2 Butts on 18.5" WSW

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vayank5150

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jan 7, 2013
170
16
Richmond, VA
Folks,

     I need to smoke ~20 lbs of butt for pulled pork.  My 18.5" WSM does great with one at a time, but in order to get this done in time, I need to try smoking two +/- 10lbs butts at once.  I thought I would put one on the lower rack and the other on the top rack.  However, I only have one meat probe.  Is it safe to assume they will both cook ABOUT the same way and time?  Has anyone ever done this before?  Thanks for your help, in advance.

Mike
 
I would probe the lower one as it will be a bit hotter on that level. It should finish first. Remove it, probe the other one and see where it is. Probably be an hour or two difference. I have done two in my mini-WSM and the lower one always finishes first.

Run you smoker a good 20 degrees above your target put temp. The mass of cold meat will drop you down lower than you think it will.
 
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I would probe the lower one as it will be a bit hotter on that level. It should finish first. Remove it, probe the other one and see where it is. Probably be an hour or two difference. I have done two in my mini-WSM and the lower one always finishes first.

Run you smoker a good 20 degrees above your target put temp. The mass of cold meat will drop you down lower than you think it will.
Thanks for the advice.  What does this part mean?

Run you smoker a good 20 degrees above your target put temp.
 
He means when you initially go to put the meat in the smoker have the smoker running approx. 20+ degrees above your target temp. So if your target temp is 250 in the chamber get the chamber up to 270, then put the meat in. The meat acts like a big cold thermal mass that will drop your temps back down to 250.

Put your probe in the lower one then if you have another type of probe for checking stuff you can use that to quickly check the top one every so often as needed.
 
 
He means when you initially go to put the meat in the smoker have the smoker running approx. 20+ degrees above your target temp. So if your target temp is 250 in the chamber get the chamber up to 270, then put the meat in. The meat acts like a big cold thermal mass that will drop your temps back down to 250.

Put your probe in the lower one then if you have another type of probe for checking stuff you can use that to quickly check the top one every so often as needed.
That makes complete sense!  Thanks for the clarification.  Now, one final question.....to rub the night before or not?  I heard Myron Mixon say one time that he does not rub ahead of time because he fears the salt in the rub will make the food too salty, but I have seen a number of posts here where people rub the previous night, wrap in cellophane and refrigerate.  What say you?
 
I even like to let it sit in rub for several days if I have it planned well enough which is not normally the case. But I've never had Myron's PP so I don't know either.
 
HELP!  Raining here and the butts have been on since about 9AM.  The internal temp thermometer failed about 1/2 hour ago and now the smoker thermometer is acting up.  I have a 10 lb and and 8.5 lb butt on.  Is there any way to gauge this based on time alone?
 
No good way I know of with no therm. Hopefully someone will be by with an idea. I am lost without my thermometers. That is really bad luck to have 2 fail in the same day. Hope it all works out for you.
 
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