Cooking time on a charcoal basket in an offset?

[Keri C]

Hi, all - I'm taking off work today and playing with the cooker. (Diamond Plate Products Fat 50, 30 sq' cooking space on two levels. Rear fire box. typically a log muncher)

After Robert got the racks for Stumper made, though, there was quite a bit of good scrap expanded metal left, so we put together a quick little 12x20x6 charcoal basket last night and I'm testing it out today. The basket held an entire 20-lb of Rancher natural briquettes (mostly unlit), including the full chimney that I lit and spread over the top. I've always done the Minion-style sessions in the WSMs , but this is my first shot at that in the big cooker.

My question - for those who have tried to do Minion-style cooks in charcoal baskets in offsets, how long can you go on one basket? Are all four walls of your basket made from expanded metal, or are ends or side closed in to slow the burn? Just curious. Never really had the inclination to pay that much attention to the Klose baskets that I've seen in person - now I wish I had.

Several things in today - 10 butts on since 10 am (CL injection, SGH rub), 4 briskets going on soon (NO injection, also SGH), part of a pork loin just went in (for dinner) and a maple fattie will be meeting the heat soon for the cook. (That would be ME.)

Keri C

 

[Kevin]

Mine is closed on the sides, open on the ends. If it all lights at once the temp gets way to hot. I put the lit coals near the cooking chamber entrance and place a barrier between the lit coals and unlit. The fire travels to the unlit coals a little slower this way.

Here's a pic of my home made "Jail Cell".
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=250769&postcount=9

 

[AlabamaGrillBillies]

http://www.bbqnuts.com/2006_04_15/charcoal_basket_new.htm

5hrs with a Klose basket in a smaller offset isnot unheard of.

 

[Keri C]

Ah... that explains why I'm burning faster. Think I'll go find some scrap steel and tuck in a few places to drop the air flow a little. Thanks!

Keri

 

[tumpedover]

Ah... that explains why I'm burning faster. Think I'll go find some scrap steel and tuck in a few places to drop the air flow a little. Thanks!

Keri

Keri, Let us know how this turns out.....been kicking around the idea for my Smokemaster.......Love to see pics of the basket as well.

 

[Keri C]

Here are a few pictures that I just snapped of the firebox and charcoal basket, and many a couple of others as well. :grin:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=iyt9005.a3cyt0cp&x=0&y=kndhlg

The charcoal basket is, as I said, nothing but two 32" long expanded metal strips, 6" wide, each bent at one corner and tack-welded at the other to make an open-bottomed basket. I started out the morning with straight charcoal and a bit of wood. She was going through the charcoal faster than I expected - I don't know WHAT I expected - a WSM-style 18-hour cook on 8 lb of charcoal, I guess. I've now shifted somewhat to adding some lump when the coal bed drops down and have increased the wood. Since we're accustomed to all-wood fires on this cooker, this is still a novel process to me. DH Robert has been calling off and on through the day to see how the basket is working. Poor baby - he had to work today.

That's what's fun about this hobby - you can try all sorts of different approaches to see what works best for you, and you can STILL eat your mistakes! :mrgreen:

Keri C

 

[The Pigman]

http://www.bbqnuts.com/2006_04_15/charcoal_basket_new.htm

5hrs with a Klose basket in a smaller offset isnot unheard of.

Have you tried charcoal instead of lump and light one corner????

 

[AlabamaGrillBillies]

While I have a klose basket, I yet have a smoker with a big enough firebox to put it in. I found one for $50 and decieded to pick it up for when I get a largers smoker. The link I posted is from another guy's site that lives here in b'ham I don't know if he ever tried out charcoal vs lump or not. I would think you would get longer burn times, but more ash with the charcoal.

 

[smokinbadger]

I have the Klose basket, which I use with my Klose offset. I can normally get 4-6 hours on a full basket unless it's pretty cold outside and I need to open the inlets further to keep temps. The Klose basket is solid on all four vertical sides, which works OK because there is quite a lot of depth between the firebox opening to the smoke chambers and the grate that the basket sits on. If you don't have this much height in your smoker, you might want to go with the "open at the ends" design. I had a basket like this for my Bandera, and it worked quite well.

 

[thillin]

I have had 7hr burns with my Klose basket. But I run a wood fire for a couple of hours first. Then I add about a 1/4 chimney of lit briqs to the loaded basket (I just poured the briqs from the bag and mix in wood chunks). I then remove the small fire from the firebox and load the basket in. I feel that I get a better smoke flavor doing this, and the pit steel is heated well. Air intake is almost closed and exhaust is 1/2 closed.

I've read about guys stacking the briqs in patterns and getting 10-12 hour burns. I just havn't wanted to spend 30 min or so loading the basket.