Vortex Grilling

[Wahoo95]

For something different try bacon wrapped chicken breast. Sauce 5min before they come off.....awesome!

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[MikeRocksTheRed]

I never worry about the drippings since I pull my vortex when finished and spread the coals around which causes them to burn off all those drippings.  I have the standard drip pan though....wouldn't do that with the captured ash catcher.

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I started doing the same thing a few wing cooks ago.  Pulling the vortex and spreading the coals works great!

[jcnaz]

26.75" OTG, medium Vortex, 16 chicken thighs.



How long did you cook your thighs?


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I took that picture at about the 40-minute mark. They were still under 150° internal. I flipped them and gave them 15 more minutes and they were 170-180°. Bite-through skin, still juicy, no color at the bone.

Here is what they looked like when I took them off.

[Turbo98]

Wow, I've done a lot of stuff with my Weber over the years but I guess I was in the dark.  I'm finding a ton of additional gadgets that people are using.  I need to read up on this Vortex now   I love wings.

[Wahoo95]

Wow, I've done a lot of stuff with my Weber over the years but I guess I was in the dark.  I'm finding a ton of additional gadgets that people are using.  I need to read up on this Vortex now   I love wings.

Just remember you can do a whole lot more than wings with it

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[Turbo98]

Yeah, I see it does a ton of stuff.  BTW, how long do you guys throw your wings on with the Vortex?  I'm assuming it holds about a chimney full of coals?

[Wahoo95]

Yeah, I see it does a ton of stuff.  BTW, how long do you guys throw your wings on with the Vortex?  I'm assuming it holds about a chimney full of coals?

I can cook a full load of wings in 45 min to an hour on a full load of charcoal. When they come off I'll actually still have enough still going to cook some more or cook other things.

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[Turbo98]

Cool.  I was thinking about an hour maybe similar to doing them in an oven.  Thanks.

[Wahoo95]

I always plan for an hour but sometimes they take less time. I did leg quarters last night which normally take a little longer than hour but on took 45 min last night.  I cook till they hit my desired internal temp so that time isn't always a given.

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[Turbo98]

Ok.  Does that thing hold more than a chimney full of coals?

[Wahoo95]

Ok.  Does that thing hold more than a chimney full of coals?

Yes, I dump a full chimney into the Vortex then top it off with unlit coals. Let it run without the lid for a few minutes which provides time to have a full Vortex of hot coals then I lid it for 5min or so to warm up the grate. Come back and add the food and a piece of wood depending on what I'm cooking.

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[Turbo98]

Has anybody ever tried putting mostly un-lit coals in the Vortex then putting 8-10 lit ones on top to get it going?

[Turbo98]

That's what the Smokenator instructions say to do.  I did some indirect cooking/smoking yesterday for the first time with the coals banked behind some bricks.  I lit them kind of like it was a Smokenator with 48 unlit down first then 12 lit on top.  Doing it this way is a lot faster as it only takes a few minutes to light those 12 coals in an upsidedown chimney.  Plus all the heat wasted waiting 20+ minutes for a whole chimney full of coals to ash over could be used to cook with.  But I'm not sure if one would need a "pre-heated kettle to use the Vortex effectively?

[Wahoo95]

That's what the Smokenator instructions say to do.  I did some indirect cooking/smoking yesterday for the first time with the coals banked behind some bricks.  I lit them kind of like it was a Smokenator with 48 unlit down first then 12 lit on top.  Doing it this way is a lot faster as it only takes a few minutes to light those 12 coals in an upsidedown chimney.  Plus all the heat wasted waiting 20+ minutes for a whole chimney full of coals to ash over could be used to cook with.  But I'm not sure if one would need a "pre-heated kettle to use the Vortex effectively?

It'll actually take much longer to get the  necessary heat you're shooting for by using the vortex.  The whole concept is to cook indirectly with very high heat.

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[SmokenJoe]

@Turbo98,  this is what I remember from reading many posts on this site  ...  still need to be taken with a grain of seasalt

1) "Fuse or Snake":  L&S cooking, 5-7 hrs duration, no coal adding (but can w/ difficulty), can get to 275 but best at 225, Cost = $0.00

2) "Smokenator":     L&S cooking, continuous duration, must add coal (& water if using water) every hr, can get to 275 but best at 225, Cost = $65ish

3) "Slow-n-Sear":    L&S cooking, continuous duration, must add coal (& water if using water) infrequently, can get to any temp you want, Cost = $80ish
                                H&H cooking, heavy heat for searing, slightly less room on grate than Smokenator.

4) "Vortex":             L&S cooking, continuous duration, must add coal as needed, can keep in the L&S range, Cost = $??ish
                                H&H cooking, intense heat within the "cone" of the Vortex, good placement ability withIN the kettle, some cooking grate space restrictions.

Hope this helps a bit.   These are ALL good utility tools to enhance the ease and quality of your cooks (like warming seats in your family car).

On a personal note; I own and have used all of these add-on's except the Vortex.  I've used the "Fuse" method for years to make cooks in the 14 hr range  ...  I kind of cheat by using two kettles, when the fuse is down to about 30min on one I just start another fuse on the second kettle and when it's up to temp I put the whole cooking grate over there to maintain my Pork Shoulder cook                                  SJ