Minion method explanation

[benzy4010]

Ok so I'm new to smoking and have a wsm. I've seen several different examples of the minion method. Some seem to create a small hop in the middle of the charcoal and dump the hot coals into the hole and let it burn from the middle out. The other example I have seen is where the basket is filled without a hole in the center and the hot coals are just dumped and spread all along the top of the unlit coals. Which is the minion method and I even on the right track here? My last few smokes I've had a hard time keeping my smoker low enough to cook low and slow my smoker seems to want to run hot. Any tips would be appreciated.


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[ubnserved]

My last few smokes I've had a hard time keeping my smoker low enough to cook low and slow my smoker seems to want to run hot. Any tips would be appreciated.


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Close the vents. To cook at a lower temperature you need to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire. If your vents are closed all the way and still to high of a temp use foil to block any other places air is flowing in and get a better smoker.

 

[casonso1]

Put 100 unlit coals in your fire basket. light 8-10 coals and put spread out over the top. Open your exhaust all the way and controll your heat with the intake. This works for me on my UDS and my weber kettle and with 100 coals going I can get about 12 hrs or longer at 225. wait to put the meat on until the coals have heated up enough that they stop putting off all the gray smoke and you start getting clear smoke.

 

[BrewerBear]

Close the vents. To cook at a lower temperature you need to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire. If your vents are closed all the way and still to high of a temp use foil to block any other places air is flowing in and get a better smoker.

He has a Weber Smokey Mountain so quality is not the issue.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

You can also try the tin can method. Cut the bottom out of a coffee can light enough coals to fill it,place the can in the smoker and fill the ring with charcoal,when coals are ready pour them in the can and use a pair of pliers to lift the can out. I have found with my Weber it is easier to keep temps low by lighting less coals up front(some people turn the chimney starter upside down and use that little of charcoal)I usually only light half a chimney.I fill the ring so it has plenty of fuel to keep going because you can shut it down at the end of the cook and reuse whats leftover.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I read up on the minion method, and the other ways before smoking with mine the first time. I just started half filling the chimney, throw it on top of the gas side burner of my grill and turned it onto medium low until the charcoal is burning on its own, turn it off and let it keep lighting until i see flame above the level of the charcoal. I do not bother to get them fully lit then throw them on top and button up the WSM. It is nice getting a full 18-20 hours out of one basket filling (Kingsford Competition).

In my head the Minion Method is basically defined as leaving unlit coals and allowing the lit coals to light the unlit ones as needed. As a result I think any of the above methods count.