First cook on the SnS...didn't really turn out the greatest.

[Parnicus]

So I did my first cook using my new Weber 22.5 kettle with a SnS and unfortunately it didn't really turn out the best. By the time all was said and done, the beautiful baby back ribs tasted like I was chewing on briquettes. I like charcoal flavor, but it was so overpowering that it was inedible.

I was using a maverick ET-732 to monitor the pit temp and with some occasional vent adjustments it always stayed between 220-235 degrees. I followed the lighting directions by first igniting 12ish Kingsford blue bag coals in the corner of the SnS and when fully lit I added the rest of the unlit charcoal to the SnS and put some pecan wood chunks on top. If it helps, the temp outside was about 25 degrees. Also, one thing I noticed was that the pit seemed to be putting out white smoke for a majority of the cook.

I was hoping some of you guys might be able to shed some light on maybe what I might have done wrong for these to come off tasting like this. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

[RonB]

I've never used pecan, so I can't address how strong the flavor is, but next time you might just skip adding any wood to the charcoal. I use hickory and have never had too much smoke - that could just be a matter of personal taste though.Not using wood should lighten up the smoky flavor some. The SnS is designed to create a small but hot fire and it should eventually stop putting out the thick white smoke - I know mine does stop.
I'm sure David Parrish will chime in when he sees this post, and he will have more info.

[Parnicus]

Thanks for the tip. Pecan chunks were all I could get my hands on at the time, but I think it's definitely a good starting point to run it without the wood and see what happens. I appreciate it!

[Danjohnston949]

Parnicus, I just Posted some info on temp Control on the Weber and S 'n S on Cook I did Yesterday! Our Temps were between 27*-29* F here in Fargo! Regarding Your White Smoke Issue is it possible Your Charcoal could have Been Wet? The other suggestion I would make is for You to study Technique and Recipe Section for the S 'n S and Weber Vent Settings! www.abcbarbecue.com The other question I have is did You Cover the Cold Side of the Charcoal Grate with Foil, Drip & Griddle or some other Way? I find my Temp's are easier to Manage if I have the Cold Side Covered so all
the Intake Air passes through the S 'n S! One other thing to take a look at is your top Vent is the Lid turned so the Vent is 180* from the S 'n S?
The attached Pic's are in part my Pork Loin Roast from Yesterday as Monitored by My FireBoard and BBQGURU DigiQ DX-2 Temp Control!
The Grill Pic's were taken earlier! I hope this helps You? Don't Hesitate to ask for Clarification!
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[Danjohnston949]

Parnicus, The Previous Post was: S&S Temp Control by Al S. One other Thought Weber used to Say it Was Mandatory to Turn the Front Leg into the Wind prior to the One Touch Grills!
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[josht138]

Dan, if there was a fast and furious kettle edition, your kettle would be the star!

[Parnicus]

Danjohnston949 , Thank you for the response. As far as a I know the charcoal wasn't wet. It was a brand new bag purchased from my local home depot. I'll purchase another bag or two from a different place and try it again just to be sure though. I also did double wrap the "cold side" opposite the SnS with foil to help with airflow as well. It was a bit windy so I really appreciate the heads up positioning the front leg into the wind, I never knew about that! Thanks again for the advice.

[Danjohnston949]

You are Welcome! There isn't any Bigger PMO than a Cook that doen't meet Expectations! I Know! 😚🤔ðŸ˜🤔😚
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[Spinaker]

It sounds to me like the fire was smoldering, most of the time. White smoke and bitter, distasteful food are both indicators of a smoldering fire. One thing to keep in mind, is that we want a small fire. We want to make sure that our fire is Hot and Small. Hot so the fire burns clean and doesn't billow out white smoke, and small so that the fire doesn't over heat the cooking chamber. This can be achieved by only lighting a small fire, in the corner of the SNS. I find that a propane torch is the best thing to achieve this. Its a small, intense flame that will get your fire right, from the get go. Then make sure you give the fire time to establish itself and burn cleanly. If you are trying to adjust temps up and down, your going to be snuffing the fire out, only to have to fire it back up to recover from the plummeting temps. Small adjustments and patience is key to any smoker/cooker/grill.

[Parnicus]

Thanks for the advice! I must admit that I was fiddling a bit with the vents to try and keep it steady and so I very well could have been snuffing it out here and there. Patience and small adjustments will have to be my new mantra I guess! Thanks again.

[Spinaker]

Parnicus
No problem! Remember, those are target temps, that are sugessted. If your over or under, its not a big deal. Hitting 250 F when your going for 225 F is just fine. Keep it between 200F and 300 F. Then once you get a better feel for how SMALL adjustments effect the kettle, then you can PATIENTLY shoot for an exact temps.

[BBQbot]

Couple questions first: did the texture and juiciness come out the way you wanted? If so, your temperatures were probably pretty good.

How were your vent adjustments on top and bottom? We cook on a kettle with bottom close to closed, opened just a sliver, then adjust temps with top vent. The kettles are so leaky, they pull in oxygen from all over the place, and I vent it through the top. It's important you're venting out the smoke well, and if it's holding at under 250, you either have to close up the bottom or the top. Closing up the top too much can lead to creosote buildup - less of a problem on a leaky kettle though and some other units. .

Charcoal itself is mainly your heat source, very little flavor comes from the charcoal - as RonB mentions above, you can try a cook without wood. When we ran these tests, there is very little flavor.

The strong briquette flavor you describe sounds like it may be coming from the wood itself. How much wood did you use? Did you add more wood throughout the cook? Try again, with a small amount of wood (around 10-12 ounces) spread evenly, and don't add more. See if that helps get closer to the flavor you're looking for.

You can also try a fruit wood like apple which has a lighter smoke flavor, but I don't think that's it, the difference in flavor between most woods wouldn't account for that strong of a 'briquette' taste.

[Parnicus]

Just wanted to say thanks again for the advice guys! I can't wait to get back at it this weekend. I'll let you all know how it goes the second time around.

[Huskee]

By "some" pecan chunks...what is some, how many and how big? One time I put 4 fist-sized pieces on and found it overpoweringly smokey, unpleasant, like you're describing. I have personally found 3 half-fist sized pieces of most woods to be adequate. Pecan can be strong, so my suspicion is you overdid the wood a bit. I'm not too worried about your charcoal smoldering because if you were able to maintain good temps, and started with the correct lighting procedure of around 12 coals, then your fire was how it should've been.

[David Parrish]

By "some" pecan chunks...what is some, how many and how big? One time I put 4 fist-sized pieces on and found it overpoweringly smokey, unpleasant, like you're describing. I have personally found 3 half-fist sized pieces of most woods to be adequate. Pecan can be strong, so my suspicion is you overdid the wood a bit. I'm not too worried about your charcoal smoldering because if you were able to maintain good temps, and started with the correct lighting procedure of around 12 coals, then your fire was how it should've been.

Something had to have been wrong with fire management if the smoke stayed white the whole cook. My guess is he fiddled with it too much.

[Huskee]

Something had to have been wrong with fire management if the smoke stayed white the whole cook. My guess is he fiddled with it too much.

In cold climates all smoke looks white, even our breath does. I'd be more worried about white smoke in warm weather.

[David Parrish]

In cold climates all smoke looks white, even our breath does. I'd be more worried about white smoke in warm weather.

Clean smoke doesn't make food taste like a briquet though.

[Huskee]

It could be. I just know from experience too much wood can do that. On each of my cold weather cooks my smoke looks white.

[josht138]

It takes several cooks to get comfortable with it. Also small amounts of wood and patience are key. I typically wait until the coals are completely white before I put the wood on them and then add the meat. That usually means that the white charcoal smoke is all gone. That stuff is no good.


​I've been using pecan recently and at most 3 to 4 chunks. I did a turkey breast recently and I only used 1 chunk and it was plenty smokey.

Also, I use 3 medium binder clips to keep the lid closed to prevent leakage. That seems to help me get the clean blue smoke vs the white nasty smoke.

I don't cook brisket very often so most of the time I cook hotter than 225. Recently I've been doing ribs with a low of 250 and high of 275. I monitor the temps but really don't make a ton of adjustments unless I get a high or low swing in temp.

I used to make tons of adjustments to stay in a 5 to 10 degree range around 225 and I just don't think that it really matters. Some days are easier and you get the right setting and you won't have to adjust it again. Others you may need a couple.

I love my SnS. I have a 22 inch and 26 inch kettle and use the original in both. Essential. Stick with it. You'll get the hang of it. It's a great tool but it's not a pellet smoker.

[troymeister]

I have to agree with Spinaker. He nailed it. Hot fire small amount of coals is key. Baby backs IMHO are very forgiving. I used to get all stressed out about steady temps. Now I set my alarms for 225 low temp and 280 high temp and drink more red wine. A little practice you'll be fine!! Remember the only people who don't make mistakes are the people who don't do anything.