Snake Method vs Minion Method for Slow Charcoal Cooks

Close-up of a charcoal grill emitting smoke, showcasing burning coals and outdoor cooking setup.

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Charcoal has one awkward habit for anyone cooking low and slow: it lights, heats up quickly, peaks, and then fades. The Minion method and the snake method are two ways of lighting only part of the fuel so the rest ignites gradually. This guide compares how Weber’s support pages, Weber Australia’s kettle guide, AmazingRibs.com and Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible describe each one, and where their numbers differ.

The Idea Behind Both Methods

AmazingRibs.com’s founder, Meathead, describes the problem plainly: charcoal starts cold, heats rapidly, hits a peak and then slowly cools as the fuel is consumed. The shared solution, he writes, is to put lit coals on top of unlit coals, or beside them, so the ignition of new coals synchronizes with the death of old ones. He flags one drawback: freshly lit coals put out thick white smoke rather than the thin blue smoke that gives the best flavor.

The Minion Method

AmazingRibs.com and Barbecue Bible both say the method is named after Jim Minion; AmazingRibs.com adds that he was a caterer. Weber’s support page gives a version for its Smokey Mountain smoker: fill the charcoal ring with around 2 kg (about 4.4 lb, our conversion) of unlit briquettes, leaving a well in the centre, then add a half or three-quarter chimney of lit briquettes to the well. Wood chunks or chips can go in at the same stage. Weber says this lets the Smokey Mountain smoke for around 8 to 12 hours, and that it also works on its other charcoal grills with shorter cooking times.

AmazingRibs.com’s version uses a full Weber chimney of unlit coals (80 briquettes), buries about three wood chunks in the pile, and adds half a chimney (40 briquettes) of hot coals on top, plus a lump of wood. Meathead notes that exact counts vary with the charcoal brand, the smoker and the weather, and recommends a dry run without food to find your number. AmazingRibs.com also relays a “donut” variation from competition cook Harry Soo: hollow out the centre of a half-full basket of unlit briquettes and pour a half chimney of lit briquettes into the hole. Soo says this gives a slow burn of three to five hours on a 72°F (22°C, our conversion) day.

The Snake Method

Barbecue Bible’s test kitchen director, Steve Nestor, calls the snake a variation of the Minion method, usually run in a Weber kettle: briquettes laid around the edge in a large “C”, one end lit, the fire creeping around the perimeter. AmazingRibs.com files it under the “fuse” method, also known as the C or U method, and shows it in a kettle, a bullet smoker and a Backwoods smoker.

The two Weber sources give slightly different layouts:

  • Weber’s support page describes a 2×2 stack of unlit briquettes along the outer edge, a few lit briquettes at the head of the snake, and smoking chips or small chunks along its first few inches.
  • Weber Australia’s kettle guide describes two rows of briquettes covering half the circumference of the charcoal grate, leaned at 45 degrees to help the snake keep burning. It says to light 8 to 10 briquettes separately, wait until they are completely ashed over, and place them touching the start of the snake. It also adds a drip pan of warm water, refilled after about 3 to 4 hours, with the meat above the pan.

How Long Does Each Last?

The sources do not agree, which is a good reason to test your own setup:

  • Weber’s support page says a snake can run about 12 to 15 hours depending on its length.
  • Weber Australia says its half-circle snake gives up to 8 to 12 hours, and that 110 to 135 degrees C (225 to 275 degrees F) suits low and slow cooking.
  • Barbecue Bible ran a 4-briquette configuration under a 5-pound pork butt and found it lasted about six hours. Nestor added unlit briquettes and reversed the snake to finish at 7 hours 45 minutes, and concluded a snake of that size was not long enough for a whole brisket. Temperatures across his cook ranged from 221 to 337 degrees F (105 to 169 degrees C, our conversion) depending on position and time.

Nestor also concluded that briquette configuration and vents let him control temperature, and he placed the top vent opposite the snake to draw smoke over the pork. Weber Australia’s advice for a kettle running cool goes the other way: open the top vent, keep the bottom vent clear, and position the lid vent over the fire to draw more oxygen through it. Weber also recommends a digital probe at grill level rather than a lid thermometer sitting directly over the briquettes.

Which Fits Which Cooker?

AmazingRibs.com calls the Minion method the standard technique for the Weber Smokey Mountain. For the large Smokey Mountain, though, Meathead prefers the fuse because that unit tends to run hotter and the fuse helps keep the temperature down to 225 degrees F (107 degrees C, our conversion).

Safety With Charcoal

The Bellevue-Dayton Fire Department warns that burning charcoal produces carbon monoxide and should never be burned in an enclosed area such as a building or tent. It also says to use only starter fluid made for charcoal, and that pouring lighter fluid onto already hot coals makes it vaporize quickly into flammable vapors.

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