What temp should a snake sit on?

[power]

Thought I would give the snake a go, but after 40 mins the temp was still very low! So I pulled the plug on the idea and just did a normal cook! What is the average temp for a snake?

[MartyG]

Might want to go with a 2X2X1 set-up next time. 5 to 7 lit coals should get you close to 225 or so. Looks like you'll only get 3 or 4 lit using the 2X1 set-up in the pic. Go ahead and run the snake all the way 'round too - worst case is you'll have coals left over, but it beats running out of fuel. Ambient temps could make a difference too. I had the 18.5 WSM going over night with a full basket and had to re-stoke it this morning - something I rarely have to do in Summer. It got down to 40 or so. YMMV of course.

[1buckie]

Power, looks like you may want to start up with just a few more lit coals.......remember, there's a cold lump of meat going on there, even after the coals are going some, it will drop the temp a little.....

Commonly, 5~6 coals burning good, with more just beginning to lite will produce about 240 or a little more AT THE GRATE..........that's where you want to base the temp reading.....a lid therm is fine to go by if you'd like, but it will be different than the grate, so the difference needs to be tested & known....
Also, think in terms of those 5~6 coals being left alone.....that 240 or about will happen, undisturbed


See these threads for a little more info & some pics.....

(about halfway down page is a description)

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/other-recipes/something-different/msg6679/#msg6679

This one started a little slow:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/bob's-beef-o-rama/msg20382/#msg20382

Once it goes off well, you may end up using it often as another tool in the toolbox.....the chains run themselves, see:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/re-print-ok-what's-in-kettle-3/msg35831/#msg35831

[1buckie]

Another thing I thought of is the snake can be set up thick to run quite a bit higher temp....I've seen people talk in terms of 350f & such........pack in more coals, lite more at the start & vents open, it will go pretty high up.....

[MacEggs]

I usually lite about 10-12 briquets to start.  Never had an issue.  I don't even monitor the temperature.

One other thing I learned from @1buckie, is to disperse some small pieces of lump throughout the snake ... burn assurance. It works. 

[BrianL]

I'm going to attempt a shoulder overnight on Thursday. Was thinking pulled pork would go great with beer while we handed out candy on Halloween. This will be my 1st attempt at the snake method on my 22.5 kettle too. How about the vents? Top vent wide open? How about the bottom vent ??

[MacEggs]

I'm going to attempt a shoulder overnight on Thursday. Was thinking pulled pork would go great with beer while we handed out candy on Halloween. This will be my 1st attempt at the snake method on my 22.5 kettle too.
How about the vents? Top vent wide open? How about the bottom vent ??

I personally always cook with the lid vent wide open.  Others may differ, which is fine ... YMMV.

For the bottom vents, I would go no more than half open. Maybe closer to a third open for the duration.
I would not fret temperature fluctuations. It's a pork shoulder and they are very forgiving hunks of meat.
An average cooking temperature of 275° should be good, and will power thru the stall no problem.
If you're sleeping thru this ... then, don't worry about the stall.     All the best with your first attempt. 

Here is a thread of mine on my first overnight on a kettle:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/fuse-snake-lasted-11-plus-hours/

[1buckie]

Yeah, Mac's got ya covered....I just put up this re-preint from a 1956 Weber instruction/ cookbook:




Last paragraph talks about vents........big stuff, start at half open & top always open to freely exhaust

If you're going over Thurs. nite, then are you going to re-heat later on Friday?

If so, break into big chunks to chill down & complete the shredding right after the re-heat before you start eatin'......stays more moist that way.....

[bwb]

Mine stayed right at 250 for almost 7 hours

[1buckie]

Mine stayed right at 250 for almost 7 hours

That's pretty right on.....once they get going, just kinda leave it alone to rumble along.....

Saw your pork came out nice !!!

[BrianL]

Thanks for the info guys!

After thinking this over I've decided to hold off on the overnight cook. I'll take Friday off and throw it on early AM. Take care of a little yard work and build up an appetite!

I stopped at my local BJ's on the way home last night. The meat dept manager was doing her rounds and asked if she could help me find anything, etc. We ended up talking for about 10 minutes and she pointed out what to look for in the different cuts of meat. Really helpful. She'll be getting my business for sure!

[jeffh]

Hey Brian, another tip is to put boiling water in the pan. If it's cold, your charcoal is going to try and bring it up to temp. In my experiences,  boiling water drastically reduces the time it takes for your kettle to come to temp.

[mike.stavlund]

@BrianL --  I am another happy BJ's shopper, so let me pass along a little tip.  After I asked (again) about tri-tip, the meat manager suggested I try what they call 'sirloin cap'.  They come two-to-a cryovac pac, and wow are they ever good.   A nice small roast if you like, or killer kebabs if you prefer that.  My store doesn't stock them, but they are happy to bring them out from the back.  Cheaper than tri-tip too, and since they are sealed up in the cryovac packs they will keep in your refrigerator for several weeks. 

[Johnpv]

I'll just add some thoughts that may echo what some others have said.  Definitely go with a 2x2 set up for your snake, I think the 2x1 just isn't going to produce enough heat.   I also prefer to use wood chunks instead of chips, I don't know if that effects temperature at all though.  I will definitely echo adding hot water to the drip pan.  Our sink can get pretty damn hot, so I run it for a few minutes and get it steaming hot and use that in my drip pans.  I also typically start about 15 coals to put at the end of the snake.  For me with vents, I have my bottom vents mostly closed, opened just enough to maybe fit a number 2 pencil at the curved part of the opening.  The top vents are usually about 3/4 closed.  Now I'll adjust both of those open or closed depending on how the snake is running.  Which is usually determined by how windy/cold it is.

[5280Jeff]

I'll just add some thoughts that may echo what some others have said.  Definitely go with a 2x2 set up for your snake, I think the 2x1 just isn't going to produce enough heat.   I also prefer to use wood chunks instead of chips, I don't know if that effects temperature at all though.  I will definitely echo adding hot water to the drip pan.  Our sink can get pretty damn hot, so I run it for a few minutes and get it steaming hot and use that in my drip pans.  I also typically start about 15 coals to put at the end of the snake.  For me with vents, I have my bottom vents mostly closed, opened just enough to maybe fit a number 2 pencil at the curved part of the opening.  The top vents are usually about 3/4 closed.  Now I'll adjust both of those open or closed depending on how the snake is running.  Which is usually determined by how windy/cold it is.

What temp are you holding with this configuration? I'm planning a 10lb pork shoulder cook this weekend on a 26er. I'm guessing I'll need to hold 225 - 275 for around 11-13 hrs. I was planning a 2x2x1 snake with apple and cherry chunks spread throughout.