Need to smoke 40lbs of pork, how long do I go?

[Butt pilot]

I have an OBS, single element, no PID.

I need to smoke about 30-40lbs of pork (100 people is that the right amount?) for a charity lunch so it has to be in one batch. 

How long do I need to go on them, how long with smoke, then how long without?

I figure all the shelves will be filled with 2 butts each.  I can start the night before, but it will be unattended while I am sleeping. will get up early to rotate the butts up and down and around for a while - how many times should I do this?

it will also be outside, so I plan to build a jacket.

I dont have a maverick ET - is it mandatory for this?  limited funds right now, so PID is too pricey, could swing the ET-73 maybe.

thanks for your help, been lurking for a while, and you guys are great!

[Gizmo]

With 40 lbs of pork, getting up to temp will be a slower process.  Pre-heat to 260 deg or higher.  If you have a fire brick or two, you can use them in the bottom of the smoker to help with the heat recovery.  Leave the heat setting on high until the box recovers to your desired cook temp, like 210 deg.  The Maverick ET 73 is definatly a great investment to help with keeping an eye on the box temp and the internal temp of the meat.  Roll your smoke for 4 hours max.  No need to go longer.   Before going to bed, be sure to refresh the water bowl or use a foil pan in the bottom with high sides for more water capacity. 
You really need to cook to an internal temperature of the meat (185 or so) and not time.  For that large load, 20 hours or more would not be unreasonable and I would plan to be done well before you want to serve.  Once you reach the desired internal temperature, you can double wrap with foil, a towl and place in a prewarmed cooler for up to a 4 hour rest.

[Smokey the Bear.]

For that large of a load you might need to smoke it in the Bradley, then finish them in the oven. That sounds like it might take over 30 hours to smoke with the smoker. You would use a temperature probe to tell but i would not be surprised to see it take that long. Someone who has smoked that much in the Bradley can give you a closer guess.

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum Butt pilot!

40 lbs is too much for the OBS IMHO.

Given the spacing of the racks, and the size of most pork shoulders, your proposed load won't fit.

You need some space around the butts for the smoke to circulate.

I have found that the max load for me is about ~32 lbs.

My last load was ~34 pounds, and after 20 hours in the smoker, my internal temps were only in the 150F range.

This is what that looks like:


I would also question the quantity calculation, you mentioned feeding 100 people.

40lbs of raw pork is going to cook down to 25lbs of pulled pork or so. That makes for 1/4 lb per person, no seconds, no leftovers - Fine if you are serving alongside other main courses, but not so fine if you have hearty eaters.

Without any of the other variables, I would probably cook ~50 lbs of pork in two sessions:

The first 25 pounds goes in the smoker @225F and gets four hours of smoke, after the smoke put them in the oven(225F) and put 25 more pounds in the smoker. Continue to cook the second set in the OBS after the smoke is done.

I empty / refill the water bowl and rotate racks (top to bottom AND front to back) every four hours.

Use FTC to stage the first set until the second set is done.

[mow_delon]

Never tried that much meat at once, but if you figure out a way to get 40 lbs in the smoker at once be sure to take a picture so we can see how you did it.

[KyNola]

FLBR has given you extremely good advice on how to get 40 pounds of butts done by utilizing your  house oven.  40 pounds of butts will take a long long time in the Bradley alone.

KyNola

[Butt pilot]

thanks for the great advice!  unfortunately.... I wont have access to an oven.... so I will get creative and try to do it in two loads somehow, maybe at another location and transport in the FTC stage.

Thanks so much guys.  love the recipies too!