Low and Slow Question

aquabubba

This is kind of a follow up to my brisket question. When you cook low and slow for like 12 hours how does your charcoal hold up? I have a L and if I were to fill it up to the fire ring how would it do at 250? Would I have to worry about adding carcoal or would it hold up?

vidalia1

You should not have to worry...build the fire with large pieces at the bottom and fill it up to the fire ring top. Add your wood chips for smoke as you build the lump charcoal.

I have cooked for 20+ hours like this and I had enough lump left to do bread & steaks...

stike

filled to the top of the fire ring, you'd go 40 hours easily.

you will not run out of fuel if you fill the firebox entirely, even with faster burning 'Cowboy' lump. 24-30 hours is do-able.

good luck

Grandpas Grub

Reading your post, hopefully you are using Lump and not charcoal. My comments are assuming you are using lump.

vidalia1's post is good advice.

Filling to the top of the fire box (bottom of fire ring) on my large I will enough time to cook a brisket - 18 to 24 hours.

However, I don't like to take chances and I always fill up 1/2 to 3/4 of the fire ring. I can usually have the egg with a steady heat for 24 go 36 hours. I haven't need to cook that long on any cook. After a long cook I can usually restart and have 2 additional cooks.

Make sure you properly light the lump so you will not have a vertical burn and the fire burn out.

The Large egg has plenty of capacity and capibility to offer extremely long cooks without having to refuel. Most all of the eggs will cook long times.

GG

Davekatz

I am constantly amazed by how much lump I have after a low and slow cook. I fill it up to the fire ring and it usually looks to be only about half gone.

Try to level your lump and get rid of any empty spots. It'll burn longer and more evenly that way.


Dave

Unknown

As GG pointed out, make sure you light your charcoal at three differnet locations. I made the mistake of lighting in the center on my first two low and slow to find out that the fire went out in the center with plenty of charcoal left on the edges.

surf_ox

just think this way....the lump has to be touching each other as much as they can in order for one piece to light another....put the pieces in there by hand like youre trying to build a huge piece of lump charcoal (like youre assembling a huge 3D jigsaw puzzle)

also the vent openings







stayed at 250 for 16 hours with these openings on my L BGE

aquabubba

Yes I am using Lump instead of carcoal...newbie just not using the correct term.

Michael B

Charcoal is fine.
Briquets are not.

eenie meenie

Hi Aquabubba,
That's the beauty of the egg.......you don't run out of lump for the entire cook. I always have plenty left over after cooking 14 hours at 230 dome temp.

dougemsmacks

on the naked wiz there is a post on elder ward's how to build a fire and it is very good It is in the pork section, under pulled pork. Use this method as it works well. I have had a fire go out and I don't like throwing food away. As far as times, 12 hours it is easy with an egg and so is 20, build a good fire and it will do the work for you. no re-loading :silly: