<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave F (KickSaveDave):
MW,
I cannot take credit for this but I am passing it along from another thread on here. I had a similar problem, my overnight cooks (WSM22) would run low on fuel in the middle of the night and I'd need to refuel.
The solution for me, as recommended by another TVWBB member, was to tightly pack the charcoal into the chamber, as if you were laying bricks or stacking firewood. Rather than pour a bag in there, lay them flat and staggered from the outer ring to the middle, packing them with the lest air between them as possible. Yes, its a royal PITA, but in the grand scheme of the entire pork butt process, its all part of the labor of love.
I ran a midnight cook last night... Four 8 lb butts and two 10 lb briskets all at once. Loaded and stacked a full 20 lb bag of K. Started her up at 9 PM, got settled at 250. Loaded the meat at 10 PM. Tinkered with the vents (almost completely closed) to get a nice 240 steady smoke before going to bed at midnight. Woke up at 6 AM, 225, perfect. Opened the vents a hair, up to 250/260 to finish up. Pulled the meat at 10 AM (12 hours exactly).
Its now ~2:30 PM, and the thing is still cranking at 250+. Running on 17 hours between 225 and 260 - no added fuel, just a wood chip or two for more smoke before I went to bed and when I woke up. God bless the inventor of the WSM, but also that tip of stacking the charcoal. While it is a hassle, it makes all the difference in longer smokes. Try it... works great for me.
Keep in mind, its 86 here in Irvine today and last night was mild, high 60s. YMMV.
Good luck.
/Dave </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thanks for the tip, Dave. Packing the charcoal really makes a lot of sense. More fuel to burn in the same amount of space should equal longer burn time.
MW,
I cannot take credit for this but I am passing it along from another thread on here. I had a similar problem, my overnight cooks (WSM22) would run low on fuel in the middle of the night and I'd need to refuel.
The solution for me, as recommended by another TVWBB member, was to tightly pack the charcoal into the chamber, as if you were laying bricks or stacking firewood. Rather than pour a bag in there, lay them flat and staggered from the outer ring to the middle, packing them with the lest air between them as possible. Yes, its a royal PITA, but in the grand scheme of the entire pork butt process, its all part of the labor of love.
I ran a midnight cook last night... Four 8 lb butts and two 10 lb briskets all at once. Loaded and stacked a full 20 lb bag of K. Started her up at 9 PM, got settled at 250. Loaded the meat at 10 PM. Tinkered with the vents (almost completely closed) to get a nice 240 steady smoke before going to bed at midnight. Woke up at 6 AM, 225, perfect. Opened the vents a hair, up to 250/260 to finish up. Pulled the meat at 10 AM (12 hours exactly).
Its now ~2:30 PM, and the thing is still cranking at 250+. Running on 17 hours between 225 and 260 - no added fuel, just a wood chip or two for more smoke before I went to bed and when I woke up. God bless the inventor of the WSM, but also that tip of stacking the charcoal. While it is a hassle, it makes all the difference in longer smokes. Try it... works great for me.
Keep in mind, its 86 here in Irvine today and last night was mild, high 60s. YMMV.
Good luck.
/Dave </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thanks for the tip, Dave. Packing the charcoal really makes a lot of sense. More fuel to burn in the same amount of space should equal longer burn time.