Snake Method & Smoke


 
J

JimT

TVWBB Pro
I've not yet tried the "snake method" for low temp cooking in my kettle, but will be soon, I'm sure. A question though, to you that do it:

Don't you get a lot of nasty smoke as the briquets are continuously lighting?
 
I've never had an issue of bad smoke with the snake method. I think the minion method, on an WSM, isn't that much different other than more coals are getting lit at once.
Not all briquettes light well off each other, Kingsford always has for me, no matter the style.
 
I've not had an issue either. Since I do not have a WSM and I pitched my old electric smoker, the snake method in my kettle is how I do low and slow. I've even made Christmas dinner using the snake method (rib roast).

I use Kingsford as well.
 
I have never tried it either but seen some videos of people successfully using that method. My concern would be that it wouldn't stay lit and possibly go out often. Again I don't even know how to prepare for it or set it up....maybe 2 rows on the bottom and one on top? Maybe the placement of each briquette is what would seal the deal?

Just a question for those that have tried it.....how low are we talking when you say low n slow. I can get a SNS minion style start up but can only hold it under 225 for about an hour and a half and eventually I am cooking at 250 again basically no matter what I do.
I would also like to think a bigger area like say a 26" kettle would be able to hold lower for longer as the available space to heat up is larger. Is that a thing or does it just work like a 22" no matter what you do.
Also besides a brisket what is better when cooked super low compared to a 250 cook. I have been finding I am having better luck with my meat texture when cooking a little warmer for most of the meats, especially pork......roasts and ribs ect.
 
I'm totally content with 250-270 on my L&S cooks and get excellent results. With bacon I run about 165-170 which my pellet grill does easily.
With baby back ribs I use Jim Lampe's high heat method and really can't tell any difference between L&S and high heat on my kettle.
I use only Kingsford or Kingsford pro with no issues. Mostly on the kettle I use the snake method.
 
I target between 225 and 275, depending on what I'm cooking and how much time I want to take. I have no problems keeping it lit and the standard setup I use is two rows on bottom and one on top. If it is cold outside, or extra windy, I may start with more lit coals or modify my setup . Usually I'll either use more rows of coals, or I will put two gaps in the ring of coals where it looks like a pair of parentheses ( ) and light both arcs at opposite sides.

I have found it's actually fairly easy to keep the temp consistent throughout the cook, regardless of outside temp, once you get it where you want it on a calm day. I have to babysit it more when it is windy out.
 
If I may ask what would the advantage be in using the snake method would be over a SNS basket if the basket can hold a steady 240 to 260 without any / much issues at all? The only thing I can consider would be a slightly larger cooking surface, and I don't know how close your meat can be to this snake either...Using the SNS allows me to to easily use 5/8 of the grill and that provides me with a large surface itself for getting some low n slow action.....I can get the meat right up to overlapping the water chamber if I need to.
 
JimT said:
Don't you get a lot of nasty smoke as the briquets are continuously lighting?
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This is the biggest mystery of charcoal/chunk cooking.

I found this site and bought my first WSM in 2002 and at the same time discovered the Minion Method. People were asking this question back then. I was told that the Minion method would put creosote on my food.

The basic answer then is still the same today, no one using the Minion method seems to notice off flavors on their food. And Jim Minion was pretty successful with it in BBQ comps.

The smoke that comes from a chimney of charcoal when first lit, is not good smoke. How do ya not get that smoke with the Minion or snake method ?

It also goes against the basic rule of operating a stick burner, and that's to not let your wood smolder. Keep enough air to the fire for the wood to keep in flames or you will get dirty smoldering smoke. Wood chunks on charcoal are smoldering.

Pellet smoker owners have found if they start their cook at low temps, like 200* , they can get more smoke from their pellets. But what they're getting is a smoldering smoke.

Same with using a smoke tube or a pellet tube, its smoldering smoke.

I've yet to find an explanation that gives the " ah-ha ...that's why " moment .

And then I bought a Masterbuilt gravity feed that mostly produces thin blue smoke .................. and that really confuses the issue for me.
 
My largest snake was on my Ranch kettle when I first got it, I did a brisket after doing a lot of research on WKC from others doing the snake. With the top vent about half open and the vent under the lit coals barely cracked it held a steady 250deg grate temp the whole time.
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Ron De Hoogh said:
My largest snake was on my Ranch kettle when I first got it, I did a brisket after doing a lot of research on WKC from others doing the snake. With the top vent about half open and the vent under the lit coals barely cracked it held a steady 250deg grate temp the whole time.
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Cool Ron. I can never get over how big the Ranch is. 🙂
 
Lynn Dollar said:
The smoke that comes from a chimney of charcoal when first lit, is not good smoke. How do ya not get that smoke with the Minion or snake method ?
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I typically only see that bad smoke from the chimney for the first few minutes when the bottom layers are getting going. That stops and later I get a thin blue smoke, that's actually hard to see at all (what I understand as the good smoke), as the briquettes in the upper part light. I always assumed it had something to do with the temps of the briquettes when they light.

I see the same thing in the snake method. I light some in a chimney, which gives off the bad smoke until they get going. When I add them at the end of the snake, I don't see any of the bad smoke.
 
I always do the snake method on my 22 inch kettles. I also put a small water pan directly over the hot coals, rotate grate and add water as needed.
 
I love the snake method on my kettle for whole chicken. I find I don't have to use as much charcoal as if I smoke it on the WSM. Sometimes the full snake will burn up, but there's been other times where it's only 3/4 burned through, but the chicken is done. Maybe the weather affects that?

No issue with weird flavor from smoke.

I've tried to line up the briquettes neatly before, but I had issues getting stable temps so I didn't try again. Probably need to try again with more briquettes in the layers. Usually I am not neat with it and I just pile a line of coals around the perimeter. What is that called, a dirty snake method?

The temp usually settles around 275-280 for me with the bottom vents barely cracked and the top vents about a quarter open. Of course when I add the chicken it lowers a bit then slowly walks back up to 280. I suppose I can take some briquettes out of the pile to get lower temps, but all the chickens I cooked this way have come out great.
 
I think I read somewhere that you don't get bad smoke from unlit coals when using the minion method, is because all the unlit coals are heated up/hot...

Right. One theory is that you don't get bad flavor with the snake/Minion method because the coals (after the initial light up) are warmed up. So they smoke less.

The other theory is that the amount being lit up (after the initial light up) with the snake/Minion is small and gradual. So the amount of smoke involved is less.

No idea if either of those is scientifically true. But it is true that pretty much everyone cooks with some kind of snake/Minion method without issue.
 
Maybe I should try piling around the perimeter. Tonight, I laid out a bottom layer 2 briquettes wide and an additional single briquette layer on top. Just running a test. My lid thermo is above the burning end and vent opposite. My grate probe is under the vent.

Grate temperature at the probe has stabilized around 200. The lid thermo has been right around 250. No meat or water pan - just the snake a grate and a probe.

I'd like to figure out a configuration that can reliably cook in the 225 to 250 range with meat on the grill. Preferably with the vents wide open and no fussing - wait maybe I am thinking about my WSM :)
 
Andy Linn said:
Maybe I should try piling around the perimeter. Tonight, I laid out a bottom layer 2 briquettes wide and an additional single briquette layer on top. Just running a test. My lid thermo is above the burning end and vent opposite. My grate probe is under the vent.

Grate temperature at the probe has stabilized around 200. The lid thermo has been right around 250. No meat or water pan - just the snake a grate and a probe.

I'd like to figure out a configuration that can reliably cook in the 225 to 250 range with meat on the grill. Preferably with the vents wide open and no fussing - wait maybe I am thinking about my WSM :)
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got up this morning @ 530 and my grate temp was still at 185. falling fast now, the snake is spent. 8.5 hours of steady temp and I am impressed. just need to get dialed in for the temp that I am looking for.
 
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