Snake method?

[landgraftj]

Going to try something new today on the kettle and have some ?s. Cooking 3 baby backs today and was wondering how many lit to start with? How many rows unlit in circle? Easy to maintain temps? Any help is appreciated since I've never used this method. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

[kendoll]

Well with the briquettes we use here....bottom row of 2 beads, top row with one. I start with 10-12 lit beads. Holds 225-230 pretty consistently. Not too much tending needed.

Ken

[OGlenn]

I finally tried this method for a small pork shoulder yesterday, and was amazed at the ease stable low temps were held for eight hours.  I used a lighting cube at the start of the fuse with a small mound of 6 briquettes.

[One Touch Platinum]

For low and slow , use a water pan. It will help you maintain a steady temp. I use about 8 or 10 briqs to get my coals going for low and slow. I don't actually make a snake since I am too lazy to line and stack the coals....I bank the coals in a half circle and start at one end with the small amount of lit briqs. I do get more control and rock steady temps on my Weber than I ever did with my Char-griller.....which is supposed to be designed for low slow cooking. Weber rules!

[HankB]

Do you leave the vents open?

For low 'n slow on a Kettle I've used a single wire basket and then just threw a few more coals on every 45 to 60 minutes. Bottom vent closed to about 1/4 (That's  1/4 of the area, not 1/4 travel on the lever on the one touch.) The advantage of this is that it keeps the fire in one place. Disadvantage is that I have to open the cooker to stoke the fire.

Of course the WSM is king of low 'n slow and with the ready availability of cheap CL SJs and tamale pots, they're not too expensive.

[MacEggs]

I just used this method a few days ago in this thread.

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/had-a-full-house/

Works great. I like to put some HD foil over areas of charcoal where there will be drippings.
This helps prevent flare-ups, and helps to prevent the charcoal from becoming saturated with drippings before it lites up.

I put some small bits and pieces of lump in the snake, as well. I lite about 20-25 briquettes.
After pouring the lit charcoal in, I preheat for about 20 minutes with the intakes fully open.

Add the meat, and keep the intakes fully open for the next 15 minutes.
Then dial it down to about a quarter to half open. I keep the exhaust fully open, always.

I then walk away. A good way to check where the lit charcoal is on the snake .... touch the bowl. You'll find the hot spot! 

[OGlenn]

On many occasions I've used my homemade smokenator-type baffle (a 12" by 24" sheet of 20 gauge steel, steel bread pan and tinsnips) to smoke in the kettle, but it requires a water pan that needs to be refilled to keep the heat down.  The snake method I used yesterday did not require any water, which makes it all the more foolproof. I was really impressed. Because so few coals are burning at any one time, it just won't get too hot. I placed an old pan round pan in the center for a drip pan and it made cleanup a snap too. Foil would work as well.

[One Touch Platinum]

I keep the top vent wide open pretty much all the time for low and slow. I will usually have the bottom vents nearly all the way closed.

[landgraftj]

Well it seemed like a successful cook...with pics to prove it!

[MacEggs]

Outstanding!! Those are some fine looking racks!

The foil is above the grate, not below ... I have learned that YMMV (Your Method May Vary) for everyone.
If the end result is what you were aiming for, then keep on truckin', eh?!!   

Question: That was done on a 22.5", right? Just wondering. Thanks for sharing.   

[landgraftj]

Yeah I was too lazy to remove the craycorts to foil below the grate Eggs. But they turned out nice anyway. Yes, it a 22 performer.

[kendoll]

They look damn good from where I'm sitting. Glad the snake method worked out for you. I'm guessing you will giving that another go again soon.

Ken

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