Saint Louis Ribs & Hunsaker Vortex Clone

Murmurs around regarding the Hunsaker Vortex for the WSM piqued my curiosity. Like when Harry Soo uses one... I gotta try it out.
However, having more time than money meant I had to do a hack: https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?72871-Hunsaker-Vortex-Clone

My take is that the vortex excels at high heat cooks, so Saint Louis Ribs seemed to be a good choice (also they were on sale for $2.99 lb).
A rotisserie cook, for sure.

A mix of new & used Weber briquettes with 3 big chunks of hickory topped with a mini chimney of fully lit coals got things started.



Assembled.



SLRs slathered with hot sauce, heavily rubbed with Oakridge "Sweet Rib Rub", moderately dusted with "Habanero Death Dust", spitted and into the 18.5 for a spin at 300*.



The dispersed barely visible thin blue smoke in the cook chamber:



2 hours into the cook and sauced.



15 minutes later & ready to pull.



While the ribs were resting, the squash finished cooking.



Carved the rack.



Time To Eat!



Were these ever bite off the bone good! Wifey says "Best Ever!!!".

So... about 45 minutes pre-heating the cooker & waiting for TBS ... a 2 1/4 hour cook at 300*... coals remaining this am:



Brew-haha has the benefits of the Hunsaker Vortex are eliminating hot spots in the cook chamber because of the swirled heat, steady high temps for high heat cooks, cleaner taste to the food & reduced fuel consumption.

My take: didn't know I had hot spots in the 18.5 WSM (maybe in a 22.5 - but I don't one of those), temps were very steady (not sure how big of an improvement the vortex added), the ribs sure were good & lots of coals left for next time. Usually HH cooks use lots of fuel.

Well... the jury is still out. It's going to take a few more cooks using the vortex before I make up my mind. Next rib cook will be at 325*.

Comparison pix re: fuel consumption.

Start of cook:



What was left this morning:



The vortex is def EZ on fuel.

Man O Man, that's perfection Robert. I've always admired your fabrication skills and that Hunsaker Vortex clone is no exception. I must lead a sheltered life as I'd never seen one of those before. Gorgeous ribs as well. Very nice.

Ditto what Cliff said and that's sure a fuel saving vortex, really impressive.

Those ribs look excellent. I'm impressed with the vortex clone. I'm not sure I buy into the hype, but your results are impressive.

Awesome build. I wish I had those kind of metal working skills. Or any metal working skills.

Part of this idea really appeals. The very even heat distribution sounds great. And the apparent reduced charcoal consumption is a big plus too. But I have to wonder if this isn't somewhat a solution in search of a problem. I know I have had heat distribution issues with my 18.5" WSM, but those have always been when I'm doing something extreme with the charcoal, like purposely lighting just a couple coals on one side of the ring, or doing a snake that only burns in an isolated area. The vortex might help a bit in those situations but I'd likely still end up with uneven heat due to the uneven burn.

My bigger concern with this is how one would tend the fire on a really long cook or add more smoke wood if needed. This appears to be a set-it-and-forget-it approach where you'd have to disassemble the smoker to make any adjustments to the charcoal.

I also wonder if you couldn't get much of the benefit of the vortex with something like the top of this upsized a bit to fit on the pan retainer clips, or maybe rigged just below the pan. Hmmm... Or maybe attached to the bottom of the pan. This would let you continue to use the pan to catch drippings and also get the hot air spinning as it entered the cooking chamber.

JayHeyl said:

Awesome build. I wish I had those kind of metal working skills. Or any metal working skills.

Part of this idea really appeals. The very even heat distribution sounds great. And the apparent reduced charcoal consumption is a big plus too. But I have to wonder if this isn't somewhat a solution in search of a problem. I know I have had heat distribution issues with my 18.5" WSM, but those have always been when I'm doing something extreme with the charcoal, like purposely lighting just a couple coals on one side of the ring, or doing a snake that only burns in an isolated area. The vortex might help a bit in those situations but I'd likely still end up with uneven heat due to the uneven burn.

My bigger concern with this is how one would tend the fire on a really long cook or add more smoke wood if needed. This appears to be a set-it-and-forget-it approach where you'd have to disassemble the smoker to make any adjustments to the charcoal.

I also wonder if you couldn't get much of the benefit of the vortex with something like the top of this upsized a bit to fit on the pan retainer clips, or maybe rigged just below the pan. Hmmm... Or maybe attached to the bottom of the pan. This would let you continue to use the pan to catch drippings and also get the hot air spinning as it entered the cooking chamber.

Click to expand...

Thanks Jay.

With only one cook using the vortex, I truly believe that it reduces fuel consumption. I'm betting it will be good for long high heat cooks - like 7 to 8 hours or so, which should do a pork butt or a brisket. Myself, I feel no need to add wood chunks after 2 hours or so. You are correct regards doing a hot squat if fuel ran low. I'm betting that filling that charcoal ring to the top would provide plenty of fire to sustain a long cook. I'll find out. I might add one bottom vent was slightly cracked open, one was about 1/2 open & the rest were closed. Normally I'd be running all vents full open for a 300* plus cook.

I considered just making the diffuser & setting it on top the stock charcoal ring or the water pan clips. However, I suspect the fire would not be as controlled. It sure would eliminate a fair amount of work not doing the tube. Since Hunsaker has done all the r&d... there must be a good reason that it's made the way it is.

Certainly the fully enclosed column forces all the hot air out the vortex louvers at the top. That clearly would not be the case with just setting it on top of the existing charcoal ring given all the holes in the ring. For it to be really effective you'd probably have to have something that would fully cover the cross section of the WSM.

This may call for a little experimentation... Bingo! 19" solid aluminum pizza pan, 18 gauge for $6. Cut and bend the fins. Maybe turn up the edges a bit more so it fits snugly in the WSM. Probably not a long term solution but the price is right for testing out the concept. And something within my metal working skill set. Have tin snips, will cut. (Or break out the angle grinder.) Maybe when it gets warmer.

Very nice cook there. One might say professional

Robert

That Hunsaker Vortex Clone is a fuel efficient rib cooking monster, cant wait too see what you cook up next.
Two thumbs up.

Awesome looking (and I am certain, tasting,) ribs It’s nice to have your metal work rewarded with great food for everyone to enjoy!

Those ribs looks delicious

Great looking plate of food Robert.

That is one impressive dinner, awesome job.