Minimax won't burn long

EggHeadinFlorida

tried twice to do a long low (250deg) n slow on the minimax. Fire burned out after 4 hours.

egg was freshly cleaned filled with lump. After the fire went out I saw that the fire literally burnt a donut hole in the lump.  There was plenty of lump left over in the egg but for some reason the fire is just burning directly in the center and it's not radiating outwards. 

YukonRon

What lump were you using?

Lit

Light the outsides?

Canugghead

YukonRon said:

What lump were you using?

I was wondering about that too, centre cut perhaps?

EggHeadinFlorida

The new char broil and cowboy. 

tikigriller

That char broil burns fast for me but I am in a large

NPHuskerFL

Using stock fire grate, KAB or High-Que? 
I usually light mine in one spot (MAPP).
Maybe try what @Lit said.
What is your setup for L&S >>>> PS + Grid, WOO + deflector stone + grid?

AppyEgger

I use several big pieces of Fogo in my small and have been able to easily get 12+ hours out of one load. I mix it with BGE and it works really well.

VB_egger

Hmm, how big are you allowing the initial fire to get?  I had this happen to me once in a low and slow over night cook. I believe it was caused by me not allowing the fire to get hot enough before I added the deflector and closed the lid down. 

YukonRon

The center cut char broil is Birch. It burns a bit too rapid for low and slows. Very easily the problem. Likely burnt too rapid to ignite surrounding charcoal.
I have a mini max too. I can keep a low and slow going 8 hrs, no problem, and still have lump left over. I have gone as far as 13 hours.
As long as you are using char broil, you may wish to try lighting it in a couple of places when you do. Try a couple places on the outside as well.

JustineCaseyFeldown

Try smaller chunks, if yours were larger. 

I found low and slow cooks do better for me with smaller lump. More contact points for the fire to travel 

Mikee

I have done a couple of slower cooks with Char-Broil on the small; roughly 270*. The lump lights easy so I would expect it to ignite neighboring lump during the cook. It was mentioned to light the lump in several spots; I think it's just as easy to light in one spot and then use the ash tool to disperse the hot coals. Once the wood is converted to charcoal, it has the same BTU's per pound whether it's from birch or oak. Granted, not all of the wood is converted to charcoal in the lump making process so it's the unconverted portion that will make the difference in BTU values. Also keep in mind that wood from different species will have a different density. The Char-Boil is lighter in weight then something like oak. That said, filling a given volume (firebowl), means  it will have less BTU's.

Focker

Interesting.

I used CBCC on an overnighter with the small.  Last checked on things rolling smoothly at 260 after 0300, turned in.  Woke up to the same thing around 0800, a donut, straight down burn.  I lit it with the torch in one round spot in that same location on startup.  Internal temp was safe, but I had to stir, and open it up to get her going again.

Toxarch

I've read about the center burn happening on the bigger eggs as well. 

EggHeadinFlorida

About 25 minutes after ignition for searing a steak. No flame or sparks, just a glow of lava 

Mikee

Toxarch said:

I've read about the center burn happening on the bigger eggs as well.

EggHeadinFlorida said:

About 25 minutes after ignition for searing a steak. No flame or sparks, just a glow of lava 

No smoke either. It just burns and radiants heat in a short amount of time. Watched some YouTube videos earlier. The guy was cooking on XX and the smoke was pouring out of the egg.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

Try smaller chunks, if yours were larger. 

I found low and slow cooks do better for me with smaller lump. More contact points for the fire to travel 

That is insane. Everyone knows that smaller lump is inferior to football sized chunks.   

Carolina Q

I don't remember the last time I lit the lump in just one spot. I light it at three spots out near the perimeter and once more in the center. Large or mini egg. Regardless of my target temp, direct or indirect or any other variable. I have never run out of lump, can always maintain the desired temp and I have never had the dreaded vertical burn described here.

I have been told that I'm wasting lump with lo n slo cooks. Maybe so, but I really don't see how. Airflow is airflow and 250° is 250°. Regardless of how many spots are burning. For 250°, your one spot is simply larger than any one of my 4 spots. Until it burns out. Most of my cooks are at 400-ish anyway. I'm on my third or fourth such cook now, with the same load of lump. Always lit in four spots, and there's a ton of lump left!

Perhaps it's the designer lump I have (mostly) used for the past 7 years. Royal Oak.