Any tips for overnight WSM smoke?

[jdefran]

Doing my first overnight smoke on the WSM tonight. After a few uses of my new WSM I feel the minor temp fluctuations I've encountered are minor enough I can smoke a butt overnight. 

Any suggestions or tips from your experience?

[jcnaz]

I have done this successfully a few times.
9lb. Butt on the WSM around 11pm. Ready to foil wrap between 10 am and noon the next day.
I don't use water in my pan, and I make a wind break if needed.

[Tommy B]

I have had success with over night cooks with and without a temp controller. No real advice to do anything different. If you have a good wireless remote I would recommend setting the alarm so it will wake up if temps get too high or too low.

[Josh G]

The wireless remote that Tommy mentioned is really helpful, especially in Winter when you can dip down in temps at night.  Last thing you want is to wake up and the your cooker is 175 degrees and you have a raw piece of meat sitting there.  Make sure you start earlier than you normally would and get your adjustments set so you can go to bed knowing your are cruising along. 

[apt323]

Add more charcoal than you think it needs.  I didnt add enough on my last overnight cook and my cooking temp went down. :-(

I have been using a cheap walmart temp probe and it works ok to monitor the meat temp but a cooking temp probe would be helpful also.

I have been trying to wait on the new Maverick ET-736 the website said it should be available early 2016.

[Harbormaster]

I do frequent overnight WSM cooks in both of our seasons here, all of them naturally aspirated. (I am a big proponent of learning how to cook on your WSM w/o an ATC.)
Much easier since I stopped using water in the pan.
As much charcoal as you can get in the ring leaving enough room for your lit.
Doesn't matter how many times I have done overnighters, I'm still up to check it every 2 - 4 hours. When you have 4 WSMs loaded up with 16 or more butts, you really hate to have to throw all that meat away.

[swamprb]

Overnight is for sleeping, unless you work the graveyard shift like me! 

Prep your meats the night before, get your cooker ready and ring filled with charcoal, get a good nights rest, wake up refreshed and fire that bad boy up and cook that butt hot & fast at 275-325*. 6-6.5 hours total YTMV.

Don't worry about temp fluctuations and check it for color and an internal of 160* then wrap that butt in foil with some brown sugar, some rub and a stick of butter and toss it back on the bullet and check it in 60-90 minutes. When it hits 200-212* drain some of that liquid to mix with your favorite sauce and throw that wrapped butt in a cooler or Cambro for as long as you can stand (or just before your hungry guests arrive) OR NOT!

You can cook it or warm it to death! Just sayin'

[jdefran]

I'm gonna use an igrill to monitor temps so I can review what happened while I was sleeping. I loaded charcoal as full as i could, the low tonight is only 43 so maintaining temps shouldn't be a problem. I don't use water in the pan.

I would do hot and fast but it needs to be done by 10am and I would prefer not to wake up at 3-4 am.

I'm gonna throw it on in a few and let it ride for a hour or so before going to bed. If needed I'll wrap in the morning around 6, otherwise I'll let it ride.

Thanks for the insight fellas 

[Danny C]

Line your water pan with foil for easy clean up

[jdefran]

Line your water pan with foil for easy clean up

yeah its definitely lined

[WNC]

Once you get your temps locked in, just go to sleep and don't worry about it...it's a Weber!

I do butts overnight every time now, and either on the kettle or the wsm, once their set they'll ride for hours and hours. I've never woke up, and had the wsm not being sitting at the same temp as went to bed.

Good luck, can't wait for the pics!

[iCARRY]

Never did overnight cook on it, but I would just set an alarm for a low of 200 and a high of 300. Should be fine. If it's settled in, it should be good to go. I set mine up all the time and leave the house for 5-6 hours and the food always comes out great.


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[jdefran]

WSM did great, stayed between 260-280 all night. With a newborn I was up a couple times in the night so would check the temp then but each time I felt reassured. She's around 198. Gonna check for probe tender every 30 min or so.

The dip in temp is from removing the probe from the pit and checking meat:

[iCARRY]

Perfect


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