Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I think you definitely win the cookie on that!
Lucky man!
Lucky man!
Just wanted to brag a little
- Thread starter Bruce
- Start date
MichaelM
TVWBB Super Fan
Look what I picked up for $100 today. 2016 model.
Wow.. that's almost grand larceny!
Keep it!!
I bought a 2018 new-old-stock for fathers day and I absolutely love it. I thought I stole it at $900 fully assembled.
I would love it if you could tell me how you're ready to cook on the WSC in 20 minutes. I need a better method for getting coals ready. Takes me way too long
Maybe it was a pee'd off wife getting back at her husband. She sold his mint Porsche 911 Turbo for $200 as well.That's the deal of the year. Cheapest I've seen was $600 and it was gone in minutes.
Also, who sells an $1800 grill for $100?
I like those older models better than the newer models, the solid half shelf on the bottom looks nicer to me.
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
I can start cooking on my performer in 20 minutes pretty easily. I fill 1/2 to full chimney (depending on what I am cooking) and place it over the gas assist for 5 minutes. Let burn for anther 5-10 and either spread them out or put coals in basket(s). Close cover, wait 5 more for grill to get to temp and throw meat on.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
The WSC is very efficient on coals so I learned real fast to not use so much coal. That saved a LOT of time.
I always recycle old coals into the chimney so they’re at the bottom. Under the chimney I place a paper towel that I drizzled some cooking oil on.
Load the chimney to half full including the old and now new coals. Light the paper tower with a small torch and set a timer for 10 mins.
Usually have full flames out of chimney in 10 mins and then spread coals into baskets or mound for a larger indirect cook.
Place cooking grate atop coals and let sit for 10 mins. If indirect cooking, I then scrape the hot part of the grate and spin it to the indirect side to place proteins on them and close lid and cook.
If I need a new and full chimney, very rare for this now, I load the chimney and place is on my gassers side burner and burn on high for 5-10 mins. Usually have a fully involved chimney in less than 10 mins and then move hot coals to grill for cooking.
That chimney is a lifesaver. Nearly impossible to achieve quick hot coals without it.
The oiled paper towel was a lifesaver. No starters needed and it’s cheaper than buying any starter products. And I’ve used the charcoal bag too with cooking oil on it and that works well also.
Anyone have another or better method to share? I’m open to learning.
DanHoo
TVWBB Olympian
@Brett-EDH ...
tvwbb.com
Fire Starters - what are you using?
Tim's recent post on his neighbor's pyromania ( https://tvwbb.com/threads/nooooooooooooo.84490/#post-937201 ) gave me the idea for this post. I switched from using Weber's paraffin cubes for chimney lighting earlier this year to using these little "tumble weed" style lighters from Grill Trade...
tvwbb.com
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I guess I learned well. Thx for that share.@Brett-EDH ...
Fire Starters - what are you using?
Tim's recent post on his neighbor's pyromania ( https://tvwbb.com/threads/nooooooooooooo.84490/#post-937201 ) gave me the idea for this post. I switched from using Weber's paraffin cubes for chimney lighting earlier this year to using these little "tumble weed" style lighters from Grill Trade...
Shane - glitchy
TVWBB Super Fan
Amazing score, you really should keep it. I’m more like 20-30 minutes to grill and around an hour to be ready to smoke something, but hard to beat for some things. For $100 plus a vortex you can keep it just for grilling chicken wings, legs, thighs. It can do anything though.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
I vote for the divorce deal no way anyone who ever bought that would sell it for $100 bucks and I am so envious its beyond words.
MichaelM
TVWBB Super Fan
Most of my cooks have the charcoal grate in the high position which seems pretty far from the propane burner to be efficient. Truth told, I haven't tried it.. I assumed it was too far away. I feel kinda silly I assumed it wouldn't work. If I am using the Vortex I put an extra charcoal grate in the middle position and obviously low-n- slow has the the charcoal grate at the low position which is fine.
I bought a box of the Amazon tumbleweed knock-offs.. they are awful. Takes four to get a three quarter full chimney going.. a good twenty minutes. My gasser has side burners, but to be honest, I don't want the ash collecting in and around the burners.
I'll try the oil soaked paper towel.
I don't mind the time required to light a second chimney to add fuel, but it would be nice to shorten the startup time.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
we use this butane torch to light the lightly (less than a tsp amount) oiled napkin or paper towel. you really don't need more than 1-2 napkins or a half sheet of paper towel, oiled.
the oiled napkin, if using the vortex goes on the grate and then place old, partially burned coals atop the napkin, then add some fresh coals if you need more coal into your vortex. since coals don't fill every void, it's easy to then torch light the oiled napkin with this burner.
literally, in 10-15 mins max (depending on which coals you're burning that day) your vortex will be fully lit. key point is to open the bottom vent at 100% (fire setting, not smoke setting) and keep the grill lid open for full air circulation. i set a 10 minute timer on my watch and 10 minutes is almost always just perfect to then place the grill atop your vortex. you could place you're cooking grate in place when you light the coals too. i usually just leave it off until i know i have fully lit coals. call me lazy here.
if you're using the coal baskets, which i seem to do more often now, i aggregate my old, partially burned coals into the chimney and around 7/8th's a full chimney will fill your coal baskets (using Cowboy or KF coals, B&B briqs are larger and B&B Charlogs are even largerer (made that up)).
place the oiled napkins on the coal grate (upper position) and place the chimney atop the oiled napkins (i have the Weber full size chimney, not the smaller version) and use the torch to light the oiled napkins. again, bottom vent fully open (fire position) and lid open.
NOTE, keep the chimney to the largest opening side (handle side) of of the E/S6 lid. do not light your chimney towards the center or rear as you will have hot flames coming out of the chimney at 10 mins and you don't want to start a fire in your lid. ALSO, the E/S6 handle can become warm if you have a high flame so be smart and use a heat resistant glove to avoid hot metal surfaces. I own two pairs of these in case I ever need someone to help me move a grate, food, coals, anything hot: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KZBY806/?tag=tvwb-20
poof, your old partially burned coals will light VERY quickly and then your new coals will become fully involved in 10 mins.
then, VERY GENTLY and WEARING A HEAT PROTECTED GLOVE, slowly turn your chimney over to load your coal baskets. i load the baskets when they're in a circle shape so it's easy to divide between each basket, and then either slide the two baskets to the grill middle or into two half-moons with one on each side of the grill for indirect cooking. i use the weber coal rake to move my baskets around the coal grate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IVOLL3G/?tag=tvwb-20
i rarely use my gasser side burner to light fresh new coals now since using this oiled napkin method. a virgin-coal chimney will take a little longer than 10 mins to fully involve. however, pretty much all KF products will be fully involved within 10 mins (good and bad). note, KF briqs burn a horrible black smoke upon lighting so never add them to cooking food. the smell, smoke and flavor fresh KF coals produce is what has moved me off their product (till i burn up what i have left in my stash).
sorry for the long post here. it is about as detailed as I can get without making a video, which i don't really want to do.
bottom line, fully lit coals (meaning you have flames coming out of the top) can be done in 10 mins. mind you, your top most coals might not be ashed over but 75-90% of your chimney will be fully involved and lit, enough so that you can move to placing your coals in "ready to cook" position. and preheating your grill grates, regardless of which one you're using, is key to a good cook and proper grill surface cleaning.
i always brush my grates prior to every cook and i always let my grates burn up to 10 mins after a cook to burn off food stuffs. this way you're scraping carbon off your grates as you're about to cook your next meal.
let me know if anyone has any questions. i don't think i invented anything new here. just sharing a few years worth of experience to help, if this does indeed help someone else.
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MichaelM
TVWBB Super Fan
I definitely can make use of this... I use a long reach butane lighter (not torch) which rarely stays lit with wind coming off the bay.
I've been putting a layer of fresh briquettes down first and then the partially burned fuel. I do the same in the chimney. Seems to prevent the small stuff from falling through the grate openings. Cover the partially burned fuel with another layer of fresh, as needed.
I prefer to leave it off until I am ready to cook. I can get things going using the Snap Jet when using the Vortex since I use the aux charcoal grate set at in the middle position. It puts the coals closer to the Snap Jet and provides enough clearance above the Vortex if I want to put the center of the GBS back on for an end-of-cook sear. Also allows me enough room above the Vortex to place a CI skillet in if the cook calls for it.
No worries.. thank you for the details. Agree on getting things set up towards the front of the grill. If pushed to the back the heat is far more concentrated and the handle of the chimney becomes way to hot to touch. I use a Slow-n-Sear basket but the process is the same as using the Weber baskets.
I'll incorporate these suggestions and will let you know if I have any challenges. I always leave the cooking grate on at the end of a cook and give it a thorough cleaning while really hot. Depending on what I cooked (my wife tends to like marinades and sauces that gunk up the grates) I might steam away some of the mess while the grates are at their hottest. I brush them again before the cook as they pre-heat.
Kyle in Woodstock
TVWBB Guru
Wow, that's amazing.
Gotta be the ex wife selling off the divorced husband's grill.
Gotta be the ex wife selling off the divorced husband's grill.
