Maximizing two zone real estate on the WSK


 
MichaelM

MichaelM

TVWBB Super Fan
I have an original SNS Deluxe that I cut down to clear the grill grate on the WSK.. before the low profile SNS was offered. Works awesome. However, the low temp side of the grill is far larger than I'd like which of course means the hot side is too small.

I've tried the runway setup that @Brett-EDH posts about but the Weber CB's aren't a great fit and it still leaves more real estate without coals underneath than I would like.

I've also tried just banking coals on both sides, and that works but it creates a more gradual transition.

Also thought of cannibalizing my CBs to make another Bro-N-Sear. Had one I made years ago and gave it away. I have three CBs and do use two of them at times I don't want to break out the Vortex, so not an ideal solution, although they are an inexpensive option.

Buying a second Low Profile SNS is certainly an option that would create the right amount of hot side but it leaves me curious if anyone's a better solution.
 
I cook hot-n-fast 75% of the time. I want a larger hot side. The hot side is always a game of Tetris for me. Never enough room. I like the runway style since I can actually have three temps (within reason)... hot and hotter on the sides and not hot up the runway.
 
MichaelM said:
I cook hot-n-fast 75% of the time. I want a larger hot side. The hot side is always a game of Tetris for me. Never enough room. I like the runway style since I can actually have three temps (within reason)... hot and hotter on the sides and not hot up the runway.
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Which proteins? Like steaks or burgers?

And are you always sitting atop the coals during HAF cooks?
 
Apologize.. missed the "what" question


Steaks of all sorts. Flap, skirt, tomahawk, Porter House, bone-in ribeye

Burgers

Doing short ribs today

St Louis and BB ribs. But those are low and slow

Chicken parts. Wings are usually done with the Vortex

I need more room to rotate on and off the coals during HAF. The single SNS is rarely enough room. The larger size of the WSK is wasted.
 
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There were two more CBs in the WSK I scored on FB MP toady so I cannibalized them to see if the DIY Bro-n-Sear would be a viable option and I think it is. I can size it how I want. Its coverage is a bit less than the SNS Deluxe which is good as it leaves a little more space up the runway.

I still have to drill and rivet the Bro-n-Sear so won't get to try it just yet.

I am still open to other ideas.
 
MichaelM said:
Apologize.. missed the "what" question


Steaks of all sorts. Flap, skirt, tomahawk, Porter House, bone-in ribeye

Burgers

Doing short ribs today

St Louis and BB ribs. But those are low and slow

Chicken parts. Wings are usually done with the Vortex

I need more room to rotate on and off the coals during HAF. The single SNS is rarely enough room. The larger size of the WSK is wasted.
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Good data.

The way I have found seeing and cooking steaks and chicken is to use a combo of direct and indirect.

I’ve cooked all direct for a steak and found direct heat to be too much heat and it can create uneven cooking, specifically on large cuts. Example would be that I hand cut my own ribeyes and NY steaks. My cut is 1.5-1.75” thick.

In these cases a reverse sear/smoke to 85/90° indirect and then finish via direct. You have to keep moving the steaks on the direct portion of the cook so as to build crust, but not burn a steak.

The goal is to keep the steaks moist and build char while rendering fat (ribeye) and or sear the NY fat cap with the steak on 4 sides.

For burgers, I start with the CI center at full temp to lay down grill marks and sear each burger. Then I move to indirect to get to 145° or 150/155° for 50/50 lamb beef burgers.

Again, not a full direct sear for the entire cook as that burns or overcooks the outside due to the heat coming up from the CBs.

Mind you, all my statements above are with the coals on the upper deck.

You can ALSO direct cook, as you’d like with the coals on the lower deck and sustain direct heat longer due to the coals being further away from your proteins.

I cook tri tips like this using live fire and real wood, white oak to be specific.

I’d recommend you try a direct heat cook using the lower coal position. I think this might get you want you want.

Lmk your feedback if you’ve cooked direct via lower coal position. I do like that method for larger direct cooks where I can control temps via the bottom sweep. More closed is less air and less heat the coals will make.

Also, are you using lump or briqs? I’ve pretty much moved to lump only on direct cooks due to JD lump getting super hot when on full blast.

Briqs work but the heat is less from my experience.
 
Read through a few times...
Thank you.

I use both lump and briquettes. I prefer B&B briquettes but they are difficult to find, so my go-to is K-Pro. I use lump occasionally and prefer JD.

I use the same technique for steaks. Indirect to somewhere around 90-100F then direct for the sear. Off at 125 to 127 and let carry over finish to med rare. Kind of do the cold grate technique. I don't chase grill marks.. I want a full sear with a nice crust.

I haven't tried it on burgers.. I am having a Darwin moment there. I usually just send it with burgers. I should treat them with more respect.

I've also never tried direct with the charcoal grate on the lower position. I think it will be too slow for my genetic profile. That said, maybe I should explore removing the SNS and just banking to one side or damming with the CBs. Seems like a simple solution and I think having the coals not piled so high in the SNS would slow things down a little in a good way.

I might have been overthinking this. I don't need to be so orderly with the setup.
 
MichaelM said:
Read through a few times...
Thank you.

I use both lump and briquettes. I prefer B&B briquettes but they are difficult to find, so my go-to is K-Pro. I use lump occasionally and prefer JD.

I use the same technique for steaks. Indirect to somewhere around 90-100F then direct for the sear. Off at 125 to 127 and let carry over finish to med rare. Kind of do the cold grate technique. I don't chase grill marks.. I want a full sear with a nice crust.

I haven't tried it on burgers.. I am having a Darwin moment there. I usually just send it with burgers. I should treat them with more respect.

I've also never tried direct with the charcoal grate on the lower position. I think it will be too slow for my genetic profile. That said, maybe I should explore removing the SNS and just banking to one side or damming with the CBs. Seems like a simple solution and I think having the coals not piled so high in the SNS would slow things down a little in a good way.

I might have been overthinking this. I don't need to be so orderly with the setup.
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Some burger inspo pics for you.
 
Yeah, something lower impact for this week, last week was a little complex and I felt like death eating a cracker by serving time and couldn’t even eat!
 
Brett-EDH said:
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Some burger inspo pics for you.
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Outstanding! That might not solve my need/want for more hot real estate but I love the simplicity!

Let's say you have four bone-in rib eyes.. same technique?

So you sear what will fit over the center grate and stage them around the outside to finish? Any issue with them stacked? Lid closed or open. Just probe them until they are done?
 
MichaelM said:
Outstanding! That might not solve my need/want for more hot real estate but I love the simplicity!

Let's say you have four bone-in rib eyes.. same technique?

So you sear what will fit over the center grate and stage them around the outside to finish? Any issue with them stacked? Lid closed or open. Just probe them until they are done?
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i'd start with a reverse sear on those ribeyes.

smoke wood atop the grate above the coals, use the smoke setting on the lower ash sweep.

probe the steaks until they're 90F and them move them to direct hear and flip, flip, flip flip and build crust.

you can do all four ribeyes at the same time in this fashion so they cook mostly evenly.

each one will be done depending on the size of each steak.

the burgers above are direct sear to start and then indirect to finish to temp. stacking is fine when doing burgers to get to final serving temp. no issues becuase the burgers are already seared.

i will often take each burger once at serving temp, say 145F, and quickly direct sear each one before they come off the grill. this way i burn off the juices that have pooled and it adds a little more char right before service to guests.

i don't stack large steaks though on indirect. each steak has its own space on the grill.

lid is closed in the smoke session. lid is open on the direct searing as the more air you have, the hotter the coals will be, thus a better sear.

probe as you cook. you'll get enough experience, quickly, to know how each steak or burger, or chicken piece is doing. this way you're on top of your game and not praying and hoping you've got it right.

i use a Thermapen. use what you like but it must be instant read.
 
I gril strip steaks a couple of times a month (mostly strips) Using the reverse sear most of the time & using my gasser to do the low temp cook until I get to around 90 to 100F. Then I make a "trench" of hot coals on the WSK. Charcoal grate in the upper position, both weber baskets flipped upside down, straight sides forming the trench. This MIGHT give you about half of the cooking surface as "high heat" and about half "no heat" I'm sure I got that idea/method from Brett. I always do step with the lid open.

I like to do Tri Tips with the charcoal grate in the lower position. I don't use the baskets for this. I just pile the briqs mostly on one side leaving half of the grate mostly uncovered so the thinner section of the Tri-Tip gets a little less heat. I would probably do something similar for thicker ribeyes but have a more evenly spread bed of coals since Ribeye steaks normally have a uniform thickness.

I've had a tough time cooking at lower temps on the WSK and sort of gave up on any sort of "indirect" style of cooking with the grate in the upper position. Using a slow n' sear is tempting. Very curious to know if anyone can keep temps < 275 using the SNS. I suppose it could happen with water in the reservoir, and following the normal lighting instructions for the SNS. No issues keeping temps low with the deflector plate in place and a water pan on top of it, so I've not been in a hurry to try the SNS.
 
John K BBQ said:
I've had a tough time cooking at lower temps on the WSK and sort of gave up on any sort of "indirect" style of cooking with the grate in the upper position.
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Only light 4-5 briqs and place them into the CBs and choke down the air inlet at the bottom. That’ll keep low temps when using coal on the upper grate.

If you’re lighting a full chimney and then choking down the inlet air, you’re not going to get less than 275/300°. It’s just too many lit coals to choke down.
 
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Brett-EDH said:
i'd start with a reverse sear on those ribeyes.

smoke wood atop the grate above the coals, use the smoke setting on the lower ash sweep.

probe the steaks until they're 90F and them move them to direct hear and flip, flip, flip flip and build crust.

you can do all four ribeyes at the same time in this fashion so they cook mostly evenly.

each one will be done depending on the size of each steak.
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That's EXACTLY what I do, but over the SNS.

Brett-EDH said:
the burgers above are direct sear to start and then indirect to finish to temp. stacking is fine when doing burgers to get to final serving temp. no issues becuase the burgers are already seared.

i will often take each burger once at serving temp, say 145F, and quickly direct sear each one before they come off the grill. this way i burn off the juices that have pooled and it adds a little more char right before service to guests.

i don't stack large steaks though on indirect. each steak has its own space on the grill.

lid is closed in the smoke session. lid is open on the direct searing as the more air you have, the hotter the coals will be, thus a better sear.

probe as you cook. you'll get enough experience, quickly, to know how each steak or burger, or chicken piece is doing. this way you're on top of your game and not praying and hoping you've got it right.

i use a Thermapen. use what you like but it must be instant read.
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The burger technique... I love it. We prefer them a bit more rare, but all the same.
Again, the lid position is what I would have done.

Thermapen instant read is what I use as well.

John K BBQ said:
I gril strip steaks a couple of times a month (mostly strips) Using the reverse sear most of the time & using my gasser to do the low temp cook until I get to around 90 to 100F. Then I make a "trench" of hot coals on the WSK. Charcoal grate in the upper position, both weber baskets flipped upside down, straight sides forming the trench. This MIGHT give you about half of the cooking surface as "high heat" and about half "no heat" I'm sure I got that idea/method from Brett. I always do step with the lid open.

I like to do Tri Tips with the charcoal grate in the lower position. I don't use the baskets for this. I just pile the briqs mostly on one side leaving half of the grate mostly uncovered so the thinner section of the Tri-Tip gets a little less heat. I would probably do something similar for thicker ribeyes but have a more evenly spread bed of coals since Ribeye steaks normally have a uniform thickness.

I've had a tough time cooking at lower temps on the WSK and sort of gave up on any sort of "indirect" style of cooking with the grate in the upper position. Using a slow n' sear is tempting. Very curious to know if anyone can keep temps < 275 using the SNS. I suppose it could happen with water in the reservoir, and following the normal lighting instructions for the SNS. No issues keeping temps low with the deflector plate in place and a water pan on top of it, so I've not been in a hurry to try the SNS.
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This trench you create is the runway setup @Brett-EDH uses.

I've never considered moving the charcoal grate to the lower position for other than a real low and slow. My brain is programmed for cooking times with the higher heat and it would be a chore relearning the times if I made that big of an adjustment.

I use a larger charcoal grate when using the Vortex.. I can't remember which size but I suspect it's from a 22. It is positioned between the WSKs upper and lower charcoal grate position and puts the Vortex in a much more controllable distance from the cooking grate.

I don't have issue with lower temps on the WSK. Yes, the water res helps stabilize. I love the SNS but can't lie.. I am feeling liberated by the ideas above.

Joe Anshien said:
You could just buy a few fire bricks and move them around to any size area you want...
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Absolutely considered this. But with three CBs in inventory I never took action.

Brett-EDH said:
Only light 4-5 briqs and place them into the CBs and choke down the air inlet at the bottom. That’ll keep low temps when using coal on the upper grate.

If you’re lighting a full chimney and then choking down the inlet air, you’re not going to get less than 275/300°. It’s just too many lit coals to choke down.
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Again.. this is what I do as well. Only I do it in the SNS. Anything more than half a dozen briqs will be a runaway and any attempts at getting temps back down will be futile.

BTW.. I love Nathan dogs but they MUST be cooked on a flattop for authenticity! No flattop in my future, but a I do have a CI griddle! Geez..I;m drooling a little.
 
I have a vortex, the charcoal baskets, and clay bricks. I can pretty much combine these to make any two zone configuration I want.
Bricks are, of course, much less expensive than the others.
 
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