Smoking a Brisket on a Weber Kettle using the SNAKE METHOD!

Smoking a full packer brisket on a standard kettle grill sounds like a flex, but with the right setup, it’s one of the most reliable ways to yield pitmaster-quality results in your back yard. If you’ve tackled low-and-slow pork shoulder using the snake method, the core mechanics here are similar—except brisket demands a few more steps, and maybe more time. This makes the snake method a game changer because it takes care of the most fundamental step, fire management. 

Here is the step-by-step guide to laying down a clean, consistent indirect fire and locking in deep smoke flavor using the snake method on your Weber Kettle. This method and others are detailed in my book, Wrangling Fire, which is available for purchase on my website. 

Why Fuel Quality Rules the Snake Method

The snake method relies on a slow, progressive burn. Hot coals ignite unlit coals over 8 to 12 hours. Because new briquets are constantly catching fire inside the kettle throughout the entire cook, the fuel you burn directly dictates the air your meat breathes.

Standard mass-market briquets are often bound together with cornstarch, sawdust, coal dust, and chemical accelerants designed for fast ignition. When unlit briquets burn off those synthetic fillers, they release heavy, acrid off-gassing. On a short cook, you might get away with it. On a 12-hour brisket run, those chemical fillers create dirty gray smoke that deposits a bitter, metallic film over your bark.

Using pure, filler-free fuel like B&B Charcoal Briquets completely changes the dynamic:

Zero Chemical Fillers or Additives: 

Crafted strictly from real hardwood charcoal fines and food-grade natural binders like vegetable starch, meaning no synthetic fumes or acrid smoke as the snake progresses.

Neutral, Clean Flavor Profile: Emits a sweet, pure wood aroma that lets your rub, wood chips, and raw beef perform without fighting harsh accelerants.

Dense Hardwood Composition: Burns hotter and longer per briquet, maintaining steady chamber temps without sudden ash build-up choking your airflow. The bits and dust from the oak and hickory lump charcoal from B&B that you already know and trust are one of the key ingredients in these briquets. 

Why doesn't the snake method create dirty smoke? Well, that can be a concern, but as long as you're burning chemical free charcoal, you're set up for success. On top of that, the entire grill chamber is hot, including the charcoal. This means your charcoal is primed, and lights fairly quickly without emitting that heavy smoke you see from starting up new charcoal. 

Step 1: Prep and Build the Charcoal Snake

A clean snake gives you predictable, hands-off heat without constant vent tweaking.

Clean Out the Bowl: Clear out all old ash from the bottom of your kettle. Unobstructed airflow through the bottom intake vents is essential for maintaining 225°F–250°F.

Lay the Base (1x1 Pattern): Lay a line of unlit B&B briquets along the outer ring of the lower charcoal grate, setting them snug against each other on the interior wall of the grill like falling dominoes.

Add the Top Layer: Lay a second row directly on top of the first layer (a 1x1 configuration). Overlap the joints slightly to ensure the fire transitions smoothly from one briquet to the next.

Place the Flavor Wood: Place medium sized chunks of wood (oak, hickory, or pecan) along the top of the snake. Space them roughly 2 inches apart. You can place wood around half the snake if you intend to wrap later. If you intend to not wrap like I did in this cook, you can add as much wood as you desire..

       

Step 2: Fire the Snake & Set the Zone

Light the Fuse:

 Light 6 to 8 briquets in a chimney starter until they are fully ash-covered and burning clear.

Dump at the Head: Place the lit coals at the very start of your snake (the head). Ensure they make firm contact with the first unlit briquets to ignite the chain reaction.

Install a Drip Pan(OPTIONAL) : Place an aluminum foil pan on the lower grate directly in the center, nestled inside the curve of the snake. This catches the Au Ju and the rendered fat .

Step 3: Dial In Your Airflow

Heat management on a kettle comes down to top and bottom vent adjustments.

Since you're using B&B Charcoal Briquets which inherently burn slower, there's typically no need to adjust the vents. Just leave both vents wide open. IF, later in the cook your heat is getting hotter than you want, start with incremental adjustments to the bottom vents first. My backyard doesn't get very windy usually, so make the adjustments you need for your given situation. Always position the lid so the exhaust vents sit directly over the brisket (opposite the burning coals). This forces the heat and smoke to draw across the beef before exiting. A rule of thumb is to try and keep the top vents opposite the position of the lit charcoal section. 

Target an ambient cooking range between 225°F and 250°F. Allow the kettle to settle at this temperature for 45–60 minutes before loading the brisket.

Step 4: Smoke the Brisket

Position the Beef: Place your trimmed and seasoned brisket on the top cooking grate, indirect, directly over the water pan. Trimming video on my tiktok page. In the full video which is now live on YouTube, you will see the brisket positioning explained there.

Monitor the Burn: Allow the snake to run for an hour and then return to check to ensure the temperature has leveled out. No need to open it, just look at your thermometer. If everything is good here, leave it alone for 4-6 hrs depending on the size of your meat. Let the snake do the work. The fire will travel slowly around the perimeter of the kettle at a rate of roughly 1 to 1.5 inches per hour.

Manage the Stall: You can't manage it, just ride it out. There's always talk of pushing through the stall, but I suggest leaving the brisket alone. If you're not in a race, then pushing through the stall shouldn't be a concern.

Wrap or Ride Unwrapped: Introducing the foil boat method. Just as it says, I made a little boat from some aluminum foil, lined it with butcher paper, then placed the brisket inside it. This was done at the 7 hour mark when the bark was starting to build and the fat had a nice color. The foil boat explanation is here. Return it to the kettle. Hours 10, and 12½, I checked on the brisket basting with the Au Ju inside the foil boat.

Step 5: Probe for Tenderness & Rest

Test for Doneness: Brisket is done by feel, not just temperature. Insert an instant-read thermometer probe into the thickest part of the flat. It should slide in with zero resistance—like warm butter—typically between 201°F and 205°F.

Rest it Right: Pull the brisket off the kettle, then hold it in a dry cooler wrapped in towels for a minimum of 1 to 2 hours before slicing across the grain. This cook took around 14 hours, cooking a brisket between 17-18lbs after trimming.

I know you have a burning question… fat side up vs fat side down. Do what you prefer, friend. I prefer fat down, but that's certainly not a rule