My new Vortex

[Tex Slater]

OK, I am not one for ranting and raving about something on a forum like this or any other, but I recently bought a Vortex and used for burgers last week, which turned out really good if you like a nice sear. Well today I tried it on some chicken wings, which I love doing on the weekends. Before I use to just grill my wings which was pretty successful, but I like a smoke flavor. When I got my Weber I could never get the wings crisp enough. So I then started to cold smoke on my Weber and transfer over to my gas grill for finishing. Not always successful. Tonight I used the Vortex on my Weber pretty much to their instructions and I am one happy camper. The wings are crispy and tasty like I like and still quite juicy. Tomorrow I have a steak, which I am pretty sure will turn out fantastic. My wife is out of town so I am experimenting

 

[Rusty James]

Thanks for posting.

I exchanged my 22" grill for the 18" model for similar reasons, although the air gap between the two kettle models are identical, the smaller grill does not require a ton of charcoal to get the ideal heat I desire.

That large air gap between the grate and the grill is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that it helps with flareups, but not so much if you need searing heat from a small coal load.


EDIT: Looks like a person could fabricate a vortex easy enough. I may look for some scrap metal at the junkyard and make my own.

 

[Robert-R]

Gotta love those frustums.
They are great.
You need at least 2 sizes (or 3): 22.5, 18.5 & even SJ/JJ.
It all depends on how much product you are cooking & what kettle you are using.
All of them are very fuel efficient.

 

[Robert-R]

EDIT: Looks like a person could fabricate a vortex easy enough. I may look for some scrap metal at the junkyard and make my own.

I've made several of them. It's not as EZ as it appears to be. First off... you need to make a pattern. That takes a while. & then you need to fabricate the frustum...
Have fun & post pix of the finished product.

 

[Rusty James]

I've made several of them. It's not as EZ as it appears to be. First off... you need to make a pattern. That takes a while. & then you need to fabricate the frustum...
Have fun & post pix of the finished product.

Looks like all you need is a rectangular piece of stainless steel with tapered ends (measured to size, of course).

How did you weld/secure the ends together?


EDIT: Found this explanation of frustum...

http://www.mathwords.com/f/frustum.htm

The word threw me off for a minute.

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

I love my vortex too.
Ideal for high indirect cook and then you can move meat on the volcano!

 

[JeffG]

I use mine all the time.

Last weekend using grill grates on top of the vortex.

 

[Mark Barton]

Looks like all you need is a rectangular piece of stainless steel with tapered ends (measured to size, of course?

Rusty, that is what I thought, too. But it turns out that the pattern actually looks like a quarter of a donut. It's defintiely possible to DIY one, but it's a lot more challenging than you might think.