New Vortex??


 
M

Matt in CT

TVWBB Member
My new Vortex is being delivered today!! The only down side is I shipped it to work, and I have the day off:(
Was curious about a few things tho.... I ordered the medium as I have a 22" kettle.

How much of a chimney is required to fill it?

Should I do a dry run with no food to break it in first?

Where do you typically set the bottom damper?

I'm so excited, if work was closer I'd get in the car and go pick it up
 
From the numerous threads on the genius of the vortex posted earlier I think the concept is all vents full on open, Owens recommends a burn off,,but, I can't tell you about fill capacity.
If I don't see one on Saturday (my birthday) I'm going to order one on Monday! It strikes me as a pretty interesting tool!
All the posts with so many fabulous looking wings keep my stomach growling even after I've had breakfast lunch or dinner!
Spend the day getting your grill spotlessly clean in preparation for the new arrival. Decide what you want to do for the initial run.
 
Matt in CT said:
My new Vortex is being delivered today!! The only down side is I shipped it to work, and I have the day off:(
Was curious about a few things tho.... I ordered the medium as I have a 22" kettle.

How much of a chimney is required to fill it? I've always just put two lighter cubes in, filled it with charcoal to the top, and then dug in and lit the cubes. Best way, probably not. ;)

Should I do a dry run with no food to break it in first? Yes, that's what I was told. Better safe than sorry.

Where do you typically set the bottom damper? Once it's fully lit, I set my damper about 1/3 to 1/2 open.

I'm so excited, if work was closer I'd get in the car and go pick it up
Click to expand...

Also, the recipe that comes with it from Owens says you should cook your wings an hour. I did that with a full vortex and they were way overcooked. Last couple of times, I have done a full vortex and let them cook for only 30 minutes (no flipping) and they turned out great. But, I'm sure that everyone here has their own way that works for them. Have fun! It's an awesome tool!
 
If I use a full chimney of briquettes, the cooking grate actually ends up resting on top of the lit coals until they burn down a bit. So, I use maybe 3/4 chimney.
 
If I use the performer I fill the vortex to about one inch from the top and use the gas assist to start it. On my dog dish smaller one for the Jumbo Joe I do the same and then put the coals in a small chimney to light them. With both the wings take about 30-35 minuets 35-40 minuets with thighs.
 
did a dry run friday night. almost 1 full chimney and there was room for more. left all vents wide open

IMG_3876_zpsbvbmpeyh.jpg
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still running hot over 1 hour later

this was after 15 minutes last night.

pulled them off after 35 minutes

good first effort, this thing is a machine.
i used 3/4 chimney and ran the vents 1/3 open, ran 500 degrees according to the lid thermometer
 
Looks like your first cook was a success. Interesting I've always run my two grills with the vents wide open. Did you get crispy skin and moist meat doing the 1/3 vent?
 
Rich Dahl said:
Looks like your first cook was a success. Interesting I've always run my two grills with the vents wide open. Did you get crispy skin and moist meat doing the 1/3 vent?
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no rubber chicken here!! yes the skin was crispy, and the meat nice and tender. i threw in the pic of the bones cause they pulled out with no effort at all.

my test run i ran the vents wide open and the lid thermometer was reading 600 plus degrees. i started this cook with a bit less fuel, and the vents 1/3 open. and it ran about 500 degrees, maybe a touch higher.
i was leery of going to hot, and quite honestly i didn't want it to be over to quickly
 
Matt in CT said:
no rubber chicken here!! yes the skin was crispy, and the meat nice and tender. i threw in the pic of the bones cause they pulled out with no effort at all.

my test run i ran the vents wide open and the lid thermometer was reading 600 plus degrees. i started this cook with a bit less fuel, and the vents 1/3 open. and it ran about 500 degrees, maybe a touch higher.
i was leery of going to hot, and quite honestly i didn't want it to be over to quickly
Click to expand...

Matt if it works it's good. Like to have a little wiggle room.

I think I'll try your method. My performer will run 600+ wide open and at that temperature a minute or so can mean great to ruined.
 
Rich Dahl said:
Matt if it works it's good. Like to have a little wiggle room.

I think I'll try your method. My performer will run 600+ wide open and at that temperature a minute or so can mean great to ruined.
Click to expand...

i can't take credit, Dan C. FL posted above that's he likes to set it up. i did another cook last night, and i think it was some of the best chicken i've grilled. i used about one full chimney, and had enough fuel for 4 whole chicken legs, 3 big baked potatoes, 4 burgers, 2 buffalo chicken burgers, and 4 knockwurst. (yes i was starving when i went to the store) i did have to slowly open up the damper, and it was running at about 400 degrees at the end about 1.5 hours. the whole legs were on for 50 minutes
IMG_3892_zpsfekn1qj8.jpg
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Full disclosure: It wasn't my idea either. :D The damper setting idea was on that recipe from Owens BBQ that I referenced. It works for me, so that's what I use.

I'm curious about something, I see you put some chunks over your vortex. The couple of times that I've done that, I noticed that it doesn't provide a whole lot of smoke flavor to the wings. So, I've abandoned using wood chunks when doing my wings. What's your verdict on the smoking chunks?

(P.S.- Go get some jalapenos, stuff them with cheese, wrap in bacon and cook for 10-15 minutes using the vortex. Soooooo good!!)
 
Matt in CT said:
is that a popper? i saw someone posted in the photo gallery and was curious what they were.
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?71685-Simple-burger

i think the smoke flavor is mild, which is fine. those 2 apple wood chunks lasted only 20-25 minutes. i do love the smell as i relax on the deck, the whole process just makes me happy!!
Click to expand...

Yep! A popper, a.k.a. Atomic Bomb Turds (or ABTs). There are a ton of recipes out there, almost all of which call for cream cheese, which I hate. So, I just slice mine, stuff some cheddar in there, wrap with bacon, cook and enjoy. They're awesome when cooked using the vortex! The bacon gets good and crunchy!

And I'm with you on the smell and the process...just makes me happy!
 
I'm thawing my wings out as we speak.

Gonna run my new Vortex with another payload of wings.

Last time I forgot to drop in the chunk of wood over the coals.


I'm also wanting to do some Vortex steaks soon, too.
 
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