Overnight Smoke
- Thread starter Alan F
- Start date
Brian Staley
TVWBB Fan
Not sure about the water pan lasting you on an 18.I don't know how big your pan is. My very second smoke on my new WSM 22 was all night, and I did add water once. But I bet you are not planning on walking away the entire night... You will be too nervous and excited for your first or second smoke to just walk away! Or I could be wrong..
I put 27 Lbs. of pork butt on mine, and sat beside it till 5:40 in the morning,,,,good times,,,,good times,,,, oh, and beer.
I put 27 Lbs. of pork butt on mine, and sat beside it till 5:40 in the morning,,,,good times,,,,good times,,,, oh, and beer.
James Jacobson
TVWBB Fan
Fill the charcoal pan and snuff it out when you are done. Good luck!
Mike Hartwell
TVWBB Pro
I, personally, would not try an overnighter without water in the pan...that being said, I would fill it to the brim with cold and check on it a few hours in.
I am just not the trusting sort. The alarm function on my therm will get my attention if temps go wild, but satanus ex machina, if you know what I mean.
But, after all, it's just BBQ and a few dollars worth of meat.
I understand that the water pan in the newer WSMs is larger, I use the brinkman pan for overnighters, and have not had a problem.
I am just not the trusting sort. The alarm function on my therm will get my attention if temps go wild, but satanus ex machina, if you know what I mean.
But, after all, it's just BBQ and a few dollars worth of meat.
I understand that the water pan in the newer WSMs is larger, I use the brinkman pan for overnighters, and have not had a problem.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
I'd suggest a couple of beginner recipes that Chris Allington has in the cooking topics section here on the bullet site, but I'd suggest sticking with water in the pan at first for all cooks, (even for chicken). I'd also suggest using charcoal briquettes, not lump.
Regarding the water pan, yes, it's enough capacity to last all night, but you ought to find a Brinkman water smoker CHARCOAL pan, especially for long cooks. Academy Sports carries 'em for about $5 but you can order them as well. They have a flat bottom that gives more room to tend the fire if needed and allows you to heap up a lot more charcoal and wood for long cooks.
Regarding the water pan, yes, it's enough capacity to last all night, but you ought to find a Brinkman water smoker CHARCOAL pan, especially for long cooks. Academy Sports carries 'em for about $5 but you can order them as well. They have a flat bottom that gives more room to tend the fire if needed and allows you to heap up a lot more charcoal and wood for long cooks.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Mike, I use the Brinkman pan too for overnighters. No, it's not quite as much capacity as the big '09 wsm water pan, but superior since the new wsm pan is really TOO big. As for filling the pan with cold water, I'll have to differ. It just wastes fuel and time in getting up to temp and cooking. I can go nine hours easy before I get up in the morning to add more water to the pan, but it's good to get up earlier and turn the butts if doing two to a rack, anyway. You've probably noticed that water useage depends on how hot that fire is, not how hot the dome is...so it depends on the amount of meat, weather, etc. Vent positions say a lot once you get to know your cooker.
Hi alan,
when doing overnight cook i usually set an half full water tank with hot water and there is still plenty when i woke up the next morning !! like Mike said, the water tank is very big on the new WSM (which i own) .... so dont worry about water!
You can even full it if you want but its gonna burn more coal to keep the temp up ... half full always been enough for me !
One thing, try to start ur WSM at least 1-2 hours before going to bed, this way you can ensure that everything is alright before going to sleep
when doing overnight cook i usually set an half full water tank with hot water and there is still plenty when i woke up the next morning !! like Mike said, the water tank is very big on the new WSM (which i own) .... so dont worry about water!
You can even full it if you want but its gonna burn more coal to keep the temp up ... half full always been enough for me !
One thing, try to start ur WSM at least 1-2 hours before going to bed, this way you can ensure that everything is alright before going to sleep
James Jacobson
TVWBB Fan
If you fill the water pan when you start, get everything stable (an hour or two) then hit the sack, you should be able to sleep 8 hours easily without refilling. If you have a Maverick to monitor, so much the better...you can set alarms so if the temp goes too high or too low it will alert you.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
In case someone else doesn't know what they're missing, I'll make a case for for the Brinkman pan ONE MORE TIME:
I start long cooks with the equivalent of six or so fist-size wood chunks and an entire 15lb. bag of Stubbs briqs. NO CAN DO WITH THE '09 WSM WATER PAN. It just hangs too low, and we haven't even started cooking yet.
During the cook, that extra clearance the ECB pan affords is gonna make feeding/turning wood chunks easier, not to mention assessing, stirring, or refueling the coals later in a cook.
After a cook, the flat bottom of the ECB pan means it won't tip over and leave a mess while waiting for it to cool some.
I think that covers it, and the ONLY thing the weber pan has going for it is that it's thicker and more durable. Thankfully though, the ECB pan's price is cheap....$5 at Academy Sports.
James Harvey
TVWBB Pro
To mirror the above, cold water in the pan does nothing other than burn fuel and extend the time it takes to get to temp. Hot tap water is fine. I have a newer WSM and have never added water during a long cook (big pan). I generally get about 60% evaporation over 12 hours (varies by temp). The remaining water does get fatty and thick but it continues to do it's job as a heat sink. My biggest issue with overnighters had been temp spikes and lows. That Maverick alarm is tatoo'd on my brain. With big cuts of meat you have latitude in temps so feel free to give yourself room on alarm settings and you'll sleep better.
Dave - I've never really paid attention to the Brinkman suggestions but your post motivated me to seek one out. I recently bought a Stoker and trying to build the centre cone of fuel is impossible with the 09 pan. That said, I'm going to use the clay pot on long cooks with the Stoker once the WIFI software comes in. Thanks.
JDH
Dave - I've never really paid attention to the Brinkman suggestions but your post motivated me to seek one out. I recently bought a Stoker and trying to build the centre cone of fuel is impossible with the 09 pan. That said, I'm going to use the clay pot on long cooks with the Stoker once the WIFI software comes in. Thanks.
JDH
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
How much latitude? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Anywhere between 235 and 275* works for me. While it's certainly ok for the temp to dip some below that, the water pan won't steam near as much and it'll really stretch out the cook with no benefit.