Adding charcoal in a long cook


 
Chris E

Chris E

TVWBB Pro
Let's say my temps are dropping 8 hours into a 12 hour cook and I need to add charcoal...

Minion has hot coals on top or in center of unlit coals and they are consumed during the cook.

If the ring is running out of fuel is it ok to dump say a chimney of unlit on top of the lit? Will this produce too much fuel smell/smoke like when you light a chimney?

Should I only add fully lit charcoal to the wsm ring mid cook?
 
Hey Chris, I've added unlit on top with great success. What I do is open the door on my 22.5 and gently add the unlit with a spade on top of the burning fuel trying not to stir up the ashes. Of course one has to make sure that there is enough lit coals for the unlit to catch.
 
I do the Hot Squat on my 18.5 WSM, since I find that the door opening it too small, especially if the standard waterpan is in use. Hot Squating also enables me to rearrange the coals if needed without stirring up a lot of ashes into the food.
 
I also do the hot squat, and I push the burning coals over to one side, and pile the unlit charcoal next to, and partially over it. This allows the new charcoal to be lit by the old, without greatly restricting air flow to what is still burning.
 
I've always added lit to unlit without any difficulty.......through the door with a small shovel.

Don't wait til' it's too late. If the coals are dwindling, they may not catch readily.

On an overnight cook, I try to get up early and monitor the coals and the temp to make sure everything's running OK.......and make a decision early on to add coals. The worst thing that'll happen is you'll waste a few briquettes.

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I also just open the door and gently add a few unlit coals on top. But, like others have said, don't wait until your other coals are almost burned out.
 
I sometimes lift the whole middle and top section off the base as one pc. I have the handles added to the middle. This way I can tap any ash down and add charcoal wo getting ashes on my q!
 
I prefer not to add unlit K briquettes because they don't burn clean enough for my taste at first. Stubbs, similiar, or lump is ok, although it takes a good while for the unlit to add any btu's. They actually absorb a bunch of heat til they get going, so it's best to add BEFORE the temp drops much at all.

You'd be surprised at how easy it is and how long it'll add to simply do the hot squat and add some lit K. Do it BEFORE replenishing the water pan, and do be careful. (Probably not a good idea if trying to keep low temps and not using water in the pan though.) If the cooker is too heavy with a lot of meat, get a couple extra pair of hands.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dean:
I sometimes lift the whole middle and top section off the base as one pc. I have the handles added to the middle. This way I can tap any ash down and add charcoal wo getting ashes on my q! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's what folks mean by the "hot squat" method. I have handles on my 22'5 WSM as you mention, it makes it easier to move if it's really loaded, I just use welders gloves if moving the 18.5's

Not a good think to do in sandals, or with water in the pan though!
 
I do the hot squat also. I do not use water in the pan, which helps. I do have a 22 tho and recently did 2-75 pound cooks. Had to have help on that one for safety. I use lump, dump it on, no ash on my food, reassemble, sleep.
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