Long Cooks...Minion Method


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
How long can you go on average with MM?

Do you use water, sand or Guru?

Do you use Kingsford, lump or combo?

All are inter-related of course. I have been using water and kingsford-sometimes mixing in some lump. On long cooks I have gotten in a habit of adding more coals but always have coals left after the cook.

Can you do an 18 hour cook without adding coals on a consistent basis?
 
I am now using a Guru with Wicked Good lump. Last week, I did a brisket for about 20 hours and still had plenty of lump left. I am doing a couple of Butts right now and have not looked at the lump, and probably won't - temps have been steady since I put them on at 8 last night.
 
Steve,

My pork butt cooks usually always last at least 14 hours and I have kept the WSM working in the past just to see how long it would go.

99% of the time I use Kingsford on all nighters with sand in the pan, I have had it go 20+ hours without a problem.

If you want a really long burn, buy some Kamado Extruded Coconut charcoal, that stuff burns forever. I only use about 1/2 a charcoal ring in the WSM when using it on all nighters. I've never tested it but I am convinced a full charcoal ring of it would burn for close to 36 hours.
 
Last weekend, I did a butt with one ring of Kingsford, 22 hour cook, didn't even stir. Went back later than night and was surprised to find my Bullet still hot. For fun, stuck the thermometer back in. Was still at 200 thirty hours later!!

Sand in the pan, always.

As Brian H. can tell you though, it has been perfect weather for smoking in Birmingham. No wind at all. Here at least, it has everything to do with the wind.

Hope this helps!
 
I use Kingsford with the Guru and can go about 24 hours without refueling. This is with outside temps in the mid-40s or higher, as much Kingsford as I can fit in the charcoal ring, and a foiled water pan (no water or sand). I run the WSM at around 225 degrees at the grate. I do stir the coals or tap on the bottom of the WSM 12 - 16 hours into the cook to get the ash to fall through the grates.
 
Kingsford and the Guru. Reliably run 16-20 with fire left over. Right now I have 4 butts smoking. Fired up with MM last night and went to bed with the smoker temp still climbing. Smoker is at 225, +/- about 3 degrees and will stay that way until I pull the butts. Might even try some ABT's if I have the time and heat when I pull the butts out of the cooler.

I smoke a LOT more with the Guru because it takes the requirement to watch the WSM out of the equation. My WSM leaks just enough that you have difficulty getting long term stable control. (I shut the thing down after Chicken (using lump) one evening and still had enough fire that, around noon the next day, I wiggled the coals a little and filled up with Kingsford for ribs.)
 
Kingsford, WG lump, or a mix. I have a mix in now--doing butts. Very windy here from the hurricane. Very long plateau--temps dropped to the upper 150s--but now up to 175. I prefer water. I mostly just let the water cook off as the fuel does and very rarely refill.
 
Kevin,

Out of curiousity, why the Kingsford/Lump mix? Does it give you better temp controls, or longer burns?

That is unique, and it is always good to learn something.

Hope you don't get too much from the Hurricane!

Good Luck!
 
I use Kingsford and have gotten 20 hour cooks with an overflowing, almost, ring. I learned from Stogie to stack it in a pyramid and them remove your 15 or so to light. When lit, replace them. Conditions dictate whether or not I need to add some in the a.m.

I had switched to sand to get longer burn times and it seemed to help. Less energy is going to heat the water. Problem encountered with radiant efeect when using the bottom grate with 3 or more butts. Probably will revert back to water but allow the level to drop and not refill, or just add a smaller amount, thinking is this will counteract the diminishing fuel supply and allow the temps to stay higher as less energy is being used to heat the water suppy.

Paul
 
The best I've ever done is around 14 hours. MM, full ring, 20 charcoal briqs to start, water in the pan. After about 12/13 hours my temps seem to drop and I usually shake down the ashes and add a 20-25 briqs. Seems to finish it off.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pat Trammell:
Kevin,

Out of curiousity, why the Kingsford/Lump mix? Does it give you better temp controls, or longer burns?

That is unique, and it is always good to learn something.

Hope you don't get too much from the Hurricane!

Good Luck! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Actually, the mix is because my last cook was straight lump and I had 1/3 of a ring left. I'm getting low so I mixed fresh Kingsford with the remaining lump--nothing really special about a mix but since I use Wicked Good and the pieces are so large the Kingsford now is very tiny pieces, the WG pieces, though smaller than they were of course since they've burned, are larger than the Kingsford.

Winds, minimal rains--we've been in between most rain bands.

Paul G--Good luck up there with Dennis.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> but allow the level to drop and not refill, or just add a smaller amount, thinking is this will counteract the diminishing fuel supply and allow the temps to stay higher as less energy is being used to heat the water suppy. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>That's what I find. Occasionally I add a splash if the water gets down to a 1/2 inch. Other than that, I leave it alone.

I think I've only added coals on one or two long cooks in the past, due to some weather weirdness--heavy rains or something. The supply in the ring was still good but more heat was needed.
 
i mustve got a special one. i can go just about 24 hours on one load of kingsford. about 12 lbs of meat. i set the vents and never have to touch anything. it hovers right around 240. i only use about 10 or so lit coals and put the meat on right away. it takes a hour or so to come up to temp but its nice and smooth. and i always use water in the pan.
 
Back when i ran kingsford and sand, i was able to maintain temp for over 34 hrs with a really tight wsm.
Nowadays with lump and the guru, i'll have to top of to go over 22 hrs.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by brentg:
i mustve got a special one. i can go just about 24 hours on one load of kingsford. about 12 lbs of meat. i set the vents and never have to touch anything. it hovers right around 240. i only use about 10 or so lit coals and put the meat on right away. it takes a hour or so to come up to temp but its nice and smooth. and i always use water in the pan. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's incredible Brent, 24 hours with water. You must have a really air tight WSM.
 
Sounds like the best plan is to fill up with fresh and expect it to last. Granted wind would make a big difference. I am going to quit topping off my charcoal before turning in for the night. Thanks for all the input guys.
 
Just this week I used a full Kingsford ring, large Brinkman water pan full, 20 coals MM method...pulled my butts off 22 hrs later....at 20 hrs, I opened all vents and got the temp up to 280 to finish the butt temp to 205. Who knows how much more it would have burned....so at least 24 hrs in my WSM. Great weather here in ATL, warm and little wind.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger
Paul G--Good luck up there with Dennis.

Thanks for the thought Kevin. Right now. there's not much basis for optimism but we're still hoping. So many up here haven't really recovered from Ivan which was 10 months ago.

Probably will be without power for 10 days, like last time, so I will be off the board. Our law office was damaged badly by Ivan and we had movers set to come on Tuesday to move us back in our beautifully restored office - oh well.
icon_frown.gif


I guess the silver lining is I'll get to cook out a lot
icon_smile.gif
. Hope the generator and gas supply holds out because it is extremly hot.

Paul
Click to expand...
 
You all convinced me to leave the cooker alone and not add coals....Here are the results:
I cooked a brisket and butt-done in 12 hours.
Followed up with a chicken and the point for two hours. Just for a lark, I let it continue to cook empty. At 23 hours the temp had dropped to 188*.
This cook was 1/2 Kingsford, 1/2 wicked good lump. Used one pan of water and did not refill.
I never stirred the coals nor added any.
The only thing I added was a chunk of cherry and two apple for the chick cook.

Fill the ring and leave it alone.
 
Steve,

I have always used MM with 30 or more in the Weber chimney, and full ring of Kingsford. I have found it necessary to add a chimney of coals somewhere around the 14 to 16 hour mark. I usually always have 14 to 28 lbs of Butts on both grates. I have used water (Brinkman pan) on each cook. I seem to always run out of temp at 20 hours or so. The oustide temp and wether conditions do play a major role. At the end of the cook, I think the large amount of ash build-up has something to do with my problem of failing to maintain 225 and above at the 20 to 24 hour mark.
 
For those of you who mix lump and kingsford what is left after the cook???
My last cook was 1/2 King. and 1/2 wicked good lump. The onlything left was a few lump pieces.
All the kingsford had burned up. I think with wgc, it lasts l o n g e r than kingsford. But the mix was a good cook without ashe buildup I uasually get from king. only.
 
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