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How much Pork Shoulder can a XL hold?

I got roped into doing 100#'s of pork shoulder for a charity event this Friday.  Planning to do stages.  Wondering if I can fit 50# on the XL at one time?  Can I stack them?  Does it affect time by putting that much in?  Should I do 30# at a time or less?

Anything I need to look out for that is different than doing just 20#s?

Appreciate any thoughts
Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker

Comments

  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    A lot of questions.  You can probably manage 30-40 pounds at a time on an 
    XL assuming you have the AR..  Then double down.  You got this!



    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    edited April 2016
    I cooked 6 butts at 50 lb. a while back. I was using a CGS Adjustable Rig and everything fit with ample room to spare. If I put them on edge on the bottom rack and flat on the top I believe 10 was doable, maybe 12 if top can be on edge also. The way I was setup there was room for heat circulation between all butts and I am sure that 10 would be similar. I think 100 lb. might be a stretch to cook at once without having circulation room between. The cook took about an hour longer than when I cooked 2 butts in the past. The only issue I encountered was my grease catch pan overflowed. I had to remove everything and empty the pan which was very dangerous. I now have a much larger catch pan if I need to do this again..
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • jbreed
    jbreed Posts: 98
    @bgebrent- thanks for the reply, and you're right. a lot of questions in one post.  I do have an AR
    @bettysnephew - I have a similar setup and just the picture gives me the courage I need.  appreciate the details also. 

    I'll do 2 cooks at 50# each.  will be sure to post some pics.

    Much appreciated!
    Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    edited April 2016
    An ample sized grease catch pan is a requirement! I would NEVER empty a pan of hot rendered fat again. Do not underestimate how much fat cooking this many will yield.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • jbreed
    jbreed Posts: 98
    @bettysnephew great point!  i'll use a bigger pan  thanks.
    Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    I think 50 lb should be no problem with a second level.  If you don't have one you could make one using a weber grid, bolts, washers from a hardware store. I have seen one that big green egg makes on their web site for the XL so you could check with local dealers.
    http://biggreenegg.com/product/2-level-cooking-grid/




    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    You can do it easily. This was 4 11ish pound shoulders on the bottom with a brisket on the top. You should be able to fit around 75 lbs if you had to.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Here is another approach from @dldawes1:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1193490/18-butts-on-a-xl-pic-heavy

    I could be mistaken but I think he mentioned that was 185 lbs total for 18 butts, so he has got 60 lbs on one level.  


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • NC_Egghead
    NC_Egghead Posts: 786
    I appreciate the replies as well since I will be cooking for my undergrad fraternity brothers in May, just as school is winding down. I don't have a final head count yet but even with 75-80 people, we're looking at 40 pounds, uncooked weight. I would need at least 5 8-8.5# butts with 1 extra thrown in for good measure. I didn't think about the grease pan needing to be bigger so I'll need to accommodate for that. Currently I just use the drip pan I got from CGS with my woo and AR. 
    Charlotte, NC

    XL BGE, WSM, Weber Genesis 2, Weber Kettle
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    FWIW I am now using a water heater safety catch pan when I am doing mass quantities of pork butts. It has ample capacity for said use. The only issue is cleaning afterwards as HD foil has to be seamed to cover and leaks where folded over on bottom.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • VanDawg38
    VanDawg38 Posts: 69
    An ample sized grease catch pan is a requirement! I would NEVER empty a pan of hot rendered fat again. Do not underestimate how much fat cooking this many will yield.
    Yes!  Good idea on water heater pan, too.
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    It was not my idea but kudos to the genius on this site that came up with this solution. I just copied after the near disaster I had during that cook.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • YEMTrey
    YEMTrey Posts: 6,829
    I can't agree with @bettysnephew enough.  I cooked close to 50lbs of pork shoulder for my son's graduation party.  They fit easily and cooked fine on my XL.  However, I had a glorious grease fire when the pan overflowed.  It was an absolute nightmare to get under control and empty.  Get a larger drip pan than you think you need, and monitor it.
    Steve 
    XL, Mini Max, and a 22" Blackstone in Cincinnati, Ohio

  • NC_Egghead
    NC_Egghead Posts: 786
    @bettysnephew, when you cooked the 6 butts posted above, did you do l&s or turbo? I'm thinking for a bunch of hungry frat boys, there's no use going the l&s route. I also have a nice new Roman pork puller I'm ready to try out. My plan is to FTC and pull a couple at a time as needed to replenish. Also, any advise on how to serve and keep warm that much PP is appreciated. 
    Charlotte, NC

    XL BGE, WSM, Weber Genesis 2, Weber Kettle
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    edited April 2016
    That particular cook was low and slow for my Ham Radio Club Fest, but since then I have done several large cooks each way. In reality I see very little difference in the taste and most folks slather on BBQ sauce anyway so it's not really a big deal. Always have gotten rave reviews either way. I have a large roaster I stage it in and I use a KitchenAid mixer to break down the meat when it's done.  Easiest way I've found yet, just watch it doesn't go for too long as it will mush the meat. Put it in the roaster and pour on about 1/2 gallon of apple juice to keep everything moist. Plug in covered roaster and keep above 140°F. The roasters are very reasonably priced and also work well to transport turkeys at Thanksgiving time. I haven't had to deal with FTC since buying the roaster. I do throw a couple of towels over the roaster lid when transporting in colder weather to retain heat. Hope this helps.

    Another nice thing about the roaster is if there are any leftovers, the meat has been kept above the danger zone and can be vac packed and frozen for future use when the weather is not so nice for cooking or you just want a small amount. We make pulled pork tacos and sandwiches in the middle of winter with leftovers and don't have to deal with cooking outdoors in a blizzard.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    One other thing, you might want to do a high temp clean out after such a large cook. I don't do an actual clean burn, but try to get a good solid 600° going for an hour or so to purge the gunk that accumulates. The residue will flavor cooks for a while after if you don't. Not that the flavor is necessarily bad, depending on what you intend to cook, but if you are doing something with a delicate taste it can be an issue. I generally have enough coals left after removing the pork to accomplish this. After cool down, I pull the catch pan and set it aside, then fire  the Egg up to clean the dome.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • jbreed
    jbreed Posts: 98
    Ok. Here are some results.  100#total did 50# yesterday following dizzy pig competition butt approach they recently updated. Cooked about 7 hours at 240 to 168 ish then pulled, foiled and finished in the oven at 260 for another 4 hours or so yesterday
    Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker
  • jbreed
    jbreed Posts: 98
    Great point @bettysnephew never considered that either.

    For extra drip room, I used an aluminum tray on my normal tray. Worked great and I definitely needed the extra room.
    Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    jbreed said:
    Ok. Here are some results.  100#total did 50# yesterday following dizzy pig competition butt approach they recently updated. Cooked about 7 hours at 240 to 168 ish then pulled, foiled and finished in the oven at 260 for another 4 hours or so yesterday

    What's that white crap in the background?

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • NC_Egghead
    NC_Egghead Posts: 786
    OK, thanks for the tips on the large cooks. I'll be sure to post it. 
    Charlotte, NC

    XL BGE, WSM, Weber Genesis 2, Weber Kettle
  • jbreed
    jbreed Posts: 98
    @Foghorn no kidding, we got 17 or so over the weekend and it will be 70 tomorrow. Spring on the Front Range....
    Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker
  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    Using AR with oval grid on next to highest level and base grid that ia stamdard with bge, i can get four per level doing eight at one time.   I foil the edges so they domt get burned from direct heat, use drip pan with beer in it and i have begun trimming a lot of the fat off. Trimming makes more room, less waste, easier cleanup. And of course helps me augment sausage making when i need more pork fat.   
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Great looking cook. It looks like you had room to spare. In am.pretty jealous of your setup there... but you can keep the snow. 


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • FarmerTom
    FarmerTom Posts: 685
    Here's a friend of mine,  dldawes1 , doing 6 at a time, single level.  He cooks a lot of butts for fundraising events for a local ministry he runs combating drug addiction.  Does them turbo.  Turns out a ton of pulled pork. 
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1193490/18-butts-on-a-xl-pic-heavy#latest

    Tommy 

    Middle of Nowhere, Northern Kentucky
       1 M, 1 XL, a BlackStone,1 old Webber, a Border Collie, a German Shepherd and 3 of her pups, and 2 Yorkies

  • dldawes1
    dldawes1 Posts: 2,208
    FarmerTom  Nice Pic !!  I get #2 delivered tomorrow !!

    Cant wait !

    Donnie Dawes - RNNL8 BBQ - Carrollton, KY  

    TWIN XLBGEs, 1-Beautiful wife, 1 XS Yorkie

    I'm keeping serious from now on...no more joking around from me...Meatheads !! 


  • jbreed
    jbreed Posts: 98
    Great looking cook. It looks like you had room to spare. In am.pretty jealous of your setup there... but you can keep the snow. 
    Thanks @SmokeyPitt thanks to all of you, it was a huge success. Appreciate the king words on the setup. Now we will see how much more room as I have been asked to do a couple more cooks like this....no good deed ;-)
    Castle Rock, CO - always a Husker
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    FWIW I am now using a water heater safety catch pan when I am doing mass quantities of pork butts. It has ample capacity for said use. The only issue is cleaning afterwards as HD foil has to be seamed to cover and leaks where folded over on bottom.
    UPDATE!
    This morning I decided to replace my old warped water heater drip pan and did some searching and found what may be the perfect drip pan for the XL. It is from www.lloydpans.com and is a 1.5" X 18" bare aluminum deep dish pizza pan. Much heavier gauge and doesn't overhang the plate setter as much as my 20" pan did. Also 1/2" shorter so it will fit better between plate setter and grid. Should be an improvement with less smoking from burned grease. The part number is:  H76R-18X1.5            
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • dldawes1
    dldawes1 Posts: 2,208
    bettysnephew...your pan looks like a great idea. 

    Donnie Dawes - RNNL8 BBQ - Carrollton, KY  

    TWIN XLBGEs, 1-Beautiful wife, 1 XS Yorkie

    I'm keeping serious from now on...no more joking around from me...Meatheads !!