Overnight Smoking

BBQ-Guru or Stoker are the only things that fit all your criteria.

False

There are plenty of options. One is to get your egg holding stable at 250 for a good long time before you put your meat in; then having the fortitude to not adjust your vent settings, even though it looks like the temp is running cool. Get up once or twice during the night to check temps.

Another is to get a Maverick ET-73 thermometer, which has a remote pager that will alarm if the dome temp gets too high or too low, and also will alarm when the meat is done. The advice on temperature setting from option number 1 still applies.

Another option is to cook it at a higher temp, a la Myron Mixon. Some of the forum members here have taken his class, and can probably describe his method.

Review the Elder Ward method for doing pulled pork.

www.nakedwhiz.com/elder.htm

If you don't have a stoker, or a remote thermometer with alarm, I'd advise checking every 4 hours.

Once you have a good steady fire with the dome at 250 for 5. to .75 hour, put the meat on. Check after an hour to see if the temp has returned to 250. If not, do a tiny adjustment and recheck after .5 hour. If steady, check once more, and if still steady (maybe a degree or so different) go to bed. The typical setting is the bottom vent open just a crack, likewise the daisy on top.

Most often the mid-night checks will show little or no change. Seems like most problems happen about 7 - 8 hours in. By that time, ash may build up and slow the airflow, and/or the fire might have burnt down the center. Keep a straightened coat hanger at hand to remedy either problem.

And, once in awhile, there are "turbo-butts," where the meat gets done really fast. Its not a disaster to find the meat cooked in time for breakfast. Wrapped and sitting in a "cooler" with jars of hot water, a butt pulled at 200 degrees internal will stay above 160 for 5 - 6 hours.

Funny thing is, we hear stories of people having fires go out even "with" a guru or stoker.
My advice is to stabilize the temp as Ben suggested. Another trick I have learned is...just before going to bed, open both the lower vent and daisy wheel VERY slightly. So if the temp does "move" it may well increase, which wouldnt be very much at all.
You will prob want to get up once during the night to check it anyway.
Good Luck!

MB Rich, good to see you around.

Don't forget to calibrate your dome thermometer. Very important to do before a low 'n slow.

follow elderwards directions with a dome temp of 250 and get up 1 time during the night to check on things, about 4 to 5 hours after you last check on it. that way if things are going wrong you can fix it and the meat is still safe to eat. dont worry if the egg is holding at 200 or 275 degrees you can make an adjustment in the morning to speed things up or slow things down

To further your point, the only fire I've ever had go out was while using my Guru, so there are no guarantees. -RP

Jeff ,I have done prbably 30 overnights and I do them without a guru or stoker.Take your time and stack your firebox,get the egg stable for an hour and you should be fine all night.


GOOD EATS AND GOOD FRIENDS

DALE

I have never had overnight problems, but I never go to bed with the dome temp below 250 its usually 225 in the morning. Also I clean the egg out and take some care to put the larger lump on the bottom. Good luck.

I recently did a low/slo with the only cleaning being what I could dig out with the ash tool. The lump I used was from the bottom of a few different bags, as well as leftovers I had been collecting in a bucket. No piece was larger than a golfball. I just dumped and lit.
It went overnight and didnt budge a single degree.
I guess I was just lucky. :laugh:

Ain't the BGE great? Glad you're enjoying yours.

You can do overnights without s stoker. I find I have the best luck when I clean everything out and start with a new bag of charcoal (lump is like breakfast cereal, the big pieces tend to work their way to the top).

I like to start around 6pm. Once the egg has been stable for a half hour or so, I load her up with butt, set my Maverick, and still have some good hours of daylight to make sure it's settled in at 250°F.

I might get up once to check it, but usually I just peak at the Maverick if I wake up in the middle of the night.

Good luck,

Dave

I go about a 1/3 of the way up the fire ring.