Learn Me How To Use A Vortex....


 
First cook went very well! The new bowl definitely created more heat than the old can did --- I'm not sure if that is a good thing yet..... It spiked the temp to where my thermometer went all the way around to the 140 mark on the gauge - ~8 oclock where the other one would take it to ~7 ish --- RAGING hot! I let the thighs sit for ~25-30 minutes and they were picking up a lot of color and the skin 'seemed' to be rendering nicely! Smoke was running low so I had to add a little piece.....
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I could definitely see that the thighs closer to the vent were picking up less (top of the pic). I let them run for another ~25 minutes at which point the skin was getting darker and rendering more, but still not 'crispy' --- it was shrinking and pulling back from the meat.... Sorry - no pic...
I figured it was about the right time to start saucing since I didn't want to dry them out - the last cook 'may' have been on the dry side and I didn't want to repeat that. Sauced the skin - flipped them - sauced the bottom - ~5 minutes - flipped and resauced for another 5 minutes...
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I think the sauce actually helped the skin cook a little better - getting some sugar on there to caramelize.... Finally pulled them and let them rest for a good 30+ minutes....
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Yep - note the gloves and the long tongs --- DEFINITELY needed - now I need a long handles sauce brush....
They turned out TASTY and JUICY!!!! I was pretty happy with them! Its getting there....

The bowl worked VERY well! So perfect with the gas assist start --- its just TOO easy.... It is definitely 'big enough' --- I think I concluded that it doesn't need to be filled to the top with coals for a cook or that I can chuck a chunk of wood in it to take up room without any problem. Now I'm pondering the proper 'heat profile' for the cook.... 750-800 the whole time is probably a little extreme and not the best to render the skin --- maybe tone it down a bit in the beginning and hit it with higher heat towards the end..?..? Or viceversa? I'm also wondering what would happen if I flipped the bowl over and ran it that way...... so many things to try!

My take away ----- that was $9 well spent!!!!
 
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So I ran the 'bowl vortex' again last night with the big side up just to see what would happen.....
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I was kinda surprised --- even wide open, the temps were running ~600-650 for the majority of the time compared to the raging 750+ the other way. Threw the thighs on and never touched them for ~50 minutes.....

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FINALLY some crispy skin! Of course I glazed them at that point.... because thats what I always do..... The skin even after glazing and resting had a definite and pleasing 'snap'. I'm noticing that this 'hot and fast' cooking is producing an almost 'overcooked' meat texture that is somewhat on the 'mushy' side compared to the meat off the gasser with a smoke tube for 3 hrs.... its still moist and juicy, but the texture is distinctly different --- much like when I over do it on a reheat. Gonna have leftovers tonight for a true assessment.... I may not have let them rest long enough.

So.... I'm concluding ---
- Yes --- there probably is some 'venturi effect' going on --- but I'm not ruling out the 'air restriction' effect caused by the smaller opening on the bottom --- basically acting as a vent --- it definitely spiked up ~50-100 every time I opened the lid, and then would settle back down. I also used ~2/3 or less of the coal on this cook compared to the last cook - so that may be a factor also.
- It seems like the thighs cook better in the 600-650 range rather than the 750+ of the full on raging vortex --- I noticed that the skin actually rendered in place this time compared to it shrinking and pulling back in full rage mode.
- It seems like a good 'utilization' of coal --- I used ~one baskets worth of coal for just over an hour cook at 550+ --- some left over coals, but not much.
- The size of the bowl seems to be just about right for the amount of coal vs heat vs cooking area --- anything bigger than the 10" would have been overkill.
- Its pretty much a 'set and forget for 45 minutes' way to cook!!!! No burning - no flare ups - no fussing ---- pretty cool! Hard to do that even on a gasser hot and fast.... thats why I do the low-n-slow with the smoke tube.
- I'm kinda missing the blackened char that I'm used to and that I like.... but oh well.
- This set up is perfect for a whole flat of thighs/legs at once - tho its going to a chore to glaze a whole grate full - I'll have to get better at spinning the grate.... I've cooked a whole flat of chicken at the same time only twice when family was here - and that was on the (newly acquired - first cooks!) Silver B.

Honestly -- I haven't had much time running the kettle - this was only like my 5-6 cook on it if you throw out the burger cooks.... I never really mastered the art of 'basket' or coal placement along with meat locations..... along with what the 'proper' temps are for the kettle. My skills were tuned for grilling on a gasser - then smoking on the WSM, then the gasser with a smoke tube..... Being that I usually cook 'smaller' amounts of food at a single time, conserving fuel has been my main concern ---- after quality cooking.
 
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Some nice cooks there Jim.
Because it's just the two of us I mostly use my Jumbo Joe for charcoal cooks. Lot easier than firing up the performer.
I wanted a vortex for it also but the medium I have for the performer is too big for the JJ. So, my solution was a $2.50 Walmart SS dog bowl, I cut the bottom out of it, works perfect. Took a spare grate I had for it and cut the center out of it so it's easy to add more wood and also it doesn't screw up the grates from the excess heat.
Win-win.
Yep, gloves and long handle tools are a must with the vortex.

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Thats some tasty looking chicken there Rich!!!!! I haven't gotten to that level breading/battered chicken yet --- but I like the looks of it!

Also LOVING the repurposing of the 'B' cart!!!! Thats a nice setup! Mine just sits there holding a spare tank on the rack, grill tools to keep the grease off the deck and serves as the spot to light the smoke tube for the grills.... I 'had' planned on making it a plant stand for fuchsias....

I could get away with a JJ or a SJ for myself too..... but I've got the Performa sitting there....

Darryl - swazies said:
Based on all your cooks here it would appear as you are into conserving tin foil as well......
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As I said --- I don't have that many cooks on the kettle yet..... I haven't let my OCD get to the level of having to foil the grill yet --- I doubt I will.
Being that theres an ash bucket underneath --- I don't find it burdensome to pull the grates and scrape the grease and drippings down thru the slots when it builds up.... its just not that big of a deal to me. I'm in the habit of scraping the grease out of the Spirit 2 burner every 5-8 cooks anyways because the LnS builds up a LOT of grease that WILL cause a grease fire if you try to burn it off.

The only thing I feel the need to foil is the heat deflector pan in the WSM.
And for the record --- I DO hate wasting foil too..... I burn up enough of the 16" HD foil cooking two butts on the WSM and wrapping....
 
I bought mine from Marty too, both of them in fact. Supporting a member here and made in the states is a plus!
I just wish Weber made a GBS for the 18 that was scaled down in the center, the one they make just uses inserts for the 22. That doesn’t leave much room for vortex use as far as grate space goes. I understand not wanting to tool up for an entire set of inserts but, Gee!
 
Foiling the charcoal grate does two things for the vortex. First it makes clean up a snap and more importantly second it forces the fresh air up into the vortex creating more heat.
 
timothy said:
Foiling the charcoal grate does two things for the vortex. First it makes clean up a snap and more importantly second it forces the fresh air up into the vortex creating more heat.
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Its already generating more heat than it needs too.....
If/when I run it small side up again, I'll be throttling back the vents.
 
If you want to try the KFC or breaded chicken that's what the majority of us do.
Otherwise carry on.
 
Some people rotate the lid 4 different times throughout a vortex cook, believing that it will provide better evenness on the bird.
 
EricV. said:
Some people rotate the lid 4 different times throughout a vortex cook, believing that it will provide better evenness on the bird.
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I was planning on doing that when I have a full grate myself from what I've seen. I was thinking 90 degrees every 10 minutes or so.....
 
EricV. said:
Some people rotate the lid 4 different times throughout a vortex cook, believing that it will provide better evenness on the bird.
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I am wondering if the centered lid vent on the WSK makes the vortex on the WSK have less "swirl" than a standard kettle with the lid vent off center.

perhaps we can get a research grant to explore this
 
I would like to think that with the vent in the middle any sort of " swirl " is of very little importance.
I think of it like an oven....my last wing cook and I posted it on Joan's thread I just used the 2 weber baskets..
both off to the same side opened the top and bottom and got it up to temp with the top lifted.....they were possibly the best wings I have made yet.
 
DanHoo said:
I am wondering if the centered lid vent on the WSK makes the vortex on the WSK have less "swirl" than a standard kettle with the lid vent off center.

perhaps we can get a research grant to explore this
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You may be on to something, I know Brett continues to not be impressed with the Vortex & doesn't use it. I believe other owners of the WSK have have not been happy with the results either. It always works great for me in a regular 22" kettle.
 
Jim Weber said:
I was planning on doing that when I have a full grate myself from what I've seen. I was thinking 90 degrees every 10 minutes or so.....
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I have turned the lid from time to time, I don't know if I recognized any different results. Placing a wood chunk on the top grate seems to get the temp really high & quickly.
 
EricV. said:
You may be on to something, I know Brett continues to not be impressed with the Vortex & doesn't use it. I believe other owners of the WSK have have not been happy with the results either. It always works great for me in a regular 22" kettle.
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I have the WSK and a medium vortex brand. It works great, but it is slightly taller and the center removable grate sits just a bit above the rest of the grate, but has not been an issue. I try to keep temps from getting to far over 500 F, but so far food coming off particularly chicken pieces and burgers have been great! Family loves them.
 
I find the vortex works fine in the WSK, yet I have seen flames licking out the top through the vents. This never happened when I had it on a kettle.

Using a vortex in the WSK, it certainly get's hot, yet I'm really wondering about the swirling affect which would be like a convection oven.

I might have to cook something on my performer with a vortex and see if I notice a difference.
 
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Having used the Vortex on a standard kettle and a “center vent“ platypus, results seem to be better on the regular offset top vent but, there was alcohol involved so, I will repeat the “test”. I don’t understand the concept of throttling back the vents though, the design is to achieve the highest possible (indirect) temperature, hence the name “Vortex” it does indeed provide Venturi effect heat with minimum coal maintenance on a kettle, I’m not sure what possible bonus would be achieved by lowering the temperature through vent management. Rich has demonstrated the brilliance of KFC using the Vortex as designed.crispy breading is only going to be achieved through the full throttle use which is a coal fired air fryer!
What is your desired result JIm? I’m a little confused.
 
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