Minion Method for Offset Cookers

I like Al's better without dividers, as a vertical. If you go linear, smoke box to vent is the way to go, other way and the entire basket will light due to draft coming in that way.

WSM is a vertical, and I get long burns from that. I use a 60/40 flavor wood to charcoal ration in both the Dera and the WSM when "Jimming". I then throw on a 1/3 chimney of nearly all hickory, maybe like 5 pieces charcoal.

Since I use more wood, I come up to temps faster, but I am also in for a little more fluctuation since it is not only charcoal in the pan/basket.

As requested, this post has remained On Topic.

BM,LD

First off- I am a stick burner.

But, I have carefully experimented with charcoal/wood mix.
I know DF and I burn a mix in his WSM for competetion and it produces quality product! It earned our only "Brass and Cash" to date :lol:
I would "not be adverse" to reducing my workload as the Pit Bitch on the StudeDera, if I can keep quality up :lol: :lol:

The major problem I encountered with my mixed test burn was high temps. Even though I lit it off Minion style on the smoke box end, the whole pile eventually became lit, causing really high temps. This caused me to shut down exhaust and creating a situation where the wood chunks just "smoldered". As I "peeked" a couple of times, the wood was never burning--just smoldering and putting off crappy smoke. I did get a 7 hour burn, but cresoted product!
Lesson learned

I am still gonna do one more test with some dividers in my basket to create a "serpentine" burn. Dividers will have an actual air space between the areas of fuel, so (hopefully) the fuel will light off progressively and not engulf the whole load at any one time. If I can keep a small amount burning at one time, I can open up the air flow and (hopefully) get a clean burn on the wood chunks.

I do know that the StudeDera needs very little fire to hold temps at 200-275. The secret (either stick-burning or mixed) is to keep a small but stable fire going and not overload the box with heat. IF I ever figure that out, I will promote myself to "Master Pit Bitch".
But, I am not there yet

Still experimenting :lol:
TIM

I too am a stick burner, but there are times when sleep is nice. I have both the Al Basket and the Klsoe basket. Als basket has removable dividers with an airspace, Daves basket has 2 fixed double wall dividers, with 1 inch airspace between each wall and dividing the basket in thirds. Each divider is only 2/3 the width of the basket and offset on wither wall with the intention of setting up the serpentine burn.

Als basket with the dual dividers allows you to contol the initial temp by allowing a larger starting fire by not sectioning the basket into thirds, but instead doing uneven sections.

Daves basket does a serpintine burn, always burnign away from the smokebox.

But i will say that within 2-3 hours, on both baskets, the entire load is lit. Maybe the bottoms are not fully burning, but the whole box is gray and ashen across the top and at least halfway down within 4 hours. I mix the charcoal loads with chunks about the size of a childs fist at diferent levels some up top, some down deeper in the pile.

Both baksets are prepped and then 1/2 chimney of lit stuff is is dumped in the first section. i usually initially only fill the first section up halfway to allow room for the lit stuff from a chimney.

i've used both baskets as designed and also done the Minion method with both baskets. Als basket gives me about a 6 hour burn in the bandera, Daves about an 8 in the BYC. Difference is most likely the pits, not the baskets. This is using them as designed. They both come up to temp about the same, usually within 20-30 mins. I usually start with dampers full open until pits come up to temp, then crank down to between half and quater open.

Doing the minion method however gives me a slightly longer burn using either basket, either pit, but the pit also takes longer to come up to temp. I also dump the lit coals evenly across the top of the baskets instead of only in the first section.

Personally, after using them in different ways, i find the easiest is the minion method, filling the entitre basket and dumping a shy half chimney on top evenly across all sections. Never had a problem with bitterness or smoldering wood.

Phil,
Interesting info.
Thanks.

I usually start with dampers full open until pits come up to temp, then crank down to between half and quater open.

Click to expand...

In the Bandera, are you able to control temps with intake only, or do you need to dampen the exhaust also?

I am making some "disposable" dividers, so I think I will leave only a small area between the end of the divider and the basket edge. Maybe 2" or less. My thinking is that the spread of the fire will slow dramatically, allowing the burning section to consume more of it's fuel before the next section lights off.

Just experimenting, but there must be a way that works better.
The eternal optimist, I guess.
TIM

kapndsl said:

Phil,
Interesting info.
Thanks.

I usually start with dampers full open until pits come up to temp, then crank down to between half and quater open.

Click to expand...

In the Bandera, are you able to control temps with intake only, or do you need to dampen the exhaust also?

I am making some "disposable" dividers, so I think I will leave only a small area between the end of the divider and the basket edge. Maybe 2" or less. My thinking is that the spread of the fire will slow dramatically, allowing the burning section to consume more of it's fuel before the next section lights off.

Just experimenting, but there must be a way that works better.
The eternal optimist, I guess.
TIM

Click to expand...

Al and I experimented with the dividers. The only thing thats slows ignition is a significant airspace in the divider. The original plan called for a single wall divider and with that, the other side iginited in mnutes. Als experience was differnent because of the 7000 foot elevation, but here at sealevel, like KC said, the single 3/16 plate became hot enuf to act like a charcoal starter and away things went. The second was adual wall ficxed airspace divider. We felt this didnt give enough flexibility and i believe the fianl design allowed the dividers to be seperated and the airspace adjusted to control the length of time to ignition of the othe side.

Burn speed and temperture was exclusivly controlled by firebox damper, never chimney. The dampers were closed much more than usual, somtimes left open just a crack if things were getting a little hot.

As Phil said, elevation and outside temp plays a great deal in the delay of the unlit coals to burn times. The oxgen is so thin here, that I use the dividers as shown in my picture on the left. With the basket loaded as shown, I get 8-12 hrs depending on outside temp and wind conditions. I always fill and light the smoke chamber side first with a soldering tourch. When the outside temp is below 50, if I leave a one rebar air gap the right side won't self light. When it's windy and warmer, as the burn moves to the right and I need more time, I just refill the center and left section(if a lot more cook time is required) and the burn reverses from right to left, in what seems to be about the same self lighting delays.

Due to the very high cost of fruit and hard wood here, I only use wood for smoke flavor. Also water boils at 199F here, so all my "done" meat temps are lower that at sea level.

Even with a full lit basket without dividers and summer time temps, I have trouble getting the smoke chamber over 260 F, in fact, all the unit's paint is still intact, including the fire box. I have thought of adding a turbo charger to get more oxgen into the fire box. I keep my fire box grate wide open most of the time and control the temp with the damper, my digital chamber air temp probe shows an immediate rise when I close it slightly. For whatever the reason, I don't get the smoke from the charcoal as shown in the pictures above with my KingsFord.

I also pre heat my smoking wood on top of the coals on whatever side has the unlit coals. Works great. Pic was taken right after I moved a piece of smooking wood over to the lit coals.

Whatever works best depends on where you are, I guess.

Interesting stuff....somehow, I never read this thread before....

Thanks, Scott.....

I know I haven't been on for a while and I am catching up.

This Post really hit me.

You guys know I LOVE my WSM and I LOVE the Minnion method
but when I scroll to the #1 post back in 2004 and see KC made the comments for this post it just hit me.

YOU GUYS AND THIS SITE MEAN SOMETHING SPECIAL TO ME.

Thanks

DAMN--we were all so young and inexperienced then!

Kinda like looking at a film your folks took when you were opening Christmas presents!

Good stuff---thanks for the memories.

TIM

I wish I would have found this place alot sooner, and had the pleasure of talking, meeting Scott, and alot of you sooner.

This thread gives me ideas to try out.....Thanx y'all.