You want to use a pellet grill to cook a brisket…
…but it can take up to 16 hours.
“Can you leave pellet smoker overnight?”
…is the first question that comes to mind.
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Before we continue talking about leaving pellet smoker overnight…
…lets’ hear our friend’s concern first…
Here is Olivia’s story…
At work, I was discussing overnight cooks on my WSM with a couple of men…
One man told me of a man he knew who grilled some meat…
…on his grill near the home approximately 25 years ago…
…and then went to bed after pulling the meat. Probably a few hours later.
The wind picked up overnight, and to cut a long tale short…
…the house caught fire and was completely destroyed. My question i…
…how safe do you think it is to leave pellet smoker overnight?
My 22.5 is approximately 20 feet from my detached garage…
…in the corner of my small yard, and approximately 4 or 5 feet…
…from my wooden privacy fence. On an overnight smoke, do I need some sort…
…of heat deflector to hang over the fence?
Using a pellet grill overnight is often considered one of the safest ways of cooking for long hours into the night. Having said that, it’s still advisable you get up every couple of hours to check it’s still burning, the temperature is maintaining and you’re not burning anything else down!
Pellet smoker overnight

Let’s talk about it…
Table of Contents
Can You Leave A Pellet Smoker Overnight?
If it’s only for a few hours, there are enough pellets, it’s been cleaned properly…
…it’s set on low and slow, and it’s around 4 feet away from the home, it should be good.
You should never leave a high-heat grill alone…
Stay near to the grill and use a thermometer to keep an eye…
…on your food if you’re cooking quickly. Don’t worry, we’ll go over…
…how to accomplish those extended cooks without having to keep…
…an eye on the grill every hour or so. If you’re new to pellet grilling…
…check out our step-by-step tutorial.
- Monitor internal temperatures with digital LED readout and meat probe
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Keep going…
Is It Safe To Leave A Pellet Smoker Overnight?
You can smoke meat overnight, but you must keep an eye on it….
It is never a good idea to leave a grill unattended over…
…an extended period of time. However, I understand that when you’re…
…conducting a long cook, it’s impossible to sit there and watch a grill.
If you have a pellet grill, there will come a moment when you will…
…need to leave it unattended for a short period of time.
Whether it’s to run errands, exercise, go to work, or simply…
…get up early and start cooking before the day begins.
Keep reading…
7 Tips to Leave A Pellet Smoker Overnight
In any case, following these guidelines of how to leave…
…a pellet smoker overnight will keep you safe while….
…preparing a Boston butt, brisket, or any other long-cooking meat.

Tips to leave pellet smokers overnight…
#1 Make Sure The Pellet Grill Is Clean
The most common cause of grill fires is that the grill…
…hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. Grease fires can happen…
…with any sort of grill, whether it’s gas, charcoal…
…or pellet, if you don’t clean it correctly.
If you’re going to cook for an extended period of time…
…make sure you clean the grill thoroughly, especially any….
….drip pan areas where grease tends to accumulate.
Grease builds up quickly, especially if you’ve done…
…a series of greasy cooks in a row.
To avoid grease fires, most manufacturers recommend cleaning…
…a grill every 5-6 cooks. We vacuum away the ashes from previous barbecues…
…and clean out the drip buckets every time we have a long cook.
Next tips to leave pellet smoker overnight…
#2 Fill The Hopper With Pellets
Make sure there are enough pellets in the grill to prevent it…
…from running out over night. The number of pellets burned by your grill…
…is determined on the temperature settings and the weather.
Most pellet grills burn roughly 1/2 pound of pellets per hour…
…when cooking on the smoke setting. That said, every grill is different…
…and the weather will play a big part in how long the pellets survive…
…so keep that in mind when determining how long the pellets will last.
You may have noticed that when pellets burn, they funnel down to the auger…
…causing some to stick to the hopper’s side. If you’re going to be gone…
…for a long time, make sure it’s fully stocked with pellets.
You don’t want your pellet grill to run out of pellets…
…because that will put out the fire.
#3 Make Sure The Pellets Are Good
Check the quality of your pellets on a regular basis…
…especially if your grill has been left outside.
You can inspect the pellets for quality, but most importantly, they must be dry.
It’s likely that your auger will jam while you’re away if they have…
….moisture in them. A jammed auger can be a frightening experience…
…especially if you’ve never experienced one before.
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#5 Pull The Grill Away From The House
To be safe, put the grill somewhere where it won’t burn down the home…
…deck, or anything else if calamity strikes while you’re not around.
Moving it 4-6 feet away from the house is a good idea…
Never use your barbecue in a cellar or indoors…
Move to next tips to leave pellet smoker overnight…
#6 Set The Temperature To Low And Slow
Set the temperature to smoke and keep an eye on it…
…using a wireless thermometer. You should never leave your grill alone…
…on high for more than a few hours. Many individuals, on the other hand…
…have successfully cooked their pellet grills on the smoke setting overnight.
However, you should set an alarm to keep an eye on the grill as it cooks….
You should never leave the grill unattended for a whole night or day…
…without inspecting it. I’d recommend getting a decent meat…
…thermometer with WI-FI capabilities, which will make checking…
…the temperature with your phone a lot easier.
Invest in a grilling thermometer with a smartphone app (Amazon) as a solution…
This will allow you to know when the food is cooked…
…to the correct temperature without having to constantly open…
…and close the lid. You won’t be getting much sleep if you perform…
…an overnight cook. But it’ll be worth it after you take the meat…
…off the grill and taste how delicious it is.
- Ultra-Fast: Our instant read meat thermometer takes a temperature in as little as 3 seconds. Say goodbye to overdone or undercooked food and say hello to perfectly cooked steak, fish, or turkey every time!
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Last tips to leave pellet smoker overnight…
#7 Monitor The Weather
It’s a good idea to check the weather forecast before leaving…
…your grill for an overnight cook. When it’s pouring…
…you never want to leave your barbecue outside. If it begins to rain…
…make sure the hopper does not become wet, as this will spoil the pellets.
As previously stated, the weather can affect the number of pellets…
…used by your grill as well as the cooking procedure.
Next is using pellet smoker overnight methods…
The Snake Method
This way of lighting charcoal can keep your smoker operating…
…for 12–15 hours without any issues. All you’ll need for smoke flavor…
…are some briquettes and your preferred wood chips. In a kettle grill…
…such as the Weber 22-Inch Kettle Grill, the snake approach works really well.
Place your coals around the outer edges of the charcoal grate…
…to form a C-shape arrangement. The coil should be about 3 coals deep…
…and the coals should be lying against each other like a domino stack.
A space for your water pan should be left. Begin with two rows…
…that run parallel to each other. Along the middle line…
…the third row is stacked atop the two rows.
Start at the beginning of the snake and work your way out to approximately…
…halfway along the coil using wood chips or small bits.
These are placed on the coil’s outer edge….
Using the chimney starter, light 10 briquettes…
Place them at one end of the coil once they’ve been covered in white ash….
To ensure that they catch, position them against the first group…
…of unlit briquettes. When placing the burning coals into place…
…a set of tongs will come in handy.
You don’t want the burn to struggle against the wrong side….
…of the leaning briquettes, so make sure you set it at the right end.
Start with your air vents open and adjust them as the temperature rises…
- Holds up to 13 burgers made with a Weber burger press; Built-in lid thermometer. Rust-resistant aluminum dampers
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Another using pellet smoker overnight tips…
The Top-Down Burn Method
The top-down burn approach is another excellent way to keep the fire going….
This method works effectively with both lump and briquette charcoal….
Fill the charcoal chamber with lump charcoal up to three-quarters full….
In between the charcoal, you can layer wood chips or chunks….
If you utilize soaked wood chips, the burn will be affected…
Before adding to the top of the pile in the chamber, make sure…
…your beginning coal is lighted and burning well. On top of the glowing coals…
…you can add a few more wood chips and pieces. However…
…if you put on too many, you risk extinguishing the fire.
From the top to the bottom, the lit coal will gradually ignite the unlit charcoal…

That’s it for leaving pellet smoker overnight…
Sum Up
Overall, pellet grills are very safe, and many people have doneo….
….vernight or early morning cooking with them. Having saying that…
…I wouldn’t leave the grill alone without inspecting it thoroughly.
Hopefully, these pointers will demonstrate how simple it is to cook…
….for an extended period of time on a pellet grill while remaining safe.
Conclusion
Will you try to leave your pellet smoker overnight?
If you have more questions about it…
…feel free to leave a comment!
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