KrisDecker
TVWBB Member
ok. Experimentation time... Try it once minion, once tin can then repeat with stoker. My challenge is that I have small kids, so finding 12 hours to run a test is tricky 
Longer cooks... How to reload charcoal
- Thread starter KrisDecker
- Start date
Frank H
TVWBB Gold Member
ok. Experimentation time... Try it once minion, once tin can then repeat with stoker. My challenge is that I have small kids, so finding 12 hours to run a test is tricky
you got that right , brother. i didnt even BUY a good smoker until my boys were grown. but you go , bud. you'll work it out.
Jason Paul
TVWBB Member
Interesting - thanks for the reply.
David Ward
TVWBB Fan
I'm one of those who believes the unlit should be under the lit. I feel the smoke of the unlit, as it starts to light, will then go through the hot lit coals and this tends to burn out some of the more acrid components.
So on overnight smokes here is what I do. I frequently do smokes of 4 large butts in my 18.5" WSM for the office. I try to get them on the smoker by 1:00pm with the intent they will be done somewhere between 6:00AM and 10:00AM the next morning depending on the stall. Usually hit that 8 to 8:30 mark, but it's not always exact. I run with a DigiQ II from BBQ Guru and I've done this dozens of times so I'm 200% confident the WSM will hold my set temp as long as there is fuel for it to burn. Since my initial lighting is around 12PM to 12:30PM, I usually reload the fire ring around 11:30pm or midnight. That way I know I can sleep soundly without worrying about the fire going out or if I have enough to make it.
I start the initial fire ala minion with a very full fire ring, intermixed smoke wood chunks and a thin layer of lit charcoal on the top. I usually run a dry water pan with a clay flower pot base (yes I know this combination "can" run 18 to 20 hours, but I like my sleep and charcoal is cheap). Around 11:30pm to midnight, I remove the middle section with the dome lid still on. It's heavy with a load of 4 butts, but it can be done. This keeps what heat is in the smoke chamber inside while I do my reload of charcoal. I then use a small metal shovel to take what lit there is and move it to a metal bucket sitting on some bricks (the metal will get very hot and I don't want to leave burn marks on the deck). I then dump in unlit and top it with the lit from the bucket. It's basically a reload ala minion.
Doing my reload this way I have a lot less acrid smoke than if you dump unlit on top of the lit. I've tried it through the door, and by removing the middle section and unlit over lit will smoke and have that smell until it gets going again. May just be in my head, but to me less acrid smoke coming out of the WSM means there is less chance of the acrid smoke leaving a bad flavor on the meat, even if it only takes 20 to 30 minutes for the pit to settle back down via the standard method. I have also tried the "snake" minion method where I just pile the lit up against one side of the fire ring when reloading (usually close to the Guru fan inlet). Then I pour the unlit around the outside of the fire ring and the lit will slowly burn in a circle around that ring. But most of the time I just pull the lit out and go traditional minion on the reload. I can usually do this in a minute or less.
And as to the argument that I will have way more fuel than I need, I just close all the vents after I pull the meat the next morning. Once the charcoal is choked out, I can reuse it later.
So on overnight smokes here is what I do. I frequently do smokes of 4 large butts in my 18.5" WSM for the office. I try to get them on the smoker by 1:00pm with the intent they will be done somewhere between 6:00AM and 10:00AM the next morning depending on the stall. Usually hit that 8 to 8:30 mark, but it's not always exact. I run with a DigiQ II from BBQ Guru and I've done this dozens of times so I'm 200% confident the WSM will hold my set temp as long as there is fuel for it to burn. Since my initial lighting is around 12PM to 12:30PM, I usually reload the fire ring around 11:30pm or midnight. That way I know I can sleep soundly without worrying about the fire going out or if I have enough to make it.
I start the initial fire ala minion with a very full fire ring, intermixed smoke wood chunks and a thin layer of lit charcoal on the top. I usually run a dry water pan with a clay flower pot base (yes I know this combination "can" run 18 to 20 hours, but I like my sleep and charcoal is cheap). Around 11:30pm to midnight, I remove the middle section with the dome lid still on. It's heavy with a load of 4 butts, but it can be done. This keeps what heat is in the smoke chamber inside while I do my reload of charcoal. I then use a small metal shovel to take what lit there is and move it to a metal bucket sitting on some bricks (the metal will get very hot and I don't want to leave burn marks on the deck). I then dump in unlit and top it with the lit from the bucket. It's basically a reload ala minion.
Doing my reload this way I have a lot less acrid smoke than if you dump unlit on top of the lit. I've tried it through the door, and by removing the middle section and unlit over lit will smoke and have that smell until it gets going again. May just be in my head, but to me less acrid smoke coming out of the WSM means there is less chance of the acrid smoke leaving a bad flavor on the meat, even if it only takes 20 to 30 minutes for the pit to settle back down via the standard method. I have also tried the "snake" minion method where I just pile the lit up against one side of the fire ring when reloading (usually close to the Guru fan inlet). Then I pour the unlit around the outside of the fire ring and the lit will slowly burn in a circle around that ring. But most of the time I just pull the lit out and go traditional minion on the reload. I can usually do this in a minute or less.
And as to the argument that I will have way more fuel than I need, I just close all the vents after I pull the meat the next morning. Once the charcoal is choked out, I can reuse it later.
KrisDecker
TVWBB Member
putting handles on the WSM would make sense with this method...otherwise, i suspect its a bit tricky to maintain a grip so you dont dump the shoulders
I refill mine by starting a chimney with however much I need, and waiting until the smoke goes away and I'm burning clean (doesnt even have to have white tips). THen, once that's ready, I remove the entire middle+upper assembly off carefully, and proceed to dump the new coals in and knock off as much ash as possible.
I'm a firm believer that disturbing the coals, more than a basic wood addition, will release tons of ash that rises and coats the meat. Prime example of that would be cooking ABTs -- they are very susceptible to ash.
I should also add that I use a HeaterMeter, so getting the temp back under control is pretty painless, as it'll starve the fire until it settles back down. Usually my temps jump 30 degrees at least, when I refuel, and then I'm back to setpoint within about 10-15 mins tops.
I'm a firm believer that disturbing the coals, more than a basic wood addition, will release tons of ash that rises and coats the meat. Prime example of that would be cooking ABTs -- they are very susceptible to ash.
I should also add that I use a HeaterMeter, so getting the temp back under control is pretty painless, as it'll starve the fire until it settles back down. Usually my temps jump 30 degrees at least, when I refuel, and then I'm back to setpoint within about 10-15 mins tops.
Justin Hancock
TVWBB Member
Kris,
I don't have trouble getting good burn times with the 18 WSm/Auber setup. We've discussed it on another thread but I will lay out my method here. It may be some small thing you are doing differently.
1. I fill the charcoal ring to the brim with KBB (very important, I'll discuss this later in the post)
2. I pull out ~15-20 briqs to light in my chimney starter (depending on the temp I want to cook at)
3. While the chimney is going, I set up my Auber fan and controls.
4. Close all bottom vents except the one the fan is on. (other holes on the fan vent are covered with aluminum tape)
5. Top, exhaust vent is wide open
6. Make sure the fan is as sealed as reasonably possible so most all of the air is going directly into the smoker. (usually is flush with the smoker but I check to be sure)
7. Once the briqs at the top of the chimney are just lighting and flames are licking around them I dump the lit coals into a small indention I've made in the top of the full load of briqs in the charcoal ring. (lately i've been experimenting with putting the lit coals inside the ring closest to the fan for better control but either way works)
8. Assemble the smoker and turn the auber on to the temp I want to cook at. (Should be using a 6.5CFM fan for an 18 WSM or a 10 CFM fan for the 22 WSM)
9. Wait about 30 minutes for the smoker to come to temp. Sometimes this will take up to 45 min to 1 hr if it's really cold outside.
10. Add a couple of wood chunks through the door
11. Put meat on the smoker and go back to helping the wife wrangle the 3 gremlins
I can get 8-10 hours no problem cooking at 250-275 with this method. (usually can get up to 12 hours in warmer weather) The key is to make sure to fill the charcoal ring TO THE BRIM with unlit coals. I usually fill it about 2/3rds of the way up with unlit coals, shake the ring to help pack the coals down and finish filling it up. This helps me get the most briqs into the smoker as possible.
On an 18 wsm i can get ~ 10-12 lbs of charcoal into the ring. (don't know exactly the amount here, just guessing)
Good luck. PM me if you have any more specific questions about the WSMs or the Auber setup
I don't have trouble getting good burn times with the 18 WSm/Auber setup. We've discussed it on another thread but I will lay out my method here. It may be some small thing you are doing differently.
1. I fill the charcoal ring to the brim with KBB (very important, I'll discuss this later in the post)
2. I pull out ~15-20 briqs to light in my chimney starter (depending on the temp I want to cook at)
3. While the chimney is going, I set up my Auber fan and controls.
4. Close all bottom vents except the one the fan is on. (other holes on the fan vent are covered with aluminum tape)
5. Top, exhaust vent is wide open
6. Make sure the fan is as sealed as reasonably possible so most all of the air is going directly into the smoker. (usually is flush with the smoker but I check to be sure)
7. Once the briqs at the top of the chimney are just lighting and flames are licking around them I dump the lit coals into a small indention I've made in the top of the full load of briqs in the charcoal ring. (lately i've been experimenting with putting the lit coals inside the ring closest to the fan for better control but either way works)
8. Assemble the smoker and turn the auber on to the temp I want to cook at. (Should be using a 6.5CFM fan for an 18 WSM or a 10 CFM fan for the 22 WSM)
9. Wait about 30 minutes for the smoker to come to temp. Sometimes this will take up to 45 min to 1 hr if it's really cold outside.
10. Add a couple of wood chunks through the door
11. Put meat on the smoker and go back to helping the wife wrangle the 3 gremlins
I can get 8-10 hours no problem cooking at 250-275 with this method. (usually can get up to 12 hours in warmer weather) The key is to make sure to fill the charcoal ring TO THE BRIM with unlit coals. I usually fill it about 2/3rds of the way up with unlit coals, shake the ring to help pack the coals down and finish filling it up. This helps me get the most briqs into the smoker as possible.
On an 18 wsm i can get ~ 10-12 lbs of charcoal into the ring. (don't know exactly the amount here, just guessing)
Good luck. PM me if you have any more specific questions about the WSMs or the Auber setup