I think my refueling skills have been sloppy lately. I will be smoking at 250, then temps drops to 200, and j can see coals are dying out. I flip open the top grate, put maybe 4-6 pieces on top. Then, too much white smoke and low temps.
It is obviously smarter to probably add less coal but how much and when? Are 2-3 pieces enough to hold 250 and when?
I’d prefer to avoid removing food. I do not have a chimney but I do have one of those fancy FOGO stainless steel cages for firestarters.
I’ve been reluctant because it would mean dragging out the unused BGE solely down the driveway as a staging point for the chimney. Also, per Jim’s note, not sure adding lit coals is ideal.
Hey! I don't have a PK, but will comment on the many times I have refueled a long smoke on a Weber kettle, using either the SNS, or back before I had that in 2017, the "snake" method.
I think if you are adding the briquettes on top of what is already going, that may contribute to the extra white smoke you are seeing, as you are lighting it all at once. My method if smoking on a kettle with the SNS is to after 7-8 hours, depending on the brand of charcoal in use (7-8 with KBB, 8-10 with B&B), is to rake all remaining coals up into a heap at one end of the SNS, then fill the basket with fresh charcoal. This way it burns back the other way, across the basket, slowly igniting as it goes. Basically just like it did at the beginning of the cook. When I used the snake, if it burned almost all the way around, used to just rake the ashes and add more charcoal to the end of the snake, to let it burn around the edge of the kettle again....
If you think about it, this is how the charcoal "snake" or minion methods always work. They burn across/around the grill slowly. Same with a kamado. And we don't complain about "bad smoke" on those cooks.
I think your trick is to not let the temps start dropping before adding more fuel. Not knowing your cooker, I don't know when that would be. But if you do, unless you are noticing an off taste, I would also not worry overly much about a bit of white smoke. And I don't think (for me) 2-3 briquettes or even 5-6 would cut it, unless you are almost at the end of the cook.
I've never prelit fuel before adding it to an ongoing cook. After all, we don't do that with the minion method or SNS or snake...
I have a 2-zone setup with the coals stacked at one end. It would be easiest as you mention to pop open the grate, move the coals over and slide in new ones in the space created. The snake method would be creating a snake uses the entire length of the smoker which would require me to remove the food since I don’t have an EasySpin. Thank you for the detailed reply Jim!
STEbbq yes I would just do what you are doing, but bank the remaining coals all to one side, and fill in with new charcoal and/or wood chunks, and let it burn across again, just like I do in the SNS. Main difference is you are not piling them on top, so they don't all ignite at once.
How long are you wanting to hold 250 for? I did a 2 lb brisket on my PK360. I used the minion method for the charcoal and kept a temp of 250d for 10 hrs. Did not state it in my journal notes, but seems I could have held 250d longer.
STEbbq I think you should model your charcoal burn for smoking on the PK on the way SNS says to do it in the Slow-N-Sear insert.
Put a dozen or so lit briquettes at one side of your area, fill in with unlit briquettes, and let it burn across. Put your wood chunks on top. Alternatively, just fill with charcoal, and put a starter cube at one end. Don't start in the middle, as that will burn both ways, and light more charcoal at once. Then just rake the coals together, fill in with more charcoal to let it burn back the other way. Don't add the new charcoal on top of the burning coals, but beside it in other words.
jfmorris If that is the way you want to look at it. The Corvair had its engine in the back. The Camero has its engine in the front. Both are called "cars". Where you put the lit charcoal seems, to me, to make little difference. The Minion method is to produce a slow burn regardless to where it starts. As an engine, regardless of where it is, is to propel a car.
TripleB if you light in the center, doesn't it result in more lit fuel than if you light at one side/end or the other, since the fire spreads out in all directions? Or is that where vent/damper control comes to play in controlling the rate of combustion? Honestly trying to understand....
jfmorris Yes, I would assume a center minion would result in more lit fuel then being lit at an end. Just like a car would go faster if you gave the engine more gas. To me, it does not matter where you place the lit coals in a bed of unlit coals. It is still a "minion" method. So, I say to-may-to, you say to-mah-to. Were basically saying the same thing, just not quite agreeing on the specifics.
So, is this a good excuse to get a rake Jim? Ha. jfmorris
I am serious actually as I can’t think of anything right now they would be a good substitute that would not be ruined for its usual purpose and annoy others.
I don't have a charcoal rake, even though I keep meaning to get one. I use a pair of tongs, or my charcoal scoop! Actually, I had a rake/hook tool that went with my offset, but it left when I gave the offset to my nephew in December.
With my PK I put two fire bricks on the coal rack. I use that to keep the briquettes packed to one side on the side of the grate opening to the very top of the rack so that I can cook as a 2 zone cooker. I put some wood chunks on the top of the briquettes. I start my fire with a tumbleweed or two. Once the briquettes catch I get the cooker to temp. Using a bunch of charcoal like this I've been able to cook 9 hours pretty reliably. If this isn't enough time I've added more briquettes with all the vents open to get them to catch quickly. I haven't noted any significant taste differences in the food. I do think that using a chimney to augment would also work well.
Actually, I had a rake/hook tool that went with my offset, but it left when I gave the offset to my nephew in December.
Comment