4 guides
Technique guides
Fire management and cook planning: how much fuel, how hot, how long, and what the equipment has to do for the cook to work.
Pellet grills and smokers
How long to smoke a turkey: plan the Thanksgiving cook backwards from dinner
Traeger estimates 30 to 40 minutes a pound at 225 to 250°F, Masterbuilt 30 minutes at 220°F, USDA 20 to 30 in a smoker. All three are planning numbers. The bird is done at 165°F in the breast, thigh and wing.
Charcoal grills
How much charcoal to use: chimney fractions and briquette counts by cook
A full chimney of about 100 briquettes for searing, half to a full chimney banked to one side for two-zone cooking, and a few lit coals on a ring of unlit ones for low and slow. Smaller kettles take less.
Pizza ovens
How long to preheat an Ooni, and how to know the stone is ready
Ooni lists 15 minutes for the Koda 12 and Karu 12 and 20 minutes for the Koda 16. The stone is ready when an infrared thermometer reads about 750°F, not when the timer runs out.
Pellet grills and smokers
Pellet grill in winter: yes, it works, and here is what changes
A pellet grill runs below freezing. Expect a slower start, more pellets per hour and a fire that hates wind. Keep the pellets dry, the grill outdoors and the lid shut.