I don't see any pink. Looks a little overdone. :-)
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Can you just leave it overnight even if its not gas? wouldn't the fire go out? Or does that not matter?
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If the fire goes out, not down, but OUT, depending on what you are cooking and how long it stays out, you might not be able to recover. Even if it doesn't go out, if your temperatures are down for too long, you still might be screwed.

Most pits will run 5-7 hours on a standard load of fully lit charcoal, if you need a longer cook than that here's how to get 6-18 hour overnight cooks out of most smokers: The Minion Method

It's written for the WSM, but it's easily adaptable for most pits.
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TG thanks for the link. I saved as a favorite interesting read.
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The WSM will never get much beyond 8 hours on one load of charcoal. It's easy to totally refill and not lose power. Pick the center top piece as one unit, dump more charcoal and put center/top back on. Takes one minute.

I would not feel comfortable for anything beyond 5 hours without intervention on the WSM.
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So basically, according to you, the author of that article and the thousands of people who use the linked method are imagining the fact that they load their WSMs, use the minion method, then run the WSM on that original load of charcoal for 12+ hours.

Glad to know we've been all been imagining these long cooks all this time.
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I have done many, many 12-16 hour cooks on a WSM not using a water pan and using quality all natural briquets. :-) Using a UDS I have had it at temp for 24-30 hours on one load of charcoal. During the warmer parts of the year, I have done tons of 16-20 hour cooks on the Spicewine. For long cooks having as many air leak spots sealed up is a must.

On the WSM I sealed the door with high temp stove cement and put stove gasket around the lid. I would have only one bottom vent barely cracked and it would chug along happily. If you are only able to get eight hours I would check for air leaks.
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A 7-Bone chuck roast over plum wood from earlier this week...

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This is bad my smoker has mieces living in it.

I have not touched my smoker since August
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I fear barely keepin one intake open will make it die out. I'll give it a go the next time. I want to try sand in it and will get some on Tuesday. I tried my last brisket with no water and even just one barely open it was getting too hot.

The smoker will go more than eight hours, but I have keep opening the intake more to keep it going, so it's not really set and forget. At that I point I may as well just add more charcoal.

Maybe the Kingsford Comp does not last that long? This is the only brand I have used.

I would like to try the coffee can method to get the charcoal spread, anyone try it before?
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It shouldn't die out, if you look around on the site I linked to earlier, there are plenty of documented long cooks with 2 vents closed and the third barely open.

If you have to mess with the intakes that much, something else is wrong, either your technique or the cooker. Try following Jim Minion's advice to the letter and you might just be surprised at what the WSM can do. If you want complete set and forget, then get a stoker or a guru controller, they aren't permitted for competition though AFAIK.

My last few cooks I've used nothing but KF-comp, and I'll sum up my early impressions for BBQing with it as "meh". Biggest problem is that it burns too quickly and I've had to up the volume of fuel I load in by about 30% to get the same length cooks as I was getting with KF blue bag. It doesn't do anything for the flavor, good or bad - it's the same. So basically, it costs more, you need to use more, you get less in a bag and it doesn't do anything special. Once I use up the KF comp I have here, I think I'm done with it.

If you want a really long burn time, pick up some Rancher brand from Home Depot. That stuff burns forever.

Can't say that I've ever heard anything earth shattering about the coffe can MM.
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Putting my turkey on tomorrow at 11 am. I took a page out of smokingators book. Thanks Brent!
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This should read:

If you have to mess with the intakes that much, something else is wrong, either your technique, the cooker or your fuel. You can pretty much rule out the fuel since you are using KF, despite all of KF's shortcomings, it's almost certainly the most consistent natural fuel on the market. Year after year, bag after bag, briquette after briquette, it never changes.
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2 pound pork sausage roll, with apples, pears, and mozzerella.

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3 ribs. 1 real spicy , 1 medium spicy, and 1 only rubbed with pepper.

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when the ribs and sausage were almost done, i tossed on the 9pound boston butt. all night cook with this, and take it to moms for easter dinner.

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dam, ribs look burnt in the pics, but they were not. the rubs seemed to dark carmelize for best description i can come up with.
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Looks good Wes.

Nice little smoke ring going on there in the sausage roll. :-)

How did things work out with the vertical pipe draft arrangement? Did you have to resort to the auxiliary air vent?
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Adam, that chuckie looks killer. It is one of my favorite meats. The leftovers make killer tacos, burritos, etc.

BTW... an air control devise is allowed in comps in KCBS and Florida BBQ Association. I am not sure about others but have never heard of a sanctioning body not allowing one.

Wes, that fatty looks killer and the ribs ain't no slouches either!!! You guys are making my mouth water!!!
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Thanks Gator, it's fast becoming one of my favoriates too.

It seems I was either misinformed or had memories confused on the controllers - there it is, plain as day in KCBS rule #6 "Electrical accessories such as spits, augers, or forced draft are permitted."
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it is working out rather well, no need to use the other vent. 3 holes open, ran about 300. 1 hole open about 200. temps are based off a cheap thermo, so i will have a better idea when i get a digital.


finished pulling the pork a bit a go, and made a sammich...

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In my book there is not much better than a pork butt cooked on a UDS!!! Your's looks awesome!!
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