Charcoal Amounts


 
A

Adam E

New member
I've got a newbie question for you all.

In a recipe that calls for a chimney full of charcoal, is that the chimney that comes with the Weber Smoker that holds the brickettes or is that the starter chimney that you buy separately?

I guess my ultimate question is, how many pounds of Kingsford do I use for two slabs of baby backs for what will probably be a 5 hour smoking?

Thanks all!!

Adam
Collegeville, Pa.
 
It's a chimney starter that you buy separately. Weber makes a good one that is larger than most others and holds about 6 lbs. of charcoal. One chimney should be enough if you are using the minion method.
 
Adam,
Many of us here fill the ring regardless of how long we expect to cook. One chimney sould be enough for ribs, but if you fill the ring, you're not going to have to refill on a 5-6 hour cook. When the cook is done, close all vents and let the fire go out. Use the charcoal that's left the next time you cook.
 
Thanks for the quick answers.

I already have the Weber starter which leads me to my next question.

A rough guess is that the ring will hold perhaps two starters worth of charcoal. Should I start one chimney, dump it in the ring, and then top off the ring with cold charcoal or should I start one chimney, dump it in the ring, and then start another chimney and then dump it in?

Thanks!

BTW, my ribs went on at noon and so far I've had the least problems yet of maintaining the correct temp (about 235 deg.). Usually my wife just laughs at me as I frantically run around trying to get the temp up. Not this time!!!
 
If you use the standard method, start one chimney, dump it in the ring and then top with unlit. Wait until the unlit become grayish and then you are ready to cook. You should consider the minion method as well. With that, you put unlit in the ring and top with 12 - 15 lit coals. Start cooking at that point and the temperature will start to climb. All of this can be found on the tips and mods section of this site. Enjoy your cook.
 
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