...from barely 8 hours to over 22. Is this typicall?


 
A

Andrew Marburger

New member
I am cooking on the 22.5" WSM.

I used to barely be able to get to 8 hours on a full chamber of charcoal using the minion method. Well, I made two small but evidently huge detail changes:

1) I actually counted the number of lit briquettes I spread on top of the unlit briquettes. I was surely lighting too many previously.

2) I moved the smoker into the garage. (Small, detached, old garage that we don't even park in...perfect for BBQ.)

I think putting it in the garage was the biggest factor. Wind (or any moving air) is suddenly a non-factor when you've got four walls around your smoker. But, I didn't expect it to do what it did!

I poured the lit charcoal into the fuel ring at 10 pm Saturday evening. The brisket went on around 11 pm and I removed it around noon the following day. I decided to let the smoker continue to cook to see how long it would go. So, I went back out to it last night around 9 pm. I snapped a pic because I was in disbelief:

http://i.imgur.com/fRklw.jpg

That is 22 hours later, without ever even opening the access door or stirring the coals. I did tap the legs once around 9 am.

At this rate I may even consider doing back-to-back cooks. I could cook two or three briskets, followed by multiple racks of ribs or butts the following day!
 
V_Rocco said:
Wow, I was thinking the same thing!
Click to expand...

Smoking in an enclosed area is dangerous. Getting more than 8 hrs of smoke time is not worth the risk. It 's not the walls, it's the roof; install a CO detector near the smoker. There are many ways to protect your smoker from the wind.

I had similar issues with my 22.5" WSM. Where are you storing the charcoal? Drier the better. Re: the Minion method. One thing I did early on was spread out the lit chimney coals. I place a cutout #10 can inside the charcoal ring, pour in the lit coals (10-15 briquettes) into the can then remove the can. Lastly, I used less water initially. I started with 6L but reduced to 4L then refilled when needed.

I started getting longer smoking times. I have a self-imposed cap of 10-11 hours as I'm a weekend smoker. If the meat(s) are not at the desired temp, I pull, pan, and cover and finish off in my Silver-Genesis set at 350 F. Smoke penetration was achieved long ago then it's all about finishing, resting and eating the prize.
 
I agree. I have an enclosed garage, as many of us probably do on this forum, but there is no way I would put my WSM in it while cooking. It is just too flat out dangerous!
 
Thanks for your concern!

The smoker itself was located about 6 feet from the garage door, which was open about 3.5 feet while cooking. If I was in the garage, the door was wide open. There is also an open window on the other side of the smoker about 10 feet.

While I didn't have any ill-effects (no headaches, etc) I agree with you guys, not worth the risk. I will just cook outside with a box around the bottom next time. Thanks!
 
Another way to achieve the same results, but continue to smoke out of doors is to go to the local hardware or home supply store and purchase some of the silver rolled insulation and cut it to size. You can wrap it around your smoker and cut notches where your vents are at.
 
Andrew Marburger said:
2) I moved the smoker into the garage. (Small, detached, old garage that we don't even park in...perfect for BBQ.)

I think putting it in the garage was the biggest factor. Wind (or any moving air) is suddenly a non-factor when you've got four walls around your smoker.
Click to expand...

I agree. All of mine are in a shed and I've found that keeping them out of the wind, rain, snow, high humidity and direct sun in the summer makes them very fuel efficient. Here's a picture of my pride and joy.

020-2.jpg
 
This thread makes me think about a small shed with one of those old style kitchen vents that goes through the wall.
 
unbelieveable results!

as a reminder (word of caution) to those who cook inside buildings: remember if you cook with a dry pan & the fat builds up in it, leaving the lid off for more than a minute or few will let the coals get hot enough to ignite the fat like a jet engine & shoot flame ~10' above your cooker.
 
Last edited:
I have used my old brinkmann gourmet quite a few times in my (unattached) garage in bad weather , but I always kept the door wide open. But this is all good info!
 
Tom_M said:
I agree. All of mine are in a shed and I've found that keeping them out of the wind, rain, snow, high humidity and direct sun in the summer makes them very fuel efficient. Here's a picture of my pride and joy.
Click to expand...
Nice setup, Tom! Do you occasionally bribe the neighbors to stay in their good graces?;)

I've been smoking and grilling in my decrepit detached garage for over 9 years. It really pays off in the winter when on a sunny day the inside temperature can be 10-15 degrees warmer if I keep the doors closed, which is possible because I only need to check the WSM every couple of hours and the building isn't anywhere near airtight. Of course, on the flip side it's always warmer in there in the summer, too.:( If I ever get around to replacing the roof it'll likely be vented more than normal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top