How many coals do i need


 
A

Andre A

TVWBB Member
At the moment, I am planning on cooking two butts and a brisket, for memorial day. I was planning on placing one bag of the Kingsford blue in my WSM. I guess I always new this, but didn't realize this, but exactly which bag of coal. I want to dump and go. I believe I saw the 18lb bag, is that the one I want. Is there a better, more cost effective bag?
 
What sise WSM ? If a 22 then a 16 or 18 may fit, but the best way is to just fill the charcoal ring with coal lay your chuck wood around the top center and sides, lite about 12 coals when hot and redy add to the center of your charcoal loaded ring assemble the WSM let it come up to temp and adjust put on your meat make sure it is still running at your target temp m observe if your have ea remote temp probe you can do other things .
 
I have a 22 inch. 12 coals huh that's it. Since I am cooking so much meat I wanted to get up to around 250 first and then add the meat. How long do you think it would take to get up to 250 with 12 coals? In the past, I have used more coals, but I also knew, I was cooking in the winter so I needed more coals to get it up and starting. I guess, I was expecting/planning to start with 20.
 
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If I'm cooking a brisket or butt, I'll put a full 18 lb bag in. I do like Kevin says and get 12 coals lit and place them on top of all the unlit. If you are cooking at 250 you could probably go with more coals. 12 coals is really better for around 225. I usually bump it up to 15 for 250. 20 is probably ok, you just don't wanna overshoot your temp. I usually start it up with all vents open and let it go until I hit about 220 or so. I then close the rear 2 bottom vents and set the front one to maybe 1/2 depending on what temp you want and just control temp with the front vent. There are many ways to do this, but this is what works for me. Some people use all three vents to promote an even charcoal burn.
 
I put a full chimney lit on a full bed of unlit charcoal. With vents wide open I rarely exceed 250*F measured with the stock thermo in the dome - which is close enough.

I don't try to guess how much charcoal I need for a cook. I fill it full. When the cook is complete, I shut the vents to kill the fire and use the unused either in the kettle or for another cook in the WSM (after topping off to full again).
 
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I only have a 18.5 that is why I use 12 or so lite coals. Remember that is on top of a load coal basket with your smoke wood. Your 22 uses more coal than mine but you can cook more also.
just wanted to be clear.
 
I use the same method as Dwain. Early in my smoking with my WSM I tried to scrimp on coals and had trouble maintaining the heat and always ended up adding more charcoal
Mike
 
Andre. Max out that charcoal ring with unlit briqs. Dump 12-15 lit briqs on top, or tin can method. Cook. Any unused briqs can be used for your next cook. I hate having to add more fuel during a cook, when the WSM is dialled in.

The last cook I did on the 14.5 WSM was 11hrs @ +/- 260f. After shutting all the vents, the next day I had about a third of the briqs that were re-usable.
 
Andre, the WSM 22 will hold a 20 lb. bag of charcoal with no problem, the more lit you use the faster it'll come up to temp but then again it could rise fast enough to get away from you so like the others I use about 12 lit on top of the full ring
 
I have an 18.5, but I also agree with Dwain. I fill my charcoal ring with unlit coals an wood chunks, and cover it with about 2/3 of a full chimney of lit coals. Vents widel open, I put the meat on as soon as I dump the lit coals and assemble the wsm. With this method, I'm up to 250 in 15 minutes max, and can run it at that temp with ease. More lit coals gets me up to temp a lot quicker, i just have to make a more drastic adjustment with the bottom cents to get my wsm to stop at my target temp. I know that when my wsm gets to 235+/- I close 2 bottom vents and the 3rd is only open about 20 percent.
Hope this helps and good luck,
Tim
 
Thanks for the info. So I will get a 20lb bag of the KB and light 12 of them to get the party started. The next question is the wood chunk and the thin blue smoke. If I have read this forum correctly, one of the reasons you get the white smoke is because the fire isn't hot enough to really burn down the wood. If this is correct, 12 coals seems to me would initially create a lot of white smoke. I usually use the gas lighter on my performer along with my chimney to light my coals. If I did 12 coals could I entertain adding a wood chunk in my chimney as well to get the wood nice and hot as soon as possible. This would appear to help cut down to wait time for the thin blue smoke allowing for a longer cook..... thoughts?
 
I find TBS as the holy grail to be a bit of a miss. Sure you don't want to looking like a tractor puffing out smoke, but if it is a little thicker in the beginning it wont hurt anything. Put in the charcoal, leave a depression or hole in the middle. Place your wood chunks on/ in the unlit charcoal, dump the hot coal in the middle, wait for it to come to temp and toss on the meat.
 
I was waiting for the wife to bring a brisket to the campground to smoke it and wanted a long burn. Started with only 3 lit pieces of charcoal. Worked fine. Whatever works. Had some big winds for 30 mins or so and temps held real well with vents closed toward the wind..
 
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