Weber grill and indirect grilling


 
S

Steven Simpkins

TVWBB Member
When I grill chicken I grill it indirect with the coals set
to one side of the grill. To be able to grill more chicken could
I just spread the coals out over the entire grill without any
adverse effects? With the cover on there should be no flames or
will the heat be to high and burn the chicken?

Thanks Bones
 
If you spread the coals out(a thin layer) i still think the direct heat will be a bit to hard on the chicken.

I always set a 2 zone fire(like you) and sear first then off to the indirect.(for chicken)

I dont think you will have trouble with flame´s aslong the lid is on. I would try to get a warming rack/raised grate to have dual layers of chicken indirect.

I asume we are talking Thighs/Wings/drum´s here?

My 2 .
 
I agree with Daniel. When I first started cooking over charcoal, I used to cook my chicken drumsticks, thighs, breasts, et al over direct high heat, turning them about every 5 seconds. Once I discovered the sear-then-indirect (or the indirect-then-reverse-sear) method, it took more pressure off me to continually monitor the meat, and it also resulted in more juicy, succulent chicken meat. The 2-zone fire with a warming rack or second raised grate is the way to go, in my opinion.

Barret
 
One method I use is the "Bull's Eye".
Make a pile of charcoal in the center of the grate, leaving a nice gap all around.
Now arrange your chicken over that gap. This works well with smaller pieces like wings and drumsticks. In theory you can grill more meat, and your meat cooks more evenly because all pieces are about the same distance from the coals.

This obviously works better on a 22".
 
Seeing as how a 22.5" Weber kettle can achieve an internal temperature of 350 degrees with fewer than 15 lit briquettes (try it, it's true), I don't think you need to sacrifice that much of your cooking surface. I use a pair of offset firebricks as my charcoal separators standing on end lengthwise. Because of their size, the firebricks allow me to stack charcoal nearly up to the bottom of the grate, which is fine since I'm cooking indirectly. I think you can maintain 80% of your cooking surface without a problem. I frequently cook wings and chicken in general...and that sucker is loaded. 1-1 1/4 hours at 350F.

I found the trick to good, crisp chicken is letting the chicken come to room temperature over the course of a couple hours...and patting the skin as dry as possible. I usually pat dry with paper towels until a clean sheet no longer absorbs any moisture from the chicken.
 
I'm with Hayden on the kettle indirect for Chicken. Here is a pick of my setup.
Indirect OTG with fire bricks
Setup the bricks. Foil the grate under the chicken to ease cleanup but also to force the airflow from bottom vents up through charcoal. I put about 1/2 chimney unlit a half chimney lit on top. then add a couple small chunks of cherry or sassafras. Note the top vent opposite the charcoal side to create heat/smoke flow over chicken. (not in pic but I also run foil over the cool side and top of the bricks)

Rub your chicken pieces in olive oil. Rub with your favorite rub--i like rub heavy on red chili and garlic for chicken.

I usually have to run my bottom vents at around 25% and top vent 100% to keep the lid temp around 375 or 400 for crispier skin. YMMV so play with the lit vs unlit coal. For smoking at 250 I use maybe 10 lit coals.

If you like your chicken crispier then run the temp up to 450 for the last 20 min.

If I have a lot of chicken I will rotate pieces away from the "hot" side halfway through.

You can get these firebricks at Ace HW for $20 or order online and have them shipped for free to a store near you. You can also use them to raise the charcoal grate for searing steaks, adding a second rack on top etc. Best $20 I spent for BBQ.
 
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