Anyone do Overnight Smokes?

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mls

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jul 11, 2007
43
11
I am by no means a Smoking Guru but I do enjoy it when I find the time. My wife wnted some pulled pork for tomorrow evening so when I got home tonght I put 3 8 lb boston butts on my GOSM propane at 8:00pm. That means I will be able to tend and spritz them until about midnight before I crash. I've got the temp set on 250*. At midnight when I make my final spritz should I turn the heat down or leave it where it is.

In the past when I did butts I would run them up to about 160 or 165 then foil them and take them on up to 200 to pull. Since I have to smoke overnight I probably won't be able to foil them. How will that affect the meat. I have never gone to bed before and left my smoker unattended but it is inside my big 40x60' shop and out of the weather (it's raining hard tonight) so it should be OK.

I'm sure they won't be ready to foil by midnight but when I get up at 7:00 should I go ahead and foil them or just take them on up to 200*. Since I'll have to go to work, I'll let wife finish them up then wrap and put them in a cooler. I just wondered if anyone was around that does overnight smokes who could give me any tips. Thanks.

Mike S.
 
I do smoke overnight. I usually start at about 10-midnight. Then I sometimes sleep for a hour or so at a time until I foil.
 
Just did an overnight brisket. Stayed up late Saturday night, fired up the WSM at 2:00 AM, meat on at 2:30, temps stable and dialed in by 3:00. Went to bed and set my alarm for 6:30.
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Got up at 6:30 checked that temps were still going steady, slept another 2 hrs., then got up and helped around the house. Brisket was done at 4:30.
 
I've done, butts, picnics and full packer briskets over night...never quite got brave enough to fall asleep during the smoke on one though...only after pan/foil to steam. I start mine around 8:00-9:00 PM.

Eric
 
Late tomorrow afternoon I'll be starting a 13 pound brisket that may take up to 19 hours.
 
oh yea i do butts all night i just set my alarms on the et-73 and set it by me at sleepy time.
i sleep good but if something goes wrong i will know
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I do not worry about foiling until i wake up it may be 170° to 185°.
I do run a water pan on this
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no sleeping with a stick burner, I usually try and invite a couple different buddies each time, some stay all night till morning others bail for home at 3 or 4 am, doing an overnight smoke and poker game is something I am going to try and pull off this year.
 
sure do, the only way I can get a butt done.

I stay up with the meat pretty much the whole time, I might get in a couple short cat naps along the way. I also make sure I have something to toss on for a 2-3 a.m. snack (typically crab legs)

I dont like leaving the smoker unattended so I am always close by.
 
I have done 2 in my short smoking experience. the first one was miserable and the 2nd one wasn't bad at all. it was pretty comical watching neighbors go in for the night and seeing there faces the next day when they see you are still out. one thing I learned on the first all nighter is leave the beer for your buddies that get to stagger home and get in bed when they want!!! put the sattellite on some classic country and limit the fashionable adult beverages and stay with it and all will b good
 
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These are usually the only kind I do. Put the wife to bed, and then get to spend some QT with the garage and the 2nd love of my life. I usually catch a few hours of sleep around 3 or 4 am with the wireless therm close to my head.

My only fear is walking out to the garage to spritz, and finding a critter or 2 sniffing around the smoker. The last thing I need is to get attacked while holding a spray bottle in my garage by a raccoon. That would be one for the newspaper...
 
I haven't had much experience yet but last time I smoked some butts I smoked them for 6 hours or so then wrapped them in foil, dare I say put them in the oven at 200 for the night. Went to bed, got up, and they were done. They came out great. This is probably what I will do in the fall when tailgating starts. I think when I wrapped them at the 6 hour mark they were in the 150 or so.
 
I manage a couple during the year. That last one wasn't really an all nighter as I was up at 3 am and fired up the Lang and the meat went on at 4 am. I had loaded the firebox with wood the night before and had the Harbor Freight log lighter ready to go. I did a couple of 8 lb butts and a brisket. Turned out to be a 15 hour smoke and I was able to take catnaps during the morning hours once the boys were up and could keep an eye on the smoker temps and toss a couple of splits when needed.
 
I have not yet done over night smokes. No way my cheapish brinkman could last even 2 hours with steady temps.

BUT, I ordered a Traeger Lil Texas Elite over the weekend. Should arrive next week. Suffice to say, yes, I will do overnight smokes with the Traeger.
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My overnighter went well. I put the 3 8 lb butts on at 8:00pm and spritzed them with 1/2 apple juice 1/2 rum every hour till midnight. No problem holding 250* temp on my GOSM gasser. Crashed a little after midnight and got up at 7:30am. The internals on all 3 were between 160 and 165 so I foiled them and ran them up to 195. They are now wrapped in the cooler and will be ready to pull after lunch.

I know gassers are frowned on by the pros but propane is sure nice for holding temps ovvernight. I ended up with 7 hrs of good sleep and 3 great butts. Can't beat a deal like that.

Mike S.
 
If you stayed up all night because you wanted to eat delicious food, then regardless of what you cook on, you are a pro. At the end of the day, its the committment to delicious-ness that makes you a pro or not.

Now if you cooked it in a slow cooker, there would be a problem...
 
I'm pretty sure a nice stream of whatever you have in your spritz bottle will run those coons off. I cook exclusively over night it seems, and so far I have had no major issues. The biggest issue for me is taking naps and not being paranoid I am going to sleep thru the alarm.

If you are willing to go for it, do it. Not sure where you live, but I am way out in the country with no very close neighbors so night cooking is peaceful and relaxing and about as good as it gets!
 
I do over night smokes. I fill the hopper in my Traeger Texas, start it up, put on the butt's and set my Maverick ET-73 to sound an alarm at 180 degrees. Then I sleep until I get woken up at which time I foil. Depending on how early or late I start it I rarely have to get up more then once. Traeger!
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Done em in my MES. Feed the smoker wood until the meat gets to 150 or so, foil and go to bed. Makes for some great eating.
 
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