Rushed cook on MiniMax (you won't be impressed)

Eggzellent

Long night..woke up late..realized that I had a 10+ pound pork butt to cook.
Took the CI grate out..filled the KAB with smaller chunks to the wire level..lit the lump through the vent opening with a torch.
Installed woo w/10" stone (drip pan) below for indirect..then OEM grate on top and Grill grate.
At the last second and on an ill-advised impulse (I didn't like how much lump was in there after it settled), I poured a half bag of OK Joe's Apple chips (almost shavings) on top of the fire..threw on the garlic salt/pepper rubbed butt (smoking to beat the band of course) and couldn't get the lid closed. I think the stone was sitting on a bed of apple.
Hurriedly, I took two long pieces of heavy granite and weighted down the lid until it barely closed..opened the screened vent full bore..daisy wheel openings as well..done.
The tip of the dome thermometer is obviously laying on the top of the meat and doing nothing until the meat decides to give and I scrounge up some spacers to keep it up in there (the clip got smashed in to the butt). 
(Edit: I yanked the thermometer out and stuck it in the daisy wheel)

It's an .89/lb. butt and I imagine that I'll have to feed the fire eventually again..but hey..I'm having fun (unless I'm flirting with disaster) and loving it. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Is your clip off your thermo?

JohnInCarolina

I assume you want to pull it for dinner?  You can back way off the temps until it hits the stall, then wrap and bump the temp, and you can finish with room to spare.

Eggzellent

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Is your clip off your thermo?

It is (most likely jammed in to the butt) and probably my first mistake among many I'm assuming (edited above to indicate that I stuck it in the daisy wheel...yet come to think of it..the probe isn't floating free as it was in the dome and probably won't be accurate).

Ozzie_Isaac

Your clip off is not a mistake.  It keeps the thermo free.

Eggzellent

JohnInCarolina said:

I assume you want to pull it for dinner?  You can back way off the temps until it hits the stall, then wrap and bump the temp, and you can finish with room to spare.

I'd like to eat it tonight and thanks for the advice (I'll take it) yet I'm afraid that I'm not cooking all that hot now with all that meat in such a small space/indirect. It sure doesn't act like it even with everything wide open which would be a nuclear event in my XL.
I suppose I'll just have to wait a while, dig that clip out when the meat shrinks/some bark is on it and dial it in as suggested (maybe the same time that I need some lump).
It just doesn't seem like it'll be done anywhere near an EST dinner (9:40 now) if I don't lean towards the high side (and do as you suggested) but..as you can see..I don't cook patiently very well.
I'm almost 'liking' not knowing where I'm at temperature-wise just as long as I don't pick up some food-borne illness (slap it in, set the vents and forget it).

Eggzellent

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Your clip off is not a mistake.  It keeps the thermo free.

I should have said that it won't be accurate stuck in the daisy wheel where it's sitting now as I just stuck it all the way through the daisy hole with the face sitting flush..which can't be good either.

Dobie

Lots of issues here. Why are you lighting from the bottom through the vent? Dumping smoke wood on to make up for lack of lump charcoal. Forcing the dome shut with weights. 
My advice, make sure the egg base is clean around the fire box before a long cook.
Fill the egg with lump up to about an inch and a half from the bottom of your indirect stone. Light in the center from the top. Keep the lid open a bit and let the fire spread a little bit. Close the dome and adjust vents down to small openings. Wait for temps to stabilize with the stone and any water pans in if using. Once locked in add some wood chips if you want. Put your meat on and monitor a bit to make sure it moves back near desired temp. This will take 30 to 45 minutes so dont make adjustments to soon. Meat is cold and will drops temps a bit. Make a small adjustment f needed after that. The clip on the dome thermo is not needed. Make sure meat isnt contacting the probe, it can bend and ruin it. 

JohnInCarolina

It takes a good amount of time for a big, cold, hunk of meat like that to get going.  Going nuclear you're just going to burn up the outside.  I have no idea how the inside will turn out.

Many of us do turbo butts all the time.  What happens is, after the wrap - they cruise right through the stall in no time.  You don't see a stall at all - the temp just keeps increasing.  You have plenty of time to back off the temp now, let it pick up a good amount of smoke until you hit the stall, and then wrap and bump the temp as you need it (I'd suggest 350 post wrap).

Eggzellent

Dobie said:

Lots of issues here. Why are you lighting from the bottom through the vent? Dumping smoke wood on to make up for lack of lump charcoal. Forcing the dome shut with weights. 
My advice, make sure the egg base is clean around the fire box before a long cook.
Fill the egg with lump up to about an inch and a half from the bottom of your indirect stone. Light in the center from the top. Keep the lid open a bit and let the fire spread a little bit. Close the dome and adjust vents down to small openings. Wait for temps to stabilize with the stone and any water pans in if using. Once locked in add some wood chips if you want. Put your meat on and monitor a bit to make sure it moves back near desired temp. This will take 30 to 45 minutes so dont make adjustments to soon. Meat is cold and will drops temps a bit. Make a small adjustment f needed after that. The clip on the dome thermo is not needed. Make sure meat isnt contacting the probe, it can bend and ruin it. 

The firebox was clean. It was either more lump or more smoke and I chose the smoke knowing that the woo set up is so easy to lift out for adding more lump later. I lit the fire through the vent basically because 'I could' (yeah, I know) with a bent torch head and that rebellious streak in me making it seemingly make 'sense' for a one spot/slow cook/lit from the bottom method (see jamming meat in an egg to the point of needing rocks to weight it down for the rest of my profile).

I'll take your advice and John's (very much appreciated)...and say that you're right..I probably bent the crap out of the thermometer in my haste to 'just do this'.

Eggzellent

JohnInCarolina said:

It takes a good amount of time for a big, cold, hunk of meat like that to get going.  Going nuclear you're just going to burn up the outside.  I have no idea how the inside will turn out.

I agree, John..yet this little cooker doesn't seem to be getting anywhere near nuclear with this setup, the bottom vent wide open, the daisy wheel holes full open and the meat jammed.
I suppose that it could pick up in a hurry if there's any lump left later, the meat shrinks (more air flow up top) and that layer of apple wood shavings burns off..we'll see.

Right now, it's still smoking away like I want to see it with very little heat at the daisy wheel..which worries me a bit.

JohnInCarolina

Eggzellent said:

JohnInCarolina said:

It takes a good amount of time for a big, cold, hunk of meat like that to get going.  Going nuclear you're just going to burn up the outside.  I have no idea how the inside will turn out.

I agree, John..yet this little cooker doesn't seem to be getting anywhere near nuclear with this setup, the bottom vent wide open, the daisy wheel holes full open and the meat jammed.
I suppose that it could pick up in a hurry if there's any lump left later, the meat shrinks (more air flow up top) and that layer of apple wood shavings burns off..we'll see.

You may just have a basic airflow problem with all the lump and chips jammed in there.  Pay close attention to the temps, because it could shoot up really quickly once it gets going.

Eggzellent

^^^^^...The daisy wheel temp using the thermometer off my XL (simply plopped through one of the holes) barely shows 100 degrees. I'll keep an eye on it as suggested yet right now it's smoking along very nicely 2 hours in.

I'm thinking that I won't open it up at all unless the temp. falls or spikes and read the meat temp through the open thermometer hole. 

Eggzellent

...2 hours in and I'm at 116 or so for a 10+ lb. butt straight from the fridge according to the probe (old Polder unit and no idea what the depth is or will be later so who knows).

JohnInCarolina

Sounds OK to me.  Let us know how it progresses.

Eggzellent

..almost 4 hours in:
Lump was near toast. Refilled the KAB to the top (again) with slightly larger RO pieces; dumped the rest of the apple shavings on top and stuck with the indirect/10" stone/woo/wide open vent (with screen) strategy. We'll see what happens (at least the lid closed)..151 F internal..

Ozzie_Isaac

4hrs and lump is gone?  Either you are using sawdust or your temp is way above low and slow.

NPHuskerFL

Ozzie_Isaac said:

4hrs and lump is gone?  Either you are using sawdust or your temp is way above low and slow.

^^^+1.  I've gone 400℉-700℉ 4-7 hrs on a fully loaded MM for breads and Zas. L&S have gone 15 hrs with some lump leftover. 

Jeepster47

@Ozzie_Isaac ... @NPHuskerFL ... come on guys, lighten up on the guy ... he posted that he refilled "with slightly larger RO pieces" ... as RW users, you know he's cooking under a handicap ... probably end up using the whole bag before this cook is done!

hmmm ... where's that smiley face icon so folks will know I'm just kidding ... maybe ... where are they ... oh yes, up there ...

Eggzellent

..not necessarily 'gone'..but certainly not able to go much longer (pretty much burnt through). The temp. was also dropping at the only point that I was able to measure it without room for the thermometer (the daisy wheel) right before I dumped in more lump. 
I woud characterize the first lump as a mix of the smaller and medium sized pieces that will fit into that size KAB. I didn't run the CI OEM grate with the KAB. The 2nd batch night have been a little larger but not noticeably so due to the same fact: small jigsaw puzzles require smaller pieces. 

Further evidence that I've been cooking low and slow?
After dumping in the last load nearly two hours ago and keeping everything the same I was able to put the thermometer where it needs to be and slip the dual thermometer in the egg and farther in to the butt.

245 dome/297 at the grill (or just above)/151 internal (6 hours or so in)

Save getting some better lump or being more anal on lump placement/size?..I'm happy (so far) with this setup as I basically did not have to do anything (save reaching for something to weigh down the handle) or worry about where anything was set at to cook a 10+ lb. butt.
 

Eggzellent

Jeepster47 said:

@Ozzie_Isaac ... @NPHuskerFL ... come on guys, lighten up on the guy ... he posted that he refilled "with slightly larger RO pieces" ... as RW users, you know he's cooking under a handicap ... probably end up using the whole bag before this cook is done!

hmmm ... where's that smiley face icon so folks will know I'm just kidding ... maybe ... where are they ... oh yes, up there ...

... hey, John tried to characterize me as wearing a tin-foil hat!...he full well realizes that I am struggling here with more of a handicap than mere 'bad lump'.
I very much appreciate any help given and hope that it shows.
Even with a refueling break I am really liking how this thing cooks and how the woo makes even simple adjustments easy.

Ozzie_Isaac

@Eggzellent are you trolling the forum

Eggzellent

Ozzie_Isaac said:

@Eggzellent are you trolling the forum

^^^^^^The worst trolls troll their own threads.  

Fire died again. Might have had it hot enough to burn through the stall. Waiting see what it will do for the next few minutes. 
185 dome/207 at the GrillGrate/182 internal.

We'll see about wrapping/steaming it to 190 if necessary. Looking forward to seeing what the lump looks like.

Eggzellent

The lump was toast again. Nothing but ashes below it and no obstructions.
Lost 5 degrees wrapping before it saw the conventional oven at 350F. We'll wait and see.

JohnInCarolina

How's it look?  Bark OK?

Eggzellent

Not barked up very well around the top with the balance looking more like what I've cooked before. Definitely wouldn't pass as 'acceptable' compared to others displayed up here. I'm hoping that it eats better and am pretty confident that it will.

JohnInCarolina

Eggzellent said:

Not barked up very well around the top with the balance looking more like what I've cooked before. Definitely wouldn't pass as 'acceptable' compared to others displayed up here. I'm hoping that it eats better and am pretty confident that it will.

Pork butts are very forgiving.  I bet it will be great.

Eggzellent

Lessons learned (or wild guesses):

All lump is not born the same. This was Royal Oak in the 8 lb. green/straw color bags from Menards. How some of you are getting (significantly?) longer burns at higher temps. could be a reflection of my using the KAB w/o the grate and only filling it to the top ring or slightly below. It could be the vast superiority of your lump vs a less than hard wood species used in this particular bag. It could be that I ran the vents wide open. 4 hours on a handful of charred wood seems acceptable to me yet YMMV.

Cooking in the extreme top of the dome is OK. Smashing the lid down on a butt..ditto. Scattering shavings on a fire and (almost) smashing a stone on top of the two..no problem. Fling the vents/daisy open with the above setup and walk away until the fire starts to die..it worked with the dome stuffed to its gills. Putting a little more lump in to get to 9-10 hours (one refueling required) using questionable wood species..advisable. Stick your torch through the vent opening to prevent sparks and start a 'bottom up' fire..worked for me. Grill Grates for fatty cooks..love 'em just as much as I did on the XL.

Hope this helps somebody as many have helped me up here for many years.

Ozzie_Isaac

KAB in my egg too with no grate.  I use a woo and fill it so the stone sets on the lump.  8hrs no problem here.

Eggzellent

See my hypothesis above and throw in the 10+ pound factor jammed high in to the dome on a GG. Thanks for all your help.

Eggzellent

By the way...that MM 10+ lb. indirect/10" stone/woo/standard grate+Grill Grate butt tasted just as good as any other after 10 hours with the vents wide open and no babysitting required. If you can stand to throw in some more lump when using the 'inferior' RO I use or don't mind breaking some rules?..give it a try.