Which accessories should I start with for 22" weber kettle
- Thread starter JasonWilliams-CA
- Start date
Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Diamond Member
What they call lasagna pans.... 9 X 13 if I remember correctly fits in snug and easily beside my S&S deluxe......these are clean up life savers......I have the drip pan from S&S but it is a lot of clean up....might have only used it once or twice....been considering using it as a griddle moving forward.
Tin foil of course can work but its just a bit more work....but maybe cheaper to use.
The lasagna pan lasts a ton of cooks and you can buy in bulk for cheap....works out to cents per cook because they just end up in the garbage eventually.
Again I can do so much with the S&S, both with water pan in and out....I use the weber baskets a bit but not a ton.....
I purchased the vortex and really only used it 3 or 4 times....again a bit more work to get it working right.....
using a weber basket on each side and the lasagna pan in the middle with tons of red hot coals mimics the vortex wing cook enough for me to do it more often......just my 2 cents on a few things that took me a bit to figure out.
Tin foil of course can work but its just a bit more work....but maybe cheaper to use.
The lasagna pan lasts a ton of cooks and you can buy in bulk for cheap....works out to cents per cook because they just end up in the garbage eventually.
Again I can do so much with the S&S, both with water pan in and out....I use the weber baskets a bit but not a ton.....
I purchased the vortex and really only used it 3 or 4 times....again a bit more work to get it working right.....
using a weber basket on each side and the lasagna pan in the middle with tons of red hot coals mimics the vortex wing cook enough for me to do it more often......just my 2 cents on a few things that took me a bit to figure out.
Yair Halamish
TVWBB Fan
I would recommend the chimney starter.
It's a cheap accessory that gives you great benefit.
It's a cheap accessory that gives you great benefit.
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I am going to amend my recommendation, chimney starter and IR thermometer.
The first thing to get are a couple of beautiful steaks (to learn more about direct method” and chickens (to learn about indirect method) and a pork loin (more indirect knowledge)
Full disclosure, I didn’t use a thermometer of any kind for most of forty years, no one got sick from food around here.
There were many hangovers though!
The first thing to get are a couple of beautiful steaks (to learn more about direct method” and chickens (to learn about indirect method) and a pork loin (more indirect knowledge)
Full disclosure, I didn’t use a thermometer of any kind for most of forty years, no one got sick from food around here.
There were many hangovers though!
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
I didn't have a kettle, but and Genesis and WSM. I used them, but got enthusiastic about accessories. Most of them I have since discarded. An instant read and a decent monitoring thermometer are really useful. A small grill basket helps. And any cast iron pans or skillets will never be regretted. But cook with your grill is most important. I applaud your last post!
DanHoo
TVWBB Olympian
I presumed he already has a chimney and an instant read thermometer, but if not I agree these are essential.
MichaelLC
TVWBB Pro
Another vote for the Vortex. Again, not a 'necessity' like a chimney or thermometer but a great addition.
Rotisserie I'd hold off on for now.
I really like my my new wood handles and cover. Cover I got from coversandall. Handle guy seems to not be taking new orders.
Oh, a veggie basket. Webers look nice but expensive. The small Weber rib rack is not great unless you 1/2 the ribs.
Rotisserie I'd hold off on for now.
I really like my my new wood handles and cover. Cover I got from coversandall. Handle guy seems to not be taking new orders.
Oh, a veggie basket. Webers look nice but expensive. The small Weber rib rack is not great unless you 1/2 the ribs.
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Brock Gingery
TVWBB Super Fan
Jason, I have to agree with what most everyone said here and your choice to learn the basics first. Hope you are having success so far, and those who said "charcoal chimney" were steering you right. Using one with no lighter fluid is a must.Hey folks.
I was wondering if there are any suggested accessories to get for my new 22" kettle. I thought I would get some advice from the community.
I have been thinking about getting one of the two:
- slow n seer, the deluxe one.
- vortex cooker
There are a lot of interesting accessories that look interesting that I would explore picking up in the future.
For now though, I thought maybe one of the two (maybe I just grab both?) would be good to start with.
Cooking wise, I expect to be cooking quite a bit of the following:
- ribs
- chicken thighs, wings, legs, breast
- veggies (we need our greens!)
Thanks for the feedback!
I wanted to put a different bug in your ear though as we come up on summer 2024, and a full year of learning for you. A heavier duty stainless steel grate should probably be the fist thing you look for. Durability wise it will outshine the plated grate that most likely came with your grill. I can speak to the quality of both the KillaGrilla grate, and the Aura Kettle Zone which you can get from Amazon. I understand weber is doing their gas in stainless as well, but I have no experience with it. The stainless will also hold up better in the long run with any high heat accessories(vortex) that you get.
Sorry for refreshing an old thread, but I hope it also comes as new encouragement. Best wishes to you for 2024.
Paul Warner
TVWBB Pro
Cover, decent pair of bbq gloves, decent quality charcoal, instant read, chimney starter. I think the rotisserie is fun and gives good results even if a little pricey. SNS sell some good quality products, the drip pan/griddles are good with the cast iron variants offering a little more flexibility. There are mixed views on the Weber GBS accessories with some claiming they are overpriced gimmicks, the beer can chicken roaster and wok i have found useful. Some sort of cast iron skillet can increase cooking options. Main thing is to experiment, have fun and enjoy the ride! Happy grilling
Richard Garcia
TVWBB Wizard
I have both the SNS Plus/Deluxe and their DripNGridle Pans for my WPD and Weber Mastertouch Grills and gets heavy use over these past few years. I always line my DripNGridle Pans with Aluminum Foil which makes clean-up a breeze for both the Drip Pan and Kettle. Using the Drip pans lined with aluminum foil has prevented very little chicken grease dropping down to the bottom of the kettles. I grill several chicken legs several times a month. I have both the Small and Medium size Vortex which has gotten very little use over the past few years. Other items which get heavy use is a good Cleaning Grill Brush, pair of Welder Gloves, Weber Tongs, Good knife, Weber Charcoal Lighter Cubes, Weber Chimney, Good Instant-Read Thermometer and Weber Charcoal Rake. Mind-you that the BBQ Accessories listed above were purchased over a ten(10) year period. As I recall my first WEBER Accessory was the Weber Large Chimney.
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Oh....and just to add more things to the mix, if your Master Touch has the food grate with the removable piece in the middle, there are a lot of cool Weber accessories you can add later like a round griddle plate, a cross checked cast iron grill grate for those awesome grill marks. a wok and a pizza stone for pizzas and bread. Very versatile.
As for the vortex, well load up the two baskets and place them in the middle, they'll do the same thing just less directly to the centre of the lid.......sometimes i think the Vortex gets too hot and can't be doing the centre inside of the Kettle lid any good over the long term so out of the two you mentioned, I'd be getting the slow n sear....very versatile piece of kit.
Like many here have suggested, Get to know how your Kettle operates, You folks in America tend to cook a lot different to us here in Australia, and when the Weber Kettle was introduced in the 70's, they were a fantastic roasting cooker by cooking the meat in the middle and the coals to the sides with a foil tray in between the coal baskets......roasts come out brilliantly......then there's direct grilling (direct coals) and basic low n slow (again indirect) then you just go on from there......check out some You-Tube videos, there's heaps out there.
Cheers
Davo
As for the vortex, well load up the two baskets and place them in the middle, they'll do the same thing just less directly to the centre of the lid.......sometimes i think the Vortex gets too hot and can't be doing the centre inside of the Kettle lid any good over the long term so out of the two you mentioned, I'd be getting the slow n sear....very versatile piece of kit.
Like many here have suggested, Get to know how your Kettle operates, You folks in America tend to cook a lot different to us here in Australia, and when the Weber Kettle was introduced in the 70's, they were a fantastic roasting cooker by cooking the meat in the middle and the coals to the sides with a foil tray in between the coal baskets......roasts come out brilliantly......then there's direct grilling (direct coals) and basic low n slow (again indirect) then you just go on from there......check out some You-Tube videos, there's heaps out there.
Cheers
Davo
Brock Gingery
TVWBB Super Fan
Davo, the reason we like offsetting charcoal to cooking area here in the US is because it maximizes our cooking area in any kettle, generally for low and slow. Roasting is a slightly different process, and yes there is a reason the old Weber catalogs show a fire on two sides with food in the middle. It's been done here for years, and the guys who love cooking that way will fight over the rare kettles that had the daisy wheel in the center top of the lid.
Now though you have me thinking of roasting some vegge in a cast iron pan in the grill though..... maybe once deer season ends.
Yes we here in Australia still love the traditional roast Beef/Lamb/ Chicken/ Pork with crackling skin etc but many of us have also adopted the Low n slow ways of BBQ. We don't roast in pans that much, although we place a pan between the coals but much rather allow the heat flow all around the meat for even cooking......well that's how it was done from the 70's till the 90's but now the offset fire on one side has replaced that idea and i've been using for over 25 yrs. I use that way always for reverse searing steak, in particular tri-tip, boneless pork or lamb shoulders I cook this way like a huge thick steak...Webers are great for that. I now use slow n sear and wonder why it took so long for me to get one....brilliant piece of kit, it was mainly because of availability and before they were available here, many retailers from the USA could not post them to Australia due to some tax reasons or something.
Grilling whether on a griddle (hot plate over here in Oz) or grill bars are also something we've always done for decades, still love the high and fast char grilling.
Our cuts of meat here are more expensive and smaller than what you have in the US, due to Australia exporting the best quality meats to Asia, we get what's left lol.
Probably one major reason for the way we roast in the kettles is when you buy a brand new Weber Kettle here in Australia, we get an awesome hard cover Australian Kettle Cook book with the grill and to many of Australians just starting out with Weber Kettles, they are like the Bible. First printed in around the mid to late 70's, they have had many updates to present days and still revered among Kettle owners. It's a very high quality book.
Cheers
Davo
Brock Gingery
TVWBB Super Fan
Hey man, if you have one of those books, take a photo or two and share.
Ultimately on offset cooking for low and slow, uneven cooking is not a problem due to the offset daisy wheel. Fire on one side, vent on the other and you have convection cooking via airflow of heat and smoke over the meat. The problem comes from direct side exposure to the coals and the extra heat and cooking ability of the light being generated by the coals. It's a different type of heat, which is why guys in the US used to(some still do) use bricks to act as a side barrier to the coals long before the advent of charcoal baskets or the SNS. I also should give a shout out to the Mallory Firewall charcoal grate doing the same thing. Without that barrier you do get uneven cooking if you don't rotate your meat, either manually or with a rotisserie.
The disadvantages to doing low and slow with two fires are that it is easier to control one small fire than two for consistency, and second to offset that problem the normal advised method is reduce fuel in the kettle. Here in the US our weber manuals advise a specified number of briquettes to start along with a small number added after a passage of time would love to know what your books advise(curious if weber changes anything from country to country). Given how various weather can affect the consumption of the fuel it is easier that way to wind up with wider temperature swings. I imagine since it tends to stay a little warmer there and winters aren't as harsh as some of the areas here in the states that might not be as big of an issue for you in Australia, though please correct me if I am wrong about that.
Having one fuel source and one fire is the easiest to control, and may be the very reason accessories or methods(like the snake method) have been developed for the kettle due to its popularity and adaptability. I'm glad that there is enough interest that it is catching on there, though I wish you had a better choice when it came to the produce of your own country. There are people here in the US trying to forcibly remove or reduce meat production as well. If only we could get all the idiots running our countries isolated to some small island somewhere where the couldn't inconvenience the rest of us, the world might truly turn into one big bbq party.
PS~ I do enjoy a few video channels from Australia concerning grilling and bbq, and hope you guys add a few more. That, and talking with you has made me realize I have not watched "The man from Snowy River" in a very long time. Now that deer season is over, that will happen soon as well.
Cheers.
Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
Note that if you're gonna get the SnS charcoal basket, you might also want to consider getting the half-moon griddle. They're designed to work hand-in-hand. It fits in the bottom like a puzzle piece and will act as an input air deflector, similar to the one posted earlier in this thread. But it also catches and collects drippings. And it also can be used on the cooking grate indirectly.
Hi there Mark E and Brock G for your replies, sorry it has taken me a while to get back as I've been away. I've been so busy lately i haven't even had a chance to light up the Kettles and gave any grilling work to my trusty Q3200 Weber Gas grill. This one is natural Gas not bottle gas....love it!!
I will try and find the Australian Kettle Cook Book and because it began here in the early 70's, it has been updated every few years, one of them was a Weber Kettle salesman back then and one was an established cook who unbeknown to the salesman, had bought her Kettle grill over from the USA on a trip over there.
It could take some weeks to get photos as these books are still packed in boxes from a recent house move.....but i'm eager to get the books out and take photos for you.
How many photos can I post on this forum and how large?
I have the SnS Deluxe but not the griddle pan, I just place a large foil pan under the meat to catch the grease, so I guess it does the same thing but i'll look into it.
I had found when I bought my Sage Green Performer Kettle back in 2008 that when i began dumping a hot load of coals on one side against the side of the kettle that over time, the sage green enamel on the kettle started to pitt and some had flaked off leaving it look a bit pot marked and you can see the original black underneath. So yeah, the high heat isn't great over the long term and is why I'm a little hesitant now on using the vortex method. I have the Australian version which is called Kettle Kone and is more a square Pyramid shape but the intense heat is incredible and I'm concerned over the long term what it's doing to the top of the lid. I've actually wound my temperature guage around the clock....but the chicken wings were awesomely crisp.
Yeah, our Winters are not as severe as those in the USA, probably because overall we don't have the Altitudes you guys do. Compared to the States, Australia is flat but we do get snow in certain parts and mostly on the ranges and towns over 800mtrs and only on the Eastern side of the Country. Where I live, we're on the Border of NSW and Victoria in a town called Albury and we have a twin town on the Victorian side of the border. We are West of the Snowy Mountains and Mt Kosciuszko which is our tallest Mountain.
I will try and find the Australian Kettle Cook Book and because it began here in the early 70's, it has been updated every few years, one of them was a Weber Kettle salesman back then and one was an established cook who unbeknown to the salesman, had bought her Kettle grill over from the USA on a trip over there.
It could take some weeks to get photos as these books are still packed in boxes from a recent house move.....but i'm eager to get the books out and take photos for you.
How many photos can I post on this forum and how large?
I have the SnS Deluxe but not the griddle pan, I just place a large foil pan under the meat to catch the grease, so I guess it does the same thing but i'll look into it.
I had found when I bought my Sage Green Performer Kettle back in 2008 that when i began dumping a hot load of coals on one side against the side of the kettle that over time, the sage green enamel on the kettle started to pitt and some had flaked off leaving it look a bit pot marked and you can see the original black underneath. So yeah, the high heat isn't great over the long term and is why I'm a little hesitant now on using the vortex method. I have the Australian version which is called Kettle Kone and is more a square Pyramid shape but the intense heat is incredible and I'm concerned over the long term what it's doing to the top of the lid. I've actually wound my temperature guage around the clock....but the chicken wings were awesomely crisp.
Yeah, our Winters are not as severe as those in the USA, probably because overall we don't have the Altitudes you guys do. Compared to the States, Australia is flat but we do get snow in certain parts and mostly on the ranges and towns over 800mtrs and only on the Eastern side of the Country. Where I live, we're on the Border of NSW and Victoria in a town called Albury and we have a twin town on the Victorian side of the border. We are West of the Snowy Mountains and Mt Kosciuszko which is our tallest Mountain.
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Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
Nice photos!
So you're saying the vortex method damages the Weber lid. I've never heard of that but I think most have a black Weber so maybe they don't notice it? I've heard people say it can damage a grate, so it's nice to have a circular grate in the middle which can be removed.
Cool mountains - not much vegetation, I see. A few years ago, I drove up to the top of Mauna Kea - Hawaii's tallest mountain. Almost 14,000 feet above sea level. Had to drive through the clouds to get up there. Completely barren - it was like the surface of the moon. Not a tree, not a bush, not a grass blade. No animals. Nothing. Just rock. And some space observatories. Got out of the car and almost passed out - the air was so thin. Got back in the car and sat a few minutes - recovered.