Charcoal Layout W/Blower??


 
T

T Barbee

New member
I have a Guru DigiQ II already on another cooker, and have been running a 18”WSM with no blower.
With a blower on the WSM, are there issues with the charcoal burning uneven, or more toward the blower side of the ring? And with the Minion method, is there a preferred layout for the charcoal to prevent or reduce this?
 
I don't really have an issue. One thing that I do with the minion method is I light the coals on the opposite side of where the blower is attached.
 
I had been lighting about 15-20 and distributing them evenly over the top of the full charcoal basket.
So do you place all the burning coals on the opposite side and let them burn toward the air intake? Do you still get even burns that way?
 
I actually don't light any coals first in a chimney. I put a single lighting cube (Weber) or one of those sawdust spheres on the opposite side of the blower and light it with the door open.

I have all of the vents open as well during the ignition. Also, I only use natural hardwood lump charcoal and not the packed briquettes like Kingsford. I always get a nice, even burn this way.
 
I pull unlit coals from the middle of my 22.5" WSM and light 1/2 chimney, then put them back in the middle when lit. I open vents and get my temp up to what I want (usually 225) then close everything and start my Auber ATC. This has really worked well for me.

I have tried making a "channel" for air from the fan, but I haven't found anything that works better. The ATC figures out how much blowing it needs to do to keep the temp where it needs to be.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ryan Reuter:
I don't really have an issue. One thing that I do with the minion method is I light the coals on the opposite side of where the blower is attached. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And I light the coals on the side where the blower is attached. So apparently it doesn't make a lot of difference. I suggest that you pick whichever method works for you, and stick with it - the same advice I'd give about how and where to measure the cooking temperature. Consistency, in my opinion, is very important in getting good results. Eliminate as many variables as possible in the way you light the WSM and cook the meat.
 
I posted the same question after my first Stoker cook. You will get more burn on the blower side but, as long as you place the starter fuel evenly (I use a triangle pattern)it will burn out fine. Make sure you fill the ring evenly without air holes (think laying tight bricks) or you will get an uneven burn. My tip is to start with less lit and allow the pit to come to temp slowly. I generally use only 5-6 large pieces of lump from the chimney to start. I can get to temps within 45 mins with an empty pan. That said, trial and error will work best.
 
Big Thanks to All,
This is a great place for this kind of info.

As far as charcoal, I use lump in my other cooker (SS-1) but was told by a good friend that only cooks on WSM's that he got more even burns with briquettes. So around where I live Stubbs is my go-to briquette I can find it year-round at Lowe's, it gives me a good flavor and a clean burn so thats why I don't use lump.
Yea as far as the pattern it sounds like a full ring and adding burning coals over the top works as well as any other method. Again thanks to all for the input.
 
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