Teach me charcoal management

Unless I'm having trouble keeping the fire at a low temp like 225F, I leave my bottom vents open and use the top vent to control temperature.

That said, if you light a chimney full of briquets, its going to start hot and fade. The "minion method" of charcoal management is filling the basket 3/4 full of unlit charcoal then adding the remainder using lit charcoal. They will slowly light the ones beneath it for long cooks.

quote:

---

Unless I'm having trouble keeping the fire at a low temp like 225F, I leave my bottom vents open and use the top vent to control temperature.

---

I do the exact opposite

I keep the top vents wide open and adjust the bottom vents. Usually a quarter inch opening gets me close to where I want to be. Also don’t freak out if you hit 250 or 275, I still get great results at those temps. Just temp your meat so you know where your at in the cook at you will be fine.

Snake method works if you have the room in your pit.

quote:

---

Snake method works if you have the room in your pit.

---

Since I tried that about 5-6 years ago, it is all I use for long cooks. If it ain't broke....

I do have the 26 inch Weber Kettle, so plenty of room to do up to 3 racks of ribs, or a couple of butts. I could do more ribs with a rib rack, but I'm the only one at the house that eats them so I never bothered. I do a 2x2 snake, 3/4 of the way around, and for some reason always start it at the left side of the snake. And I stack chunks of hickory on top of the snake. Place the meat on the opposite side, and put the lid on with the vent over the meat, opened about a quarter inch at most. It will hold under 250 for at least 6-8 hours depending on the day.

quote:

---

I keep the top vents wide open and adjust the bottom vents

---

This right here. I've always believed in not trapping smoke/heat, and control your fire by way of intakes.

I have a Weber Performer, and I use a Slow n Sear, coupled with a DigiQ DX3. The Slow n Sear gives me 8+ hours of low and slow and the DigiQ keeps the temp steady.

The two items together cost almost as much as the Performer Deluxe did, but they've made my life much easier. I can focus on more important things, like drinking beer. Oh and spending time with the wife. But mostly drinking beer...