Over night smoke


 
F

FPScarpa

New member
Im thinking of doing an over night smoke. I've never done one before. Anyone have any tips or tricks that night help? If it helps or matters I'm looking to smoke a couple butts.
 
Butts are a good way to start an overnighter. Don't fret it. I usually get the thing going around 10 or 11 at night, set the vents and go to bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I check it, if I dont, I check around 6 in the morning when the alarm clock goes off. That s the beauty of the WSM. It holds it temps like a charm.
 
Ditto what Dave said. 10:00 seems to work well for me. If I stay up any later, I just make sure that I add coals before I go to bed. If you have a thermometer that you can set for an alarm at a low temp that can be helpful, but you should be able to get at least 8 hours of sleep either way. The nice thing about overnight cooks is that you are not rushed to finish. The best butts I have done were overnight because I was able to let em ride till they were tender. Good luck.
 
Use the minion method. Like others said get it rolling around 10pm and meat on the grill by ~11pm. Having a thermometer with remote disply (Maverick ET-73) helps the running in and out checking temps. My wife will not let me keep mine bedside. Wind protection is alway key.
 
FPScarpa, Welcome to the gang. I might suggest a bit of a different approach for your 1st overnighter. Do your first overnighter during the day. If you plan a 12 hr cook then get up at 4am, start your coals and watch your temps for at least 30 min. Put meat on at 5am and spend the next 12 hrs observing what happens. Then do an overnighter, at least you may sleep better on your 1st cause you kinda know what your cooker will do.
I use a Maverick with alarm. Last weekend I actually slept in 2-3 hr shifts and the alarm only went off once. My 1st overnighter I woke every hr. I couldn't stand it, just had to go out and check. Man was I tired the next day.

Good advice above. Especially the Minion method.
Oh I suggest you have xtra coals etc. very handy and near your Cooker. Also fill a chimney and have it set to lite just in case you need it in the middle of the night. Have a flash light or other light ready.

Happy Smokin' dreams, while you cook.

Mark
 
Usually fire the smoker up about 4 in the afternoon . I make sure that the temp has settled down before I go to bed. They are usually done around 8 or 9 in the AM. Good eats!!!
 
Agree with all above.

Tips ...

~ Fill the ring up full full. Better to have too much that not enough.

~ I target 200º but start testing for tenderness about 190º. Rest it in foil at least 30min, if not an hour.

~ Relax.
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Why pull an all nighter for just two butts?
I can get 2 butts done in under 7hrs.
I guess you may be doing meat for eating midday but it still wouldn't require an all nighter.
 
I did my first overnight this past weekend and it was a success. I cooked a 7 lb bone in butt. I put it on at 10:30pm and it was ready by noon. I averaged 250, some spikes up to 275 and got as low as 215 when I woke up. The key is PATIENCE. I opened my grill 3 times through out the cook. I used a polder thermometer to measure the grill temp, after 10 hours I used it to measure the temp of the butt. I plan on getting the Maverick ET 732 to help me with that. When it hit 190 I checked the tenderness by wiggling the bone and doing the twist fork test. It was done. Pulled off grill and into the cooler for 4 hours. There is a lot of useful information on this site and everyone is willing to help. Good luck and post pictures.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Why pull an all nighter for just two butts? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have had two butts take around 14 hours. It all depends on what temp you are cooking at and if you get a stubborn butt or not. Seems I always get the stubborn ones.
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Shane, I agree!! I like to cook three or four at a time. It seems like there is always one that just takes it's sweet time wanting to finish. I guess a lot of it has to do with my patience
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I did a 9# Chuck roast on Sunday and it took exactly 6.5hrs and was falling apart with juices.
For whoevever it took 13.5hrs to do a 7# butt might want to check his thermometers.
That just seems way too long.
I could practically do a brisket in that amount of time.
 
A 7-pound butt can easily take 13.5 hours - or 16 or 6 - depending on cooktemps.

Cookers - due to set-up, ambient conditions, wood size and placement, and several other factors alone or in combination with others - cause unevenness in cooking, leading to what many call 'stubborn butts'. Thermometers won't tell you if the cooker is cooking unevenly, but you can usually see it if you look. The meat isn't stubborn. The cooker isn't a kitchen oven and can't be expected to cook like one. But there are things one can do to minimize the chance of uneven cooking, or to deal with it when it occurs.
 
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