How much lump for a 20 hour smoking?

Unknown

I'm going to take everybody's advice and start smoking about 7 o'clock tommrow night. I picked up an 8.5 lb. butt yesterday, so it will probably take 20 hours. [p]Question is, how much lump do I need for 20 hours of cooking? More specifically, about how deep? I'm also gonna throw in some cherry wood chunks, which I've never used before. Smoking a butt with hickory for 20 hours seems kind of harsh. Is cherry better? I'm pretty sure I have the large BGE.

WooDoggies

Matt,[p]Where I come from, hickory is the flavor of bbq...... so no, it will not be too harsh. You will love it.[p]Fill up the firebox well into the fire ring and you will have plenty of lump for a 20 hour cook. Chances are you will have up to a third leftover for your next cook.
Good Luck![p]john

Unknown

Where does the firbox end exactly? I'll be using the large platesetter upside down, if that matters[p]thanks

WooDoggies

Matt,[p]Take a look at the link. Just to be safe, I will fill with lump about halfway up the fire ring.[p]Allow the egg to gradually climb to your target temp and then lock in. I've gotten into the habit of letting the egg stabilize at that temp (say, 225) for a good 1/2 to 45 min. before putting on the butt. Easy Peasy.[p]John
[ul][li]egg schematic[/ul]

mad max beyond eggdome

Matt,
look inside your egg. . you have two pieces in there[p]1. the firebox (which has the grate on it and the little holes in the side) and[p]2. the fire ring, which your grid or plate setter rest on. .[p]for a long cook, i will go about an inch above the top of the firebox or halfway up the fire ring. .. like woodoggies said, that will last you way over 20 hours easy in the 250 temp range. .. .[p]if you are using chunks of wood as well, space them around and in your load of lump to give you extra smoke at various times in your cook. . ..there are many schools of thought on that one, but if i have fist size chunks of hickory, i'll space about 3 of them around the firebox. . .[p]

mad max beyond eggdome

WooDoggies,
you are so much more sophisticated than i am when it comes to responses (schematics, man your cool) ;-)

WooDoggies

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]No, I just lazy! :~)

Borders

Matt, I wouldnt be afraid of hickory for 20 hours. My results have been sweet. I would be afraid of mesquite for 20 hours though.

Unknown

Matt,[p]I left you the lengthy post down below. I did 4 shoulders for what I think is the equivelant of forty kids which puts the ratio at about 1 butt per 10 kids. This was the first time I had ever done a large feed with this kind of meat, so my ratio might be sketchy at best.[p]You might want to think about smoking two butts for them 12 kids as I see huge potential for coming up shy with having not enough to feed the group with one butt. If you cook two you will have more than enough for the 12 kids, their chaperone(s), interested onlookers, church staff, and yourself - plenty enough to pass around and make friends with. I'd rather you make friends than come up short, and besides, smoked pork keeps and freezes well, so there would be little to no loss in the end. While you've got the cooker fired up, you might as well get maximum utility out of your time and fuel.
peterN[p]

jwitheld

Matt,
fill it to the line bettween the fire ring/box