New 18.5--charcoal seems to stop


 

Dave in Tatamy

New member
Howdy folks,

I've been grilling for 40+ years and have been smoking on a Weber kettle for about 10 years. I'd like to say I was pretty dang good at smoking on that thing. I've done tons of briskets and the vast majority were quiet tasty. It was more done by feel than by anything else. I didn't monitor the grill temp, the meat temp, I didn't know what a stall was, I just put on a rub and cooked. Things were good. Then just recently, I finally took the plunge and got a "real" smoker, the WSM 18.5.

The learning curve has been a bit of a pain. So far I've had two marginal performances. The first was a brisket (~10 pounds) that took about 14 hours at temps between 220-250. It had a stall at around 153 that seemed to last 5+ hours. The second was a 7 pound pork butt that took around 13 hours at temps around 265 or so.

Both of these had an odd moment when the charcoal seemed to start dying. In both I loaded the ring full with KBB. Everything was clean and the bottom was free of any ash. In one (brisket), I added about 1/3 a chimney of well lit KBB to a slight depression in the middle, and the other (butt) I added 1/2 chimney spread all over the charcoal. Both used a full water pan. Around 10-12 hours in each, the temps just started dropping. No major weather changes, but the temp gradually started to fall. (Was being run with top wide open and 2 bottoms closed. One bottom around 50%.) Even when I opened the single bottom to 100% temps kept going down. I looked in and could only see a lot of ashes and some unenthusiastic coals. I started up a new chimney and added that, full, and some additional unlit coals. I did the same thing both times.

After the cook, I checked and both had over 2 chimneys of unconsumed coals remaining. Clearly, I didn't need to add the extra chimneys but what accounts for the charcoal just getting lazy? On my kettle, I never had any issues with the coals not being completely consumed. Here, it seems like they run for a while then just take a break.

Is it just a matter of needing to get some poker and stir everything around? I worry about stirring the coals and sending a plume of ash up. Do you switch vents after a period? (Run the 4:00 vent for a while, then run the 8:00, then the 12:00?)

Is this a common occurrence?

Thanks.
 
KBB produces alot of ash and over time it will choke down your fire. Most just kick or tap each leg to knock down the ash. If you close your top vent that will stop the chimney effect and the flyaway ash shouldn't settle on your meat.
I added handles to the mid-section, so any time I mess with the fire I lift it off.
OBTW Welcome to the board!

Tim
 
Like Tim said, KBB produces a lot of ash and I gently rock my WSM to knock some down, but with you using water, tapping might work better.
Another possible issue is one vent open at a time, you'll get a more even burn if all are open a bit.
If it's windy I'd keep the upwind vent tighter.

I don't know how or when, but I'm going to steal this sometime in the future, it made me smile:
"some unenthusiastic coals"

Welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome to the forum. Lots of good folks here.

Ditto on what Timothy and Bob said. Those "unenthusiastic coals" are like a Missouri Mule, sometimes they need a kick in the butt. I close the top vent, wear a long welding glove, and move the edge coals to the center with a garden trowel. Then I open the top vent. Never had soot on the meat.
 
Just have to find a method that works. When I first started, I set a bottomless/topless coffee can in the middle of the ring, surrounded by unlit. I dumped my 12-15 fully lit coals in the centre of the can and removed the can. It fired up nicely but after about 3 hr or so, the fire was dying yet there was still a good amount of unburnt briqs around the perimeter.

What I do now is just a level amount (maybe 3/4 full) of unlit in the ring (no coffee can). Get the same 12-15 briqs lit in the chimney and spread them somewhat evenly over the top of the unlit ones. Don't have that "unlit" after 3 hr problem any more.

Try different methods. What works for some for whatever reason doesn't work for others.
 
Welcome to the forum, it's a friendly place. Good advice above I did the same thing as Len did at first and had the same results. Now I spread the lit coals over the unlit and very seldom do I have any issues. Sometimes the WSM needs a good swift kick to get the action going again especially when using KBB.
 
Thanks for the tips. I was considering going back to my favorite charcoal for grilling, Stubb's, but wanted to stick with a known quantity while I was learning. I figured it would be easier to get help for learning if I was using the standard charcoal. I didn't know KBB was know to be a bit ashy.

I'll give the next run a few good kicks now and then and see what happens.
 
Thanks for the tips. I was considering going back to my favorite charcoal for grilling, Stubb's, but wanted to stick with a known quantity while I was learning. I figured it would be easier to get help for learning if I was using the standard charcoal. I didn't know KBB was know to be a bit ashy.

I'll give the next run a few good kicks now and then and see what happens.

I'm a fairly new user if an 18.5 as well and have experienced the same thing as you with the KBB. I tried Stubbs and have had MUCH better results. They burn longer and produce much less ash. I did a butt that took 14 hours and didn't have to touch the coals once using the minion method.
 
I bummed out on Kingsford, too, after its ash pile choked down my fire. If you can't safely remove the ash, try Royal Oak lump, or your old standby, Stubbs. Lump will have to be replenished at about the 8 to 10 hour mark, but it is a low ash producer, and it has a nice aroma too.
 
I feel a little gun-shy to reply because I don't have tremendous experience and you seasoned folk would have said something but unless I'm misreading Dave's method he is starting with much more lit than that which I start. I don't currently use water but I start with 8-12 lit coals depending on conditions and which WSM I'm using (although on my first 2-3 smokes I did use much more lit). I think it's awesome that you can say you've had great success on your kettle without fussing with it!
 
Use all 3 bottom vents equally so the fire is can get fresh air intake on all 3 sides instead of only one side. I also put my lit coals on the bottom the pile the unlit on top of them. That way the pile burns more from the bottom up, and doesn't cover unlit coal with ash.
 
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...but unless I'm misreading Dave's method he is starting with much more lit than that which I start.

Same here, which seems to be in line with what Len and Rich said. I start my smoker with about a dozen lit coals - spread out - over the unlit.
 
Use all 3 bottom vents equally so the fire is can get fresh air intake on all 3 sides instead of only one side. I also put my lit coals on the bottom the pile the unlit on top of them. That way the pile burns more from the bottom up, and doesn't cover unlit coal with ash.

I used to set up my Big Green Egg the same way, but I had a few issues and now start at the top. If you're cooking without water, and limiting temp by limiting air flow, you don't really have a typical fire with flames, it's more smoldering. The fire spreads by one lit coal directly touching another. The problem with starting on the bottom is the lit coals shrink and then fall through the grate away from the rest of the coals. If the lit coals are on top they fall down into the other coals as they burn down, so you have a better chance of the fire moving to the unlit coals. I use lump though, so the irregular shape may be a factor too. But, I know that since I started doing a top-down fire (and spreading out my lit coals, not putting them all in one place) I've not had any other issues regardless of which cooker I'm using.

As always, YMMV, lotsa ways to skin the cat, etc etc.
 
Going for ribs on Sunday so will try using less on the startup and giving some kicks now and then. Of course, ribs will be a shorter smoke than the butt and brisket, but it should allow a bit more flexibility.
 
Use all 3 bottom vents equally so the fire is can get fresh air intake on all 3 sides instead of only one side. I also put my lit coals on the bottom the pile the unlit on top of them. That way the pile burns more from the bottom up, and doesn't cover unlit coal with ash.

Interesting.

I've never tried that method with low and slow, but I have used it for hot & fast chicken - although my starter coals are many, and I let the fire move upwards before adding the smoker stack.
 
I bummed out on Kingsford, too, after its ash pile choked down my fire. If you can't safely remove the ash, try Royal Oak lump, or your old standby, Stubbs. Lump will have to be replenished at about the 8 to 10 hour mark, but it is a low ash producer, and it has a nice aroma too.
I have used Kingsford Blue one time and it will be the last- I often overnight a packer brisket-
I have always had great success with Royal Oak Lump- it burns evenly, is easy to get lit in the chimney, and I think has a nice flavor too.

I would also say that I have learned to be meticulous on how I arrange the coals in the charcoal ring. I think how will air get to this, and how will the adjacent coals light- even to where I place the wood chunks and how that will demand oxygen when it ignites, etc...

As Rusty said- Lump makes less ash and burns a touch hotter, but requires replenishing a bit more than KBB, but I think it's totally worth it-
 
I agree that moderating temp by using all 3 vents will produce a more even burn. It's how I was taught by the folks who got me into this hobby.
 
Two additional thoughts - particularly if you are new to using a WSM:

Q1. Is there any chance that your charcoal was wet / damp? I once had a "bum bag" that was a Royal PITA to keep lit. A new, DRY bag burned Purr-Fect

Q2. Any chance that your temperature spiked and water bowl overflowed onto the coals? When I was learning how to control temps, I also had that happen.
I usually set-up the bowl with charcoal with the Vents ALL 100% open - dump some lit on top and assemble the cooker.
After about 5-10 minutes, I shut the vents down by about 1/3 if it is cool out / halfway if it is warm out, and mine usually "settles-in" pretty nicely after that

[I have to remember that "trick" about closing the top vent while stirring the coals! I usually use lump, and need to knock the ash out about every 4-5 hours.]

Just some thoughts. Keep with it and it gets easy once you "learn your rig".
(plus new WSMs do not seal-up as good as when they get gunked-up a bit...)
 

 

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