Smoking on kettle with BBQ guru


 
M

Mike WSM

TVWBB Member
I have an 18" wsm that I love. I see my digiq dx2 with amazing results. I've done tons of butts, ribs, and one brisket. Brisket and ribs can sometimes be a challenge due to size.

I just picked up an older performer kettle for 40$ of cl. What's the best smoke setup for a kettle? Smokenator? Or charcoal baskets? If I smoke on it, I am really leaning towards buying an attachment for the digiq dx2 and using that to control the heat. Any help would be great.
 
no idea but most use the coals on one side and meat on the other with the lid vent over the meat. this vent should be down wind.
most use bricks etc to hold the charcoal. critical is to cover the uncovered part of the coal grate with foil.
this prevents cold air from mixing with the hot air and messing up the temps.
 
George Curtis said:
no idea but most use the coals on one side and meat on the other with the lid vent over the meat. this vent should be down wind.
most use bricks etc to hold the charcoal. critical is to cover the uncovered part of the coal grate with foil.
this prevents cold air from mixing with the hot air and messing up the temps.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with George. Not knocking the Smokenator, I had one but they're not necessary. The key with the kettle is to think outside the box. Many associate the kettles as a grilling tool. I don't disagree but with the right setup they can be just as gefficient as a smoker and the benefit is that temperatures are easier to control, fuel consumption is no more and in fact maybe less. I don't know that any ATC will benefit a 22 if you set it up right, I have not smoked much with the 22 on the other hand the 26 is an entirely different beast. Bigger and deeper. Some of us on this site think they are about the best griller/smoker Weber ever produced. I'm one of those. The snake method will give you hours of low & slow with either kettle size. No need for an ATC. I see several on this site trying to cook indirect with two charcoal baskets. Not necessary! Follow what George has said and see for yourself that one fire on one side can cook indirect better than you can imagine until you have done it. That's not to say it would not be beneficial to move food around on the far side but you do not need two charcoal baskets burning unnecessary fuel.
Try the foil method, use a charcoal basket or fire brick. Personally I like the fire brick better. Also consider this, the further you can make the smoke travel from the heat source before it leaves the kettle the better.
 
Gary S said:
Personally I like the fire brick better. Also consider this, the further you can make the smoke travel from the heat source before it leaves the kettle the better.
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Also agree with the above. if I want low and slow (high 200s) I use the fuse/snake method and for higher indirect into the 300s or more I just pile on one side. I use a rack to keep coals on one side. No controller is needed just use the vents. For high indirect heat for example open all vents and crack the lid a little away from the fire. This will get you to 400 or more pretty fast

The Performer is now used to cover most all home based cooks. I have a CB Stacker for larger cooks, a 22 WSM after that and finally the Ranch Kettle which will get used this weekend in a rib cookoff. But just about of my home cooks are now on a Performer.
 
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George Curtis said:
no idea but most use the coals on one side and meat on the other with the lid vent over the meat. this vent should be down wind.
most use bricks etc to hold the charcoal. critical is to cover the uncovered part of the coal grate with foil.
this prevents cold air from mixing with the hot air and messing up the temps.
Click to expand...

When using this technique do you have issues with needing to "flip" your meat often?

Larry
 
Larry_C said:
When using this technique do you have issues with needing to "flip" your meat often?

Larry
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No not at all. I've done an entire brisket and it never changed position. Same as ribs. It depends on what you are cooking. Wings, thighs those sorts of things I turn and move around some. Best thing you can do is try the method for yourself. I did an entire rack of ABTs and only moved the ones closet to the fire with the ones furthest from the fire. I use this method on my 18 & 26 Kettles.
 
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Gary S said:
No not at all. I've done an entire brisket and it never changed position. Same as ribs. It depends on what you are cooking. Wings, thighs those sorts of things I turn and move around some. Best thing you can do is try the method for yourself. I did an entire rack of ABTs and only moved the ones closet to the fire with the ones furthest from the fire. I use this method on my 18 & 26 Kettles.
Click to expand...

If I have different cuts of meat like chicken pieces I put the larger pieces like quarters nearest the heat.
 
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