Didnt want to take the other thread too far off track. Using an Atc and this method is foolproof. With an Atc you also eliminate dealing with the water pan as well by using foil or clay as your heatsink. I literally do not touch anything other than my whohaw for at least 12 hours.
Pros
Designed for cooking sessions lasting 6-18 hours.
Perfect for overnight cooking.
Start cooking in only 15-30 minutes.
No need to add fuel during the cooking process.
Long, consistent burn times over many hours.
Less chance of the cooker running hotter than desired.
Cons
Not acceptable to those who prefer all briquettes to be fully lit during cooking.
Not for cooking in the 325-350°F range.
"I was cooking in a competition, and on the morning of the turn-ins I had my wife go to a shop and pick up my first WSM. I put it together, filled the ring with charcoal, and needed a way to light if off. I never did read the directions. I decided to do what is today call 'The Method'.
"We took a 1st in chicken and 2nd in ribs that day. I got home and was reading Ray's forum and the question was asked on how to control the temps on a WSM. I answered, and the rest is history.
"The only real debate was the fact that you were putting unburnt charcoal in the ring and it was lighting off as you go. Knowing a little about Jedmasters, I knew this was not really a problem and the results answered that."
- The history of the Minion Method, as told by
Jim Minion to The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board
The concept behind "The Minion Method" is simple:
Place a small number of hot coals on top of a full charcoal chamber of unlit briquettes.
Using the bottom vents, carefully control the amount of air entering the cooker to keep the fire burning low and steady.
The unlit fuel catches fire gradually throughout the cooking session, resulting in long burn times of up to 18 hours, depending on weather conditions.
One of the advantages this method has over the Standard Method is that there's less of a chance that the cooker will run hotter than you want. This is because it's easier to start with just a few hot coals and bring the cooker up to 225-250°F than it is to start with a red-hot cooker and fight to bring it down to 225-250°F.
If there's a controversial aspect of The Minion Method, it's that it contradicts the conventional wisdom that says all charcoal briquettes must be fully lit and covered with gray ash before cooking begins. Everyone knows how bad charcoal briquettes smell while lighting, so some people assume that this smell permeates the meat during cooking, since fuel is lighting continuously over many hours. Interestingly, The Minion Method does not seem to affect the appearance, aroma, or taste of food, and it is used with great success by many winning teams on the barbecue competition circuit.
There are some individuals with sensitive palates who claim they taste an off-flavor in food cooked using The Minion Method. If you find yourself in this group, or if you have health concerns about cooking food over charcoal that is not fully lit, use the Standard Method instead, replenishing the cooker with pre-lit coals every 4-6 hours.
I only use The Minion Method when cooking at 225-250°F for more than 6 hours, but some people use it for shorter cooking sessions, too. When finished, close all vents to extinguish the fire. When the charcoal is cold, sift out the ashes and save the remaining unburned fuel for next time.
Fill The Charcoal Chamber
Start by filling the charcoal chamber to the top with unlit charcoal briquettes. You can use any charcoal product, but experience shows that Kingsford gives the longest, most consistent burn.
Light A Few Briquettes
Using a chimney starter, light a small number of briquettes:
On warm, calm days, light 20 briquettes.
On cold, rainy, or windy days, light 20-40 briquettes.
On extremely cold days, light 40-60 briquettes or more.
These pictures show 30 briquettes being lit in an upside-down Weber chimney starter. Tips on lighting small amounts of charcoal can be found in the How To Use A Chimney Starter article.
Spread The Lit Coals
When the coals are covered with gray ash, spread them evenly over the unlit briquettes in the charcoal chamber.
Assemble The Cooker
Fill the water pan:
Use cool tap water on warm days.
Use hot tap water on cold days. Some folks use boiling water on extremely cold days.
Fully open all three bottom vents. Leave the top vent fully open for ventilation throughout the entire cooking process.
Add the meat and smoke wood to the cooker immediately. The cool meat helps to control the ascent of the cooker temperature.
The cooker temperature will begin to rise gradually. When it reaches 200°F, adjust all three bottom vents to 25% open and monitor the temp carefully until it reaches 225-250°F. Adjust the vents as necessary to maintain this temp.
It Keeps Going, And Going, And Going...
Using The Minion Method, you can start cooking in about the time it takes to light a few briquettes in a chimney starter—15-20 minutes tops.
If the cooker temperature begins to drop after 10 hours, gently tap on the charcoal bowl legs to dislodge accumulated ashes and refresh the coals without getting ashes on your food. If you're daring, or have installed handles on the middle cooking section, you can remove the lid and middle cooking section as a unit and stir the coals vigorously with tongs.
Check the water pan every 2-4 hours and add hot water, as needed.
Depending on the weather and the amount of food being cooked, it may be necessary to add fuel after 12 hours of cooking. Light a full or partial chimney of charcoal and add the hot coals to the cooker.
