Snake method experiment on 26

[3sSecurity]

So yesterday I used my slow n sear using the methods they describe to go low and slow on my 26er. Everything was going fine for the first hour and a half, but then I had to leave the house unexpectedly for about an hour. When I Came back my temps were up around 270, but judging from the IT on my ribs, I must have had a big temperature spike while I was gone.

Today I decided to run an experiment using the snake method and the slow n sear as a heat shield. Here's what the setup looks like.



It's a 2x2x1 snake with 15 lot coals to get it started. Within 30 minutes I was at 245 with thin blue smoke coming from top vent




So far I've used about 25% off the coals and have been holding 240-250 with minimal adjustment for the past 3 hours.   I'm logging the whole smoke, so I'll post the final results when it's done. But, I'm hoping this might help someone out.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[1911Ron]

No meat correct? I'm thinking you might get slightly different results with meat.

[3sSecurity]

Correct, There's no meat. And I agree, temps will be affected a bit with meat on there, but one thing I'm interested in can I get an 8+ hour smoke between 225 and 250 by only having coals arranged behind the slow n sear. This would eliminate the need to rotate the grate during the smoke.

So far I've been on for 5.5 hours with about 30-35% of the coals left, so it's looking good.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[kettlecook]

Correct, There's no meat. And I agree, temps will be affected a bit with meat on there, but one thing I'm interested in can I get an 8+ hour smoke between 225 and 250 by only having coals arranged behind the slow n sear. This would eliminate the need to rotate the grate during the smoke.

So far I've been on for 5.5 hours with about 30-35% of the coals left, so it's looking good.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Most everyone wants steady low temps when smoking, and I'll admit to owning an ATC. However, I've been cooking a LOT on kettles for a long time, BBQ included. So my 2 cents is simply to encourage you to focus more on efficiency and the end result as opposed to holding 225-250 without any futzing. Maybe you get a crisper bark from temp spikes? Maybe your experiment becomes irrelevant in windy conditions with meat on? Just questions to ask yourself. But it's fun experimenting when the Missus says you have too many bags of Kingsford.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[3sSecurity]

Agreed that there are lots of factors that go into temperature control, but since I'm new to smoking in the kettle (I used to have a cheap offset that rusted out), I figured some experimenting would be fun and make my wife complain that I smell like a smoker for a few days. I did manage to throw a sweet potato on there for dinner too.

In the end I did hold the higher end of 225-250 for 7 hours, though I could have fit a few more coals in behind the slow n sear an probably got the extra hour I was looking for.

I logged everything in an excel file, but can't seem to find a way to attach it to the post.  Essentially the vents were put at 50% once it came up to temp and then I managed the vent about 40-50% for the duration, until the end they were open back up to 100% to keep the temperature up for the last 45 minutes or so.

[wyd]

When I first started grill on my kettles a few years back I was always super worried about temps but now fast forward a few years I'm not nearly as worried as I found over the years that my food tastes excellent and the meat even grilled at sometimes higher temps is still just as juicy as long as I prepped my meat correctly.  I have done the snake a few times and it runs normally 235 to around 275 so I always been pretty happy about that.

[MacEggs]

When I first started grill on my kettles a few years back I was always super worried about temps but now fast forward a few years I'm not nearly as worried as I found over the years that my food tastes excellent and the meat even grilled at sometimes higher temps is still just as juicy as long as I prepped my meat correctly.  I have done the snake a few times and it runs normally 235 to around 275 so I always been pretty happy about that.

Well said.

[MikeRocksTheRed]

@3sSecurity  -  I love the idea of using the SNS as a heat shield for a snake on the 26er!  Did my first SNS smoke over the weekend with a pork butt and have not rendered a verdict yet.  I've gotten so used to using the snake method that trying a new method is a little awkward.   I need to do another smoke or two with the SNS before I decide if I like it or not.  If I end up lot using the SNS as intended I can definitely see myself using your experimental technique!  So far I think the snake uses a lot less coals than the SNS.  I'll right up my overall thoughts once I have done a few more cooks.

[3sSecurity]

In the end I was pretty happy with the results. Overall I think the snake method is pretty foolproof so far. I've used it a couple times before on my JJ with good results (though there's not much room on the JJ, but works well for scallops).

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk