Family_cook

We are preparing for an Octoberfest fundraiser and I am considering doing pulled pork sandwiches with slaw instead of hamburgers. That way I can cook them all to finish the morning of and wrap and put in a cooler. As the title states, I have two questions. 1.) How many pounds of butts for sandwiches do I need for 40-50 people. The sandwiches will have a slaw option. 2.) How many butts can I effectively fit in a large BGE. I realize I can stuff 9 or 10 in but not cook properly. I want them all to come out evenly cooked. Planning a 24+ hour cook @200-225 with Smart and Final Cyro-butts. I don't yet have a second level grill. Looking at it I feel like I can get 4 on the main grill.

That was informative.

I think spatchcock it the way to go. Be careful with your smoking wood; don't use too much and use something mild like cherry. Pecan, hickory or mesquite to too much for chicken which absorbs smoke like crazy. Heat deflector in my opinion is optional as long as you control the temp. Maybe 275-300. No water pan needed as Kamado's do a good job of retaining moisture.

When I try the MAP torch the area above the coals quickly runs out of oxygen and my torch dies and I have to restart it. Do you not experience this issue?

I would think the ceramic Kamado will do a better job of retaining moisture than a WSM, use less charcoal and more stable temp. It will also have more even temp on multiple levels. If you are using a heat deflector a rib rack should not be a big change. Maybe turn all the ribs over at the 3/4 of desired temp mark.

Nice looking knives. Just not a fan of VG10 which I find chippy and not great feeling on the stones, especially natural stones. For just a little more money you can get Hitachi White #2 Shirogami Steel from Tojiro. Much finer grain structure than VG10. But VG10 is definitely easier let lay around wet where the White steel must be wiped down immediately after use. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/to####k24wa.html

I bought a cryo filet mignon at Smart and Final for steaks. Two days later I smoked the trimmings for 3 hours at 200 to make beef tips with onions, peppers and mushrooms. Smoking any meat before stewing gives it an awesome flavor.

This one pictured a 6"-5" reducer. I got it to work on the Large BGE but it is not ideal, but it fits the XL and was only $8 at Ace Hardware. The one linked above at 5.5"-5" is a better fit for the Large.

Nice post. I love making lemonade from cheaper cuts. Well done and thanks for the share.

I would say you over trimmed it. I would lower the temp as soon as you read this. At 250 with that little fat, you risk drying it out.

I found this reducer that fits the large egg perfectly. It is a 5.5" - 5" reducer in stainless. https://www.northlineexpress.com/5-duraflexss-connector-5dfs-fc-6434.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=&gclid=CjwKCAjw36DpBRAYEiwAmVVDMPI-g7rtPqXJoULFVxZnDKy9W_--vBaJB7DvmVWeoC9uJ3eO_9RyZRoC-YEQAvD_BwE

That must be related to your cold climate. I can't see any other reason that would happen. They are fired at 2200 degrees so regular use including high temp steaks should not cause cracking. But repeatedly firing it up below freezing probably would.

Looks great. Love the "fixins". I did one too. Put mine on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 @200 degrees, it was done at noon yesterday. I pulled it at 195 degrees. It was a cool morning and when I got up at 5:30 am the temp was way down but came back in 20 minutes after adding some air. I might try the Tip Top Temp for overnight cooks. I have not used my oven and barely my stove since I brought the BGE home.

I replaced my draft door with this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DHM43RY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Much better, easier to adjust, feels stronger and installations was simple. Lucky I had some RTV Silicon on hand for the seal. Highly recommend. One problem I had was the new screws were too long and would have interfered with the firebox so I just used the old ones.

Branzino