Thanks, everyone! Will Aawa's method work on a pork butt? Also, Aawa doesn't say what weight packer he's smoking, that will be finished in 6 hours @ 300-325F. Will my 9.5lb-er take that long?
Yes, that's a good way to do pork butt also.....
your size brisket likely will not take that much less time than Awaa's, even at a slightly lower temp......it still takes time to go thru the stages that these types of meat have to go thru.....get a temp that you can maintain, maybe even do a practice run with a pan of cold water on the grate to simulate the meat's coolness starting out.....
If say, the cooker will stay pretty stable @ 275, with 2x2 or 2x2x1 bottom vents half open, top vent ALWAYS ALL open...so the smoke doesn't stall.....then run there......if it runs comfortably at a little higher temp, go to Bludawg's instructions.....pretty straightforward.......
Biggest mistake I see (esp. on Kettles, but other cookers too) is trying to force the cooker to go lower temp or make it do something that's not quite a good fit for the conditions....
I can't tell you EXACTLY how to stack the fuel, how dry your wood chunks might be, what outside air temp & humidity at your location is or might be a a certain day, what particular charcoal you're using & if it's picked up a little moisture or not......
See, it's really not an exact science, it's more like golf.....play the ball where it lies......be as flexible as you can stand to be & try to trust the process enough to not lift the lid too often.....
Here's cooks in pretty rapid succession....first nite it rained unexpectedly.....
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198925
Anyone got pics of the 2x2x1 ring setup? My oldest boy just bought a 22.5 Weber to take to college next month. A slow cook setup would help him get some real food instead of burger and doggin' it for two semesters.
Kelly, here's a setup for tri-tip & brisket point & also see the one above on pork that has some pics....
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190049
You can be all neat & orderly or a little sloppy like me, just as long as there's good contact all down the line.....I sprinkle lump charcoal chips all along on the back edge of the row as burn insurance.....