Question re using charcoal chimney for starting and adding charcoal

[GGreenfield]

I am contemplating buying the Smokey Mountain Cooker (22.5). However, I use a charcoal chimney starter for starting my charcoal (and for added charcoal). It's not clear there's enough clearance between the charcoal holder and water pan to get the chimney starter into the smoker. Is there?

 

[Bob Sample]

Welcome to the site. You add the charcoal to the charcoal ring then assemble the cooker. Almost everyone here uses a chimney. No you can't get a chimney starter through the door but using the Minion method you shouldn't have to add charcoal.

 

[timothy]

No not really, and that shouldn't be the way you start it. Most of us set the chimney in another vessel to start it, either a spare kettle or a cobbled pan/stone set-up or a gasser.
You could just start the chimney on the charcoal grate, then assemble after it's lit, but if doing the MM then you have to remove it and set it on something and add unlit coals first before you dump the lit over the top.

Tim

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I agree that you will rarely if ever add additional charcoal if you fill the charcoal ring. However, if you do need to add charcoal for whatever reason, you can fashion a chute from a piece of sheet metal flashing. Just aim it where you want it and it'll slide down the chute.

 

[James Lake]

First of all...welcome to the site "G", you live in some good BBQ country. Now check out this link and it should answer a lot of your questions. http://virtualweberbullet.com/tipsfaq.html

 

[Bob Bass]

This weekend there's going to be a bbq competition in Santa Clara. A number of teams will be using WSMs.
You can stop by on Friday from 4pm to 8pm and again on Saturday from 10am to 5pm.
Take a first hand look at how these pitmaster fire and use their WSMs. Most will use the method(s) described in the link James listed above.
Info on this contest can be found at :
http://www.svbbq.com/ and at : http://www.cbbqa.org/wiki/index.php?title=3rd_Annual_Silicon_Valley_BBQ_Championship

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

All the lit briqs on you feet! This is my expetience

 

[GGreenfield]

Thanks to all of you. As to going to the Santa Clara competition, I'm currently in Minneapolis but I'd be interested in when the next competition is in the Bay Area where I could see the smokers.

What this is confirming is what I was starting to expect, that I will have to change my approach to smoking somewhat to use this smoker, which everyone seems to love. I use a chimney that I start on a separate grill and just use a normal Weber grill as a smoker, which works fine but is too small now, but I often am doing things to the meat and fire while it smokes and that sounds less practical (but also may be less necessary) with this smoker. So I'll adapt. Thanks again.