp guideline for (2)7-9lb butts on the top grate, to be done in 1.5hr/lb, at least for now

:


I think I need to shoot for 225* at the grate by no later than the end of the first half hour, and then reach and maintain 250* by no more than an hour and a half later, or two hours into the cook. I can always compensate if I have a hard time reaching my target temps, and can also raise the temp some if needed later after I check and turn/rotate at the four and eight hour marks.
I know that I can't reach my target temp of 250* as fast with butts on both racks so I guess I'd have to add an hour if cooking more than two, but no way does it mean I have to cook 2hr/lb.

 

[K Kruger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I think I'm gonna stick with measuring at the grate from now on. I'll put it like this: Without foiling, I've only gotten butts done in twelve hours or less TWICE so far, and BOTH times were when I was measuring temp at the grate. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It's simply a matter of translating to the the vent therm. Easy peasy. If your vent-temped butts took longer simply raise your vent target temp: done.

 

[Matt Sanders]

I usually start the fire around 7am, and they're generally done between 3 and 5pm, cooking at 225-275 on the lid. But I usually use smallish butts 5-6# trimmed. I've always wondered why people speak of 12-16 hour cooks with butts.

 

[Dave Russell]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I think I'm gonna stick with measuring at the grate from now on. I'll put it like this: Without foiling, I've only gotten butts done in twelve hours or less TWICE so far, and BOTH times were when I was measuring temp at the grate. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It's simply a matter of translating to the the vent therm. Easy peasy. If your vent-temped butts took longer simply raise your vent target temp: done. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Kevin, the queastion is "just how much?", and that depends on the presence or absence of sun, wind, or rain, as well as the amount of meat on the top grate and it's temp.

Only other time I measured temp at the grate it was obvious that my briskets temp was affecting the start-up. This time though, I didn't have any issues getting up to temp on this cook, so I'm assuming that clipping the probe to the UNDERSIDE of the grate helped in minimizing the influence of cool meat.

 

[Dave Russell]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Matt Sanders:
I usually start the fire around 7am, and they're generally done between 3 and 5pm, cooking at 225-275 on the lid. But I usually use smallish butts 5-6# trimmed. I've always wondered why people speak of 12-16 hour cooks with butts. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Matt, in the world of bbq, the wsm IS a rather slow cooker. That's a fact. You've dealt with it though by cooking smaller cuts. Other folks simply skip the water so they can cook a good bit faster and/or foil. Me..I don't foil butts and I prefer to cook 'em at 250*, so I'd just as soon stick to water in the pan, but just keep the temp up and going.

As to the really long cooks, I've been there. Say you're cooking a lot of meat and the start-up takes a long time. That's just all part of the MM, but you can deal with it if you stay on it. Say you cook overnight and hit the sack. If you go to bed and the temp stays at the bottom of your set therm range for long, you're gonna end up with those long cooks. Someone lately mentioned doing a really long cook (18 hrs?) and said they never had to add any more water to the pan. No surprise there since the hotter the fire the faster the water evaporates. I start just shy of two gallons but have to add at least on two-liter soda bottle during the cook, sometimes two.