As the legend goes, at some point in the late 1990’s a man named Jim Minion was gearing up for a regional barbeque championship. Looking for a slow and low cook, he needed a temperature range between 225-275 degrees. Unfortunately his Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker maintained well over 325 degrees, far too hot for slow cooking his famous briskets. So he improvised, dumping a smaller amount of lit coals on unlit charcoals. This method allowed him to slow cook under a steady temperature for up to 22 hours. Jim Minion went on to win first place for his brisket and second for his chicken. On that day a legend was born and so was the Minion Method for grilling.

The Minion Method is a unique way of setting up the charcoal to ensure a consistent and prolonged burn at lower temperatures.  This technique allows for slow cooking, smoking, or roasting at temperatures below 300 degrees for 18-22 hours.  Below is the original Minion Method, there are some variations that call for using wood chunks on the top and bottom for flavor.

Steps of the Minion Method:

Fill your charcoal chimney half way to the top with charcoal briquettes and light.

Spread a tight layer of unlit charcoal at the bottom of your grill

Once the charcoal in your charcoal chimney is burned evenly grey, carefully add the lit briquettes on top of your layer of unlit briquettes.

You will need to adjust the vents on your grill to ensure proper air flow. Too much will cause all of the charcoal to ignite, while too little could cause low temperatures.