? for the guys in cold weather?


 
S

Steve CT

TVWBB Member
I just did 6 racks of ribs last weekend. What I did was fill the charcoal pan up and dug a hole in the middle to do the "donut" style of minion cook. I used hot water since it was roughly 35 or so degrees outside and did not use any wind shield or heat blanket... just basically cooked out in the cold.

It got to 275 at the lid relatively pretty quick and I throttled the bottom vents back to a little less then 50% open to level off at 275 (maybe between 50% and 25% open). About 4 hours into the cook 3-3 1/2 hours into the cook I notice the temp starting to creep down. When it hit 250 at lid I opened the bottom vents 100%. Basically the temps did not move up or down they just stayed at 250 at the lid. I cooked for a total of 5 hours, took the ribs off and shut down the vents. After words I went back to check and most of the charcoal had been lit and only a few brickets we still re-useable.

Do you figure this to be a normal amount to fuel usage for a 5 hour cook in weather such as little wind between 35-41 degrees? What about the turning the vents to 100% open and not climbing in temp?

Just wondering your thoughts...

PS- Ribs came out awesome! I like the tender but with the meat having some pull on the bones.
 
Seems fairly normal to me for cooking in that temperature. Then again in Kentucky weather the only normal thing is it's completely abnormal and unpredictable. I've gone to bed in 60 degree weather and woke up with 2 inches of snow outside...
 
that sounds normal to me. i do my ribs in 5 hours with a 3/4 full pan of coal - hot water as well with very little re-usable coals left over. my temps stay the same whether its 10 or 40 outside during the winter. i keep my bottom vents at around 50% open all the time. where my smoker sits is at the back garage door on my deck so it provides a nice wind block when the wind howls out of the west.
 
That's how I like ribs too.

Based on your report (conditions. donut start and cook temp) I don't see anything amiss. (It's also my feeling that a donut start is likely to light more fuel sooner.)
 
Great! I was thinking it sounded good I was mostly wondering about the temps drop off after3-4 hours and having to open the vents all the way to keep the temps stable and not falling.
 
Steve,

If you're using charcoal (especially Kingsford), try rapping or tapping the WSM legs to dislodge some of the spent charcoal when you can't get the temps back up where you want them. That should help them to rebound. Kingsford has a tendency to choke it's self after 4 to 6 hours.

HTH,

Bill
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
(It's also my feeling that a donut start is likely to light more fuel sooner.) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What type of start do you use instead of the donut start, Kevin? I've always done the traditional Minion burn and started it as Steve described.
 
I've smoked in temps below freezing and have not had a problem maintaining temps at 275 or having a drop off after three-four hours. The main thing is it takes about double the lit to get going with a minion start. I just dump the lit on top and have never had a problem with that approach, but I'm sure that making a hole in the center works just fine as well.

This is great weather for cold smoking or makin' bacon where you want to start cold and slowly move up the temp.
 
I dump on top as well.

The donut should work fine (I've never heard that it hasn't). I think there is a good chance of greter fuel consumption because a substantial amount of unlit is above the lit rather than under it. This causes the unlit to light sooner (and would result in reaching target temps relatively quickly).
 
That makes sense to me! I may just have to do some empirical research to see which type of start reaches temp faster and uses more fuel. Sounds like a great opportunity to cook more!
icon_biggrin.gif
 
I have done "normal" minion method where you just place hot coals on top of unlit coals. This was my first try at the "donut" method. I think it worked well and perhaps tapping the legs could help out with unclogging.

If anyone can think of any other reasons why the temps would drop to 250 and stay there even after opening the vents to 100% open please let me know... I was thinking maybe it was due to the donut method but the smothering things sounds very plausable.
 
Ash build-up can restrict airflow. When I used to use K, I'd gently stir (tapping the leg can work but do so gently, especially if you've a waterpan in there). Ash can fly during stirring. To minimize ash floating up to and settling on the meat give it a way out. Close the lid vent before you remove the door which will make the door opening the exhaust; stir gently; replace the door; remember to open the lid vents.
 
It sounds normal to me.

I have often had problems with hitting and maintaining 275F at the lid in the cold. Actually I have trouble maintaining that lid temp on a warm day, but bear in mind I often cook 2 -3 full racks (I don't mean racks of ribs, I mean 2-3 WSM racks full of stuff) in WSM the smoker. It seems like eveyones WSM behaves a little different too, mine runs on the cool side.

Don't use a full Brinkmann pan of water in -30C when trying to do 20+ lbs of beef chuck
icon_biggrin.gif
Not a good idea. Multiple fuel reloads and a 28 hour cook.

At 0C and the smoker is full you might want to use dry standard pan or little water in it But say you were only cooking 2 racks of ribs on top, maybe use half a pan of water.
 
On this particular cook I did 3 full racks of ribs on top rack and 3 full racks of ribs on the bottom rack. I coiled and put a bamboo stick through it to hold coiled.

I think I am going to build me a peidmont setup with 2 Brinkmann charcoal pans with 1/2 inch space between them. Then foil the top pan with aluminum foil balls to catch the juices.

Perhaps it will be a 2 fold solution:

1) hold temps better with longer lasting burns using less charcoal due to heating up quicker.
2) clean up will be a breeze.

It's worth a try I guess?
 
I am going to try out a couple butts for the Super Bowl (my second cook) and I have a couple questions.

I will do an overnight cook, using the minion method. The temp. when I start will be around 18F with a high on Sunday of 29F. How much Kingsford should I use? I was going to fill the ring and start with ~40 lit coals and 4-6 chunks of hickory. With the low outdoor temps does this seem legit?

I plan on starting around 10pm on Sat. and that will give me plenty of time to finish before the big game. If I go 12-15 hours, then store for 2-3 that will get me to 4 or so on Sunday. Maybe I should start later?

Also. I don't have a cooler for the butts, can I wrap them and put them in the oven instead? I was going to preheat it a bit (as low as possible) and then turn it off when I put the meat in.

Any think else I am missing, or suggestion would be great.

EDIT: I am doing 2 butts, should I do both on top, or one per rack? Also, Do I light the coals at about 9:30, then add the lit coals and the meat all at once at 10?
 
Jon,

I don't know what temp you plan on cooking at or the weight of your butts, but my last two-butt cook took 17 hours at 250 degrees (measured at the lid). I used a MM start, with clay pot base instead of water. 40 lit coals sounds like a bit much. I used 10 for mine.

Bob W.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jon W:
EDIT: I am doing 2 butts, should I do both on top, or one per rack? Also, Do I light the coals at about 9:30, then add the lit coals and the meat all at once at 10? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree with a Minion Method start. Also, I'd just put both butts on the top grate to elliminate extra cleaning.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Robert W:
Jon,

I don't know what temp you plan on cooking at or the weight of your butts, but my last two-butt cook took 17 hours at 250 degrees (measured at the lid). I used a MM start, with clay pot base instead of water. 40 lit coals sounds like a bit much. I used 10 for mine.

Bob W. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't recall the weight anymore, it was a cryopack from Sam's. I was planning on running at 250, with the standard water pan.

I was going with extra coals due to the low outdoor temps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top