Overnight Boston Butt Question

Unknown · May 2004

First boston butt, 9 lbs. at a dome temp. of 250. Put it on at 5pm friday hoping for some great pulled pork Sat. evening. Do I need to check the BGE during the night for temp. check. Might get some rain tonight but no major front coming thru, wind should not be a factor. Any advice on overnight cooking would be appreciated.

Nature Boy · May 2004

khones,
It is a fantastic idea to wake up every 3-4 hours to check on your cooker. If you have to make any major adjustments just before bed, then set your alarm for 2 hours. If you set everything up well, and have it stabilized before bed than chances are fair that you can get through the night with no problems. But better to get up every few hours than to have to post the famous "My fire went out, should I eat the meat".[p]Happy cooking
Chris

Bob V · May 2004

khones,[p]Agree with Nature Boy 100%. And also don't make this famous mistake: everything is stabilized for hours, smoking away nicely; you decide to go to bed and say, "Well, I'll just close this bottom damper down a nudge..." Resist that urge. If it is stable, it is stable. Don't mess with it.[p]The voice of (cold) experience.[p]Good luck. Don't worry too much, it will be great.[p]Bob V[p](also - 250 dome is only around 200 at the grill. Don't worry too much if your temp goes up to 275 or even 300 dome, as that is still around 50 degrees cooler on the butt itself)

Unknown · May 2004

Bob V,
This forum is awesome, great people out there. I'm not only a new BGE owner but new to using forums. One more question for tonight. Heat regulation, what is a good ratio of opening the daisy wheel and bottom vent? Should they be about even opening or one more than the other?

Pakak · May 2004

There are all sorts of thoeries about what's best and there doesn't seem to be a general consensus. Personally, I have them about the same. I'm more used to regulating temps with a fireplace (including external air intake) or wood stove. The egg works the same as either of those, IMO.[p]

AZ Geoff · May 2004

khones,
I did two last weekend, and I had the bottom vent open about 1/4 inch and the daisy wheel slots about 1/2 way open. Egg held steady for 16 hours!!! (You may need different settings for your weather conditions)
Each time I have done them, it ended up being 2 hours per pound. (almost exactly 2 hours with a dome temp of 225)
If it gets done early, wrap in foil and a towel and put in a (dry) ice chest. It stays hot for a long time!![p]Just my $0.02 worth!! Hope it helps!![p]AZ Geoff

Fairalbion · May 2004

khones,
I cheated and bought a device that monitors the meat and dome temperatures. It uses a small fan to blow (or not blow) air into the bottom vent and thus keep the temperature rock steady. It basically allows the BGE to become a "set and forget" proposition for low 'n' slow cooks.
I like being able to sleep through the night - recommended. A link is below.
[ul][li] BBQ Guru[/ul]

Bob V · May 2004

khones,
On my medium, an overnight usually has the daisy wheel just slightly cracked (the petals, not the circle) and the bottom open about 1/8".[p]It is a good thing that most smoking is done early in the cook, as you get a feel for the flow of air through the Egg by watching the smoke. You want just a gentle even slow flow out of the daisy.[p]Another thing: look up Elder Ward's NC Pulled Pork recipe in the recipe section of the forum. He has step-by-step directions on how to stack your lump charcoal for the longest burn. It seems a bit obsessive, but the "large chunks on bottom, fine on top, light from top" method really results in extraordinarily long burns with no problems at all. Some folks have gone 20 hours or more with no refueling on low & slows this way.[p]Look forward to the report tomorrow -[p]Bob V

Unknown · May 2004

geoff...
where in az are you??

AZ Geoff · May 2004

jiarby,
I'm in the Phoenix area.[p]Az Geoff

Overnight Boston Butt Question

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