Plan Critique

[DDave]

I'm doing my biggest smoke yet this Saturday. Not big by the standards set here of course but big for me. Three of my wife's brothers and their families so it will be 8 adults and 7 kids. I'm planning on 2 butts (the ones I have been getting from the local Safeway are usually in the 5 pound range) 3 racks of baby backs, a batch of Dutch's beans, a dozen ABTs and a dozen MOINK balls. My wife is making a potato salad, fruit salad and we will have buns available for pulled pork sammies. Butts and ribs will go on the drum (I'll be using both racks) and the beans, ABTs and MOINK balls will go on the SnP.

Guests should be arriveing at 5 and we are shooting for dinner at 6 but would like to have everything done cooking to pull, slice, etc at 5:30. I figure the wild card will be the butts, but possibly the ribs as well since I've never used the drum with both racks before.


I am figuring on the following start times . . .

• Butts -- 6:30 am
• Ribs -- 1 pm
• Beans -- 2:30 pm
• Appetizers -- 3:00 pm

If the butts finish early -- which I am hoping they will -- I will cooler them until it is time to pull.

Do these times and quantities seem reasonable to you folks or would you make any adjustments?

Dave

[Bbq Bubba]

Looks good to me!

[douglaslizard]

yep it looks good to me too.

[Richtee]

I'd make a few more ABT's- I can't seem to keep from eating the first few ones done right off the smoker :{)

[wutang]

My only thought was wondering how you plan to arrange the butts & ribs on the drum? I am a drum rookie so this is more for my own use.

If you put the butts on the bottom rack so that they are not in the way when you add the ribs later, will it be a hassle if the butts get done fast and then you are taking the ribs on/off to get to the butts? Or would you move the butts to the top when you put the ribs in the drum that way the ribs aren't in the way when you are ready take the butts off the smoker?

Like I said, I am a UDS rookie so I am asking more for my own future reference.

[Vlap]

Im with Rich. I usually make 2 dozen and they go very quickly for 6 people.

[DDave]

I'd make a few more ABT's- I can't seem to keep from eating the first few ones done right off the smoker :{)

Good point . . . I have that tendency as well. All in the name of quality control, of course.

My only thought was wondering how you plan to arrange the butts & ribs on the drum? I am a drum rookie so this is more for my own use.

My plan is to put the butts on the bottom rack and the ribs on the top rack. When I need to get to the butts, I will lift the entire top rack off and set it on a couple of bricks on a table, then do what I need to do to the butts -- probably moving the butts to a table as well so I can put the lid back on the drum while I am messing with them. (Otherwise the temp will likely run away.)

My concern at this point is that the ribs will fill up too much of the top rack and impede the airflow through the drum. If this happens, I'll either put one rack of ribs on the bottom or roll the ribs and skewer them and lay them on their side on the top rack.

Either way, there will be some shuffling involved.

Dave

[gooose53]

From my experience using the drum I get two butts done in about 6 hours at 210 degrees and the temp of the butts is 200. I use a guru so I'm pretty sure of my temps.

[Capt Dan]

From my experience using the drum I get two butts done in about 6 hours at 210 degrees and the temp of the butts is 200. I use a guru so I'm pretty sure of my temps.

no disrespect, but that cannot be right. A guru will help you maintain temps, but something some where is not quite right. I can't even get ribs done in 6 hrs at 210 let alone butts!

DDave, I would cook them butts cap down buddy. Sounds like your timetable is about what I would do myself.

[WaysideRanch]

Sounds awesome DD. Good luck. Lets see some pics of those smiling Q heads.

[Richtee]

Woah... 6 hours? To slicing you mean? Hell, I did one last night at 270-300 and it hit about 160at the 6 hour mark. Well..it was an 8 Lb butt...

[Capt Dan]

Woah... 6 hours? To slicing you mean? Hell, I did one last night at 270-300 and it hit about 160at the 6 hour mark. Well..it was an 8 Lb butt...

yep, thats what I mean. I think it may have been a misprint.

Or there is a microwave built into that cooker!

[Seboke]

Hey Dave, I gotta jump in here too - ain't near enough ABTs for 8 adults! Like Rich, I'll have 2 or 6 devoured before guests ever see a finished dish! Do the same with any male-type in-law that happens to be standing by you at the smoker and you're short a bunch of ABT's real quick. If any of them boys have any heft to them, even quicker!

[DDave]

When I did two butts on the drum, each close to 5 pounds, one took 8 hours and the other took 9 hours to get to 200° and that was at about 240ish center grate drum temp.

No disrespect here either, goose, but where was the guru probe? If it was close to the edge of the drum, then it would probably read 210° when the center was closer to 250° to 260°. I know on mine, when the Teltru on the side reads 200° I am about 250ish in the center, unless they were smallish butts.

Dave

[erain]

dont forget the coleslaw for the PP sammies!!! your plan looks good dave, i know you got the ability to pull this off. remember them thermos are your friend, so if you by chance happen to start a lil early to make sure them butts are done and wrap and put in thermos, they will be nice and hot for a good long while. give you more time to eat some a them extra ABTs your gonna make!!! take some pics man!!!