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

When you love the concept of low-and-slow barbecue however do not personal a devoted smoker, you have in all probability run into a typical drawback: Making an attempt to smoke meat on a normal charcoal grill is a ache. The temperature fluctuates wildly, the smoke ranges are inconsistent, and you need to tinker continually, lifting the lid, adjusting the vents, and fussing with the fireplace to maintain issues within the appropriate zone—for hours. It is not my thought of a enjoyable yard cooking mission.

The excellent news? There’s a greater means. Utilizing one of many smartest charcoal methods on the market—the charcoal snake technique—you may remodel a fundamental 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” technique, the snake setup has lengthy been well-liked amongst barbecue fanatics. I first encountered it by way of Morgan Bolling, barbecue knowledgeable and government editor at Cook dinner’s Nation journal. Since then, I’ve used it numerous instances once I developed recipes for cookbooks at America’s Check Kitchen, and I proceed to make use of it immediately as a result of it really works, particularly for giant, 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 high. 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 entire cook dinner time required on your recipe:

• For brisket (8 to 9 hours of smoke): Construct the snake about six-eighths of the best way across the grill, utilizing a two-briquette-wide, two-briquette-high configuration. You may 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 best way 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 begin the cook dinner, first mild a chimney starter crammed a 3rd of the best way 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 new 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, with no need to raise the lid or refuel each hour. The spaced-out wooden chunks ignite as the fireplace crawls ahead, delivering a sluggish, regular stream of smoke as your meat cooks gently above.

Why It is So Efficient

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

You may solely must intervene in particular instances—like when smoking a big minimize similar to brisket, which must be wrapped partway by way of cooking. At that time, it’s possible you’ll must refresh the charcoal to increase the cook dinner time.

The snake setup tends to run a bit hotter than some smoking purists would possibly desire, peaking nearer to 325°F than the traditional 225–250°F smoker vary. However after testing side-by-side with historically smoked briskets, I can inform you: the distinction is negligible. The ultimate consequence 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 scale back any spikes, I like to recommend putting a big disposable aluminum pan full of water within the heart of the grill, instantly under your meat. This straightforward step acts like a thermal stabilizer: The water absorbs extra warmth, helps clean out fluctuations, and even catches dripping fats to stop flare-ups. Consider it like a baking stone in your oven—solely wetter, and extra scrumptious.

What to Cook dinner With the Snake Methodology

The snake technique is good for any recipe that advantages from sluggish, mild 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 Alternate options

If the snake technique feels too finicky or time-consuming to arrange (although it solely takes about 10 to fifteen minutes), take into account attempting Joshua Bousel’s charcoal grill smoking technique, which is less complicated and would not require stacking or counting briquettes. The trade-off? You may want to observe the fireplace extra intently and refuel extra typically.

Both means, you do not want a flowery rig or skilled pitmaster setup to make wonderful barbecue at house. With the suitable technique, you may let your grill do the heavy lifting.