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How to make sure you don't run out of charcoal.

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davewolfs
davewolfs Posts: 49
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hey folks, I just finished cooking my first Turkey on my new BGE :) I must say that it turned out fantastic. Kept it on for around 4.5 hours and it probably would have been good at 4. Either way, I really look forward to cooking on my new toy very soon.

One thing that I was surprised about was the amount of charcoal that burned during the cook. I filled the firebox pretty much full of charcoal and by the time the cook was done there was nearly no charcoal left.

That being said, when doing a low and slow cook for brisket or pork butt, what do you folks have to do in order to ensure that you don't run out of charcoal?

Any tips are appreciated.

Dave
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  • Crimsongator
    Crimsongator Posts: 5,797
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    I usually fill the lump past the firebox and nearly full into the fire ring. That is plenty of lump for a low and slow and a couple hot sears.
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  • Haggis
    Haggis Posts: 998
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    First, I presume you cooked the turkey at something like 325-350 degrees - that uses far more lump than a long cook at 250 degrees. I think Mad Max mentions in his manual on turkeys that he just barely gets seven hours from a full load of lump.

    If you are really concerned, you can fill up to near the top of the fire ring (above the fire box, that is) so that the lump is almost touching the inverted platesetter. You can also look for more dense lump - check the Whiz's ratings to see what burns longer: For example, Cowboy burns fast, Royal Oak slightly less fast, Wicked Good much slower.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    What temp were you cooking that turkey at?

    An established fire at 250 - once the ceramics are all heated - consumes very little fuel to maintain that temp. Use Gene's advice to fill to the middle of the fire ring and you'll easily get 20+ hours at 250 on one load in a large BGE.

    The best tip is don't open the lid and let the heat out.
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,534
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    also, if you open the lid to baste every 20 minutes per mad max's recipe, you introduce a gush of air and speed up charcoal consumption even more.
    canuckland
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