Minimal amount of charcoal to use with minion method for 6 hour smoke


 
R

rich wong

New member
I have a second hand 18.5 inch smokey mountain. I want to try smoking some spares at 225 for 6 hours with a full water tray. I want to use the minion method

I want to minimize the amount of charcoal I use. I don't need the smokey mountain to run for 12-18 hours but enough for the session with a little to spare.

I'll do a dry run with perhaps a full chimney of unlit and 20 lit. But any guidelines on how much to use for a 6 hour smoke at 225 without excessive charcoal wastage and without having to constantly refill the water tray ?

Also is it the water which is really keeping the low temperature for prolonged periods or the design of the smoker itself ?

Also what kind of temperature differential should I expect from the hood, main grate and lower grate ?
 
I recommend the "Mini" Minion Method: "For shorter cooking sessions, follow the steps described in the previous section for the Minion Method, but only partially fill the charcoal chamber with unlit charcoal, then add 20 lit coals on top. This works well for 6-8 hour cooks." You can ck it out here: http://virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

The water helps stabilize temps in any cooker. ...but many here do not use water at all. Instead they use a terra cotta clay saucer, sand, pebbles, etc.

Today, My lid temp was well ~ 300*, my grate temp was 238*, and the lower grate was 250* (no water - clay saucer).
 
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I don't get these minimum questions? Just fill it up and after the cook is done, close the vents and the fire dies. Shake the coal grate when its cold and the leave the remains for the next cook. Fill it up again before you start and keep repeating. The charcoal is the same all the way through so it doesn't matter.

Think like you are taking a trip in a car. You don't just put in just what you think you might use. Fill it up and just use it!
 
Good advice from Dwain...

I would recommend fill up the charcoal ring and add half a chimney full of lit charcoal and it should come up to a decent temp of 225-250 in 30-40 min. I don't think you will run out of water by that time ribs should be done. When done close all the vents and left over charcoal can be used on next smoke. Remember to remove old ash.
 
Hi Rich, I am not to concerned with the amount of charcoal I use or have left over. I just throw the leftovers into my perfomer. I had my WSM in the sun a couple weeks ago and used next to nothing for charcoal, but temperature control is much harder. I have used both a water pan and saucer, I perfer the saucer for clean up. Results were the same for both. People say that a water pan with water will use up more charcoal becuase the water is constantly heating up and approaching a boil phase. I tend to agree with this. If you are running your wsm for the first time run a water pan with water, it should keep your temperature lower.
 
rich wong said:
Wow Scott you're so friendly. Thanks to everyone else from a new WSM owner
Click to expand...

Sorry, I guess the problem with the internet is it's hard to interpret the emotion, but I wasn't intending to be terse at all. I was just more commenting that I see similar questions alot, new owners asking how to determine how much fuel to use, and I just wish that Weber would mention this in the manual. It's really a non-issue, but some people really get wrapped up with this. I asked the same question myself, and thank goodness soemone set me straight before my first cook.

Like I said, just keep it full, save what's left, and refill before every cook. Very simple and Weber could have avoided a lot of confusion for new owners with a quick blurb. When you figure that only a small percentage of owners probably come online to look for tips, I wonder how many folks don't get this, and continue wasting the effort in estimating brickettes before every cook and tossing partially used fuel, until they finally figure it out themselves.

Just trying to help, but probably could have been worded better - Sorry. Good luck
 
What Tony R said.
I pretty much always end up with unused charcoal after shutting it down.
Most of the time, I just dump the unused back in the bag and mix it up a little.
Works great when relighting, as the fresh helps to get semi-used going.
 
Rich, when my 22" WSM was new, it wouldn't shut down right away and it would 'waste' about 75% of the leftover coals putting itself out. I shared your concern on the waste. So much so, that I made a smaller ring from expaned metal for shorter cooks. After about 7 or 8 long cooks, this thing seals up like a vault. When I shut it down, its out within 30-40 minutes. Haven't used the smaller ring since. I did however, wire the 22" ring to the coal grate. Makes sifting out the ash a whole lot easier/cleaner. Good luck Rich.
 
Rich,

Welcome to WSM ownership and the site. I too am a relatively new owner of an 18.5" WSM but have a few cooks under my belt. I think I pretty much agree with everyone has said so far, don't worry about trying to determine the minimum amount of fuel you will need for a given cook. If you do try and use the least amount of fuel possible, chances are one of two things will happen. Either 1-you'll use "too much" and have leftover coals (which you'll then use on your next cook, as long as you keep 'em dry), or 2-something unexpected will happen (i.e. the wind will pick up or your meat will be stubborn) and you'll need to add more fuel mid-cook. Personally I'd rather have leftover coals then run out, but that's me.

I've never had much trouble with my WSM not shutting down right away. The fact that yours is second hand (and presumably previously used) means that it should be well on its way to being , if not completely, sealed up good. That being said, if you just go ahead and fill up your charcoal chamber, use the Minion Method, and shut it down after your cook, I would think you'll have more than enough fuel for your cook and will end up with plenty of leftover fuel for your next cook.

Now if you're questioning whether you have enough charcoal on hand for the cook you're planning, well that's a different story. But even still if it were me, I'd just play it safe and pick up another bag of coal beforehand.

Hope that helps. Good luck!
 
Dwain Pannell said:
I recommend the "Mini" Minion Method: "For shorter cooking sessions, follow the steps described in the previous section for the Minion Method, but only partially fill the charcoal chamber with unlit charcoal, then add 20 lit coals on top. This works well for 6-8 hour cooks." You can ck it out here: http://virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

The water helps stabilize temps in any cooker. ...but many here do not use water at all. Instead they use a terra cotta clay saucer, sand, pebbles, etc.

Today, My lid temp was well ~ 300*, my grate temp was 238*, and the lower grate was 250* (no water - clay saucer).
Click to expand...

I did the Mini-Minion the last time I did ribs and at worked perfectly. Filled the charcoal chamber halfway, then put 15 lit on top. Had a solid 6 hours of heat. Plan on doing the same tomorrow for my Independence Day cook.
 
rich wong said:
Wow Scott you're so friendly. Thanks to everyone else from a new WSM owner
Click to expand...

Let's not toss Scott under the bus. I see where he's coming from. However, I see even more where you are coming from (seeing as I come from there too).
 
Hi Rich,

I totally agree with what Scott wrote. I also totally agree with what everyone else wrote. It's all great information from those that have been there.

Speaking for myself, I would hate to give you information that might create an unenjoyable cook for you. It's not uncommon to hear of someone new to the WSM do an overnight cook where they have had to add coals mid cook due to starting with insufficient coals. This can turn into a temperature semi-emergency with an ensuing fight to get the temperature back in line. At that point, much of the enjoyment is lost.

Another frequent topic is at what specific temperature do you pull a particular meat off the cooker. Each individual piece is different as no two like animals have exactly the same muscle structure. Maybe structure is not the correct term. A specific piece of meat will become tender on it's own terms, not a specific predetermined temperature. The only reason I can think of for individuals referring to some specific temperature is that temperature is something they can easily grasp, concept wise. Once they have experienced true tenderness, not doneness, the phase "BBQ is done when it's done" quickly replaces that specific temperature value.

I sincerely wish your cooks to go very well and are truly enjoyable !

Bob
 
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