# recurring charcoal problem



## reannalynne (Mar 17, 2018)

This happens whether I use lump or briquettes, and I don't know what to do to stop it. I light a chimney, and by the time it's ashed over, the bottom later is all ash/gone. If I don't wait quite that long, the charcoal is on fire and STAYS on fire in my smoker. If I am attempting the minion method (either by layering the hot coals over the unlit OR by creating a cavity in the middle) it ends up lighting them all almost immediately. I just spent 20 minutes taking out coals that were lit and extinguishing them and moving the hot ones all to one side and putting fresh unlit ones on the other side. They aren't all lighting, now, but the temp doesn't want to drop from ~290. There are a few leaks in the smoker than need to be fixed, but I just can't seem to find a sweet spot at all. I am using a Broil King Vertical charcoal smoker. Any advice??


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## normanaj (Mar 17, 2018)

What kind of smoker do you have?And what brand of charcoal?

I've been using the minion method(cavity in the middle) with Royal Oak briquettes on my WSM and have found that adjusting the vents will prevent the issue that you are having,its kind of a trial and error thing but once you get it right you should be all set.


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## gmc2003 (Mar 17, 2018)

Are you lighting a full chimney? If using my WSM I only start about 6 to 10 coals or quarter of a chimney(for me). I use Weber starter cubes or oiled paper to start the chimney. I don't wait for them to be completely ashed over just mostly started. If I see a flame I'll blow it out or put something over the top of the chimney to snuff out the flame. When I put them in the WSM charcoal ring I have a dimple or a bare spot in the middle of the ring and place the lit coals there. Hope this helps, and isn't confusing. 

Chris


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## Geebs (Mar 17, 2018)

I have a WSM. I wait until the top coals are getting white and the dump them into a dig out pocket of coals, the minion method. There is usually some ash from the bottom coals in the chimney being burnt up. Once I have dumped the coals I put the middle layer of the smoker on for about 5-10 min and then put the lid on and then start adjusting the vents to get where I need them to be. It sounds like yours is getting to much oxygen if they are staying lit in the bottom of the chamber, have you tried restricting Air flow by closing down the bottom vents till they are barely open?


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## Geebs (Mar 17, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Are you lighting a full chimney? If using my WSM I only start about 6 to 10 coals or quarter of a chimney(for me). I use Weber starter cubes or oiled paper to start the chimney. I don't wait for them to be completely ashed over just mostly started. If I see a flame I'll blow it out or put something over the top of the chimney to snuff out the flame. When I put them in the WSM charcoal ring I have a dimple or a bare spot in the middle of the ring and place the lit coals there. Hope this helps, and isn't confusing.
> 
> Chris



Agree with Chris, I also only use about 1/4 to half a chimney, and mine is the smaller Weber chimney.


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## reannalynne (Mar 17, 2018)

I have a broil king vertical charcoal smoker. I have used stubbs, royal oak, kingsford professional, and a few other brands I don't remember.  I am only lighting about half of a chimney.  I have the bottom vents closed almost completely now and it seems to be stabilizing, but my meat is already up higher than i expected it to be because it wouldn't drop temp. I'm hoping it levels out. This is a much smaller cut than I generally use, also I usually end up making pork and this is beef, so maybe that's part of my issue., just not used to smoking the meat I have?


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## gmc2003 (Mar 17, 2018)

Reanna, before adding your meat get your smoker temp stabilized first. So if you shooting for 250* get the smoker temp to hold steady at 255 to 260 before adding your meat. The smoker temp will drop when you add the meat. Then check the smoker temp in 15 min to a half hour to make sure it's holding temp(adj. bottom vents if necessary). You should be good to go. 

Chris


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## reannalynne (Mar 17, 2018)

Well, it's too late for changes now, so we'll see how this turns out and fingers crossed it levels out a bit and is at least edible. I'm going to attempt it again in a few weeks, gotta grab another roast, brine it, etc.


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## hb99 (Mar 17, 2018)

That's pretty hot.  Definitely sounds like you;re starting off with too many lit coals and too much airflow.

I have a WSM.  I open 2 of my vents all the way (my DigiQ adapter is in the 3rd vent) until the temp gets to 200F then I close them all down and let the DigiQ take over.

I drilled holes all over the larger section (for airflow) and use no more than 10 briquettes in the SMALL end.

I also wired in a screen with 1/4" openings to keep the small stuff from falling through.  It really comes in handy when I pull the unlit chunks out afterwards and use them for the next chimney.


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## Geebs (Mar 17, 2018)

I got a second grate that crosses the original grate to also keep the small charcoal from falling through. I don’t normally put my meant on until my WSM has been running for a good  45min to anhour. This ensures that I can keep a temp before I throw anything on.


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## gmc2003 (Mar 17, 2018)

Geebs said:


> I got a second grate that crosses the original grate to also keep the small charcoal from falling through. I don’t normally put my meant on until my WSM has been running for a good kidney 45-hour. This ensures that I can keep a temp before I throw anything on.



Geebs this has to be a typo(fat finger) good kidney 45hrs? Or am I not seeing/reading something correctly.:D

Chris


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## reannalynne (Mar 17, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Geebs this has to be a typo(fat finger) good kidney 45hrs? Or am I not seeing/reading something correctly.:D
> 
> Chris


I think he meant steady 45min - hour.


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## Geebs (Mar 17, 2018)

Yes, that is what I meant haha. This website and my autocorrect don’t work well together.


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## SonnyE (Mar 17, 2018)

I use a gas grill, and an electric smoker.
So I'm about as helpful as boobs on a boar.

But I can soft shoe....


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## reannalynne (Mar 17, 2018)

Well I think it finally plateaued. I planned on pulling at 160*, it's been sitting steady at 159* for a while now.


ETA: I pulled it. My coals burnt up. We'll see how it tastes. I took a bite warm and it was yummy, letting it cool now. We'll see, fingers crossed! 

Planning on trying again in a few weeks.


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## Geebs (Mar 17, 2018)

What did you cook?


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## reannalynne (Mar 17, 2018)

Geebs said:


> What did you cook?



First attempt at pastrami and used a small-sh sirloin tip roast. Brined for 11 days, then smoked it for ~4 hours to 160*.


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## noboundaries (Mar 17, 2018)

The old recommendation about waiting until the briquettes are ashed over is a holdout from the grill days. A half chimney is about 60 briquettes. Unless you're smoking poultry and need a high temp, that's WAY too many, even if you're using the lightweight Kingsford briquettes. 

Once upon a time, when I used only Kingsford and first started smoking, I used a quarter of a large chimney of hot briquettes for 225F, half for 250F, 3/4 for 275F, and a full chimney for 300F+.  That's what I added to my cold briquette/wood pile in my WSM.  I dumped the chimney when I saw the lower briquettes ashing out the bottom of the chimney.  By playing with my vents during warmup, I could catch the temp where I wanted it, but there were times it got away from me.  Basically I was adding too much heat and hot fuel to the heat, fuel, and air triangle. 

Then I switched to the 25% denser Royal Oak Ridge briquette. When I'm aiming for 225F, I use no more than 8-10 hot briquettes in the small chimney, and usually load them when the edges are merely ashed, but there's still black left.  That hot load goes in a dimple in the middle of my cold briquette/wood chunk pile.  I set my vents as if it is already at 225F and go do something for an hour to an hour and a half.  By then the chamber will have come up to temp, I have blue smoke, and can quickly load the meat. 

It's all part of the learning process.  What I described above is what I do today. Next year, I may do something different. Just find what works for you and don't be afraid to experiment. It's all about heat, fuel, and air, the fire triangle. You can play with any one, two, or three of those to get the result you want.


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## Geebs (Mar 17, 2018)

Nice input noboundries. I have a small chimney so my 1/4 to half is about 10-20 briquettes. And I agree I don’t wait until the top are completely ashed because by then the bottom coals aren’t past where i want them. Definitely took me a few smokes to get this figured out, takes time as many things with smoking does.


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## chopsaw (Mar 17, 2018)

Side light method on a WSM works really good . Not sure how your smoker is set up . Dirtsailor   has the idea and the thread on it .  https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...hod-for-charcoal-smokers.257071/#post_1677800


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## workedtheworld (Mar 18, 2018)

Loss of charcoal while starting a chimney has bothered me also. I have begun heating my briquettes with a propane torch while they are in the smoker. They take a little longer to get going but all the heat goes to my smoker. I do have a horizontal smoker, not a vertical.


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