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Full Load of Butts in an FEC100

R ribdogMember
Dr. BBQ and I had a dinner we catered the other night for 300. I cooked all the pork butts for the meal and thought you all would like to see my two FEC 100s fully loaded.







This was 265 lbs of pork butts split in between my two smokers. One FEC 100 is a pre-ramp, direct feed smoker from 2004. The other is a IQ4 FEC 100 from 2007.

I put the pork butts on at 7:30 PM with both smokers preheated to 175*. I left them at 175 for four hours. Then I rotated the top and bottom shelves in each and turned the temp up to 235*.

The first butts came off at 5:30 AM and continued coming off until the last came off at 10:15 AM. The butts were all wrapped in HD foil and placed in preheated Cambro food carriers. When we went to start pulling the butts apart at 5 PM, they were all still very hot and easily above the proper food hold temps.

All this being said, I knew that I would have more than I needed. I could have cooked just three cases, instead of four, but I wanted to try a full load in both smokers at once as I had never done this before. The FECs were champs! And I slept like a baby.

Thanks FE and Cookshack!
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C chaplainbillMember
Noticed you put the Fat cap down. Is that for all of them or just the ones on the bottom. Can't tell. Also, what temp did you pull them. I did two butts this weekend, started at 9:45 PM at 180 for six hours and raised to 225. They were not done until noon. They were 10 pounds each. I know it's done when it's done, but wondering if my smoker is too slow as yours finished much faster with a massive load.
R ribdogMember
Yes, I did put the fat cap down as I did not trim the fat cap on these loads. I put the fat cap down on all the butts.

Sometimes I do trim the fat cap if I want more usable bark in the pulled pork.

I pull the butts somewhere in the 190-192 range approximately. Since they will be sitting in a hot box for 8-10 hours, the fibers will continue to break down so I don't want them to get pulled from the smoker completely done.

I have found that the FEC 100 runs more efficiently on a larger load than with only two butts in it. Plus none of mine were 10 lbs. either. They were all in the 6.5-9.0 lb. range. And when I put the butts in the smoker, I place the larger ones on the bottom and top shelves and in the back left corner of each grate. The smaller ones go into spots where the heat will not be as pronounced so as to even out the cooking process as much as possible between large and small.

If you use a remote therm to check the internal temp on your butts, always put the therm in the smallest butt as it will most likely finish first.

Hope this helps.
R ribdogMember
@Bill, no I do not inject them. I just trim them up a little bit by especially paying attention to the little bony nodules on the side opposite the fat cap. Just run you over the butts, don't go there boys, and you will feel the bone like pieces in the pork. Cut them out as you don't want to try to find them after cooking them and you sure don't want someone getting it in their sandwich. For catering jobs, I don't find it necessary to inject the butts. They just get a fairly layer of Bonesmoker's rub and that is it.

Don't know about it affecting cooking time as I have never injected pork butts.

@Mike, I think we had about 7 butts left over. We could have easily fed another 75-100 people but would have run out of beans.
P pagsMember
Dang. They sure do look neat setting inside the two smokers. Looks like you have a fairly even hand in applying the rub.

They look pretty wet. Did you apply the rub a couple hours before they went into the smoker? Set in a fridge or cooler for awhile before going into the smoker? Set at room temp at all?

Inquiring minds want to know. Smiler

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