Too much charcoal


 
danny dickerson said:
If I'm not smoking a lot of food on the 22.5, do I have to fill charcoal grate?
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Nope. You can use a chimney and/or the holes in the rings as a point of reference for measuring, and just learn what works for you. Just realize that not only do different weather conditions affect useage, different batches of charcoal can do differently as well, and yes, that has even happened to me and others with good old Kingsford. If using Kingsford I'd err on having more than enough for two reasons. It's CHEAP, and there's no way I'd add unlit Kingsford briquettes to my fire. You can always add lit, but try not to get ash on the food. I shut the top vent and open it back up after I get the door back on.
 
There are some recommendations in your Weber manual, but just always go with a little more than you think you'll need. Adding lit from a chimney is pretty easy with the 22" wsm though, since it has a large door and lots of clearance above the fire. I've just used a regular flat-nose shovel. It doesn't take long for half a chimney of K to ash over.
 
You haven't said what you were cooking, but did you close all the vents when you were done? Is this a brand new WSM? Once it gets seasoned and seals up, closing the vents will put out the coals and you can reuse them the next time. In that case, there is no such thing as too much charcoal.
 
I made a smaller ring (about 1/3 smaller diameter), same height. Made it from expanded metal sheet from Home Depot ($10). Thought I needed it at first as all my coals would burn off even after i was done and shut all the vents down. Now, after many cooks, all that sweet, sweet smokey gunk seals it up enough to choke the coals when I shut it down.
 
Greg Powers said:
You haven't said what you were cooking, but did you close all the vents when you were done? Is this a brand new WSM? Once it gets seasoned and seals up, closing the vents will put out the coals and you can reuse them the next time. In that case, there is no such thing as too much charcoal.
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My thoughts exactly.

Tim
 
Yes this a new 22! This past weekend was my first smoke! I had 2baby backs, 2 pork butts (10lbs) and 1/2 brisket (6lbs)! After about 4hrs @250, had to add the other 1/2 of a 20lb bag of kings ford! Once all was done, still had coals left! I shut all vents and let fire go out! Probably about 1/2 of the coals are good for another use! Can I leave them in wsm or do I need to take them out of wsm?
 
"I had 2baby backs, 2 pork butts (10lbs) and 1/2 brisket (6lbs)!" Wow, that's a lot of q. After cooks, I close all vents and let the coals go out. They stay there until my next cook. Depending on how many coals, I might just pile some more coals on and light or take them out and use them for a minion start.

Wind is the greatest factor in how much coal might be used in a particular cook.
 
danny dickerson said:
...Probably about 1/2 of the coals are good for another use! Can I leave them in wsm or do I need to take them out of wsm?
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You can reuse them. I recommend taking them out of the cooker and storing in a cool dry place preferably in the bag they came in. If you leave them in the cooker and don't use them quickly they can absorb moisture and if so will be worthless to your future cook. Ask me how I know. :)
 
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danny dickerson said:
Yes this a new 22! This past weekend was my first smoke! I had 2baby backs, 2 pork butts (10lbs) and 1/2 brisket (6lbs)! After about 4hrs @250, had to add the other 1/2 of a 20lb bag of kings ford! Once all was done, still had coals left! I shut all vents and let fire go out! Probably about 1/2 of the coals are good for another use!
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Oh...so you meant you used a lot of charcoal up at the start of the cook.

Well, 250* is a great target to shoot for, but the cooker can burn up a lot of charcoal if you try to get there too quickly, at least if using water in the pan. It takes a LOT of btu's to knock the chill off all that cold meat and heat the water pan up. It's better to have a slower start, whether it's starting with a little less lit, or shutting the vents back some, sooner.

If using water in the pan, I'm looking for about a 225* grate temp at the start of a cook...and only 200* if going by the gauge. I use water for ribs, but don't try to hit 250* at the grate until somewhere around an hour or so into the cook. I also start with hot water in the pan, which often includes one large tea pot of boiling. It takes a lot of btu's to heat the water pan up.
 
When I first started out with a WSM it was the 22. I did five cooks using the water pan with hot water and found it was very hard on fuel. There are mainly two of us and I was cooking things like a single 10-12 lb brisket or a single 8-9 lb shoulder or butt. I would use twice as much fuel as the weight of what I was cooking! Up here quality charcoal is about a dollar a pound. I don't use Kingsford Briquettes.
I bought a used 18 WSM and for me it was far more efficient. However if I had known then what I know now I would be operating the 22 for the most part without the water and using other heat sinks when necessary, a smaller charcoal ring and far less than three gallons of water when I did cook with water. Once you get the hang of it you will be able to operate it more effeciently. They definately are more efficent though for larger cooks.
 
Gary S said:
When I first started out with a WSM it was the 22. I did five cooks using the water pan with hot water and found it was very hard on fuel. There are mainly two of us and I was cooking things like a single 10-12 lb brisket or a single 8-9 lb shoulder or butt. I would use twice as much fuel as the weight of what I was cooking! Up here quality charcoal is about a dollar a pound. I don't use Kingsford Briquettes.
I bought a used 18 WSM and for me it was far more efficient. However if I had known then what I know now I would be operating the 22 for the most part without the water and using other heat sinks when necessary, a smaller charcoal ring and far less than three gallons of water when I did cook with water. Once you get the hang of it you will be able to operate it more effeciently. They definately are more efficent though for larger cooks.
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Gary, all good points. However, the thing about the big 22 is that there's so much more volume to heat, and surface area to lose heat, than the 18. Even without using water, the thing can go really go through some charcoal! Of course, I know you know this, and that's one of the reasons you bought your big 26" OTG. Tell you what though. Even though it was a good-sized brisket, I kind of felt bad about how much charcoal I went through on my last brisket cook, especially since the bulk of it was Wicked Good lump! You can bet I don't plan on any big cooks with the big bullet when the weather is looking to be bad, and I really need to get me a welding blanket or something for it!

Regards,
Dave
 
Dave Russell said:
Gary, all good points. However, the thing about the big 22 is that there's so much more volume to heat, and surface area to lose heat, than the 18. Even without using water, the thing can go really go through some charcoal! Of course, I know you know this, and that's one of the reasons you bought your big 26" OTG. Tell you what though. Even though it was a good-sized brisket, I kind of felt bad about how much charcoal I went through on my last brisket cook, especially since the bulk of it was Wicked Good lump! You can bet I don't plan on any big cooks with the big bullet when the weather is looking to be bad, and I really need to get me a welding blanket or something for it!

Regards,
Dave
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Insulating it would make a huge difference for sure Dave. In fact insulating either size would be of benefeit. I do more with my kettle in the winter only because I can control it better and you're right, that is one of the reasons I bought the 26. I think at the end of the day Chris A. said it best. "When it comes to the 22 it's all about capacity."
 
Yep. Now rhat I've cooked on mine a while, I no longer recommend the 22 for the guy who wants one just so he can have more room for his brisket or 3-pack of ribs from SAMs.
 
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