Flare ups and indirect heat on gasser?


 
D

DavidD

TVWBB Super Fan
I have a number of charcoal grills but on rare occassions, need to use my weber gold c genesis gasser but am always frustrated with it. First, when cooking chicken, i get a great deal of flare ups and unless i watch it closely, will burn the crap out of my chicken. On the kettle, I put the split chicken on for 20 min per side and never do anything except walk out to flip them at the 20 min mark.

Second, I tried to do a beer can chicken, indirect but teh gas tubes run side to side. To get the right heat, I need to run two burners but that means its no longer indirect. I suspect front to back burners might work better for indirect.

Are there tricks/tips for the gasser?
 
I have a newer Genesis but the same set up really, I have done several beer can birds indirect cooks using just the front and back burner. I then just turn down the temp knobs to low-med. Then close the lid it cooks nice and slow about a hour to hour 20, with the lid down no flare ups and temp about 300-325 area.Open to turn the bird every 25 to 30 minutes. I have done ribs that way also. I like the performer better but then I did not own one.
 
For chicken on my gasser -

I usually run the Front & Rear burners only, at about medium to 3/4.

You might also want to:

Check your flavorizer bars - if they have holes, it's time to replace 'em

When done cooking, turn the heat up to high and let it burn-off for a few minutes, then shut it down

When cooking chicken, try a drip-pan across the tops of the flavorizer bars / under the chix (fill it about halfway with water, at least at first.)
 
I cook butterflied chickens in my Q220 and the Genesis G all the time. On the Gen I'll turn the front and rear burners on low, with an aluminum pab directly under the chicken. On the Q, I place the chicken on a sheet of foil, folded up around the edges so the grease does not drip down.
 
Ron G is on track where he says use a pan resting on the flavouriser bars underneath the chicken. Partly fill it with water. Or you can use the Foil and Trivet set up which also works great.
I have the front burner on just above half to 3/4 and the rear set to about 1/4 to 1/2 this way the hotter air at the front circulates to the rear flowing over the chicken/meat giving a even and quicker cook and imparts more barbecued flavour.

Here is a photo of 5 chickens on the Genesis using the foil and trivet method.

latestsep08033.jpg




Cheers
 
thanks for the posts, looks like there are ways to get around the flare up issue but the reality is, the gassers just don't perform like the kettle. I have two kettles and never have a flare up issue, likely due to the airflow regulation inherent in the design. There just isn't enough airflow to allow for flare ups but on the gasser, there is nothing airtight about it, understandably, given the "gas". I find the juices that hit the coals add to the flavor/smoke on the charcoal so foiling on the gasser might stop flare ups but i suspect the flavor would be less.
 
Hi Davidd
Using the foil and trivet method is the best way to get a flavour in between the blandness of a gasser and the great taste of charcoal. The juices land on the foil and boil off, the convection airflow moves the flavours around the food like smoke does in a kettle and imparts that flavour back into the chicken.
If you brine the chicken first it will be even better.

Cheers
 
This has always been one of my pet peeves with gas grills- the tendency to flare up, badly.

If my kettle flares, from dripping butter, grease, or whatever, I close the vents for 10 seconds, and the problem is solved. On the gas grills, I think the only thing to do is keep it clean (burn off the grease at high heat after the cook while spritzing with a water bottle), and/or putting a pan underneath the meat.
 
Before I got into charcoal, I did what Kevin said above with good success. And always did an after cook burn to clean the grill out. The preheated also helped. I think I also used a pie pan under the vertical chicken to catch the drippings. HTH
 
Before I had my Weber..and for years I grilled chicken on my gasers with one rule. Keep the temps at 250 or less. Anything over that and the chickens generally dripped so fast along with the increase in temps a flare up was pretty much guaranteed.
 
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