Vortex and cast iron grate


 

JayHeyl

TVWBB Pro
I did a halved, spatchcocked chicken on the Weber kettle the other day and it took a lot longer than I expected. I think the problem was the chicken I had was 50% larger than the recipe I was following. Never one to let a known source of the problem stand in the way of acquiring new equipment that might have solved the problem, I ordered a BBQ Vortex and a Hongso porcelain coated cast iron grate. I figured the intense heat from the Vortex would wreak havoc with the cooking grate so I wanted something with a removable center. Surprisingly the cast iron grate wasn't all that much more expensive than the regular Weber grate so I splurged on that.

I have the grate already but am still waiting on the Vortex. It should be here this week some time. Should I try to season the porcelain coated grate or does the porcelain make that pointless? How about cleaning? I'm guessing the stainless steel brush I use on the regular grate is probably not a good idea for the porcelain. Any general hints about the Vortex and/or cast iron grate would be appreciated.
 
The Vortex arrived and I've used it several times already. It may be just that the primary cooking method with it is indirect and that's pushed me in that direction for more things, but the results have been very good. Even the bratwurst seem to come out better, and the longer time on the heat lets the smoke permeate a lot more. (I've been tossing at least one piece of smoke wood on the first for most things.) I'm definitely going to need to fabricate some kind of heat shield for the handle on the kettle. That intense heat right underneath makes that handle get very hot.

A couple down sides to the new cast iron grate are the lack of a handle and the weight. No handle means being forced to grab the greasy portion of the grate to remove it. I bought the grate lifter along with it but it's useless as... <fill in your own simile here>. So I grab the grate, trying to get as least greasy as possible, and the weight is enough that it's difficult to keep it from shifting around as I lift it and lean it upright against something. Yuck.

So last week I was preparing to cook. I'd let the coals burn all the way down on the previous cook so this was all new charcoal. Wanting to minimize the mess and just generally being lazy, I left the grate and Vortex in place from the previous cook, simply pulling off the center insert of the grate. I loaded some newspaper and charcoal into the chimney and set it in the Vortex. I didn't time it but the charcoal seemed to be ready much faster than usual and the fire in the chimney seemed more vigorous. Has anyone else tried this chimney in the Vortex and noticed anything similar? I haven't had opportunity to repeat it as I've been re-using partially burned coals and have had to pull off the grate and Vortex to get to them. It this wasn't just my imagination I'm wondering if I stumbled into something of possible significance.
 
I usually leave the leftover coals in the bottom and fire some fresh in the chimney then, add the freshly lit to the Vortex. That lights off the used goods and requires a little less”new”.
To remove or maneuver the CI insert, I use my Billy Bar or a garden trowel. It works like an old style lifter on a cast iron stove.
 
The thing I was trying to get at was setting the chimney partially inside the Vortex when lighting the charcoal. The chimney slides into the Vortex but the handle on the chimney stops it from sliding all the way in. It ends up with the slots near the bottom of the chimney inside the Vortex and everything else above the Vortex. It seemed like this arrangement resulted in a much more noticeable chimney effect when lighting the charcoal. I didn't time it but the charcoal seemed ready to cook much faster than usual. I was very surprised that it was ready so quickly. And the flame coming out the top was quite vigorous, while it usually is much more sedate. It seemed like there was much more air than usual moving through the chimney.

I suppose I'll have to try some controlled experiments to see if it's real or just my imagination.

As to the grate lifter, I bought some chunk of steel sold as a lifter for this specific grate, but it's next to useless. I have a dandelion picker that works much better.
 
My experience exactly! The robust nature of the ignition when you combine the vortex and chimney is significant.
I noticed that when I light, as you do, that the wire “cone” in the chimney has begun to SERIOUSLY deform! With the layer of old coals on the bottom and about 3/4 of chimney of fresh, the heat is mighty powerful! It is an interesting piece of equipment to say the least.
 
You guys are too expert for my brain. By the time I end a workday or week I fire-up my grill or smoker so that I can relax my limited brain cells. For that, I need to keep things simple in my world of preparing a meal. Kudos to you for your vast knowledge, theory, and ability to perform controlled tests.
 
Fletch, the curve isn’t that steep for using a Vortex. Really, about the third time you light it it all starts to make lots of sense!
I’ve not used it for an indirect cook yet but, that is coming! I think it should be fun! Considering a piece of pork loin ~3 lb. using the vortex in its “indirect” full circle application, I will be hard pressed to see a serious advantage over the 304 SS baskets but, that’s because they work so well and I know them. We shall see. I will file a report when I have something to share.
Jay, have you used it “cone up” for an indirect?
 
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Jay, have you used it “cone up” for an indirect?
So far I've only used it with the apex (if it actually had one) upward, wide end downward. I've done burgers, spatchcocked, halved chicken, chicken thighs, bratwurst, and pork roast. In retrospect, the pork roast probably would have been easier with the apex down and charcoal around the outside, though it's not like it was difficult the way I did it. Only turned it once and it came out very nicely browned due to smoke and intense convection heat. (I actually fried my Smoke grate temp sensor reading the temp at the kettle vent holes. It's supposed to go to 600F but started malfunctioning toward the end of the cook. Oddly, it seems to have recovered.) I'm not sure if the result would have been the same with the Vortex inverted and the roast in the shielded center since the heat wouldn't have been as intense.

If I have an issue with the Vortex it's me putting too much charcoal in. I didn't really intend to get the temp up to 525F when doing the pork roast, but that's where it started. The entire roasting time it was over 490F, most of the time over 500F.

I really liked the results with the bratwurst. I have a tendency to use too much charcoal (sensing a theme here?) and cook them too fast. Last time I did cut back on the charcoal in the Vortex and got a somewhat lower convection heat that allowed the brats to spend more time on the grill without drying out or burning up. They also took on a really nice smoky flavor. I didn't care for smoked brats when I did them on the WSM, but on the grill they've been excellent. I used a small piece of peach and of apple last time. Next time I might go with slightly smaller pieces of smoke wood so I don't overdo it.
 
JayHeyl: I have the Medium size Vortex for my Weber 22" Mastertouch Grill. On-the-whole it is a very good product, however, when using the direct cooking method it has put permanent burnt marks on the grill due to it's intense heat.

What size Vortex did you order and what is the size of your Weber Grill?
 
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I have the low end 22" Weber kettle and got the medium Vortex. So far it appear the porcelain coated cast iron is holding up, though I've mostly used it without the center insert of the grate in place. That's where the most intense heat would be.

I'm happy with both the Vortex and the cast iron grate so far, particularly since I used some Amazon gift cards I had to pay for them. They didn't cost me anything directly out of pocket. Eased the blow a bit.
 
Medium here as well, based on manufacturers recommendation.
This past weekend I had a first with it, I used more old coal than normal. There was quite a bit in my “ash can” which I used for taking the Vortex over to keep the car clean. Too much old coal did not get the thing to nuclear heat. Lesson learned
 

 

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