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First time low and slow--help?

runnyyoke
runnyyoke Posts: 1
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
Apologize in advance these newbie questions, but I got my Lg BGE a couple months ago and now plan to do my first pork shoulder (2 boneless 5-6 lbs each from Costco), overnight on Friday for a Saturday dinner, and I have no earthly idea what I'm doing. how do I get my egg to the right temperature (I hear 250ish) and then how do I maintain that temp for 10+ hrs? do I close the bottom and top vents while charcoal is lighting to keep temp low? how much charcoal should I use for such a long burn, will I run out of charcoal at 3am and if so do I just yank everything and dump more in? should I set my alarm for every 1 hr? what kind of wood should I smoke with? I'm using an Asian type marinade for shredded pork tacos with lime, habaneros and sour cream. Thanks for any details you can share on the mechanics involved, no matter how obvious they might be for you, I am admittedly clueless here. I was planning plate setter legs up, drip pan, rack, 2 shoulders side by side.
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Comments

  • Jer_inva
    Jer_inva Posts: 109
    Welcome to the forum. If you so a forum search on Pork butt in the "forums/Search Forum" selection you will see several posts and replies. Here is a link to the responses I received for the past 30 days. Jer

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?searchword=pork+butt&bodysearch=1&dtstart=0&dtrange=2592000&orderby=score&pagelength=50&returnfirst=0&option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=112&func=search
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  • boston_stoker
    boston_stoker Posts: 794
    Read this:

    http://www.nakedwhiz.com/elder.htm

    And this:

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=994672&catid=1
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Fun cook and very easy... Your mixn's sound great.

    boston_stoker has some valuable links you should visit.

    For the mechanics...
    This will help and get you to a starting pointVent Settings, a Visual Guide

    Use something like the first picture - don't worry about the lump level or look.

    Load the lump to almost the top of the fire ring (above the fire box). Make sure your egg is clean under the fire grate. Put some large piecses of lump over the fire grate and make sure the holes in the fire box and fire grate are NOT BLOCKED

    If you want smoking wood flavor put chunks/chips throughout your lump. On thrideye's blog he has a great photo on placing smoking wood in the lump.

    Light the lump and do not let the temperature get above your target cook temperature.

    Stabilize your temperature with all the furniture in the egg (plate setter, etc).

    Once the egg is stable - do not play with the vents. If you feel you must change a setting change only the DFMT or the bottom vent at a time and wait - do not change both vents or you will be chasing temperatures all night.

    Your egg is ready so add the meat and start the cook.

    If you do not have a remote thermometer with alarms do yourself a favor and check the egg a couple of times during the night. The egg is capable of handling the cook without attention but you don't want to be disseminated with the results.

    No need to peek at the meat, just make sure the temperature is on target.

    When your butt is about 195°-200° check the tenderness of the meat and pull when done.

    You will be pleased with the ease of the cook.

    GG
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  • Deckhand
    Deckhand Posts: 318
    You won't run out of charcoal. I've done a 23 hr cook and still had a little lump left over. Others have gone longer.
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  • atlpats
    atlpats Posts: 102
    I think you're over analyzing everything, just follow the advice that GG has and you'll do fine. Relax have a beer and hunker down for a fun all nighter.

    Cheers.
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  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    This has got to be one of the most bullet-proof cooks there is. One can make so many "mistakes" and still have a very good, juicy, tasty result. Here's my process (more or less):
    [ul]
    [li]If you haven't done so already, calibrate your thermometers. It just makes life so much easier.[/li]
    [li]Wait until between 12 and 15 hours before you want ot eat to start the cook process. Yup - an over-night process.[/li]
    [li]Load up the egg with lump, at least 1/2 way up the fire ring. As you are loading in the lump, try to get the bigger pieces on the bottom to reduce the chances that you will plug the holes in the fire grate. I load it carefully, like I'm bulding a fire. With this much lump, there is NO risk of running out. In fact, I usually only burn through 1/2 or 2/3 of the lump by the end of a 14 or 16 hour cook.[/li]
    [li]Drizzle some EVOO or vegetable oil on a twisted paper towel and place the towel on top of the lump.[/li]
    [li]Build a little loosly packed mound of lump on top of the towel.[/li]
    [li]Light the towel in an many places as you can reach.[/li]
    [li]Wait for the oil smoke to clear then load the plate setter (feet up), your drip pan, and the grid in the cooker. You have to do this because they alter the air flow and controlling the temperature is all about controlling the air flow. [/li]
    [li]Close the dome, and watch the dome thermometer[/li]
    [li]Rub the meat with your favorite rub.[/li]
    [li]When the dome thermometer reaches the 250°F mark, close down the DFWT until you can just get the tip of a toothpick through the holes and the close down the bottom draft door until it's just 1/8" open.[/li]
    [li]Wait at last 30 minutes for the temperature to stabalize. It will drop again and the come back up. If you feel the need to adjust either the DFWT or the draft door, do it in small increments and wait a bit between adjustments to fully realize the effect the last adjustment had on the temperature. All that ceramic takes time to change temperature.[/li]
    [li]Once it's stabalized, open the dome, pull the plate setter grid arrangement so you can toss in your smoke wood. Replace your plate setter, a drip pan (I use HD Al foil), the grid on top of the plate setter and your meat the grill.[/li]
    [li]If you have it, stick the smaller pork butt with a remote thermometer.[/li]
    [li]If you did a good job with setting the vents for the 250° temperature, you won't need to get up to check the temperature, but it's still a good idea. So, set the alarm for every couple of hours.[/li]
    [li]Wait until the meat gets between 190° and 200° and pull it from the smoker. I pull at 192° - that's just what works for me.[/li]
    [li]Wrap each pork butt on HD Al foil and then in a large towel. Place in a cooler. Let rest for between 1/2 hour and 4 hours.[/li]
    [li]Remove from cooler, pull, eat.[/li]
    [/ul]
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