A few questions from a newb just starting his second season! if you don't mind
After good results with ribs and pulled pork last year. I am going to do my first brisket on my kettle tomorrow morning. Its rubbed and sat in the fridge.
I have a small amount of restaurant grade lump left from last summer (all the big bits gone) and some heat beads that have just arrived. Can anyone advise if I can do a minion using just heat beads? or should I use my remaining lump and a half chimney of lit beads. I know people on here say to put lump in as unlit fuel to avoid the tainting by accelerants and bindings, but all the american sites say good quality briquettes are fine. and i hear heat beads are the best we can get over here.
Also I find it extremely difficult to light anything less than half a chimney of beads in my! and a full one is a waste. Last year I found my temps too high, i think because i put too many lit coals in to start with. Any tips?
Heat Beads are fine from what i understand, i've not used them for low & slow cooking but i know a lot of other teams use them and don't seem to have any issues.
With lighting heat beads make sure they're spread across the mesh inside your chimney starter and you should be able to get a handfull going normally this will take a couple of fire lighters, if you're still struggling to get the fire going pour a little oil on as this will get it going.
I have a mixture of the larger pieces of my remaining Lumpwwod, heat beads from last cook and some heat beads straight out of the chimney, and 3 pieces of applewood.
Found a piece of lump the diameter of my thigh. good stuff the restaurant grade from Makro
heat beads lit fine houw you said. see if I can get temp to 275 f, that will be a challenge!
When finishing a bag, try not to pour the dust into the chimmney or the charcoal basket. It delays the heating of the Heatbeads or lumpwood.
Don't think it would be any probs with mixing the charcoals in the chimmney or basket at all. If your'e attempting a long cook you need to place 4 headtbeads to the basket every hour after two hours.
Good point by swindon Ed.
I don't want to tell you how to suck egg's but, have you shut all the vents. Last resort, shut the top off and when at temp open top back up.
bottom vent open about a millimeter. top vent fully open. steady at about 280f now. totally closed the bottom vent now and will leave it at that for an hour see how it goes.
but nice smoke comming off it.