Parksider When we started doing it we always kept the water under 200 degrees, if it went above that we would get some casing blow outs. The last year, based on info from this site we have been keeping it between 170 -175 to avoid the fat melting, seems to work as good/fast so will be sticking with the 170-175 range. If your roaster just has a dial you really have to keep an eye on the water temp with a thermometer and adjust accordingly.