Minion method and humidity....

[clkq4]

The last two times I have cooked using the Minion method on my WSM have been a struggle. It starts out fine with good temperature and vents dialed in. I go to sleep and wake up 6 hours later to find that the temp is about 190 and coals don't want to burn right. I haven't altered my technique in the least. I have cooked this way successfully for quite a while. The only difference I can find is that the nighttime temperature and humidity have been significantly higher than during past cooks. It is 7 am now and the temperature is 79F and the humidity is 91%. Can the high humidity be partly to blame. Have you fellow smokers ever had these results?
I only cook with KBB charcoal.

[Thom Emery]

I live in the desert so very limited experience with humidity
are you sure there were no other variables in the cook
fuel amounts ?amount of water in pan? Vent settings?

[LA Pork Butt]

I doubt the humidity had anything to do with it since I cooked with an old tube smoker for years. If you coals were not in a air tight container before you started perhaps they absorbed some moisture. The most I could get out of a cook without adding coals was 10 hours. It could be that you just need to add some coals.

[Huskee]

I'm leaning toward LA Pork Butt's idea. Do you by chance keep your coals inside, assuming you have an air conditioned (dehumidifed) living space? If not, I'd urge you to try it. Perhaps 90% humidity is enough to saturate the briquets themselves making them a little less volatile. I know when it's humid even the mail feels wet, here we often get 80-90%+ in summer too. A couple of our doors swell and stick in the frames (pain in the rear). I keep my charcoal inside in the AC, to the chagrin of my wife when visitors come over.

[clkq4]

Thanks fellas! My Kingsford is stored in my non-conditioned garage. I may need to change my storage strategy.

[Harry]

FWIW, mid-Atlantic gets muggy & I've had trouble with "old" briquets that sat in the shed on concrete for a couple seasons. I keep them off the concrete now & use FIFO on bags.

[abandonedbrain]

Second this. Once I started keeping my charcoal on a rack in the garage, off the concrete, I found it burned much better. Although I do like the idea of bringing it inside where A/C or dehumidifier can keep it dry...

[ecowper]

yeah, I've had problems with charcoal lighting and getting hot and staying hot when it's really humid/wet/rainy. As soon as I bought a new bag of charcoal, issue would clear up. A week later, back it comes. Came to the conclusion it was charcoal exposed to very wet air, not the humidity itself.