What's in your BBQ 2019?

[Otto Von Blotto]

Not really sure mate, I just put however many in to fill the basket. With briquettes it was probably about 30+ in the basket and maybe 15-20 in the chimney starter. With lumpwood charcoal it's a lesser amount because the pieces are bigger than briquettes. Maybe 20 in the basket and 7-8 in the chimney starter. Bear in mind my smoker is pretty big spanning around 500mm diameter and 1200 high; the diameter of the basket is probably around 400mm or a bit bigger and it's around 100mm deep, so it does take a bit to fill it.  

This maintained a temp of around 230-250 F on the inbuilt thermometer. It could have been lowered by closing a vent or two but I wasn't too worried. Without the water bowl it would have skyrocketed though. 

[Beerlust]

10 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Not really sure mate, I just put however many in to fill the basket. With briquettes it was probably about 30+ in the basket and maybe 15-20 in the chimney starter. With lumpwood charcoal it's a lesser amount because the pieces are bigger than briquettes. Maybe 20 in the basket and 7-8 in the chimney starter. Bear in mind my smoker is pretty big spanning around 500mm diameter and 1200 high; the diameter of the basket is probably around 400mm or a bit bigger and it's around 100mm deep, so it does take a bit to fill it.  

This maintained a temp of around 230-250 F on the inbuilt thermometer. It could have been lowered by closing a vent or two but I wasn't too worried. Without the water bowl it would have skyrocketed though. 

If you're covering the entire base with briquettes, where are you sitting the water tray? The reason I ask is because when I did my first cook with the smoker I tried using the water tray. It is almost the same diameter as the outer wall of the smoker housing. It seemed to pretty much block any heat from rising up to the meat, at least that was what the fitted temp gauge read. So I tried it on a higher shelf, but to no avail. Then it was a PITA to remove. The second cook I didn't use it at all & everything seemed to go a lot smoother.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Otto Von Blotto]

It sits above the charcoal basket. I've attached a picture of my unit, it doesn't show the inside but will help me explain it. I had the top section the wrong way around but anyway

The water bowl in mine has about a 20mm clearance around the entire thing between it and the wall of the smoker, maybe a little more (I haven't measured it). It has no trouble maintaining heat to the cooking grills. If I take it out the temperature goes up way too high. 

So, the charcoal basket is obviously in the section with the legs, it sits on the screws holding the legs in place so the charcoal itself is slightly above the air vents. The section directly above that is where the water bowl sits. It's positioned on little "lugs" near the top of the section. 

I wouldn't use it without the water bowl unless I was just doing a roast like I would in an oven. It keeps the meat from drying out too much given it just sits on a rack rather than in a tray, and is cooked for a much longer period of time.

 

 

[Beerlust]

Thanks mate. 

The info from your last two posts has been very helpful. Your bullet smoker is almost identical to mine with size & layout etc. For yours to hold temp with the water bowl in place tells me I likely haven't been loading up with enough charcoal in my first two cooks.

In my head atm, I'm still not convinced about the heat that will be hitting the meat with that giant water bowl in place given what happened the first time. I've also decided against trying the snake method & will give the minion method another go but with much more charcoal this time. I reckon I'll add the wood chips & allow it to smoke the meat first, then add the water bowl for the rest of the cook.

I'll have to start this cook around midnight Saturday so that it is ready for eating around midday Sunday. Fingers crossed I get it right.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'd put the water bowl in from the start. If you don't it will cook too hot, too quickly and also create a hard bark too early, preventing a lot of the smoke uptake. 

When I light the charcoal I use 6 of those redheads firefighters under the chimney starter to really get it going up through the whole thing to get all pieces lit, at least somewhat. The top ones only partially burn but it's enough. Once it all goes into the basket and starts spreading to the unlit charcoal in there, it's on its way. 

I used to find that if I simply did a load in the starter then put that in and did another load to get it going, I was forever doing more loads to maintain the temperature. I ended up using just as much charcoal as I do now, except it was much more of a pain in the arse. I'm happy with the minion method, just be sure to give it 10-15 minutes to come up to temperature after adding the lit charcoal, and make sure all vents bottom and top are fully open. 

I'm doing a brew day/bbq day next Saturday, I'll take some pictures of the charcoal prep if you like.

[joolbag]

 

12 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I use 6 of those redheads firefighters 

I like these too Kelsey, but I'm finding the red head ones are rare these days. I've been having more success with the brown and blonde-haired firefighters. They seem to struggle less too 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Fkn autocorrect!

[Beerlust]

1 hour ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I'd put the water bowl in from the start. If you don't it will cook too hot, too quickly and also create a hard bark too early, preventing a lot of the smoke uptake. 

When I light the charcoal I use 6 of those redheads firefighters under the chimney starter to really get it going up through the whole thing to get all pieces lit, at least somewhat. The top ones only partially burn but it's enough. Once it all goes into the basket and starts spreading to the unlit charcoal in there, it's on its way. 

I used to find that if I simply did a load in the starter then put that in and did another load to get it going, I was forever doing more loads to maintain the temperature. I ended up using just as much charcoal as I do now, except it was much more of a pain in the arse. I'm happy with the minion method, just be sure to give it 10-15 minutes to come up to temperature after adding the lit charcoal, and make sure all vents bottom and top are fully open. 

I'm doing a brew day/bbq day next Saturday, I'll take some pictures of the charcoal prep if you like.

Everything you've said suggests to me that I haven't been using enough charcoal to start with. That won't be a problem this time around I can assure you.  My chimney starter process was fine last cook so I'm not worried about that side of things.

I'm still a little concerned with this giant water bowl blocking a lot of the heat. I'll take a couple of pics of it in the smoker when I get home & post them so you can see what I mean. I probably wasn't generating enough heat under it the first time I used it which could be the reason why the temp dropped right off? 

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Otto Von Blotto]

That's why I went to this minion method, got sick and tired of constantly lighting and loading more charcoal, wasting firelighters (not firefighters ). So I thought I'd try it and it works really well. 

It does sound like you haven't been starting with enough charcoal. With this method I only need one load in the starter as it obviously lights the other stuff in the basket once added. 

[joolbag]

Hey @Beerlust I've been reading your posts and Kelsey's replies and wanted to be on a PC with some time up my sleeve before posting.

 

For this cook I echo what Kelsey said and do a minion method with that charcoal basket set to overflowing mode.  That bullet style smoker is very efficient on fuel if it is set up correctly and I have friends who cook for 10-12 hours at low temps (225-250F) without any need to refill the basket.  Disclaimer: I do not own a bullet smoker, but have a Weber kettle and an offset smoker (charcoal or timber in the firebox).  I feel I have learnt enough from smoking in my two barbecues that the same methods apply to a bullet smoker.

 

Water pan - use it and keep it full.  I fill it with boiling water from a kettle just before I add charcoal and the meat.  The water is a heat buffer and retains heat as well as providing moisture.  Keep it topped up and don't let it run dry unless you want fluctuating temps or a dry, case-hardened piece of meat.  It won't prevent heat from reaching the meat at all as water and steam will rise onto your cooking surface.

 

Are you using a temperature probe ON the grill grate?  I have a digital wireless thermometer and it tests the temp at the grill plate and also in the cut of meat.  Worthwhile investment.  I don't even look at the temperature dials on the hood as they are not a reflection of the heat where it matters (the cooking surface).

 

Vents - i like to keep the top vent 1/2 to fully open.  adjust the oxygen intake using the bottom vent only.  once you get it right with minion method, it is set and forget and your temps (at the grill plate) should not fluctuate over the course of the cook.  Perhaps the occasional adjustment, but should be a fine adjust.

 

The snake method works extremely well too, but I think for this cook keep it simple and go minion and work on heat management and smoke management.  Pls report back how you go!  PErhaps snake method next cook (and I have a lot to say about that too and use it almost exclusively now).

 

Jools

[Otto Von Blotto]

I do that with the water too. The bowl is huge so it takes about 6 or 7 kettles to fill it sufficiently that it doesn't require attention for the whole cook, and even that's not totally full. Sometimes I have to top it up near the end. I don't mind if it runs dry at the end though as it helps harden the bark a bit using dry heat for a short period. It's probably not the way to do it but it works and the meat doesn't dry out.

[Beerlust]

Hi Joolbag.

6 hours ago, joolbag said:

...Water pan - use it and keep it full.  I fill it with boiling water from a kettle just before I add charcoal and the meat.  The water is a heat buffer and retains heat as well as providing moisture.  Keep it topped up and don't let it run dry unless you want fluctuating temps or a dry, case-hardened piece of meat.  It won't prevent heat from reaching the meat at all as water and steam will rise onto your cooking surface.

Yeah...so I thought on my first cook. I had a good steady 110-115°C inside the smoker before I added in the water tray full of boiled water. After adding that water bowl the temp plummeted. Am I to assume that you actually produce a higher temp with the charcoal & use the water bowl to regulate it down from that temp? If so, does anyone know a good internal temp your smoker should be at prior to adding the water bowl, or does it even matter with such a large water bowl? 

6 hours ago, joolbag said:

...Are you using a temperature probe ON the grill grate?  I have a digital wireless thermometer and it tests the temp at the grill plate and also in the cut of meat.  Worthwhile investment.  I don't even look at the temperature dials on the hood as they are not a reflection of the heat where it matters (the cooking surface).

I use a digital handheld meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat during the cook. I've always been a very good judge of visually telling when the meat is cooked to my liking & never needed to monitor temperatures. This style of cooking is different though & I agree it is necessary to know the temperatures of the meat over an intended long cook.

6 hours ago, joolbag said:

...Vents - i like to keep the top vent 1/2 to fully open.  adjust the oxygen intake using the bottom vent only.  once you get it right with minion method, it is set and forget and your temps (at the grill plate) should not fluctuate over the course of the cook.  Perhaps the occasional adjustment, but should be a fine adjust.

Yep. I've watched quite a few YouTube videos on this & one guy in particular I've been following keeps the top vent completely open, & once his temp is where he wants it, he would close the bottom vent to within a pencil width & pretty much leave it there.

6 hours ago, joolbag said:

...The snake method works extremely well too, but I think for this cook keep it simple and go minion and work on heat management and smoke management.  Pls report back how you go!  PErhaps snake method next cook (and I have a lot to say about that too and use it almost exclusively now).

They seem to use this method for offset smoking & within the confines of my smallish diameter bullet smoker having to leave a gap in the middle I don't think I'd be able to do as long a cook as what I've seen in Webers etc. that appear to have a wider diameter more capable of longer cooks with this method. Minion it is for longer cooks. Down the track I might try a snake formation for a shorter cook with something like chicken perhaps. It'd probably work really well & be quite economical I reckon.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated Joolbag. 

Cheers,

Lusty. 

[joolbag]

Anytime @Beerlust. It's nice to repay the favour after almost 3 years brewing and on the forum. Good luck with the cook!

 

I recommend don't over think the temps when adding the boiling water to the pan. Fill it with as many kettles of water as u need while your charcoal chimney lights. Dump it in and it shouldn't take long to regulate (10-15mins?). Then set those vents and walk away. If you have the time and desire, you could do a "blank" cook to see how you well can maintain temps, no meat

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, I don't even have the smoker fully set up while the water bowl is being filled. I start filling it, after a couple of kettle loads I light the charcoal, by the time that's ready the water bowl is also ready. Then it's simply tip the lit charcoal in, fit the stacker with the water bowl, fit the stacker with the cooking grill, and fit the lid, then wait for it to reach temperature. 

I wouldn't have any idea what it would be sitting at without the water bowl in there but it would be well over 200C. Way too hot. I haven't found a need to adjust the vents so far, I just leave them all open and it holds where I want it. 

[Beers Gone Wild]

Some great methods discussed. I don’t use hot water, I like cold at start.

With my bullet smoker, I minion, fill the bowl with water from the outside tap, pop it in, then throw my meat in, a hour or so before I hit the the ideal internal temp I take the water bowl out. Barks her up nicely.

Running cooler at start seems to get more smoke into the meat for me, I also put meat in straight from fridge.

They say when the outside of meat hits 170f it stops absorbing smoke. Not sure if that’s a fact or .... 

[Otto Von Blotto]

I've thought about trying that, might give it a go next time. If I remember rightly with mine, 6 kettles of water boils dry in there at just the time I'd be thinking about removing the bowl to get the bark nicely done. I noticed it when it happened last time because the temperature suddenly spiked, but in that instance I added a bit more water.

[Beerlust]

13 hours ago, Beers Gone Wild said:

...They say when the outside of meat hits 170f it stops absorbing smoke. Not sure if that’s a fact or .... 

I'm not sure about the exact temp it stops absorbing smoke, but there is a truth about it. I was told to use a simple handful of soaked wood chips early in the cook while the meat is still tender on the raw side & that's all you need. Adding wood chips throughout the entire cook is a waste of time & money as the meat will stop absorbing at a certain point.

I believe that, as the meats I've done so far have had terrific flavour from that one simple handful added early in the cook.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I usually add more than one lot at the start but I do stop adding smoking chips/pellets after about 2-3 hours. I figure after that time it's probably not gonna do much. 

[joolbag]

I love the smell of the woodchunks smoking away, plus the whole theatre of adding them in.  I generally stop once the temp reaches 160F internal.  I often wrap my cooks at this point so there is no point in adding more wood.  unless you want smokey foil/paper!

 

I use chunks and the hickory ones from BBQ galore were good value when I used to buy them.  For my offset I bought 100kg of ironbark and split it into firebox size sticks.  I ran some of these sticks through the drop saw so I have chunks for the weber.  I did the same with some oak from a locally felled tree.  If you have landscaper friends or orchards nearby, get some branch prunings from them.  I got crab apple and cherry.  It's always good to check if they spray their trees though, and when they last sprayed.

[Beer Baron]

30 minutes ago, joolbag said:

I often wrap my cooks at this point so there is no point in adding more wood.  unless you want smokey foil/paper!

Unfortunately with my Traeger it smokes to whole time

[Beer Baron]

Beef ribs!!! 

Sitting at 80 degrees so they still have a fair bit of cooking to do

[joolbag]

Looking good so far Beer Baron! I find my beef ribs take bang on 8 hours to be probe tender. So forgiving to cook and oh so rich!

 

I need to source some Cape Grim and do it again soon

[Beer Baron]

1 hour ago, joolbag said:

Looking good so far Beer Baron! I find my beef ribs take bang on 8 hours to be probe tender. So forgiving to cook and oh so rich!

 

I need to source some Cape Grim and do it again soon

These took pretty much 8 hours but the quality wasn’t as good as my last ribs which were Cape Grim. Good but not knew buckling great

Edited March 28, 2019 by Beer Baron

[joolbag]

i've found the meat quality to make a huge difference in my cooks.  I used to but Cape Byron from Australian MEat Emporium in Alexandria.  The shop is great, the price is often good but quality is questionable.  So I try to buy Cape Grim for my low n slow from now on.  Harder because my local Harris Farm don't stock CG.  Sigh

[Beerlust]

For the good stuff, go to your local butcher. If they're any good they'll get hold of the best cuts of the meats you require then trim, size, & shape it to what you want.

My local butcher is terrific. This Sunday I'm smoking what is effectively a scotch fillet roast he prepared for me. It has a perfect thickness layer of fat on the topside that should breakdown through the meat over a long cook. It's approx. 2.5kgs & cost me approx. $43. Absolute bargain.

He also prepped a piece of pork belly & scored & separated the rind I had planned to smoke as well, but the dimensions are a little different so probably won't cook to the same timeframe & rate etc. so have decided to freeze it & cook another time.

Will post some pics before & after the cook day.

Cheers,

Lusty.