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Butts on same rack or spread 'em out??

FM Former Member
I often smoke two pork butts (6 pounds each) at a time, and since I want them to cook evenly, I put them on the same middle rack in the smoker (making sure there's at least a little gap between them). However, they always take about 18+ hours to cook at 225 degrees until they hit an internal temp of 195*. I've tested the temps on the smoker, and the thermostat and burner seem to work fine.

This 18+ hour cook seems awful long, so I was wondering if it would be any quicker to smoke the butts on different racks, with the theory being that more heated air will surround each butt. Has anyone ever tested this? Is it quicker or more efficient to cook large masses of meat when they are separated more compared to if they're closer together?
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T taktezTo err is human, to smoke is divine.
Studly, I do butts two at a time on the same rack and they always seem to take about 18 hours. I've tried putting them on different shelves and found that there was no time advantage. The lower one cooked faster than the upper one but the total time was about the same.

If you want to speed things up a bit when they get stuck on plateau and you're tired of fiddling with them try this. Wrap them in foil, (aarrgh the dreaded "F" word) stick a thermometer probe in and put them in a 325 degree oven. I've found that they're just as good as the ones left in the smoker full time and it can take hours off of the cook time.
FM Former Member
Thanks, everyone, for the advice. I've seen in other postings that a lot of people figure about 2 hrs per pound for butts. Is that for cooking at 225* or do most do them at 250*, as Smokin Okie suggests?

Also, when planning two hours per pound, you just multiply that by the weight of the biggest butt, right? You don't multiply that by the total weight of all the butts, correct?

I know "it's done when it's done," but it would be nice to have a general "hours per pound" guideline so that you can plan ahead when you're feeding a lot of people, and make sure the butts are done in time for the meal.
FM Former Member
Most of those posts are at 225 I believe.

Multiply by the largest weight.

Given everyone says 2 hrs @ 225 (I don't) but their experiences say that's what they're getting, I don't have a rule for going at the higher temp but here's what I would do.

2 6lb'ers @ 2 hours or 12 hours.
Bump the temp up to 250, that will give you a safety factor of cooking faster than 2hr per pound.

They'll be done early, so double wrap in foil, and put in a good ice chest. The new "5 day" ice chest work GREAT! I've put them in there and still have them hot 6 hours later, too hot to easily touch.
FM Former Member
Seems like they're really big this year. Any sporting good, walmart, etc will have them. Just look for the ones that say "5 day hold" I don't think it's a particular brand, just different insulation than before. I have two I bought this year for contests, since my order for a Cambro has come through yet. Cambro's are those fancy ones the caterers use, and they're expensive.
FM Former Member
Sam's Club used to have the 5-day coolers, which are really just like regular coolers with more insulation and thicker walls and a thicker top. Not sure if they still do have them, but it's worth checking.

All the major cooler manufacturers (i.e., Igloo) make a version of the thicker coolers, so you should be able to find them just about anyplace that sells coolers.

I own one and I know others who have them. Everyone seems to like them.
FM Former Member
Not sure why they call them 5 day coolers. We just sold ours in a yard sale after buying it last summer. It held ice for less than a day, and I ain't talking about 24 hours, just the daylight part. It was the one with the handle and wheels on the side instead of the end. Pain in the arse to wheel around also. I am looking at the extra large igloo cooler at Wal-Mart for this year's camping.
FM Former Member
I've never used my 5-day cooler for Q--frankly I don't think I've ever needed it. I've used a regular cooler and the meat was still too hot to handle after 3-4 hours. But that's storing it indoors or in a trunk.

I do take a couple 5-day coolers to Lake Powell where temps are above 110 during the summer most of the day. Those 5-day coolers make a huge difference and cut down or eliminate the number of ice runs back to the marina.
FM Former Member
The one I bought, keep ice for three days. I think like all things there are the real deals which work and others that use the names as a ripoff.

The main reason I recommended it is that many coolers out there just don't work well, the lid doesn't fit tight, whatever.

As long as you've got something that can hold the heat in well, you're good to go.
FM Former Member
Studly,
You have probly got it worked out by know, but just wanted to add my new findings.
I just smoked 2 - 6 lb butts. I put one on top to the right and one below that to the left. I stuck my probe in the one on the bottom thinking it would get done faster. 11 hrs and they both were at 197 and pulled great.
Now I am looking into smokin a mixture of things at opne time. Ribs, butt, chicken and potatoes for a smoked feast. Maybe its to much, but I am loving the smokin part a lot.

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