I'm gonna do an overnight pork butt and chuck roast smoke - my first overnighter in the Woodwind. How long will a full hopper last? I'm gonna run it at 225.

If I put the meat on at 10 PM, and fill that hopper to the top, will I be ok if I get up around 6 AM to check on it?

At 175° it used a little over 1/2 pound/hour.  I would guess at 225, maybe 3/4 pound an hour!

From the performance test of the Woodwind:

Woodwind Pellet Consumption/Pellet used for Test--Smoke Pro Competition Blend Pellet-Weather Conditions/85°f, unit in shade, wind <2mph.

Unit controller set to "High" position (Chamber was appx 500°).  1lb. of pellets took 24 minutes which equates to 2.5lbs./hour.
Unit controller set to 350°f.  1lb. of pellets took 42 minutes which equates to 1.42lbs./hour.
Unit controller set to 175°f.  1lb. of pellets took 102 minutes which equates to 0.58lbs/hour.


So 225 maybe .75 lbs per hour multiplied by the hours you estimate to cook.

You need to ensure you don't have the "funnel" issue like many other grills where you may have plenty of pellets in the hopper but they do not slide down into the auger leaving a funnel with pellets on the outside of the hopper but none going into the auger.

Specs say 18 lb. hopper. So 18 / .75 = 24 hours. Somehow that doesn’t seem right.

Specs say 18 lb. hopper. So 18 / .75 = 24 hours. Somehow that doesn’t seem right.

why?

why?

Ignorance on my part, not having enough long cooks under my belt to feel confident allowing it to go unattended for 6 to 8 hours at the risk of ruining all that meat.

So I can expect it to run 20 to 24 hours with a full load of pellets? Wow, wasn’t expecting that!

Refreshing honesty!

Keep in mind...It was 80+° here, no wind and the middle of a hot September!  Ambiennt conditions might knock you down 15%, but an overnight cook at 225°...with that size hopper you will be OK!

why?

Ignorance on my part, not having enough long cooks under my belt to feel confident allowing it to go unattended for 6 to 8 hours at the risk of ruining all that meat.

So I can expect it to run 20 to 24 hours with a full load of pellets? Wow, wasn’t expecting that!

why?

Ignorance on my part, not having enough long cooks under my belt to feel confident allowing it to go unattended for 6 to 8 hours at the risk of ruining all that meat.

So I can expect it to run 20 to 24 hours with a full load of pellets? Wow, wasn’t expecting that!

If you are that uncomfortable, you should look at some remote thermometers...Thermoworks, Maverick, Tappacue, Fireboard, etc.

But, I am not sure what you need to cook for 20-24 hours before it is done.  It would be interesting to hear why you would think that and where that information came from.  Outside of a 30# beef clod, I am not sure I have ever cooked anything more than 12 hours.

I ordered some Heritage water buffalo from Kenya 

No, thankfully I don’t need to cook anything that long. I was just doing the math of the expected run time based on the burn rate data Bentley and Kristin were so kind to share.

I ordered some Heritage water buffalo from Kenya 

No, thankfully I don’t need to cook anything that long. I was just doing the math of the expected run time based on the burn rate data Bentley and Kristin were so kind to share.

I think a good rule of thumb in most units is 1# pellets/hr at 250° controller temp.

If you are that uncomfortable, you should look at some remote thermometers...Thermoworks, Maverick, Tappacue, Fireboard, etc.

^^^This...I’m too paranoid too, so won’t do any overnights without both high and low alarms set on a wireless thermometer, even with a 20 lb hopper.

I’ve got my Maverick set

I just did my first overnight cook (brisket) in my new DLX which I believe is the same chamber as the Woodwind.  I put it on at 9:00 p.m. on high smoke with temps right at 32*.  The unit was running between 212 and 230 and at 9:00 a.m. my hopper was just about empty.

Well, no doubt ambient temperatures make a difference.