I apologize in advance if this is a repeat situation. Being new to the "low and slow" movement, I could use a little advise.
Currently I have a 15 year old Char Broil H2O smoker that my father gave up on a long time ago because he couldn't get it hot enough. I figured that I would give it a try and work with it. I read many modification posts on this site and came up with something different. This model came from the factory with a solid charcoal bowl, therefore it was just about impossible for air to get to the charcoal. My first modification was that I drilled holes in the charcoal bowl and fabricated some air vents and installed them around the charcoal chamber on the outside of the unit.
My first test after this modification was St. Louis ribs. They were on for almost 8 hours and reached 160 degrees with the cooking chamber at 200. (I had the air vents completely open) The family was hungry so I finished them in the oven. It's my understanding that you are supposed to shoot for around 190. Thinking that I needed more heat, I took out the charcoal bowl and fitted the charcoal chamber floor with a 15.5" charcoal grate. I also fabricated a charcoal chamber ring out of aluminum that is 14" in diameter (see where I'm going with this?) and is fitted with holes around the edge. The next test was with a piece of brisket. Having used the Minion Method for the ribs, it worked pretty much according to plan, except I would have like to have gotten the temp up just a bit.
To prepare for the brisket cook, I filled the charcoal ring with unlit lump charcoal (Royal Oak) as before. I filled my chimney starter about 2/3 full of charcoal and lit it. After it was ready, I pored the lit charcoal on an even layer over the unlit charcoal. I waited a few minutes and put the brisket. After 30 minutes, the chamber temperature was at 350 and rising! I made sure that the water bowl was full of water and closed all of the vents. Another hour later the smoker stabilized at 350 degrees. I realize that this is way to hot for smoking. My 8 pound brisket was done in three hours and was as tough as leather. It went into the trash.
After all of this, I scratched my head and tried to figure out what happened. What I came up with was that I put to much lit charcoal on the unlit charcoal. I realize that lump burns hot and fast where briquettes burn cooler and slower. If I use lump again, would it work better if I used 1/3 chimney of charcoal or would briquettes work better?
I apologize for the long explanation. Any advise would gladly be appreciated. Thanks...
Currently I have a 15 year old Char Broil H2O smoker that my father gave up on a long time ago because he couldn't get it hot enough. I figured that I would give it a try and work with it. I read many modification posts on this site and came up with something different. This model came from the factory with a solid charcoal bowl, therefore it was just about impossible for air to get to the charcoal. My first modification was that I drilled holes in the charcoal bowl and fabricated some air vents and installed them around the charcoal chamber on the outside of the unit.
My first test after this modification was St. Louis ribs. They were on for almost 8 hours and reached 160 degrees with the cooking chamber at 200. (I had the air vents completely open) The family was hungry so I finished them in the oven. It's my understanding that you are supposed to shoot for around 190. Thinking that I needed more heat, I took out the charcoal bowl and fitted the charcoal chamber floor with a 15.5" charcoal grate. I also fabricated a charcoal chamber ring out of aluminum that is 14" in diameter (see where I'm going with this?) and is fitted with holes around the edge. The next test was with a piece of brisket. Having used the Minion Method for the ribs, it worked pretty much according to plan, except I would have like to have gotten the temp up just a bit.
To prepare for the brisket cook, I filled the charcoal ring with unlit lump charcoal (Royal Oak) as before. I filled my chimney starter about 2/3 full of charcoal and lit it. After it was ready, I pored the lit charcoal on an even layer over the unlit charcoal. I waited a few minutes and put the brisket. After 30 minutes, the chamber temperature was at 350 and rising! I made sure that the water bowl was full of water and closed all of the vents. Another hour later the smoker stabilized at 350 degrees. I realize that this is way to hot for smoking. My 8 pound brisket was done in three hours and was as tough as leather. It went into the trash.
After all of this, I scratched my head and tried to figure out what happened. What I came up with was that I put to much lit charcoal on the unlit charcoal. I realize that lump burns hot and fast where briquettes burn cooler and slower. If I use lump again, would it work better if I used 1/3 chimney of charcoal or would briquettes work better?
I apologize for the long explanation. Any advise would gladly be appreciated. Thanks...
