I’ve read a few forums on this, still can’t make heads or tails… Does anyone else use a WSM cooker for butts? I have had mine for 3 years and really like it. i normally do about 15-20 lbs of butt and they fit fine on the top rack. However, tonight i plan to do about 30-40 lbs and will need to utilize both the bottom and top racks. If you’ve done this do you notice a big difference in outcome between the butts on the top and the butts on the bottom? any advice is welcome. thanks!
I don’t have a WSM, but had to stack four butts on 4 racks in my Master Forge propane and I saw anywhere from 20 - 30 degree difference between bottom rack and top rack. I rotated top to bottom about every three hours to get them to come out uniform. Extended the cook time and was a PITA, but they came out OK. I guess I could have just pulled at different times but I though the top rack may take forever to come up to IT.
Jay
Pheonix 29 Sportfish (Lagniappe)
Shamrock 20 Cuddy (Cuda Catcher)
Key West 1520 Explorer (Baby Boat)
I don’t like opening the door… I use separate thermometers and take them out as they reach the right temp. I have not, however, done that many at once. I use the digital thermometers so I don’t have to open…
Went back and checked my notes, temp differences were more like 40 - 50 degrees between bottom and top rack.
Jay
Pheonix 29 Sportfish (Lagniappe)
Shamrock 20 Cuddy (Cuda Catcher)
Key West 1520 Explorer (Baby Boat)
Top and bottom turned out well on the WSM. I didn’t keep temps of the different levels b/c i knew it would only bother me if they were significantly different. I just kept a probe thermometer in the fattest butt and waited for 198 F.
I will say that $300-$400 seems like quite a bit for a small charcoal smoker, but has been worth the money to me. If you’re just a weekend warrior and don’t have a need for a $5k smoker it’s hard to beat. I know some guys with very expensive smokers and they always love the reuslts from my little R2D2 cooker.
I have one of the worst smokers on the planet, one of those old versions of the “master forge” sold at Lowes. Mine doesn’t even have a thermometer on it, and I don’t even bother using one (except for the handheld meat thermometer). The electric element burned out on it last year (sure was pretty when it did it, sparks flying all over the place). So I just use it as a charcoal smoker now.
The lid, midsection, and base don’t fit together properly anymore (all are out of round), the feet rusted off several years ago, the wipers don’t work and the horn don’t blow.
But I just smoked a butt today and it still turned out BEAUTIFUL. Used mostly hickory and apple, tossed in some red oak and cherry just because I had it. So nice.
To answer the post, I can’t answer it fully because I don’t have your style, but on my smoker, the mildest temp in the thing will typically be right over the water pot. Hottest temp is often the top rack, but I also like to keep my water pot full, which tends to shied the meat directly over it from the direct heat from the charcoal below.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
I have had the Orion smoker for ovr 6 years and swear by it. it is the easiest to use in my opinion. i can smoke a 20# turkey in 2hrs 20mins and it is very juicy. can do 6 racks of pork spare ribs in 1hr 30min and they fall off of the bone. check out this unit. cost is around $150 bue well worth it.
I know a guy in columbia with an obrion cooker. Always thought it looked complicated even though i doubt it is. Next time i’m up there i’ll gethim to cook something on it. Didn;t know they were so inexpensive.
A 20lb turkey in 2hrs 20mins is pretty fast. That must be one hot smoker.
A friend brought me a Weber smoker about a year ago that was prob 15-20 years old,brand new still in the box…
He got it from the Marlboro points program.How long ago was that???
Tommy; it is like a convection cooker. you never open it up. just put coals on the top and around the moat on the bottom. so easy to use. look at them on orioncooker.com. reminds me of my dad and his friends old trash can cooker where they would put meat under a galvanized can and put coals around the bottom and on the top.
I grew up helping cook hogs over coals. I’ve also cooked professionally on five different commercial models from Ole Hickory Pits. Nowadays I just cook a bit on a Weber SM 22.5 out back behind the house.
It does a great job no matter what I throw at it. I cook…and I don’t care what the temp is. I sometimes cook at 200-250, sometimes up to 350…sometimes with the water pan & sometimes without (using direct heat). The WSM doesn’t care.
I also don’t care about opening the lid. I don’t open it much, but it doesn’t bother me to do so. I know what I’m cooking and about how long it’s going to take with my desired cooking method Du-jur (see paragraph above). Once I think it’s getting close I start checking temp and/or tenderness.
Cooking barbecue can be as easy, or as complicated, as you care to make it. In the end it’s just heat & meat.
quote:
Originally posted by cape_fishermanI grew up helping cook hogs over coals. I’ve also cooked professionally on five different commercial models from Ole Hickory Pits. Nowadays I just cook a bit on a Weber SM 22.5 out back behind the house.
It does a great job no matter what I throw at it. I cook…and I don’t care what the temp is. I sometimes cook at 200-250, sometimes up to 350…sometimes with the water pan & sometimes without (using direct heat). The WSM doesn’t care.
I also don’t care about opening the lid. I don’t open it much, but it doesn’t bother me to do so. I know what I’m cooking and about how long it’s going to take with my desired cooking method Du-jur (see paragraph above). Once I think it’s getting close I start checking temp and/or tenderness.
Cooking barbecue can be as easy, or as complicated, as you care to make it. In the end it’s just heat & meat.
CORRECT! People try to overcomplicate a very simple process.
quote:
CORRECT! People try to overcomplicate a very simple process.
Sort of like catching fish 
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker Larryquote:
CORRECT! People try to overcomplicate a very simple process.
Sort of like catching fish
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Catching fish is easy; finding them is hard (for me anyway).
cape fisherman;; i know what you mean. i was shoveling coals under the four corners of a hog at around 7-8 years old. learned so much about this from my Dad. always start your pig our real slow and then build up to around 225 and try to maintain it. put just a few coals at the corners and maybe a smidge down the middle. then when it is time to turn it skin side down i might stab it a small bit to get a little of the excess grease out. after i take it off i take the skin and get a really hot fire to make skins. as you know; sometimes the skins come out good and sometimes they just don’t. slow cooking a hog and sitting around listening to music and telling lies and maybe a beer or three just is hard to beat.