Burn Time - Briquettes

[Puff1]

Pack the briquettes real tight. Some guys have a certain way they load them but I'm not sure on that.
Was your ring full?

 

[Toby Keil]

Here's what I do for long cooks with my WSM and I've never had a problem. I take a small coffee can with both the ends cut out and place it in the middle of the charcoal grate. Then I pour in a bunch of Kingsford and fill to the top of the charcoal ring and I pile a few more around the coffee can. I light maybe 20 briguets using my chimney starter and I let em get going nice and hot. Once they are burning good, I poor em into the coffee can and let em go a bit longer then pull the coffee can out with some channel locks and assemble the smoker. I leave all the vents fully open while it heats up then once it reaches my desired temp, I fully close two of the bottom ones and I leave the other at a quarter the way open. I then toss in my smoke wood and away I go. Hope this helps.

 

[Unity]

I can almost smell the charcoal.

My hunch is your two 4-lb butts won't take much more than 10 hrs, maybe less with a full-packed ring.

--John
(I argue with myself every cook about how much charcoal to start with for the kind and weight of meat I'm readying to cook. I might want my fire to hold temp for 3 hrs for chicken, 6 hrs for ribs, 12-15 hrs for butts .... and I don't always get it right. )

 

[bigwheel]

I just cant imagine how good it would taste to have some hawg butt which has been smoldered over Kingsford for 12-13 hours in an overpriced ECB with a fancy paint job. Yall apparently trying to make me puke here.

bigwheel

ps..I bet the Instant Light version taste really good

 

[Cliff H.]

I used to be very sceptical also BW.

Heavy on the used.

 

[Greg Rempe]

If you had a full ring of charcoal then it sounds like you have a leak somewhere. You should easily get 10hrs of burn out of a full ring. Check to see if the charcoal and middle section fit together tightly. That could be one of the issues.

I just pour the charcoal in and put 15 or so lit briquettes on top...no special packing of the coal...and I get 16+ hrs of burn time in any weather condition!

Check for the leak!

 

[Nick Prochilo]

I've gotten 18 hours out a full ring using a bbq guru. Like Puff said, you have to load the ring up. When I get to the top of the ring, I stand some up along the ring to extend the ring an additional inch or so. Then I pyramid the briquits up to a peak. When I dump some in the chimney to start, I take them from the top of the pyramid so I know they will fit when I dump them on after they are lit.

 

[Uncle Bubba]

I've gotten 18 hours out a full ring using a bbq guru. Like Puff said, you have to load the ring up. When I get to the top of the ring, I stand some up along the ring to extend the ring an additional inch or so. Then I pyramid the briquits up to a peak. When I dump some in the chimney to start, I take them from the top of the pyramid so I know they will fit when I dump them on after they are lit.

Yeah, there's a reliable source. :roll:

 

[dollarbill]

If you had a full ring of charcoal then it sounds like you have a leak somewhere. You should easily get 10hrs of burn out of a full ring. Check to see if the charcoal and middle section fit together tightly. That could be one of the issues.

I just pour the charcoal in and put 15 or so lit briquettes on top...no special packing of the coal...and I get 16+ hrs of burn time in any weather condition!

Check for the leak!

Im with greg on this one....You need a FULL ring. I usually add about half a chiminy starter full of lit coals.

If its windy and cold Ive noticed it will use more fuel.....You can also make sure your door is is tight. I know that was an issue with mine at one point.

 

[Gomer1]

I am going to agree w/ Greg and DB, I have done cooks well over 16 hours by just filling the ring and putting 1/2 a lit chimney on top.

 

[surfinsapo]

I use the MINION METHOD and can get about 16 to 18 hours out of a large bag of Kingsford... Also,. don't open the smoker. Just set it and forget it.. To much oxygen rushing in will cause the coals to flare up and then you have to try to regulate the temp and it shortens fuel life.. I learn by my mistakes.. Good luck!!



S.Sapo

 

[Unity]

Reading about all these rings full of KF charcoal got me thinking about all the useless "ash" we have to deal with. (I put mine, cool, of course, in a trash bag and cart it to the dump.) Couldn't we make birdbaths or patio pavers or something useful with it?

--John
(Lump charcoal ash should be fine for adding to garden soil, but not KF "ash".)

 

[Puff1]

Trash bag here too. I think you're on to something John.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Puff, maybe a little spackleing? Try mixing it with water and see what happens!