Late June we are hosting my older son's graduation party. One of the items I'll be serving is pulled pork sandwiches. We will be inviting well over 200 people (obviously not everyone will show and some who do show will be cameo) and we will be having a variety of culinary items. I will be using my the 26 + SnS and the PBC. I may go with the 14.5 WSM if it can hold more pork butt than the PBC. Because butts are round it seems like only what fits on the grate is about all that will fit. I could use 3 cookers (or 4, ostensibly if I were to utilize the Performer). The problem is I only have 1 SnS so using both kettles is out. I also only have 2 Maverick probe thermometers so using 3 cookers becomes tricky (basically measure the cooking chamber temps for 2 cookers using one Maverick and measure the cooking chamber temp and internal temp of 1 butt in the other cooker). I am not interested in adding any additional thermometers or another SnS just for this party.
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Good luck on that one, it's going to take every bit of cooking capacity you have. Don't rule out using both kettles, even though one will be without the SnS. It's nice to have, but not a show stopper if you don't, especially with something like butts.Last edited by Steve R.; May 8, 2018, 09:19 AM. -
Just use some fire bricks and a pan of water below the butts in the second kettle. Set your fire bricks in to keep the coals to the one side. I did that before I got my SnS. It works pretty good.Comment
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Just a thought, but trussing up the butts & hanging them in the PBC?Comment
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Do you have the coal baskets that came with your Weber's? I used these before I had my SnS. Jerod Broussard is the master of maxing out the PBC.Comment
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Ask your butcher for some big butts? I picked up one that was so big I thought I might have to trim off some meat so it would fit in my PBC Jr.Comment
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I fit three one time that might have been about 7 pounds each (see if I can find the pic on my phone). My first cook with butts was a 10 and a 12. They finished on the grate.
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Picsolla
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Do some of them ahead of time, then wrap and reheat in the oven. Sure it isn't quite as good, but it is pretty close, and you could mix it all together and I'm sure nobody would notice.Comment
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Great tips one and all.Comment
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Snake method works fine in absence of a SnS.Comment
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FireMan has the right idea. I believe you can put in at least 4 butts however you will need to double hook them if you don't have them trussed. I forgot one time when doing 2 butts (used 1 hook each) and one fell on the coals and started a huge fire. I now truss all of mine to avoid that issue. Also, if trussed you might be able to get up to 6 but need to make sure there is enough airflow around each butt..Comment
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This might affect the answers I'm getting: If I purchase a large butt I'll subdivide it into smaller butts in the range of 2.5 - 5 pounds. This results in much more bark and slightly shorter cooking times.Comment
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Jeff, I can comment on this, as we hosted 80-90 people for an engagement party for my daughter back in October, and I smoked butts.Originally posted by JeffJ View Post
First, I smoked WAY WAY more pork than we used. I smoked 75 pounds of butt (8 butts in a case that weighed 65 pounds plus 1 additional 10 pound butt), and I also grilled 20 pounds of chicken wings. There were lots of the usual sides such as slaw, beans, chips, buffalo chicken dip, cheese dip, etc. And a cake or something I am sure.
Anyway, we consumed fully 5 of the 9 butts I smoked for just 80 people and maybe half of a 6th one, AND the 20 pounds of chicken wings went really quick (gone in 15 minutes!). While a lot of people used the buns I provided, which limits them to about 1/4 pound per sandwich, a lot will just load up their plate with meat too. Went through 2 jugs of Sonny's BBQ sauce and a batch of NC style vinegar sauce I whipped up.
The key thing is, you really DO NOT need a SNS for each of your kettles. I used the SNS in my 22" Performer, the "snake" method in a second 22" Weber kettle, and my offset. I cooked 6 on the offset, 2 on the Performer, and the lone 10 pounder on the extra kettle. All butts took 14-16 hours to reach temperature, and I pulled the pork about 2AM the morning of the party, and stashed it in the fridge in 9 foil pans. We reheated the pork in a low oven for several hours before the party, and I dumped it in several crockpots for serving and keeping warm. As crockpots emptied, we got another pan from the oven to refill it.
I would think you should be able to fit easily three, maybe four on your 26" with the SNS, do 2 on the Performer with a water/drip pan and charcoal snake (or just bank the coals to the side of the drip pan and pretend its a SNS), and at least 3 on the PBC.
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I just want to know how much wood can a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?Comment
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