What am I doing wrong with my charcoal?

That's one of the best things about my WSM -- the fire is not a concern. It is so tightly constructed that the only oxygen getting to the coalscomes through the bottom vents which you control. I suspect, and have heard, that the brinkmans are more leaky, and thus let more O2 in. This would mean that it would harder to control the burn and the temps. I've run 14 hours pretty consistently on kingsford (which I don't use any more) and can get about 10 hours using my cheap cowboy lump.

Raine Posted - 06/07/2005 : 15:29:20
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brinkmans like driving a Geo Metro, or Fiesta, etc
WSM like driving a Lexus.

Although I would have recommended a Brinkman years ago, I cannot in good conscience do so today. The Brinkman Pro I picked up about seven or eight years ago was made with a good solid heavy grade steel, approaching the quality of an Oklahoma Joe or New Braufels unit. The current models are made with a grade of metal that is just slightly thicker than a sheet of aluminum foil. I don't know why they changed. Maybe they thought no one would notice. Just to give you an idea of how good Brinkmans were, I still see competition teams using both the little water smokers and the Pro models at cook-offs with great success.

quote:

Originally posted by Kristi S.

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog
[ As I stated in my previous response, I prefer the Nature-Glo briquettes because there is less ash left over and it seems to give a cleaner burn. Every so often when I would use Kingsford, I would some off odors when I would open my WSMs. That has never happened with the NG.

Hey RibDog, where can you buy Nature Glo? Would you recommend it for smoking a whole chicken, or quickly grilling burgers and dogs, or both?

You can get it at Gordon Food Service on 4th St. N and 31st Ave. It is in the same strip center as Harvey's on 4th St. They carry both the lump and briquettes.

I used some lump to cook some burgers just the other day. When I use charcoal, this is the brand I use for everything.

john

quote:

Originally posted by SouthHillbilly

"you can easily get 14-18 hours of burn from one load of charcoal."

Wow, please do explain.

With a WSM, I follow what is called the Minion Method for the charcoal. And I only use this method for long cooks.

You fill the charcoal ring in the WSM until full. You then take 8-10 lit briquettes and put them on top of the unlit ones. Add any chunks of wood you plan on using and close up the smoker. I usually cook around 225. So I wait until the temps come up to 225 and then close the bottom vents to equalize the flow of air for maintaining the temps at 225. BTW, always leave the top vent fully open, never close it at all.

You can see this method with more details at http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

John

Kristi,

If you use lump charcoal to cook with on a hot basis, make sure you stay with the grill and do not walk away. Using lump at the hot end can turn food into charred meteorites in no time if you don't pay attention and pay proper respect. The burgers I cooked the other day were done in 4-5 minutes.

John

You will see more WSMs at competitions than the little brinkmans.

quote:

BTW, always leave the top vent fully open, never close it at all.

Interesting. When I used a Weber kettle grill I always left the bottom vents wide open and adjusted the top vent only. Same principle, really. I found the top vent was just more convenient to make the adjustments.

Closing the top vent allows stale smoke to remain in the kettle. You'll actually notice a difference using the bottom vent to control the flow of air to the fire, rather that using the smoke and other products of the fire to smother it.

quote:

Originally posted by SouthHillbilly

Coal contains more organic compounds (mostly hydrocarbons and many carcinogenic) than any other naturally occuring substance. I would NEVER want to cook over coal.

I tend to agree. But, as I was perusing the site for some New York City recommendations (my wife and I are going there the weekend of the 17-19 for our 20th anniversary), I discovered something interesting. Apparently, some of the best pizzerias in the city use coal-fired ovens. http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=2841&RefID=2333 http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=656&RefID=656
I wonder how widespread this is in the industry? If its primarily a New York thing, maybe this partly explains why NYC pizza aficionados have problems finding comparable pizzas elsewhere. It doesn't sound appetizing and I don't think I'd want to make a habit out of eating at such places, but we'll probably give one of them a try while we're there.

quote:

Originally posted by Willly

Closing the top vent allows stale smoke to remain in the kettle. You'll actually notice a difference using the bottom vent to control the flow of air to the fire, rather that using the smoke and other products of the fire to smother it.

According to Weber Grills, you want to leave the bottom vent wide open. As this is where to coals will get oxygen for them to burn. Using the top vent controls temperature...

I have seen few topics which could cause more rock-throwing and name-calling than what fuel to use to cook with. It is strictly a matter of personal preference, and if you are using something that satisfies you, then more power to you.

Having said that, I can tell you what works for me. I use charcoal, as, IMHO, gas makes the meat rubbery and not as flavorful, regardless of what Hank King says. I prefer lump over briquet, and I buy my charcoal at a liquor store in town. It is mesquite lump charcoal imported from Mexico, which gives me the burn that I am looking for, for only $13 for a 40 lb bag. Some say that charcoal does not help that much with flavor, as most of the flavor elements cook out of the wood in the charcoal making stage. I use a chimney starter, as I cannot abide even the smallest taste of petroleum products in my food, which I work to have come out just the way I like it.

If you wish to use gas or electricity or briquet charcoal, or soak your briquets down with starter fluid, then I wish you all the best. I have been called a 'purist,' as well as other names, and it just rolls off my back. I will continue to enjoy my grilling and BBQing in a manner that pleases me, and I will not criticize you for your choice. Thank God for different opinions, this old world would be pretty lousy if everyone had the same tastes. Can you imagine a world where the only car you could buy was a Ford? Or walking into a bar and only being able to buy Coors? Vive la difference!

I BBQ for a living and I have found the following to be the best way to proceed: Start with a good bed of briquets in your pit. Get them lit any way you can. Because I am a commercial operation and can't afford to dink around, I use lighter fluid. (If you use lighter fluid you should be sure to burn it all off before you add any other fuel. Some folks say they can taste the lighter fluid hours later, but I honestly cannot once the coals have burnt down to grey embers.) Start another fire nearby using briquets, too. This is the "side fire" which will serve as a source of fuel for the pit. After the briquets are ready in the pit add the lump charcoal. I use Cowboy lump charcoal because it's readily available in my area. I have used the Wicked Good charcoal (www.wickedgoodcharcoal.com ) which I found to be excellent, but too expensive and, at the time, hard to get down here in the swamps of Florida. When the coals are ready on my "side fire" I add split hardwood and let it burn. After the lump charcoal in the pit has gotten to a state of self-sufficiency, I add a couple chunks of hardwood for initial smoke and flavor. I am ready to cook in the pit. The fire in the pit will allow cooking for maybe an hour or 90 minutes. At that point the fuel will begin to be depleted. But by then I have a nice bed of embers in my side fire which I shovel into the pit as needed. The temperature never drops. I don't get the nasty "products of combustion" on my meat. I keep this up for 10 or 11 hours a day.

You get a better charred taste with the lump.

The best thing you could do is go here http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php These guys can give you the best advice there is about BBQ, many of them do it for a living.

Just my two cents.
I use brickettes when I cook in my Dutch oven because they are very predictable. I use lump when I grill. I live on a farm and will make my own lump a few times a year. When bbqing I burn down my own hickory and oak.