Minion Method Questions


 
B

BruceW

New member
I've got a Weber kettle, and for years I thought I was cooking at low temps - until I got a thermometer! It was way hotter than than I thought.

Anyway, I've done two cooks using ribs using the Minion method basically trying to figure out time and temperature control. Its working out pretty good - but I've got some questions.

I'll start about 15 briquettes in the chimney. Am I right in assuming that the temp is controlled mostly by the bottom vents and not so much by either the number of starter briquettes or the number of unlit briquettes in the pile? Also, the bigger the unlit pile, the longer the burn time, right? (Within reason for each question)

The wife is on yard sale patrol looking for a WSM, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks,
Bruce.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bruce:
I've got a Weber kettle, and for years I thought I was cooking at low temps - until I got a thermometer! It was way hotter than than I thought.

Anyway, I've done two cooks using ribs using the Minion method basically trying to figure out time and temperature control. Its working out pretty good - but I've got some questions.

I'll start about 15 briquettes in the chimney. Am I right in assuming that the temp is controlled mostly by the bottom vents and not so much by either the number of starter briquettes or the number of unlit briquettes in the pile? <span class="ev_code_RED">The number of briquettes can affect how fast you get up to your cooking temp, along with the bottom vents. The bottom vents are used to control the temps. </span>
Also, the bigger the unlit pile, the longer the burn time, right? (Within reason for each question) <span class="ev_code_RED">Correct, the more you put into the basket, the longer the burn you will get.</span>

The wife is on yard sale patrol looking for a WSM, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. <span class="ev_code_RED">Goodluck, I have been looking for a while now. </span>

Thanks,
Bruce. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
The WSM at a yard sale! Maybe an estate sale, but not a yard sale!!!
icon_smile.gif


AR
 
I'm not positive, but in my experience, the more lit briquettes you add in the beginning, the faster the charcoal will burn up.
Last time I ran an overnighter, I added probably 25
lit briquettes. I usually only add about 10-15. 11 hours later, my heaping ring of charcoal was gone.
It wasn't unusually windy that night so my guess is the amount of lit coals.

Can anyone back me up on this? I'm still not sure myself?
 
R.D.--

Yes. If you start with lots of lit then your unlit will have greater exposure to lit and thus light sooner.

Bruce--

Same applies in a kettle. In a kettle, like a WSM, you cannot have too much lit going or it will be difficult to lower temps. Shoot for anywhere in the ballpark with a kettle. The proximity of the cook grate to the coals can make some things trickier but if you strart with less lit than you think you need then close off your bottom vent when you're 25-35 degrees shy of your target temp control with the vent becomes more manageable and far less frustrating than it might otherwise be.
 
RD..
For the first time I've been on this board, I'll have to say I don't agree with Kevin.
If you start with 15 lit coals or 30 lit, if you have the vents shut/opened right to maintain your target temps and you do hold them, I would not expect to burn the basket of unlit any faster. If more coals were burning, you would not be holding the same temps with the same vent settings for fewer lit coals. (I think I explained that the way I wanted to lol)
There are a lot of variables to look at between the 2 cooks, how full you kept the water pan being one, difference in the amout of meat you were cooking. Did the temps spike for a few hours and you didn't know about it because you were "sawing wood" would be another.
I still may be wrong, but that's my logic of it, right or wrong.
 
Thanks guys -

I just wanted to make sure I was in the ballpark with my logic.

My last rib cook was two racks of pork spare ribs with the temp at the dome hovering between 225 and 250. When I took the ribs out to foil them, the temp never came back up. I was around 5 hours in, and had not put that many unlit coals in, maybe 35-40. I suspect that I had too little fuel and that the heat lost from leaving the lid off for 5 or 10 minutes was a bit much for the fuel that was left to overcome. Next batch of ribs will have as many briquettes as I can bank on one side. I'm trying to still have a hot fire after an 8 hour cook.

A bullet is definitely in my future, I just can't justify it right now. The kettle is doing an OK job for ribs and pork loins, the real test will be when I do my first butt or brisket and I see how well I can hold the temps for 15+ hours

Thanks again,
Bruce.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob T.:
If you start with 15 lit coals or 30 lit, if you have the vents shut/opened right to maintain your target temps and you do hold them, I would not expect to burn the basket of unlit any faster. If more coals were burning, you would not be holding the same temps with the same vent settings for fewer lit coals. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Bob--

If the scenario you describe is the case then I would agree with you. But at the beginning of a Minion the vents are not shut/opened right--they're open all the way to maximize air intake. Though you can still maintain a temp once you start closing the vents, I believe if you start with 30 lit, say, (as opposed to 15) those 30 have lit more coals during this beginning period (before you start closing the vents) than the 15 would have. So after, when you've hit your target and the vents are 'correct', you're maintaining temp with more lit than you would have been if you'd started with fewer lit at the beginning, and your coal supply goes sooner. That seems to be my experience anyway.

Bruce--

If you do anything (like foil) with the kettle do not leave the lid off for any more than absolutely necessary. While you can start with a large pile of unlit at the beginning, you have to be careful that you do nothing to cause all of them to ignite during your cook or you'll never get the temps low. For long cooks in a kettle I found it easier to add coals (lit, unlit, or both, depending on the circumstance) at one or more points during the cook--for me, that way it is easier to control.
 
Oh boy, I'm seeing a can of worms being opened here. But here it goes anyway...

If you use conservation of energy, it shoudln't matter how many you put in lit. It takes X amount of energy to keep your WSM at a certain temperature for a certain time period. The amount of potential energy (total charcoal loaded) is the same in both instances.

If you use more lit, it heats up faster, but your at cooking temp sooner. Overall time should be reduced (due to the fast heat up).

If you use less lit, takes longer to heat up (but uses the same amount of fuel). Your overall time is longer, but the cooking time will be the same.

This is of course all theory...

If you started with more lit you would have to keep the vents way more closed down to be able to squeeze out the same time as starting with fewer lit. My opinion is it could be done, but you would have to watch it really close (alot more close than I like to, or am even able to).

I've got a dozen or so overnighters under my belt and every one is VERY different. Last night was my first one using briquettes which completely changed the way my WSM temperatures acted. I think I'm switching back to lump, sorry kingsford.

Just my two cents...

Anton
 
Kevin:

Theoretically, and prractically,

C + O2 = CO2 & liberated heat

Since we are controlling the rate of heat liberation by limiting the supply of oxygen, the amount of excess carbon (assuming a minimum supply of charcoal at a hot enough temp to use the oxygen supply) will have nothing to do with the rate of heat liberation.
 
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