Minion Method gone awry


 
M

Michael Campisi

New member
Has anyone else experienced an uncontrollable spike in temperature when using Mr. Minion's method for long cook times? I am extremely stingy about the amount of air I let through the vents, and I've still had instances where the temperature hit upwards of 280! I find that once it gets that high, there is no turning back, unless you start to extract charcoal.
As you all can tell I'm having sudden issues with temperature, both inside the meat and outside!!
 
I'm assuming that you've closed all the bottom vents. If not, do so. If all botton vents are closed and the temp is not going down, you've probably got air leaking in from the access door. One option is to close the top vent. I've closed it 100% for a short time and temp did come down pretty quick and then I opened it back up. Since I've got my air leaking fixed I've not had to close the top vent.
 
You're not alone. Over the years I've certainly seen a number of frantic posts about temps getting out of hand and those involved MM cooks.

The real trick, and it is only developed with experience over a lot of cooks, is regulating the temp on the assent. Not at the point it is to high, but rather before that. In fact, the real key is regulating the rate of assent. If you see the temp rising "rapidly" then this calls for a more significant vent adjustment. Slower assent, less adjustment.

You can have a problem with high heat using the MM if you start with too many lit. The number will vary with weather conditions, etc.

This is an art and not a science and things don't always work out the same when it appears they should. I guess I've had a bigger problem over the years in keeping temps up than them getting too high.

Late in a long cook, spikes can occur when the water is low. Also, the meat, itself, is a heat sink, and as the internal temp of the meat rises, it serves as less of a heat sink. Thus the possibility of a spike. That is usually counteracted by the fuel supply diminishing over the period of the cook.

Best of luck in your future cooks.

Paul
 
Do you use water or sand? I have my reservations about my temp gauge (a probe that sits at grate level). That brisket will send off some cool air while things are getting going. I use sand and once it soaks up all that heat and releases then I'll get a spike but after 3-4hrs things are pretty well set.
 
Thanks everyone! I've had a 9 lb picnic shoulder on since 11:30 PM last night, and the temp has stayed steady.
Paul G, you said it best. It's definitly an art!!
 
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