two shoulders in my ECB?

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jeffesonm

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Mar 3, 2008
102
10
Hi all,

Tomorrow will be my 4th smoke... last time the one 8.5 lb shoulder was eaten in less than 10 minutes, so I need to crank it up a few notches this time. I bought two shoulders totaling 20 lbs and am planning to do them both at the same time in my ECB (one on top rack, one above water pan).

So...
Does this sound feasible? Should I expect it to take longer to cook two at once than it usually does for one? Will it use up more charcoal or require closer attention during the smoke? Any tips for basting the bottom one?

Thanks!
 
Maybe a little longer but not much assuming you can keep your temps up with 2 in there and get good air flow as well.

Will definitely use more charcoal..........you have twice the amount of cold meat in there.......it will take more to recover and hold the smoker temps.

If you aren't planning on rotating the racks, I would just let the top one baste the bottom one...........good drippings.

Good luck.
 
I've done two butts on my ECB a couple times and yeah, it takes a little longer, but not much. The temp is a bit more work, but it's worth it!
 
I would recommend rotating racks and flipping them a time or two during the smoke. There might be a cold area for a while in between the top and bottom shoulder.
 
It'll take a bit longer and you'll have a bit of trouble accessing the bottom butt, but you'll be fine with 2 butts on the ECB.

FWIW, I don't baste my butts. I do like to inject them.

Sounds like somebody might be in the market for a new smoker pretty soon (a larger one that does both butts AND ribs simultaneously).

Be careful, that BBQ will bite you.
 
Definitely doable.
Make the switches at a time when you have to add coals or have things open for another reason. Be sure to spritz or mop then too. Always want to minimize heat disruptions and maximize cooking time.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone... should the larger one go on the top rack?

Here is some preliminary q-view... I will be pretty busy tomorrow so the rest probably won't be posted until later in the weekend.


20.66 lbs @ 1.19/lb
IMG_8133.JPG






put together a rub based on a handful of recipes I read

IMG_8134.JPG





skin removed, ready for mustard

IMG_8135.JPG





slathered in mustard

IMG_8139.JPG






all rubbed up

IMG_8141.JPG
 
Hey Jeff, I think you shouldn't have a problem doing two in the ECB, but I bet you are going to see temps drop off a bit (I am an ECB user and have that problem on longer smokes). I don't know if it matters if the big one is on top or not. I will be interested to see responses. Good luck!
 
Well the smoke went pretty well. The night before a friend from out of town showed up and we enjoyed one too many adult beverages, so I got off to a late start. Meat didn't go on until 10:30 or so. Temps held pretty steady all day long, kept the water pan full and refilled the coals every few hours. I started with the 11 pounder on top and switched them up sometime in the late afternoon, and eventually switched them back once the 9 pounder was ready to be foiled. I pulled both at ~190 because it was almost 1:30 AM. Pulled them at around 2:30 AM, added the finishing sauce, and those who managed to stay up that late got a delicious pulled pork sandwich. Today we have several pounds of leftovers that I'll be vacuum packing and freezing for another day. And now, the qview...




About two hours into the smoke...

image135.jpg







Adding more coals...

image200.jpg








Bone came right out...

image464.jpg









Delicious...

image465.jpg
 
.....refilled the coals every few hours

Give the "minion" method a try. You might find that you don't have to tend the fire quite as often.
 
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