phil hartcher (or anyone really) - indirect on the q


 

Pinny

TVWBB Super Fan
So Phil mentioned a method of cooking indirect on the Q series by laying down foil and then placing a roasting rack on top and then the food on top that. I've tried it will great results.

My question is regarding taking that idea to the extreme. Lets say I want to cook alot of stuff indirect at once on my q300. Like figure I want to use practically the entire grill. Could I do it the following way?

My wife has a bunch of spare 10"x15" baking pans. As the basic (non rounded) dimensions of the Q 300 are ~16"22", you can just barely fit two of these on the Q 300 at once. They both fit (ie: the lid closes all the way) and they take up about 87.5% of the available surface space (leaving 12.5% space for the heat to come up on the sides). [I got that number by divided the total surface area of the pans by the total surface area of the grates.]

Before I try this I have 3 questions:

1. The pans are high quality pans but not too shiny. Will they adequatly cause the heat to reflect off like the foil? Even if they wont, is this neccessary? Maybe the heat can just go through the pans (not as useful as them reflecting but still very useful)?

2. Am I covering so much surface area as to trap to much heat below the pans and damage the grill? I'm not so concerned about a lack of efficiency - I wouldn't be cooking this way every day (maybe once or twice a year) - but I dont want to trap so much heat as to damage the grill.

3. The truth is the lid only closes 99.9% of the way. That is, the tip of the front lip of the lid rests on the very edge of the pan. Does this make a big difference (or any difference at all)? I don't think it does - it practically closes all the way - I was playing with it for several minutes before I even realized it wasn't fully closed - it's really close.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have,
Pinny
 
Pinny
G'Day

I understand what you are trying to acheive

A 1" to 1 1/2" gap around the sides is sufficient to allow the heat and air to circulate. I would consider making up 2 half roasting trivets out of a some type of wire grill with feet to hold it above the foil this way tou cando pretty much everything. I use 2 of the Aussie roasting trivets in my Genesis to get complete coverage.
Apart from the foil as a reflective surface it is importat to have that air gap.
The lid should close completely otherwise you will be losing too much heat and will need to crank it up to a higher temp.

Regards
Phil
 
Phil,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm using roasting trivets. I forgot to mention that. I tried it once without them and the bottom of the food against the pan got baked on to the pan. Bad experience. As you say, the trivets are the way to go.

I have the 1" 1-1/2" space around the sides so I'm good to go there.

For all intents and purposes the lid closes all the way. I'm not gonna fret about it. Incidently, I noticed the Q 300 has big cutout on the two sides of the lid, so that even when the lid is closed, a lot of air can move in and out of the grill. Anyone whose used the grill knows this doesn't affect performance, but I thought it was interesting. Do all grills have something like this?

My only remaining question at this point is about the pans not being super reflective. Is that neccessary for this method of grilling to work? You may have answered this but if so, I didn't understand what you were saying.

Thanks,
Pinny
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pinny B.:
My only remaining question at this point is about the pans not being super reflective. Is that neccessary for this method of grilling to work? You may have answered this but if so, I didn't understand what you were saying.
Pinny </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry Pinny
I missed that part. I take it you are placing the trays on the trivet with a reflective barrier (eg foil) underneath. If this is the case then it doesn't matter. Nor does it matter if you are putting them in directly on the grill and then putting a rack on top. The important part of this method is to have a barrier and then an air gap in between the burner and the trivet/rack/food.

I have, in the past, used a non stick tray direct on the grill as a hot plate to cook haloumi cheese I have also used a baking dish direct on the grill to simmer pork belly in coke cola (with a sheet of foil on the top to stop the steam from escaping and to steam mussels. It depends on what you want to cook and for how long.

It sounds as though you really have the hang of the Q300 and are having a lot of fun with it. I bet you are producing dishes you never thought possible before. The Q range is absolutely awesome and is so easy to use once you understand a few basic methods.

Regards
 
Phil:

Thanks for the reply. I actually meant to use the trays in the place of the foil. That is, place the trays on the grates, then the trivets on the trays, and the food on the trivets. The reason for doing this would be because I find it easier to use trays then to fuss with foil.

I think I see now though that this isn't such a good idea. Central to what we're trying to do is make it so that all the heat comes up from the sides (and not the bottom) - that way the food cooks real evenly. If you skip the shiny foil, then instead of being reflected around the sides, instead, the heat will continue to come straight up, passing through the trays, and continue to prematurely cook the bottom of your food. The added barrier may act as an additional heat sink of sorts and slow things down a bit, but you really need the shiny foil for the completly even cooking we're striving for.

Or am I still missing something?

Thanks for your help!!
-Pinny
 
Pinny

Ah-Ha I see, I sometimes use disposable foil trays and I have an aluminium tray that I use, both are shiny. The foil is a lot easier to use and clean-up than anything else hence the reason for using the foil. the dark tray may act as a bit of a heat sing but no more than in an oven. You could use those trays and see how they work. My preference is the foil - low cost - easy clean-up - ease of use. You can fold up the sides a little bit to turn it into a tray so juice and fat does not drip down the sides. You can also put a small hole in the centre so that the juice and fat drips straight into the drip tray.

Regards
 
Hey Phil.

I just bought a Weber Q220 and I'm very excited to use it after the good reviews by pretty much everyone. It should be shipped in 2 days. After I bought it, I was worried about indirect cooking and thought that maybe it wasn't possible with the Q220. After I came across your aluminum foil technique, I feel much better because it is possible now. It makes perfect sense. Excellent tip! I got the Weber Roast Holder coming soon as well. I don't think that they make the Weber trivet in the U.S. so ordered a Weber Roast Holder instead. I just want to say thanks for that tip. I couldn't imagine not being able to eat delicious bone-in chicken because I wasn't able to cook indirect.
 
Bill,

I've been cooking chicken this way extensivley over the last couple weeks. Make sure at some point you you cook your chicken over a high direct flame. This will crisp the skin and give it a nice grilled flavor.

The way I typically cook chicken now is to first preheat for 10-15 minutes, then oil the grates, and then put the chicken skin side down over high direct heat (move it away if the flames flare up) for about 5 minutes, then flip for another 5 minutes. You want the skin be a deep brown - light brown means cook it a bit longer and black = burnt. After that I put down the foil and trivet, turn the temp down so it maintains a med-low temp (300-350 degrees) and cook it till its done. During the last 10 minutes I'll apply a coat or two of bbq sauce.

If you want smoke flavor, put some soaked wood chips in a foil pouch, poke some holes in the top, and let it sit over the burner for 15 minutes while the grill preheats.

The Q is my first gas grill, but after spending several months now reading posts and checking out other grills at the store I'm thrilled with it. It's super well built (even for Webers), cooks really really evenly across the grate, and is very efficient on gas.

Enjoy!
Pinny
 
Sounds good. I will definitely grill it that way. I was going to put it on high direct heat at the end but you think it is better to start with the high direct heat first. Why do you prefer to put it on direct heat first? Is it because the BBQ has a better chance of burning if I did it at the end with high direct heat?
 
You can do it begining or end.

By the end of my cook I have already put sauce on, and I'm afraid of my sauce burning. That being said Phil told me in an email (and I know alot of other people agree) that he does it at the end to get some carmalization in his sauce. I guess doing it at the end is probably better if you're careful.
 
Ive been using the method recommended by Phil for some time with great results. I was watching you tube video yesterday and while cooking a chicken indirectly over charcoal the cook also placed a bowl of water to help keep the chicken moist. Ive never had a problem with the chicken drying out but wondered if anyone else adds water to their grill while cooking indirectly?
 
Jerry
Yep I do for some dishes, more often in the Performer but sometimes on the Q it seems to work, it also helps to keep stable temps.

Regards
 
I cooked up some BBQ bone-in chicken quarters on the weber roast holder. It was delicious. The next time, I will cut the whole chicken in pieces just so it will cook quicker and do the direct grilling first. I did the direct grilling at the end and while the food came out great, the leftover BBQ sauce on the grill made a little mess and turned hard.
 
Bill
Heat up the grill on high for 10 minutes then hit it with a good stiff wire brush. that should clean it. Another way is to put a piece of foil over it ant leave it on high for 20 minutes then give it a brush.

Regards
 
Still getting a feel for my Weber Q220. I am loving it! I cooked on it 4 times already in less than a week from Porterhouse steaks to simple burgers and chicken. I just finished eating delcious Roasted Garlic Chicken. Last time, I cut up a whole chicken and cooked it in quarters. This time, I cut up a whole chicken into 8 pieces. It was done in like 40 minutes with the indirect (aluminum foil) method and then direct heat. My family loved it! I will definitely cut up whole chicken rather than grill quarter chickens just to save time.
 
I'll give it ago next time I grill a chicken. I was thinking about adapting your lemon and rosemary lamb recipe phil to Lemon and tarragon chicken. I'll give it a go and let you know Phil.
 
To Bill, If they don't have the trivets in USA which i find hard to beleive,you can probably get the exact same effect by using a stainless steel cake rack that'll fit the Q220.
Make sure it's the solid racks and not the weak flimsy ones.
It's a great way to cook on the Q's and it seems that you've caught the Q-bug Hook, line & sinker!!
 
Thanks Davo... There are so many different ways to cook indirect on the Weber Q. I picked up one of those disposable Grill Toppers from Walmart that cost 1 dollar and put it on top the roast rack so I would have more surface area for a huge chicken that was the size of a turkey. The roast rack alone wouldn't be able to hold all the pieces so I tried this grill topper and it carried all the pieces. Not only was the food delicious, it was so easy to clean the grill topper. I'll definitely pick up a cake rack though because the $1 grill topper is disposable for a reason. The roast rack is good and did its job but sometimes I need a flat rack.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">There are so many different ways to cook indirect on the Weber Q. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bill
You sound as though you have it figured out. Great work! One of the things that you could try is an oven wire rack it may need to be cut down a little and have some feet put on it any thing will work if you understand the principles.
Weber have a grill pan # 3032903. This is perfect for fish and semi indirect grilling.
Put a doubled sheet of foil down and turn the grill pan upside down and you have an indirect set-up.
Put a doubled sheet of foil down and turn the grill pan upside down, place your pizza dough with topping on top and grill a pizza.
If you are using the roasting rack just put it in a disposable foil tray. You can add water to the tray to keep stable temps and stop the drippings from burning and you will end up with a perfect gravy base. There is also a BBQ and Bake sheet that you can use Magic Cooking Sheet I believe that you can get something similar in the USA however you can buy these online. I use one for doing salmon one of my friends uses it for lots of different things with total success.

Regards
 

 

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