Newbie Questions

[Scotte]

Hi guys, just asking some questions. What charcoal are you guy using? I am about 12 hours in (about time to add the ribs) and I realized the BBQ Guru fan was at a 100% and the temp was slowly declining. I pulled everything off and see that there were only a couple of pieces of charcoal left. (Started with a full basket) I added more and now im back up to temp. I thought these were supposed to hold charcoal for a really long time...

Also is there any easy way to add wood chips without removing everything including the heat deflector once everything is going?

Have any of you found a way to mount the BBQ Guru mount??

[tony b]

First off, Welcome to the Obsession.

Not sure what you're using for fuel, and at what temp you set the Guru, but you shouldn't have run out of a full basket of charcoal in a 12 hour cook?? I like to set the fan damper on the Guru fan to 50%, the KK will still draw air in even when the fan isn't running. 

I'm currently using Rockwood. My old favorite - Wicked Good Charcoal's Weekend Warrior, is very hard to find anymore. Depending on what's available near you - Royal Oak lump (not briquettes) is generally available and is decent stuff. Some folks on here like Fogo, but I didn't like it - HUGE pieces in the bag (too big), it sparks like crazy during lighting, and is very hard to light. Check out the Naked Whiz's database for charcoal.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

No easy way to add wood chips once you're up and going. (Side question - are you using the big ceramic heat deflector? Most of us, including Dennis, don't use it. It just adds to your heat up time and makes adding wood even more difficult. Most of us use either a drip pan or just aluminum foil on the lower grate, with no difference in cooking outcomes.) Best choices for smoking wood over a long period of time - a modified cast iron dutch oven as a smoker pot, or Dennis' cold smoker attachment. Oh, and use wood chunks, not chips, as chips burn up too fast (and don't even think that soaking them in water works - it doesn't! Wrapping them in foil will prolong their burn, but you still won't get a long smoke production.)

I just set the Guru controller, in it's rack, next to the KK. The flat metal piece with the holes/slots in it can be bent into an exaggerated L shape so it sits up. Slide the controller into the angled slots on the top end and viola - you have a stand so you can monitor the temps from afar. 

[MacKenzie]

Tony, you pretty much have the questions answered. I was surprised to ready that the basket was nearly empty but I bet that heat diffuser is partially responsible for that, just as you mentioned. 

Scotte, not sure how full your lump basket was but you can put a heap on it for a long cook if you like, really fill it up.

[Scotte]

I used the charcoal that was included. Like 3 of the big pieces and filled the rest up with big green egg lump. It was completely full. 

[Scotte]

I think I cooked the ribs too long, they weren’t as tender as I would have liked but did taste but the Boston butt was spectacular 

[5698k]

If they weren’t tender, they were likely under cooked. What was your time and temp?


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[Steve M]

If you're cooking in the 225-250 range, you shouldn't have run out of charcoal. I use a cyberQ and have cooked a couple of days easily at low temps. I would make sure top vent isn't open too much; it really only needs to be open an eighth of a turn or so with the guru running.

[Scotte]

I was at 275 and it definitely ran out 

[5698k]

At 275°, 4 hrs is plenty for ribs, I actually like a little less.

You shouldn’t have run out of fuel, something is up. Could to post more details? Type of coal, exactly how much you started with, how you lit, and maintained temp, vent settings...all this makes a difference.


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[DennisLinkletter]

There are actually brands of charcoal made out of less than hard wood. A 20 lb bag of my coffee wood charcoal would be about half way full.   I bought a 20 lb bag once that was completely full.   What this meant is that in volume you have quite a bit of charcoal, but in weight you have very little..   Think about the difference between charcoal made our of a soft wood like pine or a hard wood like mesquite or oak.  The difference in density can be almost twice. This is the reason traditionally charcoal for grilling is hardwood charcoal. My coconut charcoal is so dense you can put 16 lbs into a 23" grill's basket.  You may have only put in a few lbs.  Charcoal all produces similar BTU's by weight but by volume drastically different amounts.

[tony b]

Here's a picture of the "bend test" for ribs. You pick up the rack by the end and let it flex. If the meat starts to crack between the bones, it's done.