My first attempt at a cook on the DIY mini bullet smoker did not go so well. Coals wouldn't go up to the right temperature, and then went out completely after only 2 hrs.
Some research on YouTube revealed a couple of improvements.
The coal tray
The cheap kettle coal tray is replaced with a proper grill to get good air flow to the fire. I part covered the grate with some mesh to stop smaller coals and ash dropping through.
The fuel
Most videos feature briquettes instead of lumpwood, so I'm switching to half lit on top of half unlit to see how long it lasts.
After lighting the coals now stacked onto the new grate, I could tell immediately that the air flow was better. After a short time the heat was evident by the paint searing from the base of the cheap kettle.
More importantly though, a quick adjustment of top vents (with bottom wide open) got temperature up to 250⁰ F in around 5 mins.
Half a rack of cheap ribs and some sacrificial sausages to season the mini bullet. After 1 hour the temperature sat solid at 250⁰
I resisted the temptation to lift the lid and After 2hrs, still locked at 250⁰
After another 30mins, I decided to wrap the ribs in foil and cover in butter for another hour.
Still the temperature locked on at about 250⁰
At the 4hrs & 30min mark, I took the ribs off and left them to rest for a other hour.
Meanwhile the mini bullet was still going strong at 250⁰
Long after the ribs were devoured the mini bullet still held at 200⁰ until finally at 6hrs it began to drop. On lifting the lid, the coals were almost burnt through. At 6hrs 30min the temperature had dropped almost to nothing.
Not bad for a DIY mini smoker, which holds 1.5 chimneys of charcoal.
The Verdict
Now that the airflow is sorted, this project is a success. For smaller smokes this mini bullet does the job superbly. The taste is excellent (not too smokey) and turned out my best half rack of ribs to date.
I'll be using this for those smaller mid week cooks. Pork, Gammon or Half racks will work brilliantly on this little beauty.
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