Need Advice on a Chilly Overnight Smoke with the 22"


 
S

Stone

TVWBB Super Fan
I'm planning a big party this Saturday. The smoking portion will consist of 2 briskets, 2 butts, 4 chickens, 4 racks of ribs. All pretty straightfoward: Trim, rub, smoke.

I've got a 22" and an 18.5". (I also have a POS brinkman, that I'm hoping to avoid.) Here's my plan:

A brisket on each rack of the 22", going on around 6 p.m. on Friday night. One butt on each rack of the 18.5", going on around 8 p.m. Friday night.

around 6 am, consolidate briskets/butts on to one rack of the respective smoker. Add the chickens/ribs on the open racks.

I plan to serve at 1:30.

First question: I've gotten pretty good at starting the 18.5" the night before (minion method) and maintaining 250* in the lid until about 6 am. Any tips on how to get a good, even overnight smoke with the 22"? I just got that and have only used it once. I'm in Dutchess County NY, so I expect overnight temps in the 50s.

Any other comments, suggestions on how to get all this smoked and ready would be appreciated. I've got 60 people who have rspved. Damn if they all show up.
 
Only you know your bullet smokers, but I don't see any big differences in how both of mine cook.

The big bullet seems to cook quicker, but I haven't packed it nearly like my small wsm. The less the load of meat, the faster it comes up to temp and the more air flow all around the meat.

Also, the big bullet very likely might need refueling if cooking a big load of meat and not foiling during the cook. However, since the door is so large, refueling is easy.
 
My guess the 22" will perform just as good as the 18". Get the temp to stabilize where you want it before you go to bed and you should be fine. My 22" now that it is seasoned fairly well with level off on a temp and just cruse for hours. I wouldn't be as concerned with ambient temps as much as wind.
 
All good. I put the briskets on the 22" at 6 p.m. -- small one on the lower rack. I put the butts on with them at 7 -- small one on the lower rack. I mostly filled the ring and added half a lit chimney.
The temp on the 22 took at while to get to 250* in the top thermometer. But it hung around 220ish for most of the time. I added half a lit chimney at 5 am and another half at 10 am to keep the temp up. Still not as easy as the 18, which is stable at 250* at the top vent for 15 hours or so.

Up at 5 am: I foiled the brisket & butt on the lower rack. At 7, I pulled the smaller brisket & butt off, and put them in a cooler. I moved the larger brisket and butt down to the lower rack. I put 4 racks of ribs on the upper. I put four chicken on the upper of the 18.5".

Oh -- do you find that after the first load of charcoal turns to ash, it fills the bottom and retards the air flow? Especially in the 18? I find that if I add new un-lit coals, it takes forever for them to get lit.

Side dishes:

baked beans (alton brown recipe)
2 mac & cheese (saveur recipe)
cole slaw (my recipe, not very good)
sauteed mushrooms
pesto pasta salad
shrimp & orzo salad
panzanella
Coniglio alla nonna
KC & SC sauces
Kasha varnishkes
something else that I can't remember.
It was a long weekend. :)
(sorry for a rambling post.)
 
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