Just realized arranging charcoal in a ring keeps my smoker hot for hours

I've been messing up overnight cooks for ages because my smoker would always cool down too fast. My briskets came out tough, and I'd end up frustrated, wasting good meat. I tried stuffing more charcoal in, but it just burned up quick, and I'd have to get up to check it. Then, I saw this pitmaster on a video talking about the minion method, where you make a circle of unlit coals and put a few lit ones in the middle. I got distracted thinking about how simple it sounded, but I decided to test it last night. Sure enough, the heat stayed steady, and I slept the whole night without worrying. Woke up to a brisket that was tender and ready right on schedule. It's a small win, but now I feel way more confident for my next big cook.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera16h ago

You SLEPT the whole night with it running?

lauraking14h ago

Aren't you concerned about safety or battery life? My cousin left a space heater on overnight and woke up to a melted cord. That stuff really worries me. Even with phones, I've had apps run all night and kill the battery by morning. So what were you using, and how do you avoid those problems? It just seems risky to me.