Vent setting/snake or indirect coal setup

[walley_eye]

So im gonna start using my 22.5" Master Touch kettle to smoke ribs low and slow as well as a whole chicken. Im thinking i'll use the snake method for both but need a starting point for my vents to get the temp to settle at 225F.

I'll be using Royal Oak brickets for the snake and after reading a lot of posts I'll be starting with the top vent wide open and try to regulate the temp with the bottom vents.

What I need to know is where to start with the bottom vent so I dont go over 225F as I would rather creep up to 225 rather than having to try to bring the temp down to the target temp.

Do I start the bottom vent 1/4 open or more or what would you folks suggest?

Which would be better for a whole chicken? Snake or coal on either side of kettle with chicken in the middle(indirect heat)?


Sent from my Grizzly 700 somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.
Weber One Touch smoke.
Weber Q.
Weber Smokey Joe Gold


Weber Master Touch smoke.
Weber Q.
Weber Smokey Joe Gold
Sent from my Grizzly 700 somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

[AZ Monsoon]

I've never used Royal Oak briquets. I use plain old Kingsford so your mileage may vary. A 2x2 snake should get you where you want to be unless you're at altitude. About 11 or 12 lit coals to start. After I let the coals get going a little bit, my starting point is about a 1/4" open vent on the bottom and top vent wide open, then adjust as necessary.  Honestly though, I don't care all that much. 215, 225, 250, up to about 275 - it's not a whole lot different to me. I just go with the flow once the cooker settles in.

Small adjustments on the vents when needed. If your grill is pretty sealed up and you're running a nicely constructed 2x2, you're not going to get crazy temperature spikes, so you don't have to worry too much about way overshooting your target temp.

Monitor the temp at the grate for better accuracy. A regular oven thermometer works great sitting on the grates if you don't have something fancy.

I don't like smoked chicken, so I have no thoughts there.

Have fun.

[Hell Fire Grill]

The "snake", as its called, was developed to be a set it and forget it technique with an extremely long burn time. Originally using lump charcoal and wood chunks with a expanded metal ring in the center to hold it all together.

Somewhere along the line the guys started using briquettes and the snake/fuse name was adopted.

The basic concept is that the fire will only be able to get as big as it needs to be to get temps to the range you want to cook at.

You should be able to burn with your vents wide open and adjust the lid vent a little at a time if you dont like where the thermo is headed, and if it gets to low you can leave the lid ajar slightly for a short while to stoke it up.

[AnyThingGrilled]

Here's the method I used for my recent smoked beef ribs. With a little practice you'll get it. Make notes on your cooks and refer back to them and make some tweaking if needed if your not satisfied. Good luck it's fun just experimenting.
http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/weber-kettle-temp-help.162662/


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club