Just did my first overnight cook

[Cris]

Managed to get organised last night before going out to watch the UFC. Put an 18 lb pork shoulder on the WSM around 11, full charcoal ring of Royal Oak lump, and a chimney of lit lump. Adjusted the vents, and went to check out the fights. Snuck a quick peek when I came back at 1 AM, nice glow reflecting off the snow, WSM gurgling away. Dog got me up at 7, went for a walk and checked status. Seems all the heat from the WSM softened the ground beneath it, I'm looking at the leaning tower of smoker! Re-position the smoker, check for fuel and it is almost all gone. Figured I should get more than eight hours from a full ring. Load 'er up agin, check the meat at 11AM, 203 internal temp, take it off the smoker, so it's resting for a few hours before I pull it.

First time I've used Royal Oak. Is it faster burning than others? I have mainly used Kingsford, but have used Maple Leaf lump with a longer burn time. Or is it just the colder weather increasing fuel consumption?

 

[JimK]

Congrats on your first overnight!

The cold will cause you to use a bit more fuel. Also, was there a breeze at all? That'll cause you to burn through quicker.

And the lump will definitely burn faster than the Kingsford.

Post some pics and show us how it turned out.

 

[Craig Castille]

Not so much the cold, but a breeze will exhaust fuel supply quicker than usual.

Royal Oak is not the longest burning fuel compared to other lumps.

If you use water in the pan and want to conserve fuel, add the water later while the smoker comes up to temp, or skip the water altogether.

 

[Cris]

Dang! House smells good! used hickory for the first time in a while, hard to find locally in the winter. No breeze, WSM is near a wooden fence and storage shed for wind breaks, no water in pan, use the clay saucer, been happy with the way it works out.

Post pics? I'm a luddite, but I'll see what I can do.

 

[Mosef]

Nice work, Cris. My experience with Royal Oak is limited to briquettes. They burned up pretty quick, but then so does everything in my offset. It makes me quite jealous actually that you can be a man on the town, get some shut eye, and still get that good BBQ on the table. I need my WSM back! It's nice having it at my folks' house for the holidays, but the offset needs a break. It's been a long year of chasing temps.
That reminds of an old question... why doesn't Weber advertise more aggressively? I'm no mad man, but I can see Cris being the star of a 30 second TV spot that shows him loading the WSM up, adjusting the vents, then leaving it alone all night while he goes on about his life. It's already so obvious to WSM owners, but why not take it to the masses? Really, you'd think Weber would advertise all of its products more.
Sorry, Cris, this is in no way meant to hijack your thread. Just filling space until you get some of those pics up!