Weber Kettle 101 please


 
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Scotty Be

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I have always been a gas grill guy, but recently purchased a 22" OTG. I have had inconsistent results at best. I normally use a weber chimney full of Kingsford, spread out evenly for normal grilling like burgers, chicken breasts, ect. I have played with indirect too.
Sometimes it works well, but I am far from consistent, normally running low on heat before the cook is done, then not sure if and when to add more coals. Doesnt seem like most ever have to....Like I said, I think I need a grilling on a Weber Kettle for dummies or something. When to dump coals from chimney, Spread charcoal out or pile on one side, vents open or closed, when to add charcoal, ect, ect. Is there such a post on here? I consider myself a very good cook and grilled, but am about to abandon charcoal if I can't get this figured out. I have a reputation you know
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If you use a chimney, your bottom coals could be burning out before the ones on top are ready.
If you have baskets, start with less in the chimney just enought to get them started. Divide the just starting coals into the 2 baskets. Fill with more unlit coals.
When they ae almost ready, put your lid on to heat up the rest of the grill.
Ideally, your meat goes on as the coals are just beginning to peak.. Unless your cooking something fast, like burgers or steaks..
Think of your grill as an oven.
I use a thermo in a vent and I have trouble with it being too hot!
 
Just about every cook I use about a chimney worth of charcoal and I always bank the coals on one side of the grill. You don't have to wait till all of the coals are ash white either to start cooking, think Minion Method. Are you regulating your grill temp? If you are running your grill with the vents wide open you will burn a lot of fuel.
 
For indirect always bank your coals behind firebrick or landscape bricks (use the latter if the former isn't readily available - they work just as good if you keep them stored dry).

For longer indirect cooks (3 hours or more), bank a good layer of unlit coals underneath the chimney of hot ones). That alone can add an extra two hours or more to your cook.

For higher indirect temps keep the lower vent half to three-quarter open, for lower temps keep it about 1/4 open. Top vent keep almost or completely open for either method.
 
For most things you're better off banking the coals (I use fire bricks to make it easier), searing whatever it is on the hot side, then moving it over to the indirect side. You'll get a nice brown exterior but more even cooking inside - including for burgers. I normally run my kettle vents full open unless the temps are really getting out of hand, which is unusual with that kind of setup.

That approach works for all kinds of things - steak, burgers, rack of lamb, tri tip...

What else... oh, the charcoal. The traditional advice is for lump you wait until some flames are shooting out the top, and for briqs you wait until the top ones are ashed over. As you may have gathered from prior posts a lot of people don't wait that long.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TroyRedington:
you're keeping the lid on right? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hi Troy,
When I grill - meaning I spread the coals out rather than piling them up in the baskets or between a drip pan - I find that I need to keep the lid off center about 1" or so to get good heat. It just doesn't seem like the coals want to stay hot otherwise. Is this typical or am I not allowing the coals to get going well enough? That's with all vents wide open of course.

When indirect cooking, I never have this problem.

I guess it stands to reason that if putting the lid on cuts down on air enough to put out flare ups, then it is restricting air enough to keep combustion below its maximum rate.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hank B:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TroyRedington:
you're keeping the lid on right? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hi Troy,
When I grill - meaning I spread the coals out rather than piling them up in the baskets or between a drip pan - I find that I need to keep the lid off center about 1" or so to get good heat. It just doesn't seem like the coals want to stay hot otherwise. Is this typical or am I not allowing the coals to get going well enough? That's with all vents wide open of course.

When indirect cooking, I never have this problem.

I guess it stands to reason that if putting the lid on cuts down on air enough to put out flare ups, then it is restricting air enough to keep combustion below its maximum rate. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

do you need 100% of the grate space for direct heat?

if not, bank your coals so they're layered a bit. It will give you a hot zone and a cool zone.

what charcoal are you using?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TroyRedington:
do you need 100% of the grate space for direct heat?

if not, bank your coals so they're layered a bit. It will give you a hot zone and a cool zone.

what charcoal are you using? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have a rectangular cast iron grate I use on top of the standard grate for grilling. I try to spread the coals below the unhinged portion of the grate.

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I sort of zone by avoiding charcoal that's not under the CI grate. I suppose I could also push more towards one end.

I usually use lump when I want a hot fire.

thanks,
hank
 
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