The Lazy—however Sensible—Option to Smoke Meat on a Charcoal Grill

When you love the thought of low-and-slow barbecue however do not personal a devoted smoker, you’ve got in all probability run into a typical drawback: Attempting to smoke meat on a regular charcoal grill is a ache. The temperature fluctuates wildly, the smoke ranges are inconsistent, and it’s important to tinker consistently, lifting the lid, adjusting the vents, and fussing with the fireplace to maintain issues within the right zone—for hours. It isn’t my thought of a enjoyable yard cooking challenge.

The excellent news? There’s a greater method. Utilizing one of many smartest charcoal strategies on the market—the charcoal snake methodology—you may remodel a primary kettle grill (like the usual 22-inch Weber) right into a surprisingly efficient, hands-off smoker that holds a gentle temperature for hours, with virtually no effort.

Also called the “C-ring” or “fuse” methodology, the snake setup has lengthy been fashionable amongst barbecue fanatics. I first encountered it via Morgan Bolling, barbecue professional and government editor at Cook dinner’s Nation journal. Since then, I’ve used it numerous occasions once I developed recipes for cookbooks at America’s Take a look at Kitchen, and I proceed to make use of it right this moment as a result of it really works, particularly for large, daring, slow-cooked cuts like brisket, pork shoulder, or complete chickens.

How the Charcoal Snake Works

The setup is easy, however ingenious. Begin by lining the within fringe of your charcoal grill with two barely overlapping rows of briquettes, forming a semicircle across the perimeter. Then stack a second layer on prime. Nestle chunks of wooden for smoking at intervals alongside the row—these will ignite step by step because the charcoal burns. The size of the snake and the variety of briquettes you employ depend upon the overall cook dinner time required on your recipe:

• For brisket (8 to 9 hours of smoke): Construct the snake about six-eighths of the way in which across the grill, utilizing a two-briquette-wide, two-briquette-high configuration. You will additionally want to increase the cooking time by including extra coals to the ring as soon as the brisket hits 180°F.
• For pork butt (6 to 7 hours): Lengthen the snake about two-thirds of the way in which across the grill. Plan for roughly 60 briquettes per layer.
• For ribs (4 to five hours): A half-ring snake across the grill perimeter is sufficient, utilizing about 40 briquettes per layer.

To start out the cook dinner, first mild a chimney starter crammed a 3rd of the way in which with charcoal briquettes (about 2 quarts of coals whole). Piling the briquettes on one aspect of the chimney helps to get them burning. As soon as lit, pour the recent coals on one finish of the “snake” to ignite it. The briquettes burn slowly, with the fireplace step by step spreading alongside the size of the ring whereas sustaining a comparatively low, constant warmth (normally within the 250–350°F vary) for six hours or extra, while not having to raise the lid or refuel each hour. The spaced-out wooden chunks ignite as the fireplace crawls ahead, delivering a gradual, regular stream of smoke as your meat cooks gently above.

Why It is So Efficient

The snake methodology’s brilliance lies in its capacity to take care of the specified cooking temperature and stage of smoke constantly and effectively, requiring minimal tending. As soon as it is arrange, you may confidently stroll away for hours. 

You will solely have to intervene in particular circumstances—like when smoking a big reduce equivalent to brisket, which must be wrapped partway via cooking. At that time, you might have to refresh the charcoal to increase the cook dinner time.

The snake setup tends to run a bit hotter than some smoking purists may desire, peaking nearer to 325°F than the basic 225–250°F smoker vary. However after testing side-by-side with historically smoked briskets, I can let you know: the distinction is negligible. The ultimate outcome nonetheless delivers all of the smoky depth, strong bark texture, and tenderness you need, with the bonus of a shorter cooking time.

Maintain It Regular With a Water Pan

To assist regulate temperature and cut back any spikes, I like to recommend inserting a big disposable aluminum pan stuffed with water within the heart of the grill, immediately beneath your meat. This easy step acts like a thermal stabilizer: The water absorbs extra warmth, helps easy out fluctuations, and even catches dripping fats to forestall flare-ups. Consider it like a baking stone in your oven—solely wetter, and extra scrumptious.

What to Cook dinner With the Snake Technique

The snake methodology is right for any recipe that advantages from gradual, light warmth and smoke. Attempt it with:

Texas-Type Brisket: Our information walks you thru the method step-by-step, utilizing this very approach.

Smoked Pork Shoulder or Pulled Pork: The low warmth retains the meat juicy whereas constructing unimaginable bark.

Spatchcocked or Entire Rooster: Light smoking retains the hen moist, with a fantastically crisp pores and skin.

Smoked Ribs: Child backs or spare ribs work nice right here; simply plan for five to six hours of whole cooking time.

A Be aware on Options

If the snake methodology feels too finicky or time-consuming to arrange (although it solely takes about 10 to fifteen minutes), think about making an attempt Joshua Bousel’s charcoal grill smoking methodology, which is less complicated and does not require stacking or counting briquettes. The trade-off? You will want to observe the fireplace extra intently and refuel extra usually.

Both method, you do not want a elaborate rig or skilled pitmaster setup to make glorious barbecue at residence. With the appropriate methodology, you may let your grill do the heavy lifting.