Advice for 1st overnighter on WSM(*UPDATES*)

[Beertooth]

I am going to do some butts this weekend and maybe my first tri-tip as well.

I love doing butts , but the '12hrs during the day' cook is wearing on me. I would love to start them late in the evening, to right around bedtime using the Minion method and maybe check them once or twice ('cause I wouldn't be able to sleep) and get up in the morning and finish.

What I am wondering is what should I expect doing a over-nighter? My weekend forecast is below. No wind, just chilly temps.



Thanks for any input!
_________________
Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
18.5" WSM (Stoked)
22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
Weber Smokey Joe/Mini WSM
Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn

[Skidder]

Beertooth I would just get everything up to temp and stable then top off the water (if using) just before bed time.

[Beertooth]

[Big Bears BBQ]

I would do what Skidder said top it off should be good for 6hrs I would think. Something I've thought about doing for cold weather using WSM is having a 55 gal drum with both ends cut out and set that over the WSM that would help keep the heat up from cold temps and blowing wind.

Just something I've been thinking about.............

[Beertooth]

[Skidder]

Beertooth I set mine and take off fishing or hiking for most of the day come back and she's purring along at 220 to 240 like clockwork. I don't even think about it. You'll be fine after a few long smokes. Does seem funny though to set it then be able to go to sleep.

[Mikesooner]

Or..you could use sand with foil over the sand and not have to worry about water!! I've never done it.. (with the sand), but many do...you could always get one of the therms that have an alarm that goes off at a certain temp range...The reason I've never done a all-nighter is I live in a town home(glorified apartment) and don't want to take the chance of waking to flames, or the fire dept outside my door! That's why I get up early for butts and brisket.

[Beertooth]

Mike - I have actually thought about getting up at like 4am for the first one, just to get a feel for it in cold weather.
_________________
Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
18.5" WSM (Stoked)
22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
Weber Smokey Joe/Mini WSM
Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn

[Mikesooner]

Just get some really good coffee to keep ya warm in the AM!! There's something about the steam comin' off some good Joe...while the pit's warmin' up..the smell of good smoke, and the sun comin' up( at least in the summer!!) That cool air always gets me goin'..a little bit of "life's moment" It was 38 here this morning in Bellevue..too bad I had to go back to work. Hey is that Sunday just up ahead???

[USDA Monkey]

I only do butts overnight now. I start around 9pm and the butts go on between 9:30 & 10pm. I use the clay pot mod instead of water or sand and I think it works great. I like to stay up to about midnight to make sure she's settled in at 250 degrees and then I go to bed. I might check on her around 4am but last time I slept in until 8am and she was fine. I only use lump charcoal and get about 14 hours out of a ring full. It could probably go longer but the Butts are usually finished by then. The best part about an overnight cook is I'm less likely to lift the lid to check on the meat. I can taste the difference.

I agree, if it's chilly out there's nothing better than a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning when you're checking your smoker.

Let us know how it goes. I'm going to be doing one tomorrow night if the weather is good.
_________________
The American Atomic Buffalo Turd Society of America
I Love a Good Fattie

[Beertooth]

[USDA Monkey]

I bought a 16" clay saucer from Walmart for $8 in the spring. It fits like a glove. I foil over the entire top. I'll try to post a pic tonight.
_________________
The American Atomic Buffalo Turd Society of America
I Love a Good Fattie

[SoEzzy]

If you're using water, I like to check things out around the 5 hour mark, and add more to top it off for the next 5 hours.

I tend to get to bed somewhere between 1 and 2 AM so 5 hours back is an 8 PM start, I get home from work, relax for a couple of hours then go start the process.

I take the meat out of the fridge, then go outside and prep the WSM, load the charcoal and chunk wood into the ring, leaving enough room for 3/4 of a chimney of lit charcoal, light the chimney and get it going, then go inside and wash my hands.

Prep the butts / ribs /briskets, with a slather and rub, wash my hands, go back outside the chimney of charcoal is ashed over, pour the lit charcoal into the depression I left in the top charcoal base, put the middle section on, go back inside, fill a jug with 1 gallon of hot water, take the jug out to the WSM, put the water pan into the middle section and fill with hot water, add the grates, and lid, walk away for 10 minutes, go wash my hands again.

Come back out with the meat, check that the WSM is up to running temperature, 250 - 275 at the top vent, pop the lid take out the top rack, add meat to the bottom rack, add meat to the top rack add the top rack back into the WSM, re-lid and go away for another 5 - 10 minutes, wash my hands again.

Come back and check to see where the temperature is running, adjust the bottom vents depending on wind direction and strength, when all is running in the groove, leave it the heck alone.

From start to groove level can be as little as 40 minutes to as long as an hour. Head back to what ever I was going to be doing in the house or yard.

If I'm moving past the pit at any time I check to see where the temperature is sitting or get one of the kids to check for me if I'm involved in something that takes a while.

About 5 hours into the burn, I take out the second jug full of hot water, rotate anything I intended to rotate, add water to the pan, till it's as full as can be, re-lid it and allow 5 minutes for it to all settle down.

I try to be sensible about what goes into which WSM when I'm setting up and how I arrange it on the grates, so that I'd prefer to run one for butts and briskets and the other for ribs and chicken, I don't like having chicken dripping onto other meat, but I don't much mind other meat dripping onto chicken, so chicken goes on the lower rack, and normally butts or ribs go over the chicken, brisket goes on the lower rack and brisket, butts or ribs go over it, or if I'm cooking lots of butts I'll put butts on the bottom and on the top rack.

Head off to bed, set the alarm for 4:30 or so, get up when the alarm goes off, head out and check that all is running well, if there are ribs on now is the time I take them off, and inside, adjust the vents as needed, wash my hands, go back to bed, get up the next morning, and everything is within 3 - 4 hours of being cooked. Eat ribs for breakfast, just to check that they are cooked properly of course!

If it wasn't for the fact that I don't feel there's time mid week to do this, most Friday or Saturday evenings and nights go this way, I slow down a little in the late fall and winter and speed up a little in the early spring, but with the "set it and check it" ability of the WSM, I'm happy being on site while it does the cooking, and I'm there to respond if needed. I'm not advocating leaving it burning on the back stoop and going out for the day, just being close enough to take care of any mishaps.

Doing the above with a terracotta base in the water pan makes life so much simpler, you never need to load the water pan with water twice in a night, but I do everything else pretty much exactly the same!
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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[jib]

Before I got my Stoker, I kept the remote part of the remote Thermometer under my pillow, so if the temps went too high or low, it would wake me, but not my wife. Most overnight cooks, I'd sleep until I woke up on my own at 4 AM or so, then go check it.

The WSM will hold a good temp all night, if it's settled in before you go to sleep. I never had to add water until at least mid-morning. use a long neck bottle to avoid spilling.

Now, with the Stoker, I check on it when I wake up in the AM and it's still parked within a degree or two of 225°F. I also switched to lump and a sand filled water bowl.

The bottom line is that if you setup the WSM well during the day, and it does not need much correcting, it will do about the same overnight.

Jack
_________________
WSM
Charbroil gasser grill
Currently planning a Stumps clone build

[Beertooth]

Okay. So I got the butts and I'm ready to do this.

One last question. I have 4 butts at about 8 lbs each. Not sure if I should squeeze two on each rack almost touching or too close to the edge (if that's possible?).

Has anyone done butts standing on their side? They would be fine that way right?

jib - I would love to have a stoker! Someday....

SoEzzy - Thanks for the great how-to write up. I think I just need to get one under my belt, then it'll be all over nighters!

USDA Monkey - I bought a 14" clay saucer and it just fits in the top of the water pan. I don't think it even leaves room for the lower rack to sit in it's proper place.
_________________
Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
18.5" WSM (Stoked)
22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
Weber Smokey Joe/Mini WSM
Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn

[Mikesooner]

BT..they'll be fine on their sides...they won't even know it!

[ceebz]

I've never used a clay saucer in any of my WSM's. Typically, during the winter months I just put the pan in foiled without water. Temp easily gets into the 225-250 range and will stay all night.

This is while using Wicked Good lump or briquettes.

[Beertooth]

Well it's 56*F right now here. The low says 47*F. Everything is ready to roll. All I gotta do is fire up the coal. Apple/cherry wood chunks mixed in Minion method. I think I'll try water in the pan for this one, weather isn't that bad.

I will light a fire at 9pm PST and assemble about 9:30. Then babysit until about 11:30pm-ish. Hopefully go to bed and sleep for a few hours, then check it in the morning (setting the coffee to auto brew).

I'll post more updates later.


_________________
Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
18.5" WSM (Stoked)
22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
Weber Smokey Joe/Mini WSM
Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn

[Skidder]

Hey Beertooth sleep tight. All will be good. You'll see!

[missionsusmc]

Just a general question about overnighters...So if you cook the meat overnight and it's ready from somewhere between 8-10 AM, what do you do if you're not gonna eat till 5:30-6 PM for supper? Wrap in foil and towels and put in a room-temp cooler till eatin time? Or chill it and warm back up closer to time? From my POV, overnight cooks would be okay for lunchtime meals, but dinner? I dunno.

Oh and Beertooth, good luck hope it's good.
_________________
"Never trust a skinny cook."
"Real men pass gas and use hickory."
"Happiness is...a belt-fed weapon."

Mary had a little lamb, a little brisket, a little ribs, and boy she was full!!!