Tom Murtiashaw
TVWBB Member
I cooked a split turkey breast yesterday in the WSM (top rack) without a pan between the bird and the coals. I used half a ring of Stubbs charcoal lit by the Minion Method. I was able to bring the dome temp to 300 and halt it there with all vents at 25%, then I eased the temp up to 350 by opening the vents to about 50%. The aroma created by the turkey dripping directly onto the lit coals was great and the meat turned out juicy and tasted fantastic, plus the skin crisped up nicely. I am considering trying a well trimmed pork shoulder next using a similar approach for the first 4 hours of the cook. My thought is to try and keep the WSM temp below 250 by using only one partially open vent (mopping and turning the meat once or twice). Then I will slip in my foiled clay pot as a heat sink, add more charcoal, and put the rest of the cook on autopilot until the butt is done some 8 hours later. The objective being to try and duplicate the open pits used at some bbq joints in the Carolinas. If anyone has ever tried a similar approach with the WSM, please let me know the results. It means more work in the beginning, but it could be worth the effort. Thanks.
Tom
Tom