Please Explain "Sweeping The Ashes To The Center"

[xdm525]

I think I must be missing the point. I the Smokenator is in place, there is a metal wall on all sides of it, either the body of the kettle grill, or the wall of the Smokenator itself. I can see how I can move coals and ash around within this space using the poker that is supplied with the product, but I do not understand how to get ash to the center of the grill as so many of you tell us to do, unless by the center of the grill, you really mean the center of the Smokenator as it sits in the grill. Otherwise, the center of the grill is blocked by the Smokenator, and the only way to move ash to it is to remove the Smokenator. That can't be right. In regard to ash, all I've been able to do is get some of it to fall through the bottom vents when I stick the metal poker up the vent holes, but that is not sweeping. Can anyone clarify?

[ncsmoker]

xdm you use the sweep arm of the grill to sweep the ashes out of the grill. You only need to do this after 4 hours on long cooks, you need to open the bottom vents while you do this and then close them to where you had them. You use the metal stick to knock the ashes off the coals and push the hot coals up against the black coals every hour.

Hope this makes sense and please ask if you have any more questions on this.

Tom

[xdm525]

Thanks for the reply Tom. I hope you don't find my ignorance frustrating, but, what is the sweep arm? I've had this Weber since 1996, so maybe they weren't including that part back then?

[ncsmoker]

No problem xdm there are not stupid questions on the forum, we are here to help new people to the forum.

I am guessing that you have the Weber silver with the ash pan underneath. Above that you should have a metal arm that is attached to three sweeps in the kettle that sweep the ashes through the vents into the ash pan. If you don't have these they have some how broken off and you need a new Weber, even my 1978 Weber had them. I highly recommend the Gold series. Easy to control the lower vents for temp control as well as a great ash can to catch them.

Good luck and let me know if you find them.

Tom

[whiskeycharlie]

xdm,

Do you have three round vents in the bottom of your kettle? If yes, then you won't have an arm to sweep with. No problem; if one vent gets covered with ash, you can open another to compensate. I smoked a lot of pork and poultry on one of those three-vents-on-the-bottom kettles. Good cookers!

Respectfully submitted,
Whiskey Charlie

[ncsmoker]

xdm, following up this is the one touch system that Weber has been using for many years now at least 2000. Don't know when they started exactly but it shows what I am talking about. Whiskey Charlie has a good point also.

www.weber.com/grills/series/original-kettle/original-kettle-22

Tom

[xdm525]

Thanks Whiskey. You've identified my grill. It does not have the one touch system that is in the link provided by Tom.

So, under this scenario, if I want to make a pulled pork can I get away with compensating for the ash clogged vent under the Smokenator by opening the other two vents wider. Otherwise, I'm imagining I'll have to wrap my meat in foil, disassemble everything, get the ash cleaned the way I usually do it by turning the whole grill upside down, and then just start the process over again with fresh charcoal.

[whiskeycharlie]

Bingo, just compensate with the other two vents.

WC

[xdm525]

OK guys, I'm cooking the butt now. I've had a stall going for about 6 hours now (156 F.). Worse still, I cannot keep the temperature up at 225. I've knocked the ashes off numerous times, I have all of the vents wide open, and finally I removed the water pan. Temp went up to 226, but briefly, and then began dropping again. Lots of ash has fallen through the one vent under the SN, but I'm pretty sure the temp problem is because there is now a tremendous ash buildup from all the charcoal I've used over the past 12 hours. I'm warming the inside oven to 350, and I'm ready to just put the butt on a rack in a roasting pan with some water at the bottom, tent with foil, and just try to finish it off that way.

[ncsmoker]

Hi xdm after smoking your butt for six hours or more it is fine to put it in the oven wrapped in heavy duty foil with a little moisture. No need for the rack just foil and a pan.

Now to the next question how big of a butt did you smoke? I did a 7.7lb. one on NY day and it took 9 hours perfect timing for between the two semi-final championship games.LOL My stall lasted about 2 hrs at 160 the stall lasts various amounts of time due to weight of meat ant temp of grill. Let's trouble shoot a bit, what was the weight of your butt? Did you have the SN full of coals and did you start it with 12 lit coals? My outdoor temp was in the 40's so was able to keep the kettle in the 225-250 range though it took a while to get to 225. What was your outside temp and winds like? How open was your upper vent?

I know a lot of questions, just trying to help you out. People love my pulled pork. LOL

Let me know if you have any questions, I would like to help you make good bbq.

Happy smoking !

Tom

[xdm525]

Hi Tom,

First of all, the oven idea did work fine. To your questions:

The butt was a little over five pounds.
I started with the SN as full as I could get it (stacking like bricks on the thin ends)
I started with twelve lit coals.
Outside temperature was about freezing when I started at 0545, then through the day, it warmed to the low 50's.
I started with the upper vent open about 1/3 to half. Lower vents were maybe one third open. For the first four to five hours, everything went fine. Temps were 220 to 230.

I'm leaning toward ash buildup under the coal support grate as the culprit. Even though I was able to keep the vents clear, the ash built up to the extent that it was piling up above the coal support grate, so the bottom coals were probably getting smothered. As the day wore on into seven, eight nine hours into the cook, it was impossible to get the temperature much above 200, and that was only for a short while. I got a good look at it today in full daylight before I cleaned out the ash, and it was just totally stuffed with it. This seems to me to be why the stall was so long. meat temp actually dropped from 162 to 154 during this time.

My thinking is that for anything like ribs, I can make this grill with SN work, but for a butt, I'm going to have to upgrade to the one touch version of Weber 22.5" to manage the ash build-up. otherwise, I'll have to stop in the middle of the process, and remove all ash, then resume with a clean kettle.

[ncsmoker]

Hi xdm,

I think you have hit the nail on the head. A build up of ash blocking the vent will definitely cause problems. For shorter cooks you should be fine with the Weber you have. But for longer smokes you'll either need to wrap the meat in foil and clean out the ash or buy a one-touch system as you suggest. I love my Gold series as it comes with the hinged grate, which makes it easy to stir the coals and add wood chunks and coals when you need to. It also now has a thermometer in the lid.

What ever step you take good luck on your decision and Happy Smoking. Just think if you get a new grill you can smoke on it and do veggies or other sides on your current one.

Tom

[whiskeycharlie]

Hey guys,

What about charcoal? I've been using Kingsford competition briquettes (red bag) and they definitely produce less ash than Kingsford regular (blue bag). That might be something to try...

Whiskey Charlie

[ncsmoker]

Hi wiskeycharlie, I agree that Kingsford competition would be a short term solution for xdm but when you look at the cost of it to regular Kingsford it is very expensive. Competition has less fillers and is made differently than regular Kingsford resulting in less ash. Looking at cost you can get double bags of regular Kingsford on sale for $9.95 in the spring and fall, I normally get 16 double bags each time. Competition costs as I recall and you can correct me WC, 12lb bag $18, it has been while since I bought any so my costs may be off.

I have no problem with ash with my one-touch Gold as I just sweep it out as the instruction that came with the SN recommend after 3-4 hours.

Have fun smoking no matter which type you use.

Tom

[xdm525]

Hi guys,

I have been using blue bag Kingsford. I've found one touch systems for under $80 here in the Sacramento area on Craig's List, so that seems to be the only logical thing to do. If the pork butt had been terrible, I could have just blown it off. However, not only did I like it, my wife loved it. End of story, so I'll buy one. Over and out.