Kettle smoking

[Hinds90]

Curious how long one load of fuel will smoke on a kettle and/or which method smokes the longest. I know it will vary based on several different things just looking for what averages the longest.

[Seth1025]

I like the snake method 2 briquettes on top 2 on bottom in a row around the kettle gets me about 6 hours.  As the fire burns around just spin the grate.  Works good for Boston butt . 


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[addicted-to-smoke]

5-7 hours or more on a 22.5" using a snake (fuse) method. Or you could use a large round charcoal basket like from a WSM and Minion/Soo method. You'd really have to experiment.

So long as the snake doesn't connect and light itself going in two directions at once, you could make a longer snake for more time.

Or, if you created a thicker snake, you'd have more available fuel to burn but would have to shut it down more. And if your kettle doesn't seal very well at the lid or at the bottom vents, your temps might be too high due to more coals running at the same time. And so on.

Actually, that last idea of nearly starving a larger pile of coals as it goes around around is risky. You could snuff it out since more coals = more air required, and it's not as if briquets have thermostats to run "hot" or "cold." They want to run how they run, full-on. Limiting the snake to fewer coals (2x1, 2x2, 2x3) lets them do that, and light the next batch or neighbor. Hope that makes sense.

[TD]

Makes perfect sense. How about this? The bottom vent is the main temperature control, set it for the rate of burn/ temp control your'e looking for. With both vents full open the burn rate is at maximum of the pit design. With a lot of coals the lid will still slow the fire some (smoke seeping out around the rim of the lid), but with fewer coals the four holes in the lid may be enough flow for the coals to burn close to their maximum rate and with a smaller fire the heat may rise from the fire to the top of the lid and go out the vent leaving a cooler area at the grate level for areas not over the fire (smoke not seeping at the lid rim). In the latter case if the top vent is closed just until smoke starts to seep at the lid rim you have tuned the pit for that bottom vent setting and the whole area under the lid will be filled with hot gases minimizing cooler temps at grate level.

[Jon]

What are you cooking?

[Antisven84]

3/4 length 2x1 snake with 13 lit to start using Aussie heat beads, lasts 15hrs at about 250°f


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[Antisven84]

Aussie heat beads in my charcoil setup using a stacker, 2x2 snake with 18 or so lit to start, 22 hrs easy at 225-250°f


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[TD]

What are you cooking?

I grill and smoke a lot of things. But in case of smoking meats I use a single Weber char basket with meat on opposite side and pan with foil under meat for easy cleanup. I like to start a batch of coals in a separate kettle and then shut them off after they ash over. I then use those to resupply the char basket in the cooking kettle as needed. I use wood chunks over the coals. Yes I know that "if you're lookin you're not cookin"  but the fire speeds up some for the brief period the lid is off and the kettle recovers temp quickly.  Of course the snake does allow a long period between checks and you could catch some z's if smoking over night.

[TD]

Aussie heat beads in my charcoil setup using a stacker, 2x2 snake with 18 or so lit to start, 22 hrs easy at 225-250°f


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How do you set the vents in that set up?

[Antisven84]

2x1 snake with 15 lit to start in.
While it never got over 200°f for the first 5 hours, once I shored it up to 2x2 snake, it continued happily for 24+ hrs.
18hr brisket is awesome btw.


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[Antisven84]

Aussie heat beads in my charcoil setup using a stacker, 2x2 snake with 18 or so lit to start, 22 hrs easy at 225-250°f


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How do you set the vents in that set up?

Generally 1 bowl vent half open.


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[TD]

 is there a diffuser plate? Top vent looks fully open. Nice set up!

[Hinds90]

Well the plan is to pick up a used 18.5 Wsm this weekend but I'm not the first in line to buy. 2nd and 3rd plan is to use a kettle for smoking or mod it to make a Weber kettle mountain  like user lumpy coal did. Have a pretty beat up kettle now that I would have to refresh or I could use it to mod and add to another kettle.

Goal is to keep price at 100$

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[Antisven84]

is there a diffuser plate? Top vent looks fully open. Nice set up!

Sure is




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[Schaefd2]

2x1 snake with 15 lit to start in.
While it never got over 200°f for the first 5 hours, once I shored it up to 2x2 snake, it continued happily for 24+ hrs.
18hr brisket is awesome btw.


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That is one neat and orderly snake! I am quite impressed! The 24 hour burn is awesome too!!!!


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