Is there a trick to adding lit charcoal to the WSM?

[Rick P]

I did a couple of butts, on the 18.5" WSM. Total cook time was ~ 14hrs...yeah, these were stubborn pieces of meat.

At around the 11th hour, without even looking at what was left in the charcoal ring, I decided to add about 14 pieces of lit. I fashioned a scoop, with a piece of foil-covered cardboard. It worked, but it was awkward. BTW, there was still a decent amount of lit coals in the ring, when I added the charcoal. I probably could've gone close to the distance with this cook. Avg temp was ~ 250

Any tips? How do you add lit charcoal?

 

[M Craw]

This might be frowned upon, but I (with some hot pads) simply take the top two sections off (the top dome and middle cylinder) and dump in a chimeny of lit coals. EZ-PZ.

 

[timothy]

^^^ That's what I do, but I don't do the water and have handles mounted on the mid-section.

 

[Todd NC]

I have an old fireplace shovel that I picked up for $1 at a garage sale. I light a chimney in my kettle then shovel the lit coals up and place them through the door.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I use a fireplace shovel too but, I have never added any lit coal just raw unlit.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

You can add lit coals one at a time with long handle BBQ tongs. Or a few at a time with a long handled fireplace shovel. Or do a hot squat. Or rig up a chute.

Adding Charcoal Mid-Cook To The WSM: Chutes & Hot Squat - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Options for adding charcoal mid-cook to the WSM, how much fuel to add, and two "MacGyvered" solutions for adding lit charcoal through the access door.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

 

[Greg in Utah]

This might be frowned upon, but I (with some hot pads) simply take the top two sections off (the top dome and middle cylinder) and dump in a chimeny of lit coals. EZ-PZ.

This

 

[Bill Thompson]

I use a piece of sheet metal folded in a v shape, to use as a chute to pour the charcoal into the smoker. Makes it easy to pour in the center through the door.

 

[Rick P]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Tracy Seelhammer]

I've used the door as a chute to get fresh charcoal in - very much the lazy man's way - and it works fine. It's a cheat version of this.

 

[Larry D.]

I lift off the lid and center section (handles are great!) and set them aside. Then I push all the remaining lit coals into a pile at the side of the charcoal chamber, and pour unlit beside and over them. This creates, in effect, a new Minion burn. If you do this quickly enough you don't lose too much heat, and it doesn't take too long to get back up to cooking temperature, if you use an ATC and no water, as I do.

 

[TonyUK]

I use one of these. A flour scoop.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

It's pretty rare for me to have to add charcoal but it has happened. I usually take disposable aluminum pan and bend it into a chute.

 

[Troy Reimche]

I bought a short section of rain downspout from the hardware store for very cheap. Cut the ends open to make a chute out of it. It’s thin and flexible so you can bent and fold the ends to fit through the door just right. I can share a pic if needed.