Barry McCorkle
TVWBB Super Fan
Cooked a 4 1/2 lb. Butt this weekend using the Minion method and no water in the pan. During the entire cooking session, I could not get the temp below 290. First problem was I filled the ring completely to the top with unlit Kingsford. Probably too much without water in the pan. Then, I started it with about 20 - 25 lit briquettes. Vents were left wide open for the first 20 - 30 minutes. My thermometer that I installed in the lid, went "south" and would not read temps above 205. I got suspicious after 30 minutes and put a Taylor digital on the cooking grate, and sure enough the temp was really 290! I closed all of the bottom vents for the remainder of the cooking session. The temp climbed to 300 and stayted there for the next 4 - 5 hours.
I know that my unit, where the bottom bowl and the bottom of the mid-section join together, are out of round. I have tried working these two sections to get them to fit better, but it must not be good enough, since I always have a hard time getting the temps down to 225.
Can someone measusure the diameter of the rim of the bottom bowl and the bottom rim of the mid-section to help in getting these two to fit better? Also, once assembled, should the midsection be able to "rock" within the confines of the bottom bowl? This seems to indicate that my two sections are not fitting tightly and is allowing air to enter the charcoal ring.
Any help or other advice for getting my temps down would be greatly appreciated. For now I will use 3/4 ring full of charcoal for future cooking sessions.
Thanks,
SC Que
I know that my unit, where the bottom bowl and the bottom of the mid-section join together, are out of round. I have tried working these two sections to get them to fit better, but it must not be good enough, since I always have a hard time getting the temps down to 225.
Can someone measusure the diameter of the rim of the bottom bowl and the bottom rim of the mid-section to help in getting these two to fit better? Also, once assembled, should the midsection be able to "rock" within the confines of the bottom bowl? This seems to indicate that my two sections are not fitting tightly and is allowing air to enter the charcoal ring.
Any help or other advice for getting my temps down would be greatly appreciated. For now I will use 3/4 ring full of charcoal for future cooking sessions.
Thanks,
SC Que