Rick P
TVWBB Pro
I have one of those propane burners, that the Mrs. gave me a few years ago. I've used it a couple of times, over the years, to melt ice and get to get briquettes going in a hurry. I was reading Chris's tips and, under "Firing up the Smoker", and read about Jim Minion using a propane burner by hitting some of the unlit charcoal with the torch to get some of them burning, (I'm paraphrasing here).
Do any of you ever do that? Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother, but since I do have the torch, and it's fun to use, I figured that I'd do it.
Any tips? (other than not setting myself, or my surroundings, on fire?)
I'm going to break in the new-to-me 18.5" this weekend, with a butt or ribs, (haven't decided), and here's the plan:
Fill the charcoal ring with KBB. Blast the center until a few, (8-10?), briquettes are burning, toss in a couple chunks of wood, (making sure at least one is touching the burning briquettes), then add the meat right away, leaving the vents wide open, until it hits 200, then dial the lower vents to about 50%
So....fire away! (pun fully intended)
My biggest questions, to take away from this, are, how many briquettes should I get burning?
How wide should I leave the vents open, (after lighting and during the cook...shooting for anywhere between 225 and under 300...my wheelhouse on the kettle with the SnS has been ~ 240)?
Finally, should I just put the meat on right away, (the way Minion does it in the aforementioned tips page), and dial back the lower vents when the temp hits 200?
This cook will be on an 18.5" N model, with no water in the pan, and the cook temp will be measured at the grate. Only mods are gaskets under the lid and around the door and a notch for temp probes.
Any tips, or suggestions, (other than filling the water pan with anything other than foil...pan has a pinhole leak), would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!
Do any of you ever do that? Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother, but since I do have the torch, and it's fun to use, I figured that I'd do it.
Any tips? (other than not setting myself, or my surroundings, on fire?)
I'm going to break in the new-to-me 18.5" this weekend, with a butt or ribs, (haven't decided), and here's the plan:
Fill the charcoal ring with KBB. Blast the center until a few, (8-10?), briquettes are burning, toss in a couple chunks of wood, (making sure at least one is touching the burning briquettes), then add the meat right away, leaving the vents wide open, until it hits 200, then dial the lower vents to about 50%
So....fire away! (pun fully intended)
My biggest questions, to take away from this, are, how many briquettes should I get burning?
How wide should I leave the vents open, (after lighting and during the cook...shooting for anywhere between 225 and under 300...my wheelhouse on the kettle with the SnS has been ~ 240)?
Finally, should I just put the meat on right away, (the way Minion does it in the aforementioned tips page), and dial back the lower vents when the temp hits 200?
This cook will be on an 18.5" N model, with no water in the pan, and the cook temp will be measured at the grate. Only mods are gaskets under the lid and around the door and a notch for temp probes.
Any tips, or suggestions, (other than filling the water pan with anything other than foil...pan has a pinhole leak), would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!
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