The Lazy—however Good—Technique to Smoke Meat on a Charcoal Grill

In case you love the thought of low-and-slow barbecue however do not personal a devoted smoker, you have most likely run into a standard drawback: Attempting 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 always, lifting the lid, adjusting the vents, and fussing with the fireplace to maintain issues within the appropriate zone—for hours. It isn’t my thought of a enjoyable yard cooking mission.

The excellent news? There’s a greater approach. 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 gradual temperature for hours, with virtually no effort.

Often known as the “C-ring” or “fuse” technique, the snake setup has lengthy been in style amongst barbecue fans. I first encountered it via Morgan Bolling, barbecue skilled 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 large, daring, slow-cooked cuts like brisket, pork shoulder, or entire 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 rely upon the whole prepare dinner time required in 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 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 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 begin the prepare dinner, first gentle a chimney starter stuffed a 3rd of the way in which with charcoal briquettes (about 2 quarts of coals complete). 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 (often within the 250–350°F vary) for six hours or extra, with no need to elevate 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 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 may solely must intervene in particular instances—like when smoking a big lower equivalent to brisket, which must be wrapped partway via cooking. At that time, it’s possible you’ll must refresh the charcoal to increase the prepare dinner time.

The snake setup tends to run a bit hotter than some smoking purists may want, 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 let you know: 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 inserting a big disposable aluminum pan stuffed with water within the heart of the grill, straight beneath your meat. This easy 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 Technique

The snake technique is good for any recipe that advantages from sluggish, mild warmth and smoke. Strive it with:

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

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

Spatchcocked or Entire Rooster: Mild smoking retains the fowl 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 complete cooking time.

A Word on Alternate options

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

Both approach, you do not want a elaborate rig or skilled pitmaster setup to make wonderful barbecue at residence. With the precise technique, you may let your grill do the heavy lifting.