Another Butt Question

Unknown

Put the 5-pound Boston butt (my first) on last night at 10 PM, stabilized the dome temp at 230 or so. It's now 13+ hours on the Egg, internal temp is 176 and holding. The dome temp, however, has dropped to under 200. Before ignition, I had filled the Egg up to the fire ring and had completely cleaned all ash from it, so I doubt if the lump is gone or the vents are clogged. I've got both vents wide open now, but temp is stalled at 200. Any suggestions? (I'm not too worried yet, as dinnertime is still 8 hours away.) Thanks.

Stogie

Jerr,[p]Sounds like your lump is gone or too low to heat all that area....especially if your vents are wide open. 13 hours is a long time, so check it out.[p]Stogie

Unknown

Stogie, you were right. I checked the lump about 45 mins. ago and it was gone. From reading others' posts here re long cooks, I kind of expected it to last longer. Now I know. Would it make any difference in the brand of lump, I mean, in terms of burn duration? I'm using Cowboy lump. Just wondering.

Unknown

Stogie, you were right. I checked the lump about 45 mins. ago and it was gone. From reading others' posts here re long cooks, I kind of expected it to last longer. Now I know. Would it make any difference in the brand of lump, I mean, in terms of burn duration? I'm using Cowboy lump. Just wondering.

Mike in MN

Jerr,
I tried that lump once, and didn't care for it. Too many small pieces, and I had problems keeping it going. I only use the Maple Leaf. [p]I ran out last weekend when I was doing some Butts. Mine died after about 8 hours, but the temp was between 5° and 10°, and the wind was really whistling (10-15 MPH). I had a horrible time maintaining a nice, controlled temp like usual. Lesson learned: Don't grill for extended periods when the wind chill is an issue. [p]Mike in MN

Unknown

Mike in MN, thanks for the tip. Hard to find Maple Leaf these days, at least around here in coastal NC. Next time I'll buy the BGE lump, which is available nearby. Where in MN are you? I grew up in Mankato and am a U alum. I won't be egging in temps that low, hopefully.

Still Smokin'

Mike in MN,
Two weeks ago I did a butt overnight that saw a low of 8 degrees and had winds of 15mph gusting to 20mph. I filled the firebox to the top with lump. Ran it at 230*-240* overnight, last time I checked it was at 240* at 12:00am, at 8:30am it was down to 210*, plus the wind had died down almost to nothing. I was impressed how well the egg did. At 2:00pm I noticed the temp dropping, opened the vents, little to no help. I opened the egg and stuck a poker down into the lump and stirred it. It came back to life, pulled shoulder at 4:00pm at 205*. Still had a bit of lump left. Cooked for 18.5 hours. [p]I use BGE lump. I have tried three other brands and found they burned up much quicker and were not as dependable. I don't separate the sizes either. I pick the lump out of the bag by hand so I do not dump the powder stuff in, but I do not separate it.

Mike in MN

Jerr,
I order the Maple Leaf over the internet from Kingsmoke.com[p]Works pretty EZ. I normally get 2 17# bags. $14 ea + shipping. It shows up at my door in about 3 days. [p]I live in Brooklyn Park, grew up in Osseo, been here all my life....except the 4 years I spent in the Navy. Hate winters, but great family keeps me here.[p]
Mike in MN
[ul][li]Maple Leaf Lump[/ul]