Smoking on a kettle: snake vs 2 zone.

[WhiskerBiscuit]

I used the snake method for my first two smokes and while it worked, I was wondering if it even made a difference. With a traditional 2 zone, shouldn’t you be able get the same results just by controlling the vents?

And now that I think about it, with a 2 zone you have multiple options. You can use a chimney and start all of the coals, or you can put a pile of unlit and some starter coals on top.

The only differences between the three setups that I can see is that the snake might be more consistent to control versus the zone where you have easier access to the fuel pile. With a snake you always have the same number of coals lit (once the initial starter coals burn out). A pile of lot coals will behave differently than a pile of unlit with starters on top.

I’m curious as to people’s opinion who have tried both (or three) methods

 

[gmc2003]

I use both it just depends on what I'm smoking on the kettle and what temp I'm shooting for. For ribs, poultry and shorter cooks I like to use the charcoal baskets because they match the heat and time I need to cook them at. For brisket and butts the longer cooks I use the snake. It last's a whole lot longer and the temps are more stable. Just my two cents.

Chris

 

[krj]

The definitely have their advantages, but it mostly comes down to the cook times like gmc said. With shorter cooks the dual zone works well, longer definitely go with the snake. I've personally tend to stick with the snake in the past.