picnic shoulder roast 8-10 lbs

In a 55, I suspect you could do 3 or 4 whole roasts (I assume you mean the attached upper and lower portions at 8-10 lb ea). I can do as many as 6 butt portions (6 lbers) in a smokette, 2 to a shelf, 3 shelves. that is indeed stuffing it. But I find the smoker cooks best (and fastest) when full... I suspect it has to do with the big mass helping to hold temp. The wood would be just a bit more... not a lot. Basically, a few chunks will do a load, no matter how big (IMHO). I place the probe in the meat lowest, nearest the firbox... usually that is what will finish fastest... with the meat on top close behind.

depending on how long you need to hold, just double heavy foil and place in a cooler and they will stay very hot for several hours... then you can pull and sauce. Or, you can pull and sauce and cover tightly and stick in an oven, or crockpot, on a warming setting for several hours.

It is necessary to "hold" the butt, or any other meat when smoking, after it comes to temp in the smokette? If so, couldn't you just leave it in there and turn down/off the temp dial? Thanks!

Eke:
It should take just about the sme amount of time for 2 or 3 raosts as one. I usually time it by the largest piece and would put the probe in the lowest roast. I might use 4 oz of wood instaed of 2 but that is a personnal preference. You will need to figure out what works for you.

I usually use some apple juice or one of Smokin Oakie's vinegar sauces to the meat when I bag it and then a little more when I warm it back. This helps keep the meet moist.

Holding large cuts of meats allows the cooking juices to settle and ease back through the meats,so that the juices don't all run out as you cut.[beef roasts/steaks]

Shoulders/butts will continue to break down and render in the low heat ,up to a point,and need to cool a little to pull them.

I'd say you could hold the shoulders at 140�-150� for 3 or 4 hours in the cooker without causing much drying out.

I'd spray them well with some apple juice and only cook them to just pullable[around 195�].

The CS makes a fine holding oven,although I foil finished products out of habit.

You can also wrap several times in heavy plastic wrap,before you foil and cooler.

You can also add 1/2 cup apple juice in the wrap and the butt will pull it back in .

Let us know how it turns out.