First overnight smoke - hope it turns out!


 
K

Kurt_C

TVWBB Member
Hi All,

We're heading out camping for the May long weekend, and just like every other time I go camping, I'll be lugging my 18.5" WSM along for the ride! I've done lots of smokes, but nothing over 12 hours, so I'm a little nervous about my first attempt at an overnighter.

I'm cooking for 11 + 4 kids on Saturday, so am planning on a 10lb pork butt, using the Mr. Brown recipe. I'm using Wicked Good Lump, so I'll pack the charcoal bowl with unlit, throw a chimney full of lit on top at 10:00pm, and will plan to pull it anywhere from 2:00-5:00 on Saturday(16-19 hrs).

Because I'm using lump, I'm thinking I'll have to throw another chimney of unlit in sometime Saturday morning. Will also plan to fill up the water pan as necessary. As for wood, I'm thinking of using a hickory/apple mixture.

Any major holes in my plan? Any gotchas you guys have come across that may save me some frustration?

Cheers,
Kurt
 
Have the Mrs. stay up and tend the fire.
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Hey Kurt -- Only thing I can think of is that you might be better off with briquettes for an overnighter. I do overnight butts pretty regularly. The minion method works great and I can usually depend on 8 solid hours with less than 10 degrees of temp change. I think your 16-19 hour timetable is realistic.

I'm doing two briskets overnight on Friday. Can't wait for Saturday.
 
If your comfortable with lump thats ok, if not get some Stubbs briqs. Either way I wouldn't start with more than a 1/3rd of a chimney of lit.
 
Don't worry about the lump overnight it will work fine. It burns hotter so you can actually cut your air back more than with briquettes but if your using lump your already used to that. I easily get 8 hours out of my kettle with 1 chimney unlit and 1/4 chimney lit. Your using a lot more unlit than I do so I see no problems.

Someone actually had a temperature-time post on here with lump vs briqs and there wasn't that much difference.

Having said that I have seen large variations in the burn time of different lumps. A maple lump burns hotter and faster than an oak lump if your using it for open grilling.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I will go ahead and put less lit on that I had planned - maybe 1/3 to 1/2 a chimney.

I have a Maverick ET73 so I'll be able to keep a fairly close eye on the temps (or I'll put it on the Mrs' side of the bed - thanks for the tip Matt!).

I forgot to post the temps I plan on cooking at. Even though the Mr. Brown recipe says 200-220F, I was going to go with 225-250F. Does this coincide with the estimated 1.5-2 hrs/lb? I read some posts on here that some guys were using 260-275, but that doesn't seem like low and slow to me? Plus I'd be concerned it would be cooked far too early.

Thanks Again.
Kurt
 
250 is fine.......mine levels off around 250 with all bottom vents shut once it gets going (I use a 22 WSM). All night at that temp will give you good Q.

1/3 Chimney is more than enough to kick things off; I would consider using a little less.

Good luck, sounds like a blast!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I was going to go with 225-250F. Does this coincide with the estimated 1.5-2 hrs/lb? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I go by the vent temp (both my wsm's factory guage is 30-50 lower than vent), 250-265 will get you 1.3-1.6hrs per lb. 225-240 will get you 1.75-2hrs per lb.
 
I'm happy to report that everything worked great - the pork was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

I pulled it at 14 hrs 30 mins - internal temps read 193F and the probe went in like butter. Double-foiled and threw it in a cooler for about an hour.

The smoker worked liked a champ - barely had to touch the vents all night(I checked it every 2 hours to be on the safe side). I added more lump 12 hours in but could have let it go for a few more hours.

Thanks again for the pointers - can't wait to try it again!
 
I'm looking to pull off my first overnighter this weekend, so thanks for starting this post! I was thinking about using lump, which would also be a first for me, but after reading this I'm going stick with Stubbs brickettes. One question, how did you fare with the yield. Was the 10 pounder enough? Thanks.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Axel:
...One question, how did you fare with the yield. Was the 10 pounder enough? Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If it was, they must not have been at a campground.
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I've read lots of posts saying lump burns hotter and faster, and is not great for overnighters. But I got to tell you I was very impressed - the smoker ran for 12 hours before I added more lump (and I had at least 2 hrs of fuel left), so as far as I'm concerned, lump's the way to go. Of course if you're used to briquettes, you may as well go with what you're comfortable with. Personally, I get a little nervous with using briquettes and the minion method, but that's just me.

In terms of yield, I think there about 15 adults and five kids, and there was plenty of leftovers. There were a lot of sides, but I was actually surprised with how much was left.

Kurt
 
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