Noob Minion Method - First 2 smokes this week

[Bob-B-Cue]

Hey all,

I was able to take all my vacation time at year end and have quite a bit of time on my hands to do some smoking. I have the Weber 22 silver kettle- I added a thermo to the dome lid and the hinged grates for easier coal access.

Last month I jumped into 2 racks of ribs and took them off too early, I had major temp control issues when I light the coals... I used 1/2 chimney with a pile of coals on one side placed the light coals on top. Fast forward 30 minutes they all caught and i was blazing 400+. I was able to take the light ones out and get the temp back down to 230 but I had to tend the fire way too much.

So my question is how would you go about setting up the kettle to smoke a pork shoulder and a brisket?

From what I have seen it looks like the WSM guys light 1/2 chimney and place the coals in the middle and walk away for several hours. Do the kettle kookers have the same luxury or will I have to tend the pit every 45 minutes?

As for water / drip pans in the past I've used an aluminum pan and flanked it with the coals but using the minion method the middle of my kettle will be filled with coals. Should I be concerned about not having one below the meat? can / Should I add one on the cooking grate for moisture?

Thanks in advance for the help... full report and Pron ( I hope ) to follow.

[zydecopaws]

Smoking in a kettle is a bit more difficult to do than in a WSM. What I have done is to put a couple of fire bricks in the middle of the bottom grate, add a bunch of charcoal to one side, then put the lit coals over the top of the others.

The next thing to do is shut the vents almost all the way. Low temp control on the kettles generally takes a lot more fussing about than a WSM, especially if you have the one-touch controls. Make sure you get the temp stabilized on the way up; once it spikes you'll have to mess with it a lot to get it to cruise properly.

Here's a pic in the Performer for how the setup looks; I wasn't smoking here but it's the best shot I could find where the bricks can be seen with coals on one side and, well, no coals on the other. I find this is a real handy way to set up multiple cooking zones on a kettle as well.

http://noexcusesbbq.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_3099.jpg

[gtr]

I've done a few low & slows on my Weber kettle. Based on my experience, there's no getting around tending the fire closely. It's a small environment so the fire has to be small & a small fire ain't gonna last long, so it needs to be replenished every so often - time varies depending on weather conditions, etc.

I always put the fire on one side and the meat on the other & turn the meat during the cook. I usually put a foil pan under the meat to catch the drippings and sometimes a little pan of water if I'm worried about stuff getting dried out - esp. with smaller cuts of meat like ribs.

Long story short is the kettle and the WSM are very different beasts and fire management is a whole different story on both - much more attention is to the fire is required for kettle cooks.

[Groundhog66]

Good advice above...

[bmanMA]

The good news is that it's not too late to ask Santa for a WSM... you won't look back my friend. If you are looking to get more into BBQ, which it sounds like you are, it's a great investment.

[BigDaddyJT]

I still like to do quite a few low & slow cooks on my Weber 22" grill, just to stay in practice. You will need to keep a close eye on your fire, but I enjoy the "tending"part of the cook. More time for me to enjoy a few adult beverages. Below are a few tips I learned that should help hold your temps steady. You will need a hinged cooking grate for this process. Start your fire using the minion method.
Start w/ 60-70 un-lit briquettes on one side of your kettle (yes I count the briquettes). Add 8-10 lit briquettes to the top of the un-lit coals. Don't use more than 8-10 coals or your fire will get too hot, too fast.
Set your lower air intake vents @ 1/8" to 1/4" gap opening. Set your air exhaust vent (lid) @ 1/8" open. I use the stem of my "old smokey" thermometer in the lid vent. This set up should keep your temps @ 225-250 at the dome for approx 5hrs before dropping off.
Add a drip pan w/ liquid below your meat. Helps to keep moisture in the cooking chamber.
Put your lid on so that the lid vent is on the opposite side, away from your coals.
After 2-3 hrs quickly stir the coals w/ a steel rod or your Q-tongs to get the ashes to the bottom and get air circulating through the coals again.
Don't peak. Only open the lid when needed (above is one time you need to peak). If you do open the lid do it quickly and close it immediately...

For cooking a butt or brisket you will need to add coals at approx every 5hr mark. This is a little tricky, first count out about 50-60 briquettes and put them in your chimney (or bucket if you don't have a chimney). Next stir the ash to the bottom of the kettle and push the remaining lit coals to one side. There should be 10 or so lit coals left. Remove the ashes at the bottom of the kettle by turning the lever so it sweeps the ashes out through the vent openings at the bottom. Remeber to close these vents back to the 1/8" to 1/4" opening position. Next, add your un-lit coals to the kettle and put the lit coals on top of the un-lit coals you just added.
Rotate your meat so the side not facing the heat (coals) is now facing the coals. Add HOT water or fluid to your pan if needed. You will see a drop in temp depending on how long it takes you to do this. With a little practice you can get all of this done in 1-2 minutes (not including counting the coals).
Typically it will take approx 10 hours to cook (1) 8-9lb butt and approx 15 hrs to cook (1) 11-12lb brisket, but let the thermometer tell you when it's ready.

Of course this is not an exact science, but I've used this method countless times and was able to hold consistant temps w/ out too much effort. I hope this helps, PM me if you need more info. Good luck.


JT

[cameraman]

^^^ That's spot on! The only thing I'd add is get a dual probe remote thermometer and take the time up front to build your fire right and get it going well. Cooking in a kettle takes a little work, but it's worth it.

[Bob-B-Cue]

Brothers thanks for the help, I'm resisting the itch to get the WSM ( but I'm doing a poor job of it) Wed I think I'll throw in a brisket and see what happens. I can live with tending every 5 hours it's the every 45 minutes that stinks.

For temp readings I have 2 methods... first the thermo in the dome... Drilled a hole and added my own.

Second... After reading here that the dome isn't that important I took a chunk of hickory; drilled a 3/8" hole and insert my remote probe thermo and place it next to the meat. This gives me a rough estimate of the temp at the grate.

Like I said I have the time, so wed I'll add my pron. It may only be softcore since its my first time but lets see how it turns out.

Tomorrow is time to load up on meat coals and soak the wood. Wed 6am in the dark starts the first real smoke... this should give me 10 - 12 hours until dinner. I'm going to get the smallest one I can find to speed the process since I'm the only one around i get to to reap the rewards or hide my shame when I finish it in the oven ;-)

[el_matt]

Why are you going to soak the wood? You only need to do that if you're using chips. Even then, you can just put them in a foil pouch with some small holes in the top.

Good luck with the smoke.

Matt

[BigDaddyJT]

Brothers thanks for the help, I'm resisting the itch to get the WSM ( but I'm doing a poor job of it) Wed I think I'll throw in a brisket and see what happens. I can live with tending every 5 hours it's the every 45 minutes that stinks.


Please don't get the wrong impression that if you follow this method you can walk away for 5hrs... I wish. You will need to monitor your fire/temps periodically: (stir the coals, add coals, rotate the meat, add water/fluid, etc). There are "set it and forget it" cookers out there, but a Weber grill is not one of them. Good luck w/ your cook and post pics.


JT

[thomasjurisd]

The method I use is simpler than those above. I've got the weber charcoal holders (2) that fit on either side of the grill. I put my water pan in the middle to catch drippings. I fill a chimney about half full, when it's rockin I dump half in each of the coal holders. (You really don't need the charcoal holders if you have a water pan in the middle it will keep the coals separated). Put the lid on and give it about 15 minutes to come up to temp. If it is too hot, lift your hinges and take out two or three charcoal briquettes from each side. Just so you know, as a rule of thumb, on a moderate temp. day each briquette generates about 10-15 degrees of heat. Check the temps every 45 min. or so and add charcoal as necessary...I usually take that opportunity to add more wood chunks as well. One other thing to add, I generally find that it I go out and check on the pit and the temp has spiked...about 99% of the time it is attributed to a wood chunk having caught fire. Take it out..drop it in some water and put it back in.

The simple fact is that you've got a small space that doesn't take alot of charcoal to get hot. The good news is that the Weber is well insulated and will hold temps for a good while (unless it is really cold outside).

[Bob-B-Cue]

I got an 8LB picnic rubbed up and ready to go for tomorrow am. I'm planning to get the coals started as close to 6 as possible. Oh and BTW I'm in NJ and we're having a blizzard. there is close to 24 inches of snow on the patio. The drift is up to the ash plate. Less than optimal weather for a smoke but lucky for me my house will block the winds from the NE so I should be ok.

With this much snow I may be outside for the full smoke duration. Pics to follow.

[Glenn W]

I cook indirect on my kettle a lot. Use some bricks about 2/3rds across the grate and fill up with lump or brigs almost to the height of your cooking grate. Make a depression in the center and place 6-8 lit pieces in it with your smoke wood almost touching. Foil the exposed charcoal grate so that your air reaches the fuel not your meat. Set your bottoms to no more than 1/8" open and top 100% open, load your meat. Once the temp (preffered vent temp) reaches 30-40 of your target start closing your lid vent to hone in. You should be good to go for 4-6hrs. I only use a pan (no water, not needed if you catch your temps on the way up) if doing a butt or brisket for catching the drippings.

[fatguyputter]

Don't fight the urge any longer.......get a WSM if you can at all afford it--you won't be disappointed--I PROMISE.

[mikeTRON]

IF you are looking for a WSM you should check out www.aimtofind.com they have sales on the WSMs all the time. (I paid 220 shipped)

[qndummy]

I have 2 WSMs but I still use my kettles for shorter cooks. What I found works for me is the Smokenator (google it); allows me to get about a 6 hour burn before I have to refuel. I don't use it as sold. I leave the water pan out which allows more space for charcoal, I place a stainless steel plate over the water pan opening after its filled with charcoal to keep most of the air flow coming from below, I fill all but one side of the space in the Smokenator with unlit charcoal and some wood chunks and I then use the minion method by placing about 20 lit coals in the empty space (more or less depending on desired cooking temp and how fast you want to acheive it). Using a Guru this will give me about a 6 hour burn without tending the fire. Works great for ribs and chicken and if you refuel should work for butts and briskets. I use the WSMs for those. Just my method.