Snake Method

Just Tripp

Just Tripp

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I saw this Weber smoking method mentioned in another thread and looked it up. I’m too cheap to buy a real smoker, and I’m just not that dedicated to grilling to justify the cost - but I do have a Weber. And the weather is the nicest here it’s been in quite some time. 62 degrees this morning! I asked the wife to buy an extra BB last week at the grocery store so I could give this a try. Thought the boy and I could make a learning experience out of it. Well, he’s still sawing logs (16 yo) so maybe we’ll review our progress when he deigns to grace us with his company later 🤷🏻‍♂️. We were off and running at a little before 6 this morning, and after a little more than an hour the temp is a tad high at just over 300 degrees. I have cracked the top vent down to about 1/3 closed, and I’ll check it in a little while. Trying to make small adjustments so as not to knock the temp too far down. We’ll see!
5FE18CC1-EF03-48D6-AC1F-0717AC768C08.jpegBefore I lit.
42B5EEF8-3EB9-4239-9646-22D48F7DF80F.jpeg
Just over an hour cooking.
 
Looks good. I've found out you can "set" tour temp by the amount of charcoal in the snake. I don't use quite as much as you have but you should be able to adjust with the vents.

Also, I only use the wood at the first of the snake. Once the meat develops a bark, it won't absorb any more smoke. That's my thinking anyway.

Please keep us updated and let us know how it turns out. Never mind, I know it will turn out great. This stuff isn't as hard as a lot of people think.
 
Geezer said:
Looks good. I've found out you can "set" tour temp by the amount of charcoal in the snake. I don't use quite as much as you have but you should be able to adjust with the vents.

Also, I only use the wood at the first of the snake. Once the meat develops a bark, it won't absorb any more smoke. That's my thinking anyway.

Please keep us updated and let us know how it turns out. Never mind, I know it will turn out great. This stuff isn't as hard as a lot of people think.
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Thanks, Larry. I was concerned I wouldn’t have enough briquettes to keep up and I did two layers, two wide. Next time may just do one layer of two with a layer of one wide on top. Two hours in and I got the temp right around 300. I’ll keep watching it, but I am afraid to shut the vents down too much.
 
Just Tripp said:
Next time may just do one layer of two with a layer of one wide on top.
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This is what I normally do. This is your first rodeo, you'll figure it out. The snake makes low and slow a breeze with a Weber.
 
Keep posting pics.can’t wait to see the end result
 
90913A87-22DA-4131-9489-84BAA868B690.jpegShredded and chopped, ready for consumption when the other fixins are done. Rice and green beans are cooking.

As @Geezer said, it wasn’t as hard as I expected. Going forward I’ll do this again and probably try some different rubs to see what we like. I definitely learned a lesson or two with heat control. Everything still turned out fine, even for a novice-at-best grilled like myself 😄.

All in all the snake method is a winner by my estimation!
 
Just Tripp said:
View attachment 510548Shredded and chopped, ready for consumption when the other fixins are done. Rice and green beans are cooking.

As @Geezer said, it wasn’t as hard as I expected. Going forward I’ll do this again and probably try some different rubs to see what we like. I definitely learned a lesson or two with heat control. Everything still turned out fine, even for a novice-at-best grilled like myself 😄.

All in all the snake method is a winner by my estimation!
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Yeah, it's not that hard and most of the things you cook are pretty forgiving. I enjoy cooking with charcoal and especially a long cook like you just did. Another cook or two with the snake and you'll have it down. You'll learn where to keep the vents to give a pretty constant temp.

When I keep an eye on it and regulate the temperature, I feel like I was a part of the cook. That's why I have no interest in the pellet cookers. Just set it and forget it. Oh, yes, they turn out some good food but I wouldn't feel like I was a part of it.

My nephew has a pellet cooker and he'll put a butt or some ribs on it, set the temp, walk away and come back when the internal temp is where he wants it. His cooks are always very good but, it's just too easy. That's the opinion of an old man, your opinion may vary.
 
I have a friend who has done some great cooking on his Traeger, and I’ve always been impressed at how hands-off it seems. I just can’t justify the cost when I want too many other guns for the money 😀.

The intimidating part for me was the fact that I had a hand in it! I envisioned smoking on a Weber involving constant temperature checking and having to add charcoal all day long. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I checked the temp for the first couple hours on the kettle and didn’t do much else after that til I started checking internal temp on the butt after about 6 hours. Had plenty of time to mess around the house and be with my son, make lunch, watch a movie with him. Definitely easier than expected!
 
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Just Tripp said:
I have a friend who has done some great cooking on his Traeger, and I’ve always been impressed at how hands-off it seems. I just can’t justify the cost when I want too many other guns for the money 😀.

The intimidating part for me was the fact that I had a hand in it! I envisioned smoking on a Weber involving constant temperature checking and having to add charcoal all day long. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I checked the temp for the first couple hours on the kettle and didn’t do much else after that til I started checking internal temp on the butt after about 6 hours. Had plenty of time to mess around the house and be with my son, make lunch, watch a movie with him. Definitely easier than expected!
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What internal temp did you get?
 
That looks good. I've seen a lot of posts about using the snake method but I haven't tried it. As popular as it has become I'm surprised nobody has started a debate about which is better, the clockwise snake or the counterclockwise snake. 🙂
 
Pack72 said:
That looks good. I've seen a lot of posts about using the snake method but I haven't tried it. As popular as it has become I'm surprised nobody has started a debate about which is better, the clockwise snake or the counterclockwise snake. 🙂
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Lol. I went clockwise, if it makes any difference.
 
Pack72 said:
That looks good. I've seen a lot of posts about using the snake method but I haven't tried it. As popular as it has become I'm surprised nobody has started a debate about which is better, the clockwise snake or the counterclockwise snake. 🙂
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Depends on where you are cooking, Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
 
Just Tripp said:
I have a friend who has done some great cooking on his Traeger, and I’ve always been impressed at how hands-off it seems. I just can’t justify the cost when I want too many other guns for the money 😀.
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I have a traeger, and it is overpriced for what it is. My next one will be a pit boss or something like that. But when the pellet quit feeding it will become a charcoal and wood smoker for a few more years to come. I like using lump coal, cowboy brand
 
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