Snake Burn Time

[PGH_RAM]

I have a Weber 22" kettle that I use for just about all of my outdoor cooking. I've started using it to smoke various pork parts using the snake method, and it's been working well for me. I'm starting to think about smoking my first brisket, but I'm not sure I'll get the burn time I need if I use the same method I've been using for pork butts.

Using a 2x1 snake setup, Kingsford Professional briquettes, 64" total length from head to tail (that's almost the entirety of the circumference of the grill), running 225F-250F, I can get an eight hour burn. I've seen some folks on various FB pages claim to get 12 hours with a snake. I just don't see how I could get that without reloading some coals during the cook.

So, I guess I have several questions:
1) What kind of burn times do y'all get when you use the snake?
2) What brand and type of charcoal are you using?
3) Is there a brand and type of charcoal that will hold temperature between 225-250F but not burn as fast as the KPro?
4) For a brisket, should I just abandon the snake and use the minion method with my SnS?

Thanks for any feedback you can offer!

[Panhead John]

There’s a lot of us here who swear by B & B charcoal briquettes. I use them for all my low and slow. Last year I did a brisket cook on my Bronco which took 9 1/2 hours. I easily had enough unburned and partially burned briquettes for another 3 hours. If used in combination with the B & B char logs, you could probably go even longer. I’ve never done the snake method, but I used the charcoal pan in the Bronco. With my SNS kettle, I use their SnS insert, makes it easy to do low and slow, with all the coals in one place. The B & B briquettes take a little longer to light and get going, but once they do, they’re the best I’ve used for low and slow.

[LA Pork Butt]

PGH_RAM I did a 2x2 snake on my son’s 26” Weber, and it was more than adequate to cook for 12+ hours. I think you could do a 2x2 on the 22.”

[PGH_RAM]

12 hours on a 26" makes sense to me, because the snake would be around a foot longer than on the 22". What brand charcoal were you using?

[Panhead John]

B & B briquettes. If you have an Academy store near you, they have the best prices, Ace Hardware carries them also, but they’re more expensive. Also, check Walmart or Walmart .com for availability. They often run an online special with free delivery for their Plus members.

[LA Pork Butt]

PGH_RAM We just used regular blue bag Kingsford. As I remember it went somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 way around.