Hey guys, tried searching but couldn't find an answer. So I frequently have a dilemma where I'm targeting a certain temperature, say in my weber kettle or smoky mountain, and I didn't light enough coals to begin with or I hit my temp and then can't hold it. What I'd really like to have some kind of container where I could keep lit charcoal at the ready to add to my grill / smoker. I can't keep it in a chimney because it burns too fast. Do any of you all do that? I feel like people who cook with wood typically have a coal box of some kind where you add wood and then create coals to add to your cooking vessel of choice. That's kind of what I'm envisioning. I'm also not sure if this is even something people do or if the move is to just add unlit coals to my grill / smoker and wait for them to burn, but then I feel like it would be hard to gauge how much to add to get to the target temp. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Just light the coals and then refrigerate - oh wait - never mind...
And welcome to The Pit. Someone will be along shortly with a real answer.
Last edited by RonB; October 31, 2018, 02:50 PM. -
Welcome to The Pit!
If you feel the need to add fuel, add unlit charcoal to a section of unlit charcoal. I think you are better off opening your dampers to allow the fire to intensify. it will be much easier to fine tune, doing it this way. When you say you can't hold temp, what exactly happens? Does it spike, fall then settle in at a temp or does the fire move to die all together?
Typically, when people are using a burn barrel to make coals, that is all they are cooking with. So as the fire burns down, they scoop and add more coals. There is also a ton of airflow in these smokers and pits. Adding fresh coals is essentially how they control the temp of there pits. Generally, they are not playing around with dampers a whole lot, if at all. Kettles are not set up to run this way. You load the fuel, light the fire and use dampers to control the intensity of the fire itself. You are much better off starting a small, hot fire and letting it take, then using your dampers to adjust the intensity.Comment
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When i get low temps on my 18.5 wsm, i start by opening the vents and waiting awhile. If that gets the temps back where i want them i adjust to keep it there. If that doesn't work i add unlit coals through the door maybe 10 at a time and wait to see if the temps go up. To avoid this altogether i usually start with a full charcoal ring and fill the chimney from the ring. With a full ring i rarely get low temps, i adjust the vents to keep the temp from getting too hot.Comment
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Welcome from MarylandComment
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I second DonW ‘s thoughts.Comment
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Welcome and keep practicing 1 change at a time and you will be a pro in no time. And if you don’t post your cook photos it didn’t happenLast edited by Fire Art; October 31, 2018, 07:48 PM.Comment
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Welcome, and I would reiterate what everyone else said above, and add that you should not stress about fire overshooting or undershooting. Adjust the vents and be patient. I’ve had a fire going all day in my kettle, doing a couple of batches of beef jerky. I add unlit charcoal if I need to add, along with wood chunks. That is what happens with the Slow ‘N Sear, the snake and minion methods, and about every other way of running a fire on a kettle or WSM for a low and slow cook - charcoal is igniting throughout the cook.Comment
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I used to try to maintain temps in my kettle by adding lit coals...it’s a PIA. I got a slow n sear, and it’s so much easier. Even without a slow n sear you can use the method. Light a few coals and fill the rest of one side with unlit coals, then regulate with the vents. I hold 250 for about 8 hours before I have to add coals or open the lid at all, and only need to tweak the vents every few hours.Comment
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I have a 90 second idea for you, if you crank the burner to full:
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Maybe the best CL $ 20.00 I've spent so far... you know I've noticed some likers here. I picked up this ~ 30 yo fryer off CL NiB and it had the unused aluminum pan and colander with it. I set that aside because I have another fryer with the big stock pot with spigot. This thing is HEAVY and TALL. That's a baby Weber chimney on it. It has the full-circle burner. I LOVE IT for this...Last edited by JGo37; November 1, 2018, 11:47 PM.
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Thanks guys! And for the warm welcome. First time poster, long time observer. Very helpful. Unlit coals it is.Comment
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The only time you should be concerned is if you open your vents all of the way and after 20 minutes or so you are still below the temperature range you are shooting for.Comment
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On most kettles cocking the lid will usually bring up the temps quickly. I have a 80s Weber that likes to run that way most of the time.Comment
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I have a Weber Summit charcoal grill and having trouble getting a low and long burn out of my coals. I build a ring of 2 briq side by side all the way around the kettle and I light about 6 briq at one end. I'm trying to hold 225 - 250 for 4 to 6 hours. It takes a little while to hit 225 and after about 2 -3 hours, even with the bottom vent mostly closed, most all of the briqs have lit and I can not keep the heat low enough the finish the job. Should I use the minion method instead? What is the best method to get a low and long burn?Comment
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hmckenzie I would fill the fire bowl and light only a small portion of the fire bowl. This will give you a small hot fire that should last for many hours.
You want to control the fire with the bottom and fine tune with the top. So having your bottom vent mostly closed is fine, but do the fine tuning with the top vent.
Are you waiting for the grill to come up too 225 F before adding the food or anything else? Heat soaking will help, even though you really do not need to do it as much as a ceramic grill.
Long story short, I have always found that the minion method, with a full load of charcoal works the best. That goes for my BGE, Kamado Joe and my PBCs.Comment
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