# No disrespect to Mr Minion, but I don't start a fire like that...



## bama bbq (Mar 10, 2012)

Since I use an auto temp controller (ATC) attached to one vent and the other two 100% closed on the WSM ....and since fire tends to burn towards the O2 coming from the fan... I assemble the fire by putting unlit in a moon shape placing wood between charcoal layers and a little more on top for good measure.  Then I put about 2/3 of a chimney of lit in the open space formed by the moon on the opposite side of the ring from the fan.  I find I get a more even burn that I don't have to poke at this way vs putting lit on top of unlit either in the center or scattered over all the unlit per Mr Minion.  I beleive the Minion Method would work great using vents to control O2 because the fire would burn towards the vents. This picture is an example of the fire I built this AM for the Renowned Mr Brown I just put on. What are your thoughts on building a fire, have you had similar experiences?


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## daveomak (Mar 11, 2012)

Bama BBQ, morning.... Looks like you found a great method that works for you.... That is what it is all about.... Others will take note of your method.... 

Now for the pictures of some cooked meat....  Fire that baby up and show us what she'll do...   Dave


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## dsorgnzd (Jun 15, 2012)

Interesting.  I've always done it the same way, with one big  exception: I put the  lit coals  closest to the fan, instead of on the opposite side. And it seems to  work  fine that way,  too.  I think consistency is the key - find a way that works for you, and do it the same way every time. The same goes for the question of where you measure your fire temperature (on top of the grate, vs.  through the top vent, vs. under the grate, etc.)   Learn how to get the results you want using the method that works for you, then use that method consistently.

Another note: if you use lump, using this method just  pour the ring about  2/3 full, then push the lump away from one  side to create the "hole" for the lit coals. This packs the  irregular pieces of lump closer together to create a more consistent burn as the fire progresses through it. At least, it seems to do so in my experience.


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## lght (Jun 18, 2012)

Interesting setup.  I have a wsm and stocker and I typically do the minion method, but last time I used it I had 18 slabs cooking so I needed a lot more coals than I would normally use.  I noticed a bunch of coals on the left and right side didn't get lit at all although the coals closest to the fan where almost all burnt through.  I think I had to rack around the coals from the side toward the middle about half way through.  I normally keep the 2 vents without the fan wide open, but I may try your way to see what happens. 

I would think the air from the fan would be almost entirely blocked off because of the coals in front of it.  Do you notice if the coals burn slower or faster putting the lit ones on the opposite side of the fan?


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## bama bbq (Jun 18, 2012)

I don't think I've noticed a difference in rate of burn but I have noticed a difference in completeness of burn.  That's what led me to the conclusion that fire burns towards O2.  When I run a setup as described below I get a good long complete burn.


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## rtbbq2 (Jun 19, 2012)

I use pretty much the same method. Sometimes I put the lit coals in the middle where I make a hole. It seems to burn more consistently in my Kamado. Minion sch-minion, Most smokers have been doing his and this method years before he was given credit for the idea. I always laugh when I hear the minion method because it could probably be called Fred's method...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Light it burn it smoke it...


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## lght (Jun 19, 2012)

Bama BBQ said:


> I don't think I've noticed a difference in rate of burn but I have noticed a difference in completeness of burn.  That's what led me to the conclusion that fire burns towards O2.  When I run a setup as described below I get a good long complete burn.


Do you ever notice the coals being smothered at all?  My only concearn is the air path into the smoker would be blocked and the coals would not heat up at the same rate and I would end up with cold spots or temp loss.  As it is now I don't get a "complete burn" when using more than 1 chimney of coals unless I stir them mid way.


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## bruno994 (Jun 19, 2012)

Interesting topic.  I am always looking for a better way to get more burn time out of my charcoal.  I have a 150 gallon tank type RF smoker, using a charcoal / wood box (20" wide, 14" long, 16" deep) in the firebox (see pic).  I start off with 20# of Kingsford blue bag in the box, I light about 20 coals in my chimney on my propane burner, then pour them out on top of the unlit, spread them out evenly and once they get going good , I close up the firebox door, open the intakes up until I get above 275, then start backing everything down to dial it in to about 250 for the cook.  I also use oak and mesquite sticks about every half hour or so, on top of the coals once they get going good for smoke and heat.  With this minion method, I get a good 4 hours out of the coals before they are burned out, then I am relying on keeping oak and mesquite on the fire to heat the pit, keep in mind I'm heating alot more space than a WSM or a Kamado, so my method may be the best route for me to go.  I have intakes on either side of my firebox, with the door being in the rear, so my question is if I used some kind of cylinder or ring in the middle of my unlit to keep a hole, then poured the lit into it, pulled the cylinder out, would I get a better burn time out of my 20#?  The lit would burn out towards the O2.  Might be worth a try for a longer burn time.....






	

		
			
		

		
	
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## mattchew71 (Jun 20, 2012)

It is fair to say the more oxygen the hotter the burn and thus why the fire would spread towards the fan. Those sides of the 'hot' coals would be hottest and explain how the heat works towards the fan.

Do you run into trouble when the middle section of the coals gets fired up? I assume the minion method was used because it gives an even growth of coals. It seems your method would grow hottest when the widest part of the 'non lit' coals are heated up. Does that make sense? Or does the fan take care of that?


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## newmexicosmoke (Jun 20, 2012)

Hello, gents,

This is off topic, but I can't find a thread for this yet.

I notice in the picture that the smoker is setting on a wood deck; possible fire?

I found a goodie at Lowes or Home Depot called a Hardebacker cement board, used for laying cement.

It RESEMBLES asbestos, but is legal and safe. It is fireproof and absorbs stains. Comes in a 3 X 5 ft sheet for $5.

I have one under every one of my smokers.


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## rtbbq2 (Jun 20, 2012)

Great idea. I see them at Menards and I think I've seen them at Home depot. Great idea to keep from burning the house down..


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## bama bbq (Jun 21, 2012)

Bruno...many use a can with both ends cut out as the cylinder you describe.

Newmexico...I use grill mats under my smoker and grill for the fire prevention plan.  Others use a garage drip pan like you plan under cars, hot water heater pans, etc.  Sounds like you've found another  cost effective idea.


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## ahakohda (Jun 25, 2012)

I just got back from summer cabin vacation where I put some heavy use on my new WSM18 rigged with auber controller. I used your method along with minion and both were working flawlessly.

Auber kept temperature at desired 225F in both cases.


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## lght (Jun 25, 2012)

So you didn't see any variation in how fast / slow or the completeness in which they burned?    I usually do a 4-5 day fishing / camping trip yearly and this will be the first year i'm taking my WSM so i'll be trying out both methods as well.


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## ahakohda (Jun 26, 2012)

My main point was to bring it to and to keep at desired temperature and how Auber helps to recover after opening top cover or door.

 It did take longer with Pro-q stacker mounted and next time when I use stacker I'll use more burning coals in the beginning.

I got no knowledge in how Auber operates but it seems it does some calculating based on how fast smoker temp goes up and adjusts fan accordingly.


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## lght (Jun 27, 2012)

Ohh yeah you really need more coals when you put your stacker on.  I learned that the hard way the first time I used mine.


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## newmexicosmoke (Jun 27, 2012)

Hello all,

I started a new thread for the mats so please post other alternatives.


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## bhawkins (Jan 11, 2013)

Bruno, here is a link that I found on you tube that might interest you. This guy uses a charcoal basket set up with dividers much like the A-Maze-N, so the charcoal burns in longer line fashion. He claims to burn for 6-8 hours at 250 on about 10# of charcoal.


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## bruno994 (Jan 11, 2013)

BHawkins said:


> Bruno, here is a link that I found on you tube that might interest you. This guy uses a charcoal basket set up with dividers much like the A-Maze-N, so the charcoal burns in longer line fashion. He claims to burn for 6-8 hours at 250 on about 10# of charcoal



Thanks for the post, Gator Pit (which is what he has in the video) in Houston offers this as an addition to your pit purchase.  Great idea for patio pits (20 x 40 or so), not so sure about bigger rigs like mine, especially my fuel hog RF.  I have some steel at work that I have been meaning to make the dividers with and plan on trying it sometime, just haven't yet.  Simple to make and will one day.  The S style baskets also are a big hit with the vertical smokers as well, with that style being easily insulated, they can get 8+ hours on a load of coal in a basket.  Once again, thanks for the post.


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## papagrizz (Jan 12, 2013)

BHawkins said:


> Bruno, here is a link that I found on you tube that might interest you. This guy uses a charcoal basket set up with dividers much like the A-Maze-N, so the charcoal burns in longer line fashion. He claims to burn for 6-8 hours at 250 on about 10# of charcoal.



Very Interesting thread, and I may be out of line here, but I have had 20 hour smokes in my UDS using the minion method.

Here is how I set it up:













1.jpg



__ papagrizz
__ Feb 13, 2012






Works for me!....


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## jerseydrew (Jan 13, 2013)

Guru and Minion method works fine for me in my WSM. i have noticed that selection of fuel makes more of a difference then setup. the kingsford blue is fine for relatively short cooks but has a lot of non combustable material so if you have a lot of fuel on a long smoke the ash will block air from flowing well. this can be combated with a welding glove and just moving the coals around a little so the ash falls ( don't go nuts cause you will stir the ash up into food). i like royal oak but it burns too fast. i also like the Wicked good weekend warrior briquettes but they can get costly.


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## veritas456 (Jan 14, 2013)

What's happening is that there is a "Delay" caused by all the unlit coals being in the way of the incoming air. So instead of the coals burning fast with the rush of air, the coals are taking longer to heat up. The automatic controller will then have a easier time setting the temperature because of the lack of "spikes" in temperature. 

The controller seen in the picture is an inexpensive model. Does anyone know how it compares to the more expensive Stoker or DigiQue?


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## wneill20 (Jan 15, 2013)

LGHT said:


> Interesting setup.  I have a wsm and stocker and I typically do the minion method, but last time I used it I had 18 slabs cooking so I needed a lot more coals than I would normally use.  I noticed a bunch of coals on the left and right side didn't get lit at all although the coals closest to the fan where almost all burnt through.  I think I had to rack around the coals from the side toward the middle about half way through.  I normally keep the 2 vents without the fan wide open, but I may try your way to see what happens.
> 
> I would think the air from the fan would be almost entirely blocked off because of the coals in front of it.  Do you notice if the coals burn slower or faster putting the lit ones on the opposite side of the fan?


Not to change the subject but how do you like the IQ 110? i just ordered one for my UDS


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