Dry run success, now 1st SnS Cook - a couple questions

[CW Powers]

Yesterday afternoon, I performed a dry run on my brand new kettle and Slow 'N Sear. Even though this was my first time smoking on a kettle, first time with the SnS and first time using the ET 732, ....I found the process straightforward and gratifying as each step was completed.

I used Kingsford Blue + three small oak chunks, 5 binder clips & a Maverick ET 732 w/ 6' probe wires.

Since I had no meat in the cooker, I only used one probe. After threading the probe through my 'probe port' modification, I placed the probe in the supplied grate clip.

I used my Hario gooseneck kettle to pour the boiling water into the SnS. I highly recommend a gooseneck for coffee and tea making and its perhaps the best way to fill the SnS water reservoir.

The Northern California air temp was roughly 50F around 4pm when I was getting started and dipped down to 38F later in the night.

I included a few photos of the kettle getting up to temp.

Once the cooker temp hit 225F, it was slow and steady, so I chose to not adjust the vents and see how high it would go. Top temp was 255F.

But, then only 5 hours after I began, the temp dropped below 225F and was decreasing. So, first I tried adjusting the vents and waited 20 minutes, but it wasn't enough, so I added 13 briquettes, fed more air for a while and then after some wrangling, I adjusted the vents near the SnS recommended position I had used for the first 5 hrs.

Slowly, the temp got back up, as high as 243F, then I went to bed.

At 11.5 hours, the temp had dropped to 171F.

I let the briquettes burn for 18hrs, temp was 63F at that point.

I took everything apart and scrubbed the whole setup. Now letting it dry as I prepare for a real cook with actual meat!

My whole packer brisket was 13lbs and trimmed its about 11lbs. Its been dry brining in the fridge since yesterday at 7pm. Big Bad Beef Rub will go on prior to entering the cooker.

Now, my questions:

1) I'm planning to separate the point from the flat for this cook. Since I only have one ET-732 with the two probes, what do you recommend for probe placement? Stick with the usual setup? One probe in the grate clip and the other in the thickest part of the flat? I can check the point's temp with my Thermapen roughly 90 min before the flat is up to temp?

2) Given my scenario on the dry run, any advice to help keep my cooker temp up for a full 12 hr? Such adding coals that are pre-lit? Or perhaps a different venting strategy?

thanks!

[David Parrish]

I love shiny new copper kettles! Or clean ones, you just don't see them clean that often.

You're going to need to adjust your vents a little during the cook to maintain 225 F to 250 F. Don't just let it run 5 hours without touching it. Once you get used to your cooker, you'll find you need to adjust it less and less, but there's still a learning curve and it's better to make minor adjustments that keep your temps in bounds than wait for the temps to get out of hand and then react.

I would put money on ash buildup causing the temps to dip at the 5 hour point. You can mitigate this by sweeping the ash into the ash pan every 5 hours or so, OR, you can open your bottom vent to about 1/4 to 1/3 open so ash falls through the vent and can't build up. Use the top vent to control your temp.

I would put the probe in the hunk of meat that is cooking the fastest... once it hits 203 F take that meat out and move the probe over to the slower cooking piece.

Don't try to go 12 hours without a refuel. I've found 12 hours is doable, but it's much better to refill at the 8 hour point when there's still a decent pile of charcoal. That way when you move your lit charcoal over into a corner of the SnS and add unlit charcoal, the pieces won't be so small they fall through the charcoal grate.

Good luck, ask any more questions you have, and come back with more pics!