Getting a Long Burm Time


 
M

Mike DiMaggio

TVWBB Member
Hello.Just unpacked my WSM 22.5, awesome. I have been doing a lot of research on how to get the maximum burn time from your charcoal. Im talking 10 hours+. Ive read about the minion method and stacking briquettes in the basket like soldiers. I would love to hear any and all new ideas or experiences. As I said I just unpacked the WSM and never used it. Thanks.
 
Fill the charcoal chamber with charcoal, for the sake of discussion, let's use Kingsford.

Fill the charcoal ring right to the top, light approximately 15-25 briquettes in a charcoal chimney. When they are grey and glowing hot, pour them over the unlit briquettes in the charcoal ring, evenly distributing them around the ring. This is called the Minion Method.

Open all the intake vents, assemble your cooker, open the exhaust vent on the lid, allow your temps to rise to about 200, then close down your bottom vents until they are just barely open (10-20%, the width of a nickel) your temps should continue to climb and settle in around 225-235.

If they go a little higher than that close down one or two of the vents. If your temp does not get that high, open up one of your vents a little more.

It is imperative that you control your temps on the way up and not let them get out of control and then try to get them to come down.

After the first couple or three cooks, you should have your fire management pretty much down pat.

Here's some more reading on the topic.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html#minion
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike DiMaggio:
Just unpacked my WSM 22.5 </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just did the same thing tonight.
 
Start off with as much boiling water as you can and pack and heap up as many Kingsford Comp. briquettes as you can.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
Start off with as much boiling water as you can and pack and heap up as many Kingsford Comp. briquettes as you can. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Using water will use more fuel and shorten your burn time. Using water is fine, but to get a long burn time, water will work against you.
 
I appreciate all the tips. I just put the Butt on and will let you know how it comes out and what kind of burn time I achieved. Its 34 F this morning but going up to the 60's. I used a full ring of charcoal (22.5) and added 40 lit briquettes to the middle. Let the temp rise to 200 then cut the bottom 3 vents by 80/90% and added a full pan of hot water. Will check back later with more info.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jerry N.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
Start off with as much boiling water as you can and pack and heap up as many Kingsford Comp. briquettes as you can. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Using water will use more fuel and shorten your burn time. Using water is fine, but to get a long burn time, water will work against you. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I assumed the OP was using the wsm in the conventional manner as designed, but I don't think water is working against me if I rarely have to refuel for typical 15 or 16 hour cooks.

How's that? Well, heating up water wastes btu's, so getting up to temp is easier with boiling water, and since I have a stove and a couple of tea kettles just inside the house, that's how I start off. However, temps don't usually drop after using a two liter of hot tap through the door several hours into the cook, so like I said, water must not be working against me that much.

Gotta love the benefit of a good heat sink though, and water is one that makes the bottom rack as easy to use at the top one, without fear of charring like if using much thermal mass like sand or clay in the pan. I use both racks most all the time.

Anyways, the Brinkman pan in the 18 or the big 22 wsm pan allows a lot of room for charcoal and wood, and charcoal is cheap.

....but I confess, my "secret weapon" is my upside down plastic 55 gal. barrel with 3/4 of the bottom cut out. I sits on three bricks to provide draft, and the little gap between the dome and the barrel is covered with a blanket wrapped around the dome. Looks kind of tacky, but it really helps when the breeze kicks up or to get up to temp faster.
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Here are the results from my virgin cook on the WSM 22.5. I did a 10lb shoulder. Followed the lighting technique listed above and filled the water pan with hot water. Opened all the vents and she reached 200 pretty quickly. Closed all the vents about 90% and she settled down around 235-240. Put the meat on and relaxed. She held the temp for a good 8-9 hours. Then I had to add about 30 briquettes as the temp was dipping below 200. After 10 hours the shoulder temp was approx. 179 and that where it stalled. I pulled the shoulder off at the 11 hour mark and the meat temp was still 179. I did this because it was starting to dry out. I tasted a piece and was very dry, even when I was breaking it apart I could tell it was pretty dry. All in all very impressed with my new smoker. Any feedback on above would be appreciated.
 
I've not heard people describe the meat as dry but I think what you have is under done meat. I know we don't cook by temp, but 179 is too low to pull in my book. Also, at a pit temp of 240, 11 hours for a 10 pound shoulder is way too short. That shoulder at that pit temp would take about 15 to 20 hours.

Somone with a 22" will have to help you with the burn time but had that been me, I would have transfered it to the oven to finish.
 
I thought about that but I thought it was too dry already. We live and learn I guess. Ill try again next weekend. On another note, the thermometer on my WSM had built up some condensation on the inside of it. How do you get rid of it.
 
Mike the condensation comes and goes. Next time you use the smoker and the temp goes up it will go away. Congrats, and good luck.
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