meat rotation

[tfitz49]

Iv had my Bradley Original for 5 or so years now.  I have smoked three pork shoulder at one time.  It was a success but very stressful.  I have a few get together where I would like to smoke 4.  since toe bottom of the cabinet it hotter than the top I feel the meat will have to be rotated in order to keep meat temps relatively close.  Have any of you smoked 4 shoulder? did you rotate or let it do what it do?  Any suggestion on time between rotation? Thank you

[watchdog56]

i have done 4 - 8 lbs before. Took between 16 and 20 hours. I did rotate very couple of hours until I went to bed. Changed water pan out before going to bed with an 8 x 13 pan 3/4 full of water and a couple of cups of apple juice. Then got up around 4 hours late and changed again. Rotated racks every time I got up, top to bottom and front to back. If they are small enough you might be able to get 2 butts on 1 rack which would be easier but make sure there is space between the butts so the temp hits them. I have done butts this way a couple of times with no problems except once.

I did have a fire in my first Bradley. Rotated racks and changed water out around 4;00 AM and when I woke up at 6;30 the alarm on my Maverick was going off. I had it in my garage because it was below zero then and luckily I had put a moving blanket around smoker to keep it warmer, Well when I moved the rack I think what happened is  the butts were touching the sides and the grease went down to the element and started a fire. With the blanket wrapped around the smoker I think it smothered it out. The butts were burnt on the outside but the inside was still good. I could have very easily burnt the house down.

[zueth]

I have a 4 rack BDS and do 4 pork butts all the time, I put two on a rack.  The first two on the bottom rack and the next two on the third rack.  I run smoke for first six hours, so after 3 hours I change out water.  Then after six hours I change out water and rotate tacks top to bottom and front to back.  Then I go to bed and don't touch smoker till next morning.  at that point, I put in meat probe in both and rotate again and change water.   after that no more rotating and I don't open the door until the first two are done.  then again not until last two are done.

I think the key is to open the door the least amount possible to help it retain heat.  Mine typically takes about 24 hours for first 2 and a couple more hours for last two.

I always have my maverick smoker temp probe in the cabinet and have a high smoker temp alarm set and low smoker alarm set.  also, remeber the DBS can only be set to 9 hours and 40 minutes, so don't ever go more than about 9 hours without checking on it. (overnight for example)  I try to not let it go more than 8 hours without me emptying water and replacing with fresh. You get a lot of grease in that water from the pork butts.