I think I stink at Minion Method

[StanSulli]

After the 5 hr mark, using the coffee can method, the fire was dying/temp dropping and the outer 2-3" of coals were not lit.

I've had my say. TY very much.

Len,

I had much the same experience. I use Stubb's briquettes by the way. How about you?

It's just so funny that what works for you and me and others does not work for other guys and what works for them does not work for us.

My primary reason for using "the non-hole/spread 'em on top method" is that it does seem to end up burning those outer edge coals thus providing a longer burn.

Sometimes to get the longer burn on my 18.5 I have to stir them once, never have had to do it twice. I use a Brinkmann pan and can open the door, reach right in with tongs or whatever's handy and stir 'em up. Simple. Other times no stir is required.

It works for me. Smoking is very much an individual pursuit. The only hard and fast rule seems to be there are no, or very few, hard and fast rules.

 

[timothy]

Len,

I had much the same experience.

It's just so funny that what works for you and me and others does not work for other guys and what works for them does not work for us.

My primary reason for using "the non-hole/spread 'em on top method" is that it does seem to end up burning those outer edge coals thus providing a longer burn.

It works for me. Smoking is very much an individual pursuit. The only hard and fast rule seems to be there are no, or very few, hard and fast rules.

Great point Stan.
What works for you in your backyard doesn't mean my WSM is going to run the same in my backyard.
Learn how your WSM runs, than use the bits of knowledge you pick up on this board , than adept them to your own personal needs.

Tim

 

[Jon in SF]

Hmm, I've gone 16+ hours with the tin can in my 18.5 WSM. Place can in the middle, lay a single layer of new kbb, a layer of used coals from the previous cook along with wood chunks, then top off with more new kbb. Light several coals in a chimney, dump inside the can, pull can out, let WSM reach temp, throw meat on and regulate temp. Never really had a problem with this method

 

[Tommy B]

Everyone has a method that works for them! Here are a few quick shots of what has worked for me!

I start by putting down some wood. I go pretty conservative on the smoke wood. Pictured is apple.


I fill the charcoal chamber with kingsford briquettes.


I dig out a hole in the middle. Typically 20-40 briquettes depending on my desired temp/weather. Pictured is the Weber small chimney, 30 briquettes in the chimney.


light and dump in hole. That is right after dumping at 3:30am CST super bowl Sunday.

 

[StanSulli]

Hmm, I've gone 16+ hours with the tin can in my 18.5 WSM. Place can in the middle, lay a single layer of new kbb, a layer of used coals from the previous cook along with wood chunks, then top off with more new kbb. Light several coals in a chimney, dump inside the can, pull can out, let WSM reach temp, throw meat on and regulate temp. Never really had a problem with this method

Hmm, 16+ hours using a mixture of used and fresh coals and dumping only "several" lit coals in the minion hole?

Just unbelievable. I must be doing something wrong or my 18.5 isn't running right.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I typically just pour the lit coals on top of unlit but I generally put it all centered on top. I only light about 12 coals. It can take a while for the WSM to heat up. I also let the wsm reach at least 200 before putting on meat. Its easier to catch the temp on the way up than to overshoot and fight high temps the whole time.

 

[StanSulli]

Hmm, I've gone 16+ hours with the tin can in my 18.5 WSM. Place can in the middle, lay a single layer of new kbb, a layer of used coals from the previous cook along with wood chunks, then top off with more new kbb. Light several coals in a chimney, dump inside the can, pull can out, let WSM reach temp, throw meat on and regulate temp. Never really had a problem with this method

I've gotten close to 12 hours but can't imagine 16+ hours with all fresh charcoal, never mind mixing in used!

What am I doing wrong? I described what I do in an earlier post in this thread.

Is it my fault, my 18.5 or the fault of both that can't get a long burn for 16+ hours?

 

[John Christensen]

I've gotten close to 12 hours but can't imagine 16+ hours with all fresh charcoal, never mind mixing in used!

What am I doing wrong? I described what I do in an earlier post in this thread.

Is it my fault, my 18.5 or the fault of both that can't get a long burn for 16+ hours?

You probably aren't doing anything wrong. Wind speed, Temperature, relative humidity, and elevation will all play into this also.

 

[Tim K]

X2 what John said. Stan , figure out what works, and then run with it, myself, I load the ring up (about 3/4 full) new coals, cram my wood chunks in and wait. I load my weber chimney almost all the way and fire it up. When the chimney is ready, I poor the full chimney of lit coals on top of the unlit and wood chunks. When assembling the smoker, I go ahead and put the meat on. I reach my target temp of *265-*275 in about 20 minutes or so. Simple as that. I get 10+ Hours like this and there is still quite a bit of coals left when I pull my Boston butt off the smoker. This method is drastically different from almost all others mentioned above, but it works like a charm for me, so I stick with it. Use the methods others provide as a guide, and find the method that you like and tweak it to best suit you. Most of all, have fun and relax, this stuff is as much about the journey as it Is about the destination!
Good luck,
Tim

 

[StanSulli]

...this stuff is as much about the journey as it Is about the destination!

Tim,

Well, that's one opinion. I'm a destination man myself. Screw the journey, I just want to get to my destination.

And my destination is good tasting food cooked with as little smoker drama as possible. That's why I bought the WSM, a simple and effective smoker if there ever was one!

I'm always looking for ways to improve my smoking methods, especially ways to increase the time on long smokes without having to add coals or stirring up the charcoal even once.

I'd love to skip those "get out of bed in the early AM to stir the coals" journeys.

So when someone says they are getting 16+ hours out of a combo of new and used coals - and only a couple of chimneys worth - by dumping "several" lit coals in a minion hole, I want to know how to do that too.

Who else here gets 16 hour smokes so easily? Please tell me how you do it.

Thanks

 

[TonyUK]

Stan. To be honest, I can't see you're doing anything wrong.

My Minion.

I have a 14.5 WSM. I put a regular sized baked bean tin in the middle of the charcoal grate. Fill the charcoal ring up with briqs and some wood chunks. I then put no more than 10 half lit coals in the tin, then remove tin. All 4 vents wide open. I assemble the cooker straight away with the meat on. When I reach +/-200ºF, I choke back the lower vents to about 1/4 open. Once I jammed a matchstick in all three lower vents, so they were barely open. Worked great. Rarely do I ever touch the top vent.

For fits and giggles on numerous occassions, I have left the WSM in cook mode, (not closed the vents to snuff the fire). I have gone outside hours later and the WSM is still sitting at around 230ºF. This was after an 8-10 hr cook. On one occassion, I went back the next morning, after nearly 20 hrs, and the WSM was at 180ºF!

I never add new coals to a cook. I only grab the two legs and given it a wee shake to dislogde the ash, if the temps starts to drop, and up she comes back to temp. I don't do loooong or overnight cooks. 10 hrs is about my max.

 

[Jon in SF]

Hmm, 16+ hours using a mixture of used and fresh coals and dumping only "several" lit coals in the minion hole?

Just unbelievable. I must be doing something wrong or my 18.5 isn't running right.

I've gotten close to 12 hours but can't imagine 16+ hours with all fresh charcoal, never mind mixing in used!

What am I doing wrong? I described what I do in an earlier post in this thread.

Is it my fault, my 18.5 or the fault of both that can't get a long burn for 16+ hours?

I don't know what I'm doing right or wrong. But I'm sure it's like what John said. Circumstances need to be right. I will say that there were times that I had to add coals at around 12 hours. But that's after it's been windy or cold at night. The times that I've gone just over 16 hours, all the coals were almost gone but amazingly the temperature held steady. I've noticed that on nights that have been relatively windless and mild temps, the 18.5 can go what seems like forever. If it makes a difference, I'm pretty close to sea level. Hell, I'm about a quarter mile away from the coast.