I am doing a test run on the runt proto type. The basket holds 8# of low end dollar store bricketts. That lasted about 4 hours. I am an old stick burner from way back and dont have much experience on a straight CC cook. My "lumps" are usually 4" splits. Is that a reasonable burn rate at 250 on a smallish cooker?
Here is a 5 hour peek at the cook 2 butts, 165 and no stall (yet)
Looks very good, best of luck with th' flight tests!
I often cook on misc small low end cookers, but I generally (roughly) count briquets, vs weight of fuel...
Yours is usin' approx 2#/hr., obviously...
Seems reasonable enough, to me...
Might I ask, what are your goals, fuel-consumption wise, or cook-time wise? Maybe I could offer mo bettah input.
Also, please realize, I have no idea of the dimensions of your prototype's cook chamber, or firebox.
I'll gladly provide any input that I can, excited to be part of th' shakedown cruise!
1 was ready to pull , the other was not quite there. Both got a squirt of maple syrup/ redhot sausage spice and stuck in the DES at 170 for the night. Too late to babysit the electric for the runt and dont want to screw up the cook now.
A good person to weigh in would be BBQbot. I think he has done a lot of studies in the development of vent system relative to coal rate, cooking temp and time.
Here are some results of various tests we've run using Kingsford briquettes:
1. 200 briquettes burn for ~20 hours at 240F, with temperature swings staying +-10F (most of the cook we are within 5F) in a 22" Weber, with ambient temperature ranging from 70F to 80F. Bottom vent cracked open, temp controlled at exhaust.
2. I don't have my notes in front of me, but if I remember right, 200 briquettes weighs just over 10 lbs.
3. We've run far fewer tests on our 22" WSM, but roughly requires 2/3 more charcoal for same burn times. I'd have to look back at notes to verify that. Bottom vents about 1/2 open, temp controlled at exhaust.
When you have temperature swings high at 20F+, it greatly increases the burn rate, so regularly swinging temps up, then bringing them back down will greatly reduce the amount of time you can cook on a load of charcoal.
You have more volume to maintain a temp in the our 22" Kettle, but I think less than our WSM (though that looks better insulated than both), I think you can get longer cook times off 4lbs of briquettes. I'm not familiar with your smoker, so hard to say, but would be great to see how tight you're holding your temps to 250.
The basket holds 8# of low end dollar store bricketts. That lasted about 4 hours. [...] Is that a reasonable burn rate at 250 on a smallish cooker?
Hmmm. That's 2 lbs/hr. A Kingsford Blue briquet is right around 25 grams, or just a tad less than an ounce per briquet. I count 18 briquets per pound, or 36 briquets for 2 pounds. A ballpark rule of thumb for the energy density of a KBB is 250 kJ per briquet.
2 lbs/hr seems like a kinda high burn rate for a smallish cooker @ 250.
Here are some results of various tests we've run using Kingsford briquettes:
1. 200 briquettes burn for ~20 hours at 240F, with temperature swings staying +-10F (most of the cook we are within 5F) in a 22" Weber, with ambient temperature ranging from 70F to 80F. Bottom vent cracked open, temp controlled at exhaust.
2. I don't have my notes in front of me, but if I remember right, 200 briquettes weighs just over 10 lbs.
I get about 25grams /briquette, so 200 of them would be 5 kg, or 11 pounds.
The OP said he was burning through 36 briquettes/hour for 250 deg on a smallish cooker. You're saying 200 briquettes for ~20 hours @ 240F, or around 10 briquettes/hr.
Yes, though I'm using an automatic temp control device that holds the temp in a pretty narrow temp band for the cook (wouldn't expect that for someone doing it manually), and on a lower volume 22" Kettle.
Glad my "just over 10 lbs" was close, (my memory is still ok), thanks for confirming
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