On 14-Feb-2005, "Dana H. Myers" > wrote:

> A while back, I wrote something like:
>
> > So I added a simple baffle to my NBS a while back and
> > have done several cooks since, and I must say, what a
> > difference.

<snip>

>
> Since then, I've been working on longer cooks, 6+ hours
> for pork shoulders, stuff like that. I've updated my
> technique a little.
>
> For longer cooks, I'll load as much as 3 chimney-loads
> in the firebox, dump the lit lump into the center, then
> place a couple of good-sized chunks-o-lump on top. I give
> the smoker 15 minutes to settle down and put the meat in.
>
> The smoker will come up to 250-275 pretty easily this
> way and stay in that range with about one damper adjustment/hour.
> I haven't gone all-night with this yet, but I'll add a couple of
> decent-sized chunks when the damper requires more than hourly
> adjustment; usually this is around the 5-hour mark the first
> time, then subsequently more often.
>
> I suppose if I was going 7+ hours a lot, I'd work with moving
> the hot lumps to the center and reloading around the perimeter,
> this ought to get me back to a 5-hour fueling interval.
> Something to work on this spring, I suppose.
>
> Cheers,
> Dana


Good information Dana. I benefitted a lot from your post about the minion
(like)
fire. My chimney is extended down to the grill, but I have yet to stuff a
pie tin
in there. Don't know why I've procastinating on that. Great description of
the
effect the pie plate made in yours. (For those that don't understand what
the
pie tin, (baffle) is for, it limits the amount of direct radiant heat that
gets into
the cook chamber. ) The unmodified model is notoriously bad about that. I
don't worry much about extending burn time much further. My pit is about
ten feet from my sliding door and in direct view from inside the house. I
just
let it go until I see the temp starting to drop on the big NBS thermometer
in
the lid. Then I add about a chimney's worth of lump directly from a three
gallon bucket. Most everything I cook is done in 7 hours or less. Briskets
are about the only exception. They take only 8 to 9 hours. (Cooking at an
indicated 250° to 275°.)

Brick (Keep the shiny side up)

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