drewed
Meat Mopper
Expanded from above. These are not my photos, I've swiped them from a google search.
The Minion Method says to pour unlit coals in the ring and pour a chimney of hot coals on top. As the hot coals burn out the new coals fire up. The Minion method is much better at keeping the temp steady because it lights new coals as the old ones burn out. A modification to this is to light the coal with a torch stuck through one of the lower vents.
A modified Minion Method is called the Donut. Get a medium sized bag of briquettes. Fill a Weber chimney half way (40 coals), light them, and wait until they are all coated with white ash. The exact number of coals will vary depending on the brand you use and the weather. Fill the ring with unlit coals into the fire ring, and dig a hole in the center all the way down and about 8" wide forming a charcoal donut. Bury 3 to 4 chunks of wood in the donut at different distances from the center. Then pour the hot coals into the hole. The hot coals begin to burn out after a while but as they do, they ignite the coals near them and the new coals ignite the coals near them so the fire moves from the center to the edges.
I prefer the FUSE method for the 22.5 WSM because this unit tends to run hotter than the smaller units (especially when new) and the fuse helps me keep the temp down. Create a donut as above as in the modified Minion but don’t make a full circle. Leave about 8" empty so it is a big C shape. Try to leave the empty space under your thermometer if you have it stuck into the side of the WSM. IF you really want to steady the temps, you could but bricks or a big stone in the middle to absorb the heat and radiate it back, but make sure that they are fully dry. I wouldn't want to have a stone explode from steam pressure in my WSM! Light the end of the FUSE with a weber paraffin cube or two.
The Minion Method says to pour unlit coals in the ring and pour a chimney of hot coals on top. As the hot coals burn out the new coals fire up. The Minion method is much better at keeping the temp steady because it lights new coals as the old ones burn out. A modification to this is to light the coal with a torch stuck through one of the lower vents.
A modified Minion Method is called the Donut. Get a medium sized bag of briquettes. Fill a Weber chimney half way (40 coals), light them, and wait until they are all coated with white ash. The exact number of coals will vary depending on the brand you use and the weather. Fill the ring with unlit coals into the fire ring, and dig a hole in the center all the way down and about 8" wide forming a charcoal donut. Bury 3 to 4 chunks of wood in the donut at different distances from the center. Then pour the hot coals into the hole. The hot coals begin to burn out after a while but as they do, they ignite the coals near them and the new coals ignite the coals near them so the fire moves from the center to the edges.
I prefer the FUSE method for the 22.5 WSM because this unit tends to run hotter than the smaller units (especially when new) and the fuse helps me keep the temp down. Create a donut as above as in the modified Minion but don’t make a full circle. Leave about 8" empty so it is a big C shape. Try to leave the empty space under your thermometer if you have it stuck into the side of the WSM. IF you really want to steady the temps, you could but bricks or a big stone in the middle to absorb the heat and radiate it back, but make sure that they are fully dry. I wouldn't want to have a stone explode from steam pressure in my WSM! Light the end of the FUSE with a weber paraffin cube or two.