Long cooks with the Joe Jr

[Smilner]

How do you add charcoal when you’ve got a pork shoulder going on the Joe Jr? Am I dumb or do you need to lift everything out of there? I’ve had this baby for 2 years and I barely use it cuz it makes me feel dumb!!!

[RonB]

I can't help, but I thought that's what wives were for.

[LA Pork Butt]

I have cooked on a Joe Jr, and it will cook a Butt on one load if you carefully stack the lump charcoal with a layer of large, filled in with medium and topped with small filling it as high as you can.

[SheilaAnn]

Either what LA Pork Butt said or yes, you have to lift everything out. Ask me how I know? 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️

[SheilaAnn]

Not to go past it….. but I pile it pretty high. It’s all about the venting to control the heat.

[Smilner]

Any vent recommendations? 1/4 open each?

[SheilaAnn]

Smilner depends. I get a pretty decent cross breeze in my yard when it’s windy, so I close a little more. I always start with two fingers width on the bottom. And only the holes open all the way on the top and adjust accordingly.

[LA Pork Butt]

Stack the charcoal up to the top of the fire ring and maybe a little above. The Butt will cook faster than most other cookers because of how close the meat will be to the dome’s reflective heat. Be careful that the dome’s thermometer doesn’t make contact with the meat giving you a false reading to your cooking temperature. 225 F is ideal, but you could go as high as 300 or some wear in between. I like to cook them to an internal temperature of 200 F overnight and hold them for at least a couple of hours before pulling.

[LA Pork Butt]

Let us know how it turns out.

[Smilner]

Will do for sure! I’ve been messing around with burgers and chops on it right now.

After reading your guidance I bet I just wasn’t putting enough charcoal in. Only thing that makes sense

[LA Pork Butt]

If you are in grilling mode filling it half way with charcoal will give you plenty of grilling heat and air flow. Fill it fully when cooking low and slow.