How to light briquettes for a "longer" cook?

chrisc133

Have a question for you guys...

I just picked up 160 lbs of premium briquettes on clearance and I'm thinking about testing them out this weekend for a rib cook. How do you guys recommend lighting these up?  I usually light my lump with a mapp torch the center of my pile of lump, throw in my heat deflector and I'm good to go. 

Do I need to light these using my chimney?  Or Can I light them in a similar manner to lump with the mapp torch? 

Thanks in advance. 

nolaegghead

There is no difference.  Light as if it were lump.

chrisc133

Thanks @nolaegghead

Lit

Google minion method there is a huge difference. Also search for the snake method on weber virtual bullet or bretherens. Guys get their kettles to run 6-8 hours using these methods.

nolaegghead

That minion method is for leaky smokers like the WSM.  They use it for lump too.  The egg is very sealed and you can slow it down with the vents better.

nolaegghead

I'm assuming you're using a kamado....

Focker

That minion method is no different than the way you light your egg.  Light in one or two locations of unlit lump, catch temp and adjust air when approaching target temp.  

Airflow, which you can easily control on both, does not matter. 

@nola, have you ever used a WSM?  
Or, is this yet another occasion, where you act like an expert without any actual experience. 

Mine, my brother's two, and friend's, all seal tight at all seams, including the door, and do not leak.

By design, more air is moving through the WSM.   

Lighting a small amount of briquettes in a chimney with one firestarter, then placing on unlit briquettes is much easier, and it creates a more even burn.  And by using a chimney, you can control the amount of lit to add in different weather conditions.  Cold, windy days requiring more prelit coals to start due to it's material, than airflow.  I've used my WSM successfully in well beyond subzero conditions here in the Midwest Winters.  If it is soooo leaky, how can I do it?

Even though I haven't tried it, one could light a pile of unlit briquettes in the WSM in one or two places at each end by one of the three draft vents, and do the same thing.   

Lit

The snake method is very different where they line the briquettes all the way around then just light one end. Is there no benefit to that either? 

gdenby

AFAIK, lighting is not an issue.

The main problem w. briquettes in my experience is that they produce too much ash. A couple of times I could not find any lump, and so tried various brands of "natural" briquettes, which use a corn starch binder. For a relatively short cook like ribs, they were OK, but overnight failed. The ash build up was enough to stop the airflow.

And the clean up was a bigger than average hassle.

Focker

Lit said:

The snake method is very different where they line the briquettes all the way around then just light one end. Is there no benefit to that either? 

@lit,
I know.  That works great for maintaining low end hot smoking temps(150-200s) consistently for longer periods.  It's a much smaller fire, burning slower, longer.

Lit

Focker said:

Lit said:

The snake method is very different where they line the briquettes all the way around then just light one end. Is there no benefit to that either? 

@lit,
I know.  That works great for maintaining low end hot smoking temps(150-200s) consistently for longer periods.  It's a much smaller fire, burning slower, longer.

What's the one where they put a coffee can in the middle with the lit coals in it then surround the can? Thought that was the minion method but guess I was wrong. I have seen people posting about maintaining 250 in kettles with the snake method.

Focker

Lit said:

Focker said:

Lit said:

The snake method is very different where they line the briquettes all the way around then just light one end. Is there no benefit to that either? 

@lit,
I know.  That works great for maintaining low end hot smoking temps(150-200s) consistently for longer periods.  It's a much smaller fire, burning slower, longer.

What's the one where they put a coffee can in the middle with the lit coals in it then surround the can? Thought that was the minion method but guess I was wrong. I have seen people posting about maintaining 250 in kettles with the snake method.

My brother does that, and your're right, it's referred to as the Minion.  All the MM implies is that you are taking a pile of unlit coals, adding a small amount of lit, and catching your desired target temp on the way up.

Snake method is for low end hot smoking 150s-low to mid 200s.
You start with just a few lit coals, much less than a Minion startup, with a snake about 3 or 4 briquettes in diameter, layer in wood chips.
Above that, it's a glorified Minion, no matter how you shape the coals IMHO.
  

Hungry Joe

I know this is off topic but does anyone know how many BTU's are in a pound of lump compared to briquettes?

I guess I should mention I am asking because I can't really see any good reason for using briquettes in an egg or a weber. Maybe the OP got a good deal BTU wise? 


FWIW, not trying to start an argument because I've seen this debate before. I'm just wondering if there is a dollar advantage at a given price point.

nolaegghead

@Focker - I've used them before, had plenty of smokers.  I'm not an expert on them by any stretch of the imagination.

My point is there's no difference in loading and lighting charcoal just because one is natural and the other is pressed into briquettes.  If anything, the lump takes a little thought in how the pieces touch and the fire front travels between them.  The briquettes are uniform and will touch each other like marbles in a fishbowl.

SmokeyPitt

AFAIK, lighting is not an issue.

The main problem w. briquettes in my experience is that they produce too much ash. A couple of times I could not find any lump, and so tried various brands of "natural" briquettes, which use a corn starch binder. For a relatively short cook like ribs, they were OK, but overnight failed. The ash build up was enough to stop the airflow.

And the clean up was a bigger than average hassle.

I was going to say the same thing...ash production on the egg could be an issue.  On the WSM or a kettle they have a much bigger charcoal grate than can handle the ash.  If you are trying to do really long cook the ash build up could be the problem.  

chrisc133

@nolaegghead yes I am using a kamado. 

I know  there will be more ash--but I'm using a high que, so shouldn't be a big deal. Since I just bought 160 lbs of this stuff I want to test it out and see how it works for me. 

nolaegghead

I've burned a lot of briquettes.  They're fine for low and slows.  I have the high que also.  They don't get as hot.   I've never had ash problems with the low and slows.  Burning hot, the ash can have an impact and you might have to stir it.

Theophan

I've never used briquettes in my Eggs, but the only difference for me between lighting the lump on a low and slow or a hot and fast is that I light it in multiple places for a hot and fast, but only one place for a low and slow.