Grilling help!


 
Rick Body

Rick Body

TVWBB Pro
Okay, so I have almost never used charcoal in my life until I picked up my WSM a few months ago, then I got a used OT silver last week. I went and bought the weber charcoal baskets and a folding grate.

Today I decided to do a Top Round, London broil style. I filled both baskets to get an amount, then put them in the chimney. Once they were lit I split them evenly among the baskets, and put one basket on each side.

Then I put some potato halves on a heated CI and let them cook for 45 minutes. When they were almost done, I put the London Broil on indirect. My plan was to cook to 125, then put on direct to sear.

Well it took a long time to get to 125, like an hour, and it didnt sear very quick. Am I not using enough charcoal, or is it because I cooked the potatoes for 45 min first.

(I counted the briquettes, it was around 32 per basket.) I also added 5-6 to each basket during the broil cook
 
For what you described, I'd get rid of the baskets and pile up a full chimney of lit on one side. That will give you a longer burn, you can cook the pot and steak at the same time, and will be hot enough to give a good sear at the end. You're simply not using enough charcoal in a wide enough space now.
 
i don't use bricks unless i'm smoking something for a long time. otherwise i dump a whole chimney of lit one one side, spread it out just a bit, and start cooking. suggest you do both at the same time if you can.
 
For most cooks I do like Alan suggests and bank the coals and do a combination of direct/indirect depending on what's cooking. The baskets seem to get mixed reviews here. I have them and use them for longer indirect cooking sessions when I don't want to sear. I think they make the coals last longer and heat more consistently throught the cook. They can make searing a challange depending on the size of the meat being cooked. The coals are stacked up higher, but the direct cooking area is lessened. I've never used bricks, they seem like more bother than they're worth to me.
 
Hmm, getting mixed reviews on the bricks. I have a wsm so probably wont be doing any long cooks on the kettle. Guess I will skip the bricks

Let me ask another question...When lighting a whole chimney of briquettes, how long do you let them go before you dump them in the kettle. I let them go until flames were coming up through the top and all but the very top layer was lit.

I have no experience with charcoal until the last few months, so thanks again everyone
 
The top was open all the way the whole time, the bottom was half open, then all the way open near the end. I have no idea how to sent the vents on the kettle as opposed to the WSM. I even took the lid off for a while thinking it would get the coals hot. Like I said, I really have no idea how to use a charcoal grill. Its alway been turn the gas tank on and push a button, set the knob
 
I think what is happening is that your coals are dying out cooking your potato halves. Try firing up another 1/2 chimney of coals and put them on one side before your meat goes on.

Also for what it's worth I use fire bricks in my 26 kettle and they work great. I have yet to use the charcoal baskets that came with the grill. Just line the bricks up down the middle or even a little off to either side.
 
Rick, if you have the one touch, there are a series of round holes above your vent arm. Open your lid and take a look at the bottom vent position in relation to the holes and the control arm for the vent. The first hole opposite the ash catcher release should show you where the vent control arm is when closed. I used those first four holes as a guide for closed, 1/4 open, half open...to full open which is about half of the arc which the vent control handle travels. In one full swing you can go from closed to full open to closed.

If you are leaving your top vent wide open you are likely loosing too much heat unless you have a really big bunch of coals burning below. That's why your temps aren't coming up. Even with wood smoke, I almost never have the top vent more than half way open and often less than that.
Try this on a dry run. Top and bottom vents set to half and see where than takes you. Once your coals are going open up the bottom vent to full and watch what is happening. Kettles react more quickly than a wsm in fact they will respond as quick as a gaser in some cases. After you have hit 400-500 degrees pull back on the lower vent and return it to 1/4 open. Temps will start to come down. You can level out wherever you want but you have to know how to operate the vents. Do the same thing again but this time operate your top vent and see how it affects you temps. All of this of course depends on how much fuel you have in the kettle and at what stage its at in the burn. I have purposely dropped a 100 degrees in a kettle in 10 minutes when doing a roast

I did an 18 lb turkey over 5 hours up here at 30 degrees and was easily able to maintain 300-310 dome temp. My settings were about half open on the top and about 1/3 open on the bottom. I did not use a lot of briquetts either. I added about 6-7 to each side every hour and started out with a bit more to begin with. The key to operating your kettle is understanding your vents. Once you get to know it you will be able to control it like the oven in your house except you will have a quicker response.
 
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I very much agree with the indirect grilling method. Pile all of the coals to one side and use the distance from the coals to regulate cooking speed. I leave all of the vents wide open.

For steak and potatoes, give the potatoes a head start (you did), then go for the indirect cooking up to about 120 or so (you did), then move the steak over to direct grilling for just the sear, it will only take about 1-2 minutes per side. Then plate and cover to let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

For the charcoal, I start of with the chimney totally full. When the very top coals are just catching, I dump. If you want to add some smoke wood (oak goes great with a steak), that will be the time to add a piece or two. It may flame up a bit, but as soon as you put the lid down, it will go out and smoke.

I find that briquettes don't quite get hot enough so I use RO lump. The up-side is that RO gets very hot, the downside is that it gets used up pretty quickly. That's why I completely fill the chimney and even then I may have to add a little right before the steak goes on.

Russ
 
All this information is very helpful. I think I am starting to get the idea now.

Gary, I have a one touch but it is a silver, older model, doesnt have the ash catcher on the bottom. It has vent control that is a 3 pronged thingy covering 3 vents that operate as one unit. I started with them almost closed but thinking that as with the WSM, open would get the heat up. Unfortunately, by that point, I think I had used up to much of my coal as Danny said.

The good new is, is that I get to try again tomorrow :)
 
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