Conumdrum wrote:I'd say 1.5 per hr is decent. I don't use BBQ D but I use another popular brand.
When I do pork butts (6 at a time) I fill the hopper to almost the top. It does hold more than 20 lbs, could be close to 27 lbs when filled to the top. I start heating up at 930 PM, butts on at 10 PM. The butts are cold so the smoker needs a lot of heat to get back to temp due to the butts and the cover being open for more than a few minutes. I monitor for 30 mi and go to bed. I'm up at 3-4 AM to check/rotate butts from the hotter side to cooler side and wrap. The hopper is still over 1/2 full, I refill and go back to bed.
My temps are cooler since it's at night (50f?). I do have a welding blanket and a moving blanket (cheap at Harbor Freight) I use for long nighttime cooks.
I'd like to estimate I use about 20 lbs for a 10-12 hr cook.
Yoder Herb's store (or this website) has BBQ D pellets. I'm sure they get them at amazing discounts and honestly, if I was him I'd push the pellets. They are very good pellets, just too expensive for me here in smaller quantities. There are some junk pellets out there, just pick the one you can get that is good at the best price. I'd order BBQ D by a ton if I needed that many and didn't have massive shipping costs. Not too many trees in Las Vegas.
Thanks for the info Conundrum! Definitely some info here that I'd like to dig into a little deeper.
I purchased the 640 to do large cooks. In the past I've used a small electric Cookhack Smokette that could only hold 2 butts and a pan
of beans under them. I'm hoping the Yoder will hold 6 butts on the top shelf, with 3 pans
of beans on the bottom shelf. While my electric can only do small loads, I never had to wrap or rotate. I could put them on at 10 PM and sleep till 7 without checking anything. Sounds like I will have to now, so if your willing I have a few questions for you so i don't screw up a case
of butts!
1) When you do 6 at a time, how long does your cook typically take?
2) Have you ever tried cooking butts on the top shelf with beans on the lower shelf?
3) Do you wrap based on time, bark development, or internal temp?
4) You use the blanket in 50º F weather?
5) If you have a Walmart nearby, you can find BBQ Delight
pellets branded as B & B
pellets. If they don't carry them maybe you could get them to order some for you.