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    #16
    All of the above is solid advice. A SnS and a BBQ Guru Party will do exactly what you need. That's the combo I use for overnight cooks while I sleep like a baby. You may want to eventually get a wifi connected thermometer like a Fireboard for those times you will be out and about while the kettle is going.

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      #17
      Originally posted by Steve R. View Post
      All of the above is solid advice. A SnS and a BBQ Guru Party will do exactly what you need. That's the combo I use for overnight cooks while I sleep like a baby. You may want to eventually get a wifi connected thermometer like a Fireboard for those times you will be out and about while the kettle is going.
      And that is part of the dilemna. I can get the fan and wifi controller with multiple probes. If I did that I would jump over the smoke or dot. Im trying not to spend now and spend again later. I would rather just bite the bullet and spend once cry once if it's really useful but I have been steered away from the fan up until this point.
      If you can expound that would be most helpful.
      Last edited by UNK; June 3, 2017, 12:42 PM.

      Comment


      • Steve R.
        Steve R. commented
        Editing a comment
        I did without a fan controller for about a year and did ok without it, but there are always variables beyond your ability to control them without babysitting it. The PartyQ does the babysitting for you for at least 8 hrs.

      • Steve B
        Steve B commented
        Editing a comment
        Forget the notion of spending now so you don't have to later. You are one of us now and MCS is going to infect you. There is no resisting it and there is no cure. I'm sorry I have to be the one to break the news to you. But it's all good my brother.

      #18
      Originally posted by richinlbrg View Post
      +1 to LA Pork Butt 's comment, but slightly tight on time. Going to need to get a few practice runs in.

      I'd recomment a pre-burn in the kettle with no food to burn off any mfg crud, then a first cook of pork butt to get used to the SnS and season up the kettle as pork butt is SO forgiving.

      practice, practice and practice some more.

      Just my $.002

      Welcome aboard, UNK ! Great to see you here!
      Will do as soon as I get the SnS.

      Comment


        #19
        I recently purchased a Weber 22 inch Kettle and a Slow N Sear Plus. I upgraded my temp monitor to a SMOKE by Thermoworks. I already had a good digital handheld thermometer. So far I find the kettle w/SnS holds a steady temp very well. I was doing other things the entire time I was cooking pork butt last weekend. I checked in every so often when walking by my temp monitor. And I found that I needed to add fuel at about the 5 1/2 hour mark. Which is a little different than some users. But I didn't have to baby sit the cooker.

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          #20
          Which cuts of meat require these long (overnight) cook times.

          Comment


          • richinlbrg
            richinlbrg commented
            Editing a comment
            Depends on thickness and desired completion time (remember a 2hr faux cambro), but I would say the longest cooks are briskest, pulled pork and chuckies.

          #21
          OK I got it now. I looked up smoking time per pound for different meats. Then I went to the grocery and looked at those cuts. Kind of ironic that the longest time per pound are also the heaviest cuts. Now I see why the cook times are so long. Cooking ten pounds at 1.5 hours per pound makes for a long day.
          Since these cuts are so huge does it make sense to cut them into smaller pieces and therefore reduce the cooking time or does it not work like that?
          I think Mr Meat Head's book needs to get here quickly.

          Comment


            #22
            Pork Butt, Brisket, Chuck Roast are all 10 hour minimum cooks on most cookers. Not overnight, but long cooks...

            Comment


              #23
              Originally posted by PJBowmaster View Post
              Pork Butt, Brisket, Chuck Roast are all 10 hour minimum cooks on most cookers. Not overnight, but long cooks...
              Why cant they be cut in half and reduce the cooking time by half?

              Comment


              • PJBowmaster
                PJBowmaster commented
                Editing a comment
                As others have said. Cooking time is more about thickness, not total weight. Two 5 lb pork butts will take about the same time to cook as one 10 lb pork butt. But you will have more bark....

              #24
              UNK : Cooking time is more dependent on the thickness of the meat, not the weight. Last time I did a pastrami I sliced off a "cooks bite" of the point about 2 inches square but the same thickness. It took nearly as long to get done as the large piece of pastrami that it came from.

              I usually slice pork butts in half to have more bark and flavor and the two half pieces take nearly as long to smoke as the whole (~11 lb) piece does.

              Edited to add: I seldom smoke anything at 225° because smoking at higher temps is just as good (to my mind) and takes less time. I don't like overnight cooks. I cook in the daylight!

              I've done comparisons with brisket done at 225°F and at 275° in my Pit Barrel Cooker and could not tell much of a difference in the final outcome either way. The smoking time is significantly less at the higher temp. You just need to choose a smoking temp that you're comfortable with and go with it!

              Kathryn
              Last edited by fzxdoc; June 4, 2017, 06:24 AM.

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                #25
                +1 on what fzxdoc said. Temp will get you done quicker, cutting maybe if you are making the meat thinner. There is a limit to how hot you can go before it's not low and slow, and for a tough cut you need low and slow.

                Comment


                  #26
                  My last butt was about 10# untrimmed. After trimming I cut it in half. I like cooking 3-5(MAX) # pieces. Cooks faster and more bark. Particularly with pork butt, I don't get too excited about temps over 225 unless my smoker starts going north of 275. At 280 ish I move on the temp, otherwise, I pretty much let it ride.

                  Comment


                    #27
                    Originally posted by fzxdoc View Post
                    UNK : Cooking time is more dependent on the thickness of the meat, not the weight. Last time I did a pastrami I sliced off a "cooks bite" of the point about 2 inches square but the same thickness. It took nearly as long to get done as the large piece of pastrami that it came from.

                    I usually slice pork butts in half to have more bark and flavor and the two half pieces take nearly as long to smoke as the whole (~11 lb) piece does.

                    Edited to add: I seldom smoke anything at 225° because smoking at higher temps is just as good (to my mind) and takes less time. I don't like overnight cooks. I cook in the daylight!

                    I've done comparisons with brisket done at 225°F and at 275° in my Pit Barrel Cooker and could not tell much of a difference in the final outcome either way. The smoking time is significantly less at the higher temp. You just need to choose a smoking temp that you're comfortable with and go with it!

                    Kathryn
                    Pure gold. How do you control temp?

                    Comment


                      #28
                      Originally posted by JCGrill View Post
                      +1 on what fzxdoc said. Temp will get you done quicker, cutting maybe if you are making the meat thinner. There is a limit to how hot you can go before it's not low and slow, and for a tough cut you need low and slow.
                      How do you control temp?

                      Comment


                        #29
                        Originally posted by richinlbrg View Post
                        My last butt was about 10# untrimmed. After trimming I cut it in half. I like cooking 3-5(MAX) # pieces. Cooks faster and more bark. Particularly with pork butt, I don't get too excited about temps over 225 unless my smoker starts going north of 275. At 280 ish I move on the temp, otherwise, I pretty much let it ride.
                        I assume you are manually controlling temp.

                        Comment


                          #30
                          Originally posted by fzxdoc View Post
                          UNK : Cooking time is more dependent on the thickness of the meat, not the weight. Last time I did a pastrami I sliced off a "cooks bite" of the point about 2 inches square but the same thickness. It took nearly as long to get done as the large piece of pastrami that it came from.

                          I usually slice pork butts in half to have more bark and flavor and the two half pieces take nearly as long to smoke as the whole (~11 lb) piece does.

                          Edited to add: I seldom smoke anything at 225° because smoking at higher temps is just as good (to my mind) and takes less time. I don't like overnight cooks. I cook in the daylight!

                          I've done comparisons with brisket done at 225°F and at 275° in my Pit Barrel Cooker and could not tell much of a difference in the final outcome either way. The smoking time is significantly less at the higher temp. You just need to choose a smoking temp that you're comfortable with and go with it!

                          Kathryn
                          I just watched a video on the stall. They moved from 225 to 275 to push through it. At 275 do you still hit the stall? Do Ribs have a stall point or is that just the bigger pieces of meat?

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