keeping a "clean" fire with KB

[Jay Crihfield]

So I'm somewhat confused about the concept behind burning a "clean" fire, specifically using the minion method and KB briquettes. With the minion method you add lit coals on onto unlit coals, and while there's some initial dirty smoke, you eventually get a clean fire that lasts for hours. But on here I've read that when it comes time to replenish your fuel....adding unlit to lit coals causes tons of dirty smoke, and the only way to safely replenish your fuel is to add more fully lit/engaged coals. Logically it seems that the minion method would result in the same "dirty fire" issue due to the combination of lit and unlit charcoal in the same fire

For those of you who use KB, what's the best method to re-load your fuel? So far I've only had to replenish once after about 12hrs, and since I was close to hitting my target temp with the meat, I simply dumped in a small amount of lit to get me through to the end. I'm just trying to figure out what the best method is if I need to go longer, or for the upcoming fall season when the smoker won't run as efficiently due to cold/rain/windy weather.

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I believe it is very difficult to get a clean fire with Kingsford so I don't use it often for long cooks. I like lump. However, this is also why I add more than I need - most of the time a full load - so refuel is unnecessary.

When stick burners add a new log it has been pre-heated by placing it on top of the fire box to warm it. When you add a cold log it smokes at first but a warm log doesn't smoke as much. Possibly you could apply this to Kingsford.

 

[Michael Smotch]

can you use Minion Method using strictly lump, or you do you need to mix with briquettes ?

 

[Dwain Pannell]

can you use Minion Method using strictly lump, or you do you need to mix with briquettes ?

I use the Minion method with strictly lump routinely.

 

[Michael Smotch]

cool I try this out once I'm outta of KB. right now use MM for long cooks using KB only. food never had that bitter creosote taste before. thanks

 

[Grant W]

I use blue bag primarily because it easier to get here, anyway the only way to add is to either re- light or add lit coals. Its handy to have a tin trash can or a kettle handy, dump it out add unlit then dump your lit on top. Whether it kingsford or anything else for that matter i find you simply need a hot part of the fire otherwise you get a smolder. You can try pushing the remainder of lit to one side and add unlit to that thats essentially how backwoods recommends running there smoker so the hot part of the fire simply burns sideways instead of down, kind of like how guys use the ring of fire method in kettles fire burn sideways. Even on my backwoods i still find it works best to simply clean out the fire box and go again, it sounds like more of a pain than it is the starter chimney is essential though..

 

[Brian Johnson]

Logically it seems that the minion method would result in the same "dirty fire" issue due to the combination of lit and unlit charcoal in the same fire

Jay,

I have yet to cook long enough to add coals to my WSM so I will pass on answering that. However from what I understand, when using the minion method, your unlit charcoal is "preheated" by simply by being in a cooker that is at whatever temp you're running that day. This reduces (or eliminates, not entirely sure) the "dirty" smoke that you get when you light cold coals. I don't claim to be an expert on this, but it make sense to me.

 

[Brian Johnson]

I use blue bag primarily because it easier to get here, anyway the only way to add is to either re- light or add lit coals. Its handy to have a tin trash can or a kettle handy, dump it out add unlit then dump your lit on top. Whether it kingsford or anything else for that matter i find you simply need a hot part of the fire otherwise you get a smolder. You can try pushing the remainder of lit to one side and add unlit to that thats essentially how backwoods recommends running there smoker so the hot part of the fire simply burns sideways instead of down, kind of like how guys use the ring of fire method in kettles fire burn sideways. Even on my backwoods i still find it works best to simply clean out the fire box and go again, it sounds like more of a pain than it is the starter chimney is essential though..

So if you're dumping your ash and reloading and relighting fresh coal, which presumably takes another 30-45 minutes, what do you do with your food? Or are you saying that you light your chimney in you extra kettle, then once that coal is ready you dump your spent coals & ash into the trash and pour that hot coals into the charcoal chamber? That would make more sense, but unless I'm missing something you're still having to disassemble your WSM mid-cook. Right? Do you then set up for another minion method burn?

 

[DarylB]

I used nothing but KB in the WSM and never had an issue with an "unclean" fire using the minion method. Now I use KB in the 26" kettle using a snake type method and do not get a bitter taste either. I have no scientific evidence but I have to assume that the entire cooker, including the unlit charcoal have heated up quite a bit by the time food is on the grate and the fire is working it's way across the coal. I've gotten more of a chemical flavor when I've tried to use lump. I say just make sure there is oxygen available and the fire will be clean. I would only be concerned if the vents were closed so much that there was no air flow.

 

[Darrel Williams]

So I'm somewhat confused about the concept behind burning a "clean" fire, specifically using the minion method and KB briquettes. With the minion method you add lit coals on onto unlit coals, and while there's some initial dirty smoke, you eventually get a clean fire that lasts for hours. But on here I've read that when it comes time to replenish your fuel....adding unlit to lit coals causes tons of dirty smoke, and the only way to safely replenish your fuel is to add more fully lit/engaged coals. Logically it seems that the minion method would result in the same "dirty fire" issue due to the combination of lit and unlit charcoal in the same fire

For those of you who use KB, what's the best method to re-load your fuel? So far I've only had to replenish once after about 12hrs, and since I was close to hitting my target temp with the meat, I simply dumped in a small amount of lit to get me through to the end. I'm just trying to figure out what the best method is if I need to go longer, or for the upcoming fall season when the smoker won't run as efficiently due to cold/rain/windy weather.

First of all, greetings to/from another Palatine resident, the native home of all things Weber.... {although I live here I am in no way affiliated with Weber Stephens}

I am not so sure where you got the idea of smoke being "clean" or "dirty". I think smoke is smoke. You want to have the part of you fuel that is lit to be nice and lit so that there is complete combustion and your exhaust gasses are flowing out the top vent. That's the reason you never partially open the top vent. It should be fully open unless you are shutting the heat completely with food removed.

As far as clean and dirty goes, regular K briqs leave behind a lot of ash, because it has fillers and borax added as caking agents. Lump burns more completely and leaves behind much less ash. I use lots and lots of K in my kettles, but I only use it in my smoker if I am desperate. Lump is comparatively harder to find and much more expensive than K.

This should be obvious but I'll say it anyway...... NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER use Matchlight or lighter fluid or any other presoaked briquettes in your smoker.

Go Fremd!

 

[Jay Crihfield]

I am not so sure where you got the idea of smoke being "clean" or "dirty". I think smoke is smoke. You want to have the part of you fuel that is lit to be nice and lit so that there is complete combustion and your exhaust gasses are flowing out the top vent.

Go Fremd!

I guess when I say "clean" vs "dirty" I'm referring to the tons of white billowing smoke I see when the cooker is first assembled after dumping the lit on top of the unlit pile. Usually I'll wait about 15-20 minutes for everything to settle down and engage a bit more, but as soon as I put the cooker pieces on top of the fire bowl, I'll start to see lots of white smoke out of the top vent, around the lid, and even around the door for a bit, and then it eventually settles down to a thin plume of very faint blue smoke. I usually wait to add my smoke wood until I see the thin smoke out the top, then I know that whatever smoke I see coming from the cooker is the added wood smoke, not charcoal smoke. It's the faint blue stream that I think of as being "clean" vs the heavy white smoke that I think of as "dirty".

Maybe I'm just over-thinking it too much. There's only been one time I've ever tasted what I thought was either too much smoke or the bitter "dirty" smoke flavor in a piece of meat, so that's what got me thinking about the whole "quality of smoke" question.

-P.S. Yeah we're in the Fremd district too. My wife went there and our kids will both go there too. On a side note....have you ever walked into the Ace hardware on Northwest Highway....that place has what seems like a mini Weber store inside....with a huge section of what seems like every weber branded accessory that's in the catalog.

 

[Darren C.]

Maybe I'm just over-thinking it too much. There's only been one time I've ever tasted what I thought was either too much smoke or the bitter "dirty" smoke flavor in a piece of meat, so that's what got me thinking about the whole "quality of smoke" question.

No. I don't think you are over thinking this at all. I recently purchased a WSM. Before purchasing, I was also concerned about the "dirty" smoke (but wasn't quite sure how to describe it). In the many years that I've been cooking on kettles, I added unlit charcoal to a fire once while the food was still on the grill. My food tasted horrible that evening. That was several years ago. But, I never forgot that. I have only added lit to lit from then on.

Along with my own personal obsession with my kettles and with the WSM getting such great reviews and garnering a cult following, I figured there must be an answer to my concern. So, I posted here. Everyone reassured me that with the minion method, I would be okay. Evidently, they were right. I've only had an opportunity to cook on the WSM 3 times. Two of those 3 were with the minion method. And, I didn't notice any dirty flavor at all. I still don't quite understand why this is so different than my experience with the kettles some years ago. However, the explanations in this thread are shedding some possible light on the subject.

So, I think it's a great question.