Daisy wheel kettle, incoming mods items, and vents getting clogged?

[dbhost]

Okay so my new to me, EZ code daisy wheel 22 kettle, while it works great, it has a couple of issues I like to correct...

#1. THe standard grate, no thanks. I like to be able to tend the fire during a cook that I ordered a hinged cooking grate from Amazon prime.
#2. And remmber this is MY kettle, and I don't think of it as a valuable classic, just an old BBQ I got cheap on Craigslist... So I am adding a thermometer to the lid, same way I did to my Jumbo Joe premium. Same DozyAnt 2" stainless steeel thermometer.

I also found out, that, well a direct cook burn with lump tends to clog up the vents very quickly.

What can I use to keep, get the vents clear during a cook?

I should mention that the legs on the new kettle are a bit on the wobbly side, but I am going to make a separate post on that...

[kettlebb]

HVAC tape around the top of the leg can tighten it up. As far as keeping the bowl clean the best way is to use a 2 zone setup and use foil or foil drip pans on the indirect side.


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[YardBurner]

With lump I use 2 charcoal grates
one on top of the other rotated at 90 degrees to each other.
So instead of slots you now have a square grid
it holds the smaller embers up off of the kettle bottom.

Think waffle fries vs. Ruffles.

[brewtownbeatdown]

IAC from a Happy Cooker would keep the vents clear.  No need for the external ash pan then


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[kettlebb]

IAC from a Happy Cooker would keep the vents clear.  No need for the external ash pan then


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I'd love for someone to try and get these reproduced in SS. I'd wager that there would be a lot of buyers.


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[YardBurner]

I guess we need to contact Adrenaline BBQ

All you'd need is a set of dies and a big honkin' punch press.
Probably just a 2 step process.
One hit to punch the holes and cut the circle.
and a second to form the contours.

[brewtownbeatdown]

I think a SS IAC would be sweet!!!  Can't imagine someone would do it though.  A two stage, liquid cooled die set (or two separate die sets) for SS would be pricey.  Plus, Weber owns the rights to HC's stuff, so it'd need to be different enough to avoid litigation. 


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[YardBurner]

Maybe that's what happened to the Handy Pan.
Weber squashed it.

So you start out with non SS to build sales
and offer a premium SS version once you
can cover costs.
Gotta be fabricators out there that do contract work.
At least that way you're not having to but a press as well.
Not really my area of expertise.
I'm a screen printer and we do contract work at times.

[kettlebb]

I didn't know that brewtown.

Hey Weber, I know you read this stuff. Please license ABC to make the Internal Ash Pan for the old 3 wheelers or start reproducing them on your own. Pretty please?  I think I need 9 for 22" and 2 for 18"


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[YardBurner]

Hell, Weber, Start makin' them yourselves.
I'm good for at least 4 of each size just to start.

[dbhost]

LOL...

FWIW. I am not enjoying lump charcoal. At least the stuff I got from Wally World. Sparks and crackles like fairly pitchy pine, clogs up vents, and burns stinking hot.

[greenweb]

With lump I use 2 charcoal grates
one on top of the other rotated at 90 degrees to each other.
So instead of slots you now have a square grid
it holds the smaller embers up off of the kettle bottom.

Think waffle fries vs. Ruffles.

What he said, plus using weber charcoal baskets. Should never clog the vents.  As for reproducing Internal Ash Pan.....I am very skeptical of it happening. Not likely, but even if Weber or other Manufac. reproduced IAP, not many people would buy them except some of us hardcore kettle heads. I would buy some, but think of how many normal griller with 3 wheeler ( not many ) and from those few, wanting to spend approx. $30 to $70 for one depending on  steel stamped, porcelain coated like the original or ss.

[greenweb]

LOL...

FWIW. I am not enjoying lump charcoal. At least the stuff I got from Wally World. Sparks and crackles like fairly pitchy pine, clogs up vents, and burns stinking hot.

Try using different brand Lump. You might get better results.

[dbhost]

Okay so no second charcoal grate, yet... but the hinged cooking grate is in, as is the thermometer in the lid.

The leg wobble is annoying to say the least. A grill should be stable on its own legs, and the legs I have are, well they seem dangerous to me.

I have used a ratchet handle to make the ends round again, so at least they aren't threatening to fall out now, but when bumped, the whole thing racks about 25 degrees or so, which is concerning with pets and kids around there is the possibility of a loaded grill taking a tumble on somebody I care about. This is NOT acceptable.

I set aside an Arizona tea can today to be disemboweled as shim stock for these legs. I WILL get this rig tight, and I would rather not drill and thread for a screw. For starters, the legs are REALLY thin aluminum, which won't hold a screw well...

I found the issue with the clogging once the fire was out. Small, unburned lumb charcoal bits found most of the air holes and clogged them up, This did NOT happen on my first burn on this kettle which was only KBB, so I guess stick with briquete charcoal and chunk smoking wood and I should be good to go...

[dbhost]

Good morning y'all. Sorry if I already covered these items, I just wanted clarity as I am at a real keyboard and not doing voice to text on my phone subject to AutoCorrect and whatever Google things I am saying.... :-)

The package from Amazon arrived yesterday. Washers were missing from one of the thermometers. (I got the 2 pack, they were inexpensive enough, and they work great!).

I installed the thermometer in the lid on the new to me EZ code kettle.  Purists will hate it, but the kettle has dents, dings, and rust spots already, not exactly a collectible piece, and I LOVE having the thermometer there....

Drilling the hole was plenty easy. I used the Harbor Freight 1/2" Hammer Drill with the hammer function turned off. Not because I needed the power, but because it was on my bench already... A Quick Clamp to hold it steady while I drilled, and a Ryobi 3/8" TiN coated drill bit. I deburred the hole with a rat tail metal file (Stanley Proto IF anyone is interested).

I did NOT paint / seal the hole. The lid already has like I said, dings and rust... I am going to take this back off, do some light sanding and degreasing of the lid before I hit it with some VHT Engine enamel and I do that ONLY to slow down / stop rust progression on the lid!

The other item / mod that came in is getting to be a must have for me on a kettle, and that is a hinged cooking grate.

I was going to try to drop in as well, my old rusty Smokey Joe cooking grate as the secondary / 90 degree coal grate. I have the bailing wire and spinner to bind the two together into one unit , so assuming it fits, I am ready to go and make this work...

My Elotes from last weekend didn't come out as I had hoped. No thermometer in this kettle, no real idea about heat, and I was changing the way I cook them. I typically have dunked them in a cool water bath, let the husk soak up water, and then foil wrap them loosely to allow steam to escape, and smoke flavor to enter, and cook them over a medium / high coals for an hour turning occasionally.  This time I just tossed them straight on the grill. After an hour, the kernels were still plenty raw. Not a good thing!

Today, not sure when, but at some point I need to run to AutoZone, or wherever I can pick up VHT, and get a can of gloss black engine enamel.

My remaining mods on this Kettle (these kettles if you could VHTing the holes in the lids) are..
#1. Degreasing, disassembling the related components enough to mask, lightly sand and VHT paint the following
a. Thermostat penetrations.
b. Rust spots at the handle weld points.
c. Rust spots where there are dents and dings on the lid, and bowl.
d. The surface rust on the tool hanger, and condiment rack, since I don't have access or the desire to get them replated....
#2. Disembowel the aluminum can, and shim the legs in the sockets to stiffen up the base of the Kettle. I do NOT like the idea of a wobbly kettle with burning material in it while there are kids, and pets around....

Again the purpose behind my modding has absolutely ZERO to do with cosmetics, and everything to do with function.