Too much charcoal?

Unknown · September 2009

Hi,

I plan to do a low and slow pork butt. Maybe 20 hours around 210.

If I load charcoal/chips such that they just touch the bottom of the plate setter, is that too much?

Can you put too much charcoal in?

Thx for guidance for newbie ( 3rd cooking only!).

Pimbley

Celtic Wolf · September 2009

210 dome is way too low for the egg. Unless you plan on cooking a 10+ pound butt don't count on 20 hours.

Bump the temp up to 250. That will put your grate/grid temp at 220.

Fill the firebox up to the level of the fire ring and you will be fine.

civil eggineer · September 2009

I assume you are talking about lump. I have a medium and load it up to the top of the fire ring which is slightly below the platesetter and never had any problems. If you have a large egg, fill to the top of the fire box will easily give you 20 hours at low and slow. I would recommend you calibrate your dome thermometer in boiling water before your cook just to make sure you are truly at your target temperature.

fishlessman · September 2009

if you do the cook at 210 you will have to bump the temps up later in the cook to finish it. its better and easier to hold temps at 250 plus or minus 10 degrees and just cook it and there is no difference in the outcome with the shorter cook, more like 14 hours plus or minus. no need to put that much in, halfway up the ring will get you 30 to 40 hours with a low and slow with one or two butts in there. make sure to set your alarm clock 4 to 5 hours after falling asleep, you dont want to sleep 8 hours and find your fire went out and start guessing if the meat is still safe to eat

Morro Bay Rich · September 2009

Since the dome temp runs about 30* hotter than the grid temp, at 210* dome you are talking 180* grid. If you are trying for 195* - 200* in the butt you will NEVER get there with the cooking temp 15* lower than your target temp.

Do what everyone else said ... use 250* dome.

johann · September 2009

Dome temp is hotter than grate temp? I thought the opposite was true. When I have my wireless thermometer set next to the meat, with the plate-setter under it, it runs at about 250, while the dome is about 225. Unless I was spacey at 1am checking it. Which could also be true.

fishlessman · September 2009

cold meat can throw the temp readings off, but typically with an inderect setup its cooler at the grill.

Unknown · September 2009

Thx fishlessman and others.

I did not think about dome and grid being different (I said newbie right?)! So will plan on 250 dome as recommended.

So, 14 hours for 8lbs do you think, at 250 dome?

Rob

fishlessman · September 2009

best guess is 14 to 16 but they all cook alittle differently. different setups, different pigs, different abilities at temp control ETC

Unknown · September 2009

So, did the butt (shoulder I guess) and learned a bit.

Got a wireless thermometer os could easily check the temo all day.

Realized that 8 lbs of pork from the fridge at 42F takes a long time to get up to temp!
It got in the 160s after about 5 hours and stayed there about 4 hours or so. Then went up more quickly and I pulled it at 197F after 11 hours total.

Everyone loved it. One thing though, the bark seemed very separate from the meat. Almost like a "cap" not joined to the soft meat. Did I do something wrong?

Thx! Pimbley

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