On Mar 20, 4:55*pm, TFM® > wrote:

> Janet dear, that formula doesn't really work. *Assuming it did, how long
> would it take to cook a 70 pound pig?
> To save you from breaking out the calculator, it would be 105 hours.
>
> You should be able to cook that 7.5 pound butt in 6 hours.

You go Janet! Nail that pig!

I agree with TFM. I have noticed that both of us are in the "don't
sweat it club" of cooking. I have cooked my share of butts, and I
can't imagine a more forgiving piece of meat to cook on a smoker.

I cook my butts anywhere from 275 - 350, depending on the size. As
long as I can get a big boy off the smoker in 12 - 14 hours, I am
fine.
Butts have so much fat in them you can easily push the temps just
about where you want.

I cook my briskets at around 325 - 350, and it gives me the bark I
like. I slow it down if we are having early (her friends, mine come
early to drink and eat snacks only) company and it goes out on the
Weber the night before.

The point being that (ONLY in my opinion) is that you practice a bit
on your new equipment and see how it reacts over a long smoke with
your choices of fuel. It seems all the smokers seem to have a happy
spot, and that's where it likes to hold temps with your fire mix.

Personally, I would make that fire, throw the pig chunk on it when it
was around 300 and start the timer from there. No peeking for the
first three hours... not a glance. Leave it alone and let it doe its
work. When you refuel you can admire your work and take a temp to see
how it's doing.

To me, that piece of piggy should be off the pit in about 6 hours or
so. No more, unless your thermo tells you different.

Just my 0.02.

Robert