Kemper Morris
TVWBB Gold Member
Any tips on doing an overnight cook. Going to cook a brisket
Overnight Cook
- Thread starter Kemper Morris
- Start date
Kemper Morris
TVWBB Gold Member
Ok thx I knew I wouldnt get a full nights sleep. Im going to put it on at 7:00. Smoke it 3 hours then add water maybe throw on another chunk of wood then smoke 2 more hours. Hopefully the temp will be stabilized around 225. At 5 hours Im going to put it in a pan with a can of beef broth. Hopefully I can get 4-5 hours sleep. Im used to tending the smoker every couple of hours. Im a lil nervous going to sleep with it cooking. Hope it turns out
Brad Chilton
TVWBB Fan
I put my briskets on 12 am and sleep like a baby ... 7 way to early unless ur have a brisky breakfast ... I put mine on when it his around 165 and know that by around 5 it's gonna be cruzin along around 275.. I fill my water pan with several gallons and not worry about it again ... The meat by 5-6 am is gonna be around the 160 range so you can , wrap , foil, whatever at that time ... Sleep and step away from the lid ...no reason to peak early
Kemper Morris
TVWBB Gold Member
Thx Brad I'll try that
Dave Alvarado
TVWBB Super Fan
Yeah, all my smokes are overnight and I generally sleep like a baby.
A few things that help me do that:
1. I have a Maverick. I know for a fact it wakes me up when it beeps, so I just set the temp range I want and conk out.
2. I don't run water, so no worries about the water pan running dry. If you do run water, your Maverick will tell you when it runs dry because your temp will spike. But, on a 22" WSM the water pan will last all night.
3. I've got such a nice patina of gunk in my smoker, it holds temps like a rock. Even if I forget to set the Maverick, my WSM will hold within a 20-30F range until it runs out of fuel. I cook briskets and butts at 250F, and once the pit is set it stays between 240 and 260 until the fire starts dying. In the summer time, that means I get 16-20 hours out of a bag of KC. In the winter, it's more like 12.
A few things that help me do that:
1. I have a Maverick. I know for a fact it wakes me up when it beeps, so I just set the temp range I want and conk out.
2. I don't run water, so no worries about the water pan running dry. If you do run water, your Maverick will tell you when it runs dry because your temp will spike. But, on a 22" WSM the water pan will last all night.
3. I've got such a nice patina of gunk in my smoker, it holds temps like a rock. Even if I forget to set the Maverick, my WSM will hold within a 20-30F range until it runs out of fuel. I cook briskets and butts at 250F, and once the pit is set it stays between 240 and 260 until the fire starts dying. In the summer time, that means I get 16-20 hours out of a bag of KC. In the winter, it's more like 12.
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
This is the thing. You have to do a few of them and have your WSM dialed in and trustworthy. Once you get enough cooks under your belt, you'll be just like Matt - sleeping like a rock. I get mine going and let it stabilize which takes around 1-2 hours and then I'm off to bed. I don't sleep as late as normal because I want to get up early and check everything out, but I don't set an alarm or anything either. My WSM is so reliable now that it usually isn't more than five degrees off from where I left it the night before.
JeffB
TVWBB Pro
I've done 3 briskies in my 22.5 and both times I put them on around 10pm thinking they would take 15+ hours to cook. But both times they were done cooking in about 7 to 8 hours and I found myself up at 4am pulling them and shoving them into a cooler to hold. I was not a happy camper. And these were not small -- 17lb and 14lb each. Running around 240*.
Lesson: At least on MY WSM, briskets cook much faster than expected. No more overnight briskets for me. Boston Butt, yes, but not brisket.
Lesson: At least on MY WSM, briskets cook much faster than expected. No more overnight briskets for me. Boston Butt, yes, but not brisket.
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
You're likely running hotter than you think you are. Test your thermometer or put another one in there on the grate. My guess is that you're running closer to 300º
JeffB
TVWBB Pro
You may be right but I'm basing that on the readings from my Maverick ET732. I dunno.
Kemper Morris
TVWBB Gold Member
I aporeciate all the good tips. I will wait till 11:00 to put it on. I have a 22.5 WSM so I guess no worries concerning water or wrapping in foil after 5 hours. Looking forward to trying this
I have a ET-732 as well. I discovered the grate mounted probe is affected very much by the placement. Put it too close to the meat, it is a colder temp in the beginning then warmer temp after the meat heats up. Put the probe too close to the edge and gets the higher heat between the water pan and side wall. I use the dome thermometer for all "official" temp readings.
Full 14-17# packers finishing < 8 hrs? I concur with Jerry that you are running hotter than you think. I don't think you can cook a full packer in a conventional or convection oven at 275 temp (wrapped or unwrapped) in that time.
To the OP, consider using a 14-16" foil-wrapped clay pot instead of water. The water does not add moisture to the cooking process (I read this & have first hand experience) but acts as a heat sink to regulate WSM temp. The big plus for the clay pot is clean-up. Getting rid of grease water is a major pita for me. You can't dump it down the drain (clogs) and you can't throw it in the yard (attract vermin, rodents).
Barry LaZar
TVWBB Member
I have just few tips, but only one is important. DON'T GET ANAL! Set your cooker up, and when it becomes stable around the temperature you want, put your meat on and go to bed. You will probably need your rest the next day to finish your preparations. The Webers will vary in temperature all night, but on average will pretty much stay where you put it, if you use the Minion method or equal.