In Search of OTG Low and Slow "Set it and Forget it"

[Dave Pasma]

This could be one of those threads that addresses a number of interesting things. I have a 22.5" OTG. I love it. I

desire nothing else - save a real good smoker for BBQ. Since I am a father of teenagers, that is not currently in my

budget.

I have cooked pulled pork the most, since it is simple and relatively inexpensive. My family and friends love the

output, so I enjoy doing it.

I have slowly graduated to more sophisticated methods of temp control and smoke. As a baseline, I always use 2 bricks to

separate the hot and cold zones. I use an iGrill with 2 probes. BTW, I love the iGrill. I beg the use of my wife's

iPad when I BBQ. It works great!

I apply olive oil and dry rub at least the night before. I smoke boston butts for at least 4 hours - until their

internal temp reaches approx. 145-155. I then double wrap them in foil, and put them in my 220-230 deg kitchen oven

until the internal temp reaches 185-195. I then let them rest for 30 minutes. If I am way ahead of a meal, I keep them

in a warmed cooler - per the instructions on Amazingribs.com.

Here is the purpose of my post. I am still tyring to find that technique that will allow me to load the Weber with

charcoal and wood chunks, set the vents to achieve 220-240 deg, then (here's the important part) not touch it until fuel

starts running down, and requires more air - vent adjustments.

In my last session, I did 2 things that were new to me. 1) I created a maze (of sorts) that i hoped would create a long,

consistent burn. 2) I used foil to cover the lower grate on the cooking side. I read this somewhere, and it

intuitively makes sense that all air entering through the lower vents should pass through the coals, pick up heat and

carry smoke to the meat.

In short, I was able to successfully cook 2 9lb Boston Butts, and the meat is fantastic. However, I had to constantly

tweak the vents to keep the temps in a fairly reasonable range. I purposefully cooked these on the warm side (up to

a max of 250) because I knew they were big, and I had a dinner deadline.

Here is a picture of my last setup:

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The empty area at about 8:00 on the clock is where I put 11 lit charcoal briquettes. The grey coals are not hot. They are coals from a previous grilling session.

Here is a picture of the temperatures chart. I email a file to myself from the iGrill app on the iPad. I then use Excel to create the charts.

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As you can see, the cooker ambient is erratic, and varies almost 30 degrees during the first 5 hours that the meat was in the Weber.

As for the "maze" I created? It did its job. The coals burned through the maze. What I saw though, was that the coals burned faster on the bottom layer, than they did on the top layer of coals. This is not a tragedy. But, it meant that the wood chunks I had spaced out along the maze all burned out within 1 1/2 hours.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Bob Correll]

Dave,
Have you tried the snake method?
Longer than this one, all the way around if need be, and more wood along the way.
Butt in the middle, couple of lit to start, bottom vents maybe 1/4 to 1/3 open.
edit to add, I don't worry too much about keeping a certain temp, it will start low for the meat to absorb smoke, then if she runs 300, no big deal.

 

[Gary S]

I'm quite interested in your post Dave and the answers of others. I have recently bought and modified a 26" kettle and am experimenting with the same end result in mind. Right now I have succeeded in LNS for 5 hours using an 18.5 charcoal ring to hold fuel with a 15" steel disk on top of the ring. I have held temps at roughly 250. The disk, it's actually a heavy metal plate that restricts airflow, works for indirect cooking, stablizes temps and holds or becomes a drip pan depending on how you choose to foil it. I light my ring using the minion method but only a few coals. I have been using lump as fuel and will be trying a natural briquette up here made by Maple Leaf. I also switched out the Weber charcoal grate for a CI grate so I have minimal heat from burning but being held bottom and top.

I have not posted on this as yet as I have some other ideas and further tests I want to perform but I am confident you could accomplish something similar with the 22. Unlike the snake method where only are few coals are fully exposed to air my approach is to add depth like the WSM but restrict airflow. Not saying one is more correct than the other, just saying that's an approach I am working with.

Looking at the photos above I do not see enough fuel to give you the long term burn I think you are hoping to achieve.

 

[Bob Sample]

I get at least 8 hrs at 240-260 using fire bricks and RO lump. Top vent about 1/2 closed and bottom vent probably about 1/6 open. Never really have to touch it. I start one end of the lump with a torch till a couple lumps are glowing red. Took awhile to figure out exactly the best setting. Most important thing is to wait and see where it settles in before making adjustments and only make small adjustments and wait to see where it goes before making any others.

 

[George Curtis]

me thinks yer over thinking things plus you are micro managing the heat. plus yer cooking temp is a bit low. most including me cook around 275-350. butts or pork in general are rather forgiving. also i cook my brisket just about the same way as my butts and get great results. i never foil and i cook in the kettle till then. not sure why you are using the oven.

 

[Dave Pasma]

Hello guys. Thanks very much for the feedback. I do realize that I tend to micro-manage it. That is the engineer in me I guess. I am a technical cook - not a creative one. I also know that butts are forgiving. That is why I cook them while I try to get better at temp control. I have read many times that temperature is critical with other meats like brisket, ribs, etc.. And also, if time permits, lower temps are better - for creating super tender BBQ.

 

[Dave Pasma]

Hello George. Did I mention that I am a technical cook? I am. I find the website amazingribs.com very facinating, and full of cool technical information. That website describes a theory for what foiling accomplishes. He proposes that the "stall" (internal meat temp plateaus for a period of time) can be sped up by wrapping in foil - since it traps moisture, which helps tenderize and cook the meat. Also, I have read that smoke is no longer effective after a few hours. Since I like consistent temps, I foil the meat and put it in the oven so I don't have to tinker with the grill vents.

 

[W Tyler]

Dave,

I've gotten as much as 14 hours from a 22.5" kettle on one load of charcoal. Matter of fact, it was my very last low n slow on a kettle that that got that much time.

The kettle was a Performer, not a OTG, but the architecture is the exact same - less the table. I do a "brick dam" of the coals, like you did except I keep the bricks in a straight line, not a 'V' pattern, and use about 1/3rd of the real estate beneath the cooking grate. I bank the coals as deep as I can, all the way up to the cooking grate, then put lit coals on one end, then let them burn across to the other. Bottom vent basically closed, relying only on the tiny opening around the gas igniter for airflow. Top vent stays at 50%.

I've found this method to keep temps really stable for as long as I need them. I cooked a Boston butt for 12 of those 14 hrs, then just let it go to see how long it would burn. At the 14 hr point I think temp had dropped to 125 degrees and the coals were basically ash and a very few hot ember remnants.

I have other options for low n slow that could do as well or better, but why use those when a 40 buck used Performer is easier to start and holds temps so well.

 

[Dave Pasma]

Thanks a lot. When you say the temps stay stable, what temperature range does it stay within? How do you introduce smoke wood? In amongst the unlit briquettes, or do you drop a chunk in every hour or so? Also, how many lit coals do you add at the beginning?

 

[JimmyE]

You guys have my attention. I just did a butt on my 26.75 using the snake method and got 6 hours at 250 without touching it. And I thought that was pretty good. I would LOVE to get 10 hours, that would be fantastic!

 

[Gary S]

My Nomex just arrived today for the lid of my 26. I intend to place a gasket under the lid around the flat portion of the outer edge. I think W Tyler and I are kind of on the same page. In order to get the extended burn time the coals need to have some depth, only a few are lit and of course air flow has to be limited. He is using a brick dam, I am using a charcoal ring. There may or may not be that much difference in the result at the end of the day. I would be happy with 14 hours!

 

[J Kloeker]

Dave,

I've gotten as much as 14 hours from a 22.5" kettle on one load of charcoal. Matter of fact, it was my very last low n slow on a kettle that that got that much time.

The kettle was a Performer, not a OTG, but the architecture is the exact same - less the table. I do a "brick dam" of the coals, like you did except I keep the bricks in a straight line, not a 'V' pattern, and use about 1/3rd of the real estate beneath the cooking grate. I bank the coals as deep as I can, all the way up to the cooking grate, then put lit coals on one end, then let them burn across to the other. Bottom vent basically closed, relying only on the tiny opening around the gas igniter for airflow. Top vent stays at 50%.

I've found this method to keep temps really stable for as long as I need them. I cooked a Boston butt for 12 of those 14 hrs, then just let it go to see how long it would burn. At the 14 hr point I think temp had dropped to 125 degrees and the coals were basically ash and a very few hot ember remnants.

I have other options for low n slow that could do as well or better, but why use those when a 40 buck used Performer is easier to start and holds temps so well.

Do you put your charcoal over the hole for the igniter tube, or on the opposite side?