3lbs Boston Butt -- Never done anything like this before; best course of action?

[1buckie]

 Very well said Mike !!!

Futzing over it leads to.....wait for it........futzing over it!

Like Hell Fire Grill used to say: "Relax....Have a beer, enjoy yourself...."

[Tim in PA]

Addict, I seriously consider buckie to be one of the world's foremost experts on low-n-slow Weber kettle cooking, so I'm more than a little reluctant to chime in here.  But I think you might be over-managing this thing. 

In the summertime on a calm day, my kettle runs at 225 with about 5 briquettes to start it, so I'd say you have plenty of fire.  Also, remember that this is a slow,   g r a d u a l   process, so let your kettle do its thing.  I wouldn't even check the grill temp for 30 minutes, and I wouldn't expect any adjustment I made to vents, etc. to affect anything for almost that long.  Your setup sounds good, so just let it work.

Also, if you're using a non-flip vent, do like the old-timers used to do-- turn the grate until your grate handle is over the coals, and then you can drop fresh coals through the slot. 

I would also say that if your grill is coming up to the target temp, be aggressive about choking off the bottom vents to slow it down.  It's much easier to tweak things *up* to temp than to try to get a hot fire to burn cooler. 

Bottom line:  relax.  Your kettle was designed to do this.  Let it teach you.  ;-)

Awesome tips!

[1buckie]

 One other thing: if you're using baskets, it will need slightly more air than just stacked coals....Minion, snakering, banked & the like........In my limited (so far) use of baskets I've found they constrict airflow A LITTLE BIT.....this is also from reading & answering a bunch of questions from people having various small issues....

After that.....no more futzing......

[addicted-to-smoke]

Thanks Mike. I know this rube sounds a little panicky. I just want to report what I see in case somebody at Headquarters (that'd be all of you on WKC) notice something amiss I should correct along the way. It's annoying to be asked for hand-holding but that's where I'm still at with grilling so that's why I posted.

my kettle runs at 225 with about 5 briquettes to start it, so I'd say you have plenty of fire.


Wow, I started with a whole lot more than that and yet my temp isn't that high. Is this assuming the same kind of lid thermometer? It's been a good 30 mins or more and the thermo's at 210 since choking the bottom vent.

I suspect curiosity will get the better of me around the 2 1/2hr mark and I'll add charcoal, or at least poke at it and check. But rather than potentially lose a lot of heat "for no good reason" I'll first spin the lid and poke a stick through the top vent to see if it's mostly ash there, or if I still have good coals.

turn the grate until your grate handle is over the coals, and then you can drop fresh coals through the slot.

Damn, and I know I'd already read doing that very thing on this forum previously and yet forgot it. Thanks for this tip.

@1buckie: Thanks for the tip re: baskets choking airflow somewhat. That too seems obvious now that I think about it; in fact I wondered if they'd be preventing ash from dropping down fully and hence my trusty "stick" method for discovering what's truly charcoal vs. what's only ash, since it's all gray ... I still have the top vent all open.

****************
Aiming for about a 6:00 end time, 4.5 hrs after adding the meat. I may try to wiggle the bone around 5:30. Something tells me that with some consistent heat I'll either be pretty close to that time, or cooking into the evening if the grill has been running too cool all afternoon.

I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage

[1buckie]

"It's annoying to be asked for hand-holding but that's where I'm still at with grilling so that's why I posted."

Not annoying.....this is good......wouldn't want you to be using "Unsound Methods"

" I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage I will not over manage "

^^^^ This kinda stuff helps in the big runup for "Post-of-theMonth"

[addicted-to-smoke]

Been watching the temp for the last 30 minutes. It sank to an indicated 180. Sun was behind a cloud for awhile. OK, maybe a cheap bimetal thermometer could be influenced by direct sun? I waited, the sun came back but the temp continued to sink.

My Official Yard Stick couldn't reach the coals through the vent. Popped off the lid; stick revealed at least 1/2 coals burned. Rotated the grate a la "old timers method" ... but unfortunately since I'm using a holder, the gap in the grate would have put coals between the holder and the bowl and I wasn't looking for Yet Another Variable.

I made Executive Decision #1 and removed the grate and filled up the holder again. Immediately they began to smoke. I added 3 relatively small pieces of lump to bring the help party back (or at least make myself feel in control, heh) and put the grill and lid back on. First time I'd seen any smoke from the top vent. And I opened the bottom vent fully.

I may not have enough beer to Effectively Observe. And so Executive Decision #2 is about to commence.

[addicted-to-smoke]

During this last outing I was attacked by mosquitos. 4 large bites on my ankles, the usual favorite targets. What the hell?

Note to self: Wear socks for remainder of summer when outside. Just ... DAMN.

[mike.stavlund]

You're doing fine, AtS.  If you need more heat, just light up a few coals in your chimney, then tong them into place.  If coals are being choked off by their own ash, ditch the basket, and/or tap on your legs with a piece of wood to gently move the ash down into the bowl. 

And while you're waiting, google 'Minion Method' to see how a few coals can light a bunch more, slowly and without dampening out the original fire.  Better yet, do some poking around this site for buckie's 'snake method' to avoid the whole ash-choking problem in the first place.  That man is a genius. 

And srsly, if this is just too frustrating, you can transfer the butt into your oven.  It won't get a ton of additional smoke flavor at the end of the cook anyway.  And there are fewer mosquitos indoors.

[1buckie]

Been watching the temp for the last 30 minutes. It sank to an indicated 180. Sun was behind a cloud for awhile. OK, maybe a cheap bimetal thermometer could be influenced by direct sun? I waited, the sun came back but the temp continued to sink.

My Official Yard Stick couldn't reach the coals through the vent. Popped off the lid; stick revealed at least 1/2 coals burned. Rotated the grate a la "old timers method" ... but unfortunately since I'm using a holder, the gap in the grate would have put coals between the holder and the bowl and I wasn't looking for Yet Another Variable.

I made Executive Decision #1 and removed the grate and filled up the holder again. Immediately they began to smoke. I added 3 relatively small pieces of lump to bring the help party back (or at least make myself feel in control, heh) and put the grill and lid back on. First time I'd seen any smoke from the top vent. And I opened the bottom vent fully.

I may not have enough beer to Effectively Observe. And so Executive Decision #2 is about to commence.

I loves me some 'real time updates'.....gotta go do shit, but I'll def. check back in..................

PS: You can be running your dome temp up around 325 & still be plenty OK......

[addicted-to-smoke]

re: oven
Can't do it, for I am also one of The Charcoal People.

Thermo says 240 now. A peek at the butt through the top vent reveals it's getting some juices up there now. Not 100% of the rub as cooked yet however. I did coat first with mustard to help it stick but maybe didn't use enough and as a result don't know that I got it evenly coated with rub sufficiently.

I didn't light those new coals, just cleared away some ash and dumped them on top and they lit OK. I plan to ignore it. In fact, I have. Just came back from completing Executive Decision #2.

That's right --- I went from running to check it every 30 minutes to leaving the house (with no one home) while a controlled fire simmers behind my house. From panicky to stupidity all in the same afternoon, because that's how I roll.

In an hour I'll maybe have to decide to check the bone, or more likely add more coal and be cooking until 6:30 or 7? Of course I'm completely guessing but so far it's my guess that the cook has been going slower than desired, even for a small butt. Thankfully no one's home but me. I have no audience expecting to get fed.

Somewhere towards the end, or maybe after the meat's off and resting, I'll toss on a corn cob still in its husk.

************
Yes, I'd seen some of the Minion and snake methods already. I understand the benefits but remain on the fence for now. What I mean is, if I can get an expectation under way how it works with holders I may stick with them even if it means adding coals along the way and other hassles. I want a smidgen of experience doing it this way first before changing too many variables.

@1buckie
I don't recall how many briquets one holder holds, 10-15? But I've never seen anything more than 240 at the dome all day, even with vents fully open. Since I got home and began typing and uh, re-typing this post it went from 240 to 220. I hope what they say about butts being forgiving is true.

"gotta go do shit"
Ironically, I have stuff to do here and this slow cook could have been that opportunity as well but it appears my "to do" list includes learning how the dome thermo reacts and what to do, or NOT do, about it.

[1buckie]

"But I've never seen anything more than 240 "

If, I say, IF....your grate temp is 40 deg. lower, which might be the case, then you're cooking @ 200 or less..........it can stand to go a bit higher.....that's the 'forgiving' part they're talking about..........

"while a controlled fire simmers behind my house. From panicky to stupidity all in the same afternoon, because that's how I roll."

^^^^ I really like this......I've run 5 & 6 kettles all night long & slept thru everything........

  "But the ever versatile kettle reigned supreme"    

[1buckie]

 One more thing before I go do shit.....

My friend Carmen, on the Smoke Ring had this to say about pork butt:

"I will prevail. No pig will ever get the better of me." ~~> Italian Skewer


Cop an attitude, man......

[addicted-to-smoke]

Meat's been on the grill for 4 hours. Peeking through the top vent I can see a little of the top layer has "pulled away" or whatever and can see pink. I see this as a good omen. Thermo's down to about 200. Figure I'll add some lump to bump things up for a little while.

Popped the lid and poked around on the meat. Definitely shrank, the flat bone's now sticking out one side about 1/4". Prodded and squeezed a little with tongs and the meat seems to move around the bone.

I may require a beer to celebrate Our Progress Thus Far.

My wildass guesstimate (with WKC help) was 6:00pm (4.5 hrs) but now, instead of adding fuel, have decided to let it be even as it cools down slowly and cook even longer. Check back in another hour. The truth of it is, if I didn't have to pull the grate to add fuel, even a few pieces of short-term lump, I probably would have. But I'm lazy and have Willed the Kettle to Commit.

P.S. What'll happen if I cook too long, even at too low a temp?

[Chasing_smoke]

Hey addicted I did the same thing on one of my rib smokes this year. Thought I would have ribs ready in 3-4 hours and it took close to 8 to get done.  My temp was actually 40 degrees under what I thought I was running at. I use the cheap $10 weber digital thermometer, Walmart has it this year. Since then I haven't had any trouble. I'm sure it's not 100% in the money but a few degrees is  much better than the 40 I was off before.  The weber thermo isn't an instant read it takes a few seconds to get a read. I know there are better ones out there and will eventually replace it for sure.

I think there is a point where after so many times something clicks for each person. In the beginning I worried way too much about it. I tried the minion method with ok results but once I found the snake method that buckie made I have had much better results. My only problem in countered  for the snake method was starting the fuse in a hot kettle. I had cooked dinner then decided to do a long cook over night.  I couldn't get it to run where I wanted low enough.  After removing everything and a bit of a cool down it worked perfect again.

Keep at it! It is actually easier than it seems.


 "my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."

[Heyjude]

Heres another tip. I fyou plan to open the grill to add some fuel and you worry about temp loss. Crack the lid for a few minutes and let some extra air in. That will help crank the heat up before you compeltely remove the lid.

Also, I really like to wrap my butt in foil and then in a towel and let it sit for an hour before pulling.

I don't think you can cook to low or slow, but the internal; temp of the meat needs to reach the magic number.  I do believe you can overcook anything and dry it out. Been there, done that.