Charcoal Placement?

[steve]

Okay, being the novice I am, how do you lay out this charcoal in the KKooker?

[ThreeDJ16]

Okay' date=' being the novice I am, how do you lay out this charcoal in the KKooker? [/quote']

Usually I just left a bed of natural lump and dumped this stuff in on top. I never noticed neatly stacking making a difference, but I do use a Guru for low and slow and maybe that helps. If you are starting the fire from the top, might want a few pieced of lump on top too to aid in starting as the CEL is harder to light.

-=Jasen=-

[johnnyboy]

Okay' date=' being the novice I am, how do you lay out this charcoal in the KKooker? [/quote']

Usually I just left a bed of natural lump and dumped this stuff in on top. I never noticed neatly stacking making a difference, but I do use a Guru for low and slow and maybe that helps. If you are starting the fire from the top, might want a few pieced of lump on top too to aid in starting as the CEL is harder to light.

-=Jasen=-

I've always found the most consistency and best results by stacking them like little chimneys. First I shake the old ash, then stack on the remaining pieces.

[Pyro]

I had terrific results by following the Whiz's advice and filling them in as little chimneys. Cleaned out the cooked, put in a single level of ECC with holes us, then put in four wax-like charcoal starters spaced evenly, and then added another layer of ECC on top. Used my torch to light. Lit quickly, got up to temp (450) and maintained temp wonderfully. It take, perhaps, two or three minutes more to stack them than to simply dump them. You will be more than paid back in lighting time, max temp and burn evenness. I could have easily gotten the heat up to 650/700. If this is the second class stuff, I cannot wait to get my hands on the really good stuff.

[johnnyboy]

I've always found the most consistency and best results by stacking them like little chimneys. First I shake the old ash, then stack on the remaining pieces.

Pyro, FYI. Appreciate the comment; however, I'm not the Whiz.

[Pyro]

I've always found the most consistency and best results by stacking them like little chimneys. First I shake the old ash, then stack on the remaining pieces.

Pyro, FYI. Appreciate the comment; however, I'm not the Whiz.

I realize that, none of us has made the commitment to lump charcoal that he has. He also recommended the little chimney method.

[johnnyboy]

Well shucks; here I thought my post had done someone some good.... Sorry... My mistake.

[linuxwrangler]

I've had great luck with the following method. There are several steps. They must be followed in the correct order:

1. Open charcoal container

2. Dump charcoal into the cooker

3. Light

4. Cook

5. Eat

Seriously, I wouldn't obsess about it - of all the things that influence your results, compulsive charcoal-stacking has to be way down on the list. I really load the thing up when I fill it. Every few cooks I stir things up to knock the ash down. I get quite a few cooks between refills and wouldn't you rather be cooking than carefully stacking charcoal bits?

[johnnyboy]

Linuxwrangler, do you have a fan on your kooker??

My point is; for whatever it's worth. Maybe because I don't have a fan; I've had low and slows die overnight when I didn't stack extruded like chimneys.

On the other hand, stacking has never let me down. (I'm expressing low and slows only; high temp fast cooks not a problem to just pile it in).

It's really not difficult to stack like chimneys. Well worth the effort IMHO, and makes for good sleeping. No doubt, I've put more effort into providing advice on this post than I have stacking charcoal.