Extra ventillation ... vents added
- Thread starter Shawn W
- Start date
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Did first full burn cook with 3 top vents open last night. Pics are here.
Roadside chicken some on top grate some on bottom grate. Chicken was bone in skin on thighs, marinated in Roadside chicken marinade version for 8 hours. Used a foiled empty stock water pan with 7 foil balls inside. Started with two lit chimneys of Royal Oak Plus briqs red bag.
After assembly the temp quickly rose to bury the therm (400ºF +) but it soon settled around 350ºF and pretty much stayed there.
Cooked the the chicken for 1hour and 20 minutes in this manner. At 45 minutes I moved bottom rack chicken to top rack and vice versa and flipped it from skin down to skin up.
I basted with the Roadside chicken stuff 4 times during this cook, each time removing the top rack entirely to baste the bottom rack before returning the top rack to be basted. The WSM would get back to 350ºF within about 10 minutes.
Skin was still really soft, I threw it skin down on the gasser for a couple of minutes once complete.
Once the chicken was done I threw on some Spolumbo brand Andoullies. They were over done in 50 minutes! Good thing I checked when I did. A little crispy on the bottom and 'drained' (all wrinkled up once cold). Removed sausage and closed up all vents.
Potatoe salad was great too .. red skinned poatoes, skin on, eggs, radish, celery, gr onion Hellmans mayo, cheap yellow mustard, S&P, my home made bacon turned into bacon bits. Gained a convert to the potatoe salad camp last night ... she won't eat store bought but she loved what I made.
Last pic shows how much fuel was left over this morning
Chicken was awesome and I loved the improved temp performance.
Because it went down from 400ºF + I think it can hold even higher temps by adding the bottom vents. I'm going to do one more test cook then make my decision. Flat out fully lit all vents open no water pan and perhaps just some chicken thighs on the top grate. I need to find a therm that goes higher than 400ºF first though.
Roadside chicken some on top grate some on bottom grate. Chicken was bone in skin on thighs, marinated in Roadside chicken marinade version for 8 hours. Used a foiled empty stock water pan with 7 foil balls inside. Started with two lit chimneys of Royal Oak Plus briqs red bag.
After assembly the temp quickly rose to bury the therm (400ºF +) but it soon settled around 350ºF and pretty much stayed there.
Cooked the the chicken for 1hour and 20 minutes in this manner. At 45 minutes I moved bottom rack chicken to top rack and vice versa and flipped it from skin down to skin up.
I basted with the Roadside chicken stuff 4 times during this cook, each time removing the top rack entirely to baste the bottom rack before returning the top rack to be basted. The WSM would get back to 350ºF within about 10 minutes.
Skin was still really soft, I threw it skin down on the gasser for a couple of minutes once complete.
Once the chicken was done I threw on some Spolumbo brand Andoullies. They were over done in 50 minutes! Good thing I checked when I did. A little crispy on the bottom and 'drained' (all wrinkled up once cold). Removed sausage and closed up all vents.
Potatoe salad was great too .. red skinned poatoes, skin on, eggs, radish, celery, gr onion Hellmans mayo, cheap yellow mustard, S&P, my home made bacon turned into bacon bits. Gained a convert to the potatoe salad camp last night ... she won't eat store bought but she loved what I made.
Last pic shows how much fuel was left over this morning
Chicken was awesome and I loved the improved temp performance.
Because it went down from 400ºF + I think it can hold even higher temps by adding the bottom vents. I'm going to do one more test cook then make my decision. Flat out fully lit all vents open no water pan and perhaps just some chicken thighs on the top grate. I need to find a therm that goes higher than 400ºF first though.
David Stanton
TVWBB Member
Shawn,
Just saw this thread. Interesting. But you said you were using water in the pan for a high-heat cook. Don't do that. The water is what's keeping your temps down. That's what it's there for.
Just foil the empty pan with wide, heavy duty foil. Leave some airspace between the foil and the bottom of the pan, and enough of a depression in the foil to catch the drippings. I promise you, you'll see a leap in temperature, given the same fire and the same vent settings.
Just saw this thread. Interesting. But you said you were using water in the pan for a high-heat cook. Don't do that. The water is what's keeping your temps down. That's what it's there for.
Just foil the empty pan with wide, heavy duty foil. Leave some airspace between the foil and the bottom of the pan, and enough of a depression in the foil to catch the drippings. I promise you, you'll see a leap in temperature, given the same fire and the same vent settings.
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
I did this cook yesterday and held 400ºF grate temp for over an hour.
I started skin side down, flipped at around 25 minutes then removed after about 15 minutes more. It still had a grate temp of 400ºF when I removed the thighs (bone in skin on). Got great crispy skin.
I air chilled the chicken in the fridge all day to dry it out a bit and lightly brushed the skin with canola oil just before cooking.
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
I got my extra three bottom vents installed.
Still need to use the file to finish the slots for the tabs so the dampers open completely, but right now they do close completely. I also want to clean up and put some high heat BBQ paint on.
I did a cook last night but I'm not done testing by a long shot.
I did a full top tray of straight up thighs. No air chill, no brine, no baste spray or spritz. Just 25 skin up, flip 20. They were juicy and there was some great skin.
One full Raichlen chimney of Maple Leaf lump held 425ºF (dome) for 10 minutes, then I added a full top tray of chicken. Dome temp dropped to around 375ºF. After removing the chicken I put on a small meatloaf, but the lump had completely burned itself out within 2 hours, finished the meatloaf in the oven.
Then I did an overnighter with some bone-in beef blade roasts, around 8lb each, with clay saucer, foil balls and foiled pan. 3 bottom vents open 100%, 1.5 top vents open 100% hit a dome temp of 293ºF within an hour (used about 30 lit to start with, Royal Oak Plus briqs). Left one top open 100%, 3 bottom vents open 50%, went to bed. 6 hours later I had a dome temp of 270ºF. 4 hours after that the charcoal was pretty much spent so, double foiled the beef and in the oven. After 4 hours in the oven the meat was willing to pull with a fork so it's in the cooler now.
I'm happy I haven't ruined 'low n slow', can't wait until I can try a full basket of lit and see how hot I can run now!
Still need to use the file to finish the slots for the tabs so the dampers open completely, but right now they do close completely. I also want to clean up and put some high heat BBQ paint on.
I did a cook last night but I'm not done testing by a long shot.
I did a full top tray of straight up thighs. No air chill, no brine, no baste spray or spritz. Just 25 skin up, flip 20. They were juicy and there was some great skin.
One full Raichlen chimney of Maple Leaf lump held 425ºF (dome) for 10 minutes, then I added a full top tray of chicken. Dome temp dropped to around 375ºF. After removing the chicken I put on a small meatloaf, but the lump had completely burned itself out within 2 hours, finished the meatloaf in the oven.
Then I did an overnighter with some bone-in beef blade roasts, around 8lb each, with clay saucer, foil balls and foiled pan. 3 bottom vents open 100%, 1.5 top vents open 100% hit a dome temp of 293ºF within an hour (used about 30 lit to start with, Royal Oak Plus briqs). Left one top open 100%, 3 bottom vents open 50%, went to bed. 6 hours later I had a dome temp of 270ºF. 4 hours after that the charcoal was pretty much spent so, double foiled the beef and in the oven. After 4 hours in the oven the meat was willing to pull with a fork so it's in the cooler now.
I'm happy I haven't ruined 'low n slow', can't wait until I can try a full basket of lit and see how hot I can run now!
Hey Shawn - added vents to equal top and bottom air flow. I get it - and have the vents still in the bag from Weber. Was waiting for off season. Will also be adding top vents to my Performer for better temp control when using the rotis.
That said - the mod is not lost on me. It's just a matter of waiting for an off season (is there one?) So I can spend some time installing the vents.
But regarding your RS chicken cook. Why are you leaving the pan in? I have used the WSM many times as grill for RS chicken cooks. Pan is out, great skin without the need for added vents. Your chicken looks GREAT, not knocking your success. But if you want hi heat as well as the added smoke from the burning oil, fat and baste that RSC recipe seems to be about for me, why would you leave the pan in?
Those thighs look good!
Sorry if this is off topic.
That said - the mod is not lost on me. It's just a matter of waiting for an off season (is there one?) So I can spend some time installing the vents.
But regarding your RS chicken cook. Why are you leaving the pan in? I have used the WSM many times as grill for RS chicken cooks. Pan is out, great skin without the need for added vents. Your chicken looks GREAT, not knocking your success. But if you want hi heat as well as the added smoke from the burning oil, fat and baste that RSC recipe seems to be about for me, why would you leave the pan in?
Those thighs look good!
Sorry if this is off topic.
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Hey Ray, I hear ya, I didn't use a water pan for these thighs.
The reason I have used a pan: I did a cook with no pan once and I think 4 small roasters and the cumulative grease smoke was too strong IMO, I didn't like it. So if I was doing a lot of poultry I'd put the pan in to keep the drippings smoke down. I suppose for a shorter 'parts' cook this won't be as much of a problem. If I had a gripe from this cook it was I packed the top rack a little too tight, I'd rather have the thighs not touching than all squished together.
Again, two reasons I wanted to add top and bottom vents:
1. 215ºF was about my typical max with all vents at 100%, something on both grates and water in the pan. I want to be able to go higher and cook like other men, run at 250º (or higher if I want) without leaving the door propped open.
2. I would like to be able to hold 500ºF if I want to. I'd be thrilled if I could get temps up enough to do a 5 minute pizza. I want to play around with roasting birds maybe even small turkeys at maximum heat. How good would wings turn out baked at 500ºF? I hope to find out. Ruth's Chris does steaks at what 2000ºF (not a typo).
I know WSM is capable of running hotter than factory venting allows. As long as temp control isn't sacrificed why not get the most out of it I can? I mean, just look at my avatar.
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
I dumped two full lit chimneys of ML lump in tonight, all vents open, no pan.
It held 390ºF at the dome. Ambient temp was 30ºF, little to no wind. I suppose if it was 70ºF outside it would have ran 430ºF. Much better than it was, but still not 500º. Cooked a bunch of bagels over the lump.
Still room for more bottom vents
It held 390ºF at the dome. Ambient temp was 30ºF, little to no wind. I suppose if it was 70ºF outside it would have ran 430ºF. Much better than it was, but still not 500º. Cooked a bunch of bagels over the lump.
Still room for more bottom vents