cooking boston butts on the big green egg

Unknown

Ok guys and gals. I have a question about when to put the meat on the fire. i have always lighted my charcoal and opened both dampers all the way till it was going real good to about 500 degrees and then cool the egg down to about 195 degrees and then put the boston butt on. Is this the correct procedure.[p]Thanks NEIL

nikkig

Neil Wilder,
There is no need to heat it up so hot before getting to your desired temps. What you need to do it light the egg, then when it is within 50 or so degrees of your desired temp, start adjusting your vent settings. Put your meat on when it is stabilized at the desired temp.[p]~nikki

JSlot

First of all, Neil, there are no "correct" procedures, just some that work better than others in certain situations. The only reason I can see for getting the temp up that high would be to make sure your charcoal was lit evenly. That's a moot point when cooking low and slow using the indirect method, so it is unnecessary. You really don't want to light any more of the charcoal at once than you need to achieve your target temp. This will allow you to cook much longer using the same amount of lump. When cooking low and slow, I light my charcoal in one spot on the outer edge of the top layer and leave the top of the Egg open for a short time. I then put in my plate setter, drip pan, and grid. At that point, the temp is usually creeping up to the 200° mark and I start closing down the dampers to my target openings. Hope this helps you out.[p]Jim

Kelly Keefe

Neil Wilder,
As Nikkig said, don't heat the Egg up so hot. You're looking for a cooking temp of between 225 to 250°. Rough rule of thumb is 2 hours per pound. Pull the butt when the internal temperature is 200°. If you get "done" before it's time to eat, wrap the butt in foil and dish towels and put it into the smallest cooler you have (no ice, obviously) that will hold the meat. It'll stay warm for hours.[p]Kelly Keefe
Jefferson City, MO

Unknown

nikkig,[p]thanks for the help guys and gals. I really LOVE MY BIG GREEN EGG!!!!!!!!![p]NEIL