Smoking Butt right now

[c bain]

I put a butt on last night about 7:45pm for my first overnight with the WSM. Its at its plateau right now at 163 degrees.

I was concerned with how fast the temperature was rising, but it looks like everything'll be okay.

Had some trouble with the temperature of the smoker last night. At about 2:00, the temperature all of the sudden spiked and I had trouble getting it to come down. I eventually closed all the vents completely except one open to about 5% and went to sleep. When I woke up about 3 hours later, the lid temp had dropped to 198 and the butt had cooled slightly.

I'm trying to figure out what the cause of the spike was. Any ideas?

Here's a copy of my cooking log. I will keep it updated as I go.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pWH8nt-v0eXedAbK570MnAQ

 

[Russ Hazzon]

It's possible when you added the water you left the door off for too long. This introduces oxygen and excites the dormant coals. As these coals ignite your temps will spike. 15 or 20 deg isn't all that terrible and is easy enought to control.

Don't stare at the thermo during the plateau. It'll drive you absolutely crazy. It could stay in the plateau for several hours. Just leave her be and she'll do what she does best.

Let us know how everything turns out (after your nap that is - I'm sure you've been up most of your first overnighter!)

 

[c bain]

Its not real clear in the log, but the temperature started its ride before adding water. I first assumed I had run out of water (it hadn't), so I ran down and topped it off.

I like the plateau. It is at that point where I know I'm winning the battle between a tough cut of meat and a tender morsel of heaven.

No nap for me. Kids don't think dads sleep on Father Day!

Thanks for the idea.

 

[c bain]

The plateau has officially been passed. My mouth is watering now. I've been able to keep the log updated and online. You can see the link in the original post.

I'll post a picture a little later.

 

[c bain]

The pulled pork was a resounding success. The final cooking log is finished and you can see it here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pWH8nt-v0eXedAbK570MnAQ

I admit, the butt wasn't much to look at on the grill, but it tasted great, especially when dressed with a little vinegar based sauce.

Butt on the Grill

As a testament to the WSM, the smoke ring on this butt was nearly 1/2", about double what I used to get before getting the WSM. Here's the finished product.

 

[Steve Z]

Nice smoke ring!! I'm getting hungry....Good thing I have 5 pounds in the freezer!
Steve