Smoking Query - NEWBIE

[hjheathcote]

Hi All

I have just purchased a 57cm kettle and love it! Its amazing. Last week I did 4 hour smoked pork (see attached). It was amazing.

However, I found I had two issues;-

1. When I applied the hickory chips (whether soaked in water or dry) (1) some fell through the coals and (2) they didnt last very long. As a result, I kept having to open the grill quite regularly which reduced the temperature.

2. In order to read the temperature, I had to open the grill as my thermometer was on the cooking rack

MY TWO QUESTIONS WERE AS FOLLOWS;-

1. How do I get the smoke to last for longer? Would I smoke box work?

2. I have ordered a thermometer which screws in through a hole (which I will have to drill). Where should I drill the hole to get the most correct reading?

All the best

Heff

[Butch]

If he were me I would us hickory chunks instead of chips will last much longer. The thermometer I think should be installed approx 3 1/2 or 4 inches above the cooking rack or use a candy thermometer inserted through the top vent.

[MacEggs]

Good advice from Butch. 

Do not soak the chunks.  Wait for a clean burn ... wispy blue smoke.

I don't recommend drilling into a kettle, but that's just me.

[1buckie]

If what you have available are the chips, yes a box may be a way to go to extend the smoke...

Another way is to wrap packets of aluminium foil with some dry chip in each (make up ahead of time, perhaps 3" x 5" or a bit larger), then poke some small holes in the packets to allow the smoke to escape......

Dry is best & here's the logic.....if you think about it, the fire just has to work harder to burn off the moisture to then do what it was going to do anyway, ignite the wood.....
You are more likely to get a sluggish burn & possibly stale smoke using soaked, not always, but a greater likelyhood.....

If you have a place you can access wood chunks, they are easier to work with for this kind of cookup.....chip have their place.....I'll use them by just dropping handfuls at interval for ground meats & poultry, either of which take on smoke quickly........

The larger cuts, then chunks work that much better & tending to the wood is less stressful also (read: less opening the lid)
The therm thru the lid might be a good idea......I just really don't like the drilling idea, but some folks do & it is workable....if you go that route, check in for a few tips on making it come out well as enough people are well-versed to help that along....

Meatloafs, using chips....
Starting off like so:



Then propping the flip grates to allow easy, quick access....



3 handfuls of hickory, spaced apart thru a 45 minute / 1 hr. cookup......plenty of flavor for this kind of item....it's not flavored deep inside, but they are small enough to get it with each bite.....

This is the overflow from the same cookup on a small Kettle, using block or chunks of wood.....



A longer cookup like your pork, might set up like so.....this was a set for beef roasts, but it works the same for the long burn.....using blocks.....







This one I sprinkled chip of lump coal across the top, but wood chips can also work this way....



Lite one end, and it will burn around like a chain.....



Set the food in the center with a drip pan below.........i add in a bean pan & let the pork or beef drip the juices in to flavor the beans....





Like said by the others, if you can get chunks ( even try out orchard trimmings, but it has to dry for some months to be useable, like 6 months+) that will work a bit better.....

PS: A good clean burn on the wood & coals might look like this out the top vent......



Thick white smoke is a sluggish burn & you may want to open the vents up some more to get it flowing better.....

[Metal Mike]

You will find this helpful too:

http://help.weber.com/assets/pdf/charcoal-user-guide.pdf

[demosthenes9]

Buckie has you covered on the wood/charcoal setup.  For the therm, I'd recommend a remote probe like a Maverick.  Probe goes in a clip that puts it just above the grate and a wire sneaks out under the lid (or threw a vent) to the base.

[Chuck]

1. How do I get the smoke to last for longer? Would I smoke box work?

2. I have ordered a thermometer which screws in through a hole (which I will have to drill). Where should I drill the hole to get the most correct reading?

Welcome to the board. To address your questions:

1. Lots of good info in Buckie's post. When doing long cooks chunks are best. I have chunks and chips for mesquite and cherry, but I use hickory chips for their versatility as I don't use that wood often. When I do use the hickory chips on a longer cook I put them in a foil packet and poke holes in it. I tried a cast iron smoke box but found that its more trouble for the few times that I use use than its worth vs the strip of foil used to make the packet every so often.

2. I'm interested in what thermometer you've got on order just out of curiosity as the mounting you describe seems excessive. Mounting a probe like that will likely get in the way of installing and removing the cooking grate. Taking that thought into consideration, I would drill the hole about an inch above the grate. using masking tape over the area you are going to drill into to help preserve the porcelain. Also make sure you're using an appropriate bit. 

Most of the backyard cooks here go for the Maverick 732/733 model thermometer.

Good luck with things and let us know how it goes for you.

[huntergreen]

buckle, when lighting your "snake" if i have therm right,  did you just light a small amount of coal and let slowly spread to the rest of the coals?  tks

[jcnaz]

buckle, when lighting your "snake" if i have therm right,  did you just light a small amount of coal and let slowly spread to the rest of the coals?  tks

Yep, light a few coals in a chimney, and when they are all ashed over set them on one end of the snake. The rows/stacks of coals will slowly burn around the kettle like a fuse. Use more or less coals based on weather conditions and desired cooking temperature.
Oh, and make sure you light your snake to burn in a counterclockwise arrangement for pork; clockwise for beef.
I am not sure about poultry or fish...
@1buckie,  can you clarify?

[1buckie]

buckle, when lighting your "snake" if i have therm right,  did you just light a small amount of coal and let slowly spread to the rest of the coals?  tks

@huntergreen

Yes, just a small pile....maybe 10~12 coals......turn your chimney upside down & just load a few in.......

It's really OK to let it start out a little higher temp as the lump of cold meat going on will drop it down in range.........so 15 or so coals is still OK, just let the Kettle bell warm up for 15~20 minutes first, that way it transitions to cooking better & any sluggish smoke will usually have dissipated by then....

[TheDude]

buckle, when lighting your "snake" if i have therm right,  did you just light a small amount of coal and let slowly spread to the rest of the coals?  tks

Yep, light a few coals in a chimney, and when they are all ashed over set them on one end of the snake. The rows/stacks of coals will slowly burn around the kettle like a fuse. Use more or less coals based on weather conditions and desired cooking temperature.
Oh, and make sure you light your snake to burn in a counterclockwise arrangement for pork; clockwise for beef.
I am not sure about poultry or fish...
@1buckie,  can you clarify?

This is interesting. What difference does the clockwise/counter make?

[demosthenes9]

buckle, when lighting your "snake" if i have therm right,  did you just light a small amount of coal and let slowly spread to the rest of the coals?  tks

Yep, light a few coals in a chimney, and when they are all ashed over set them on one end of the snake. The rows/stacks of coals will slowly burn around the kettle like a fuse. Use more or less coals based on weather conditions and desired cooking temperature.
Oh, and make sure you light your snake to burn in a counterclockwise arrangement for pork; clockwise for beef.
I am not sure about poultry or fish...
@1buckie,  can you clarify?

This is interesting. What difference does the clockwise/counter make?

It's all tied to the Coriolis effect.  If you are in the Southern Hemisphere like our friends down in OZ, reverse it.