What Not To Do (Pt.1)

[addicted-to-smoke]

Do not use your wife's Farberware melting pots on the grill. The stainless construction and thick bottom are fine, but you'll just wind up removing them before the beans are warm, when the plastic handles begin to smell.

[addicted-to-smoke]

Other "excitement" in the photo:

1) First use of charcoal holders/indirect cooking. Thin chick boneless tenderloins turned out OK. Later I rotated the grill to hit them with more heat but that wasn't really needed and therefore not helpful.

2) First time using lump charcoal (with a few leftover MatchLights; chimney was about half-filled) DO LIKE.

3) First time using drip pans (small, from grocery store and there are two which filled up the bottom area nicely. Is there a better way to source these pans?) I wasn't saucing the chicken on the grill, and they certainly didn't have a lot of fat, so the pans were probably more for show?

4) The wrapped jalepeños look weird because that's turkey bacon, not the real thing.

[1911Ron]

Other "excitement" in the photo:

1) First use of charcoal holders/indirect cooking. Thin chick boneless tenderloins turned out OK. Later I rotated the grill to hit them with more heat but that wasn't really needed and therefore not helpful.

2) First time using lump charcoal (with a few leftover MatchLights; chimney was about half-filled) DO LIKE.

3) First time using drip pans (small, from grocery store and there are two which filled up the bottom area nicely. Is there a better way to source these pans?) I wasn't saucing the chicken on the grill, and they certainly didn't have a lot of fat, so the pans were probably more for show?

4) The wrapped jalepeños look weird because that's turkey bacon, not the real thing.

Might want to keep the "Matchlight" to your self   For drip pans, i do what you do and look for the pans in the size i need.  Other than that it all looks good!

[bob hope]

Ok I must admit I keep a bag of match light. The reason is that when I run out of paraffin cubes I will use one piece as my starter for my chimney.

P.S. twist the pans so as the handles are out side the grill but don't hit them it makes a mess

P.P.S good looking cook!!

[HankB]

I used a Corningware casserole in my little smoker once.  It took a lot of scrubbing to remove the smoke film. I use cast iron now and it works great!

Match Lights? Paraffin? I tear up charcoal bags and use them with my charcoal chimney to light charcoal. (Still waiting for that replacement burner for my Performer.)

[Bman]

The good part about the OP is the numerous times I read the word "first"
Ya gotta start somewhere - we all did.  You'll learn as you go and jumping in feet first is the best way I know how.
As long as you didn't get sick - it's still a success. 

[addicted-to-smoke]

Thanks. The Match Lights were a desperation purchase a few weeks ago before I bought my chimney and I'd refused to buy lighter fluid. I thought about turning the handles out but then I couldn't use the lid, or at least properly.

I do have a box now of the paraffin cubes and they are great. I may source some paraffin slabs (used for making candles) and cut them up.

[Bman]

Any chance you have a gas grill with a side burner?  Works amazingly well for lighting a chimney of charcoal.

[Craig]

I'd refused to buy lighter fluid.

I do have a box now of the paraffin cubes and they are great. I may source some paraffin slabs (used for making candles) and cut them up.

Weber Chimney, paraffin cubes....THE BEST!! No ash blowing around from newspaper embers and certainly no Craplight or lighter fluid. Full disclosure: I started with lighter fluid and Craplight.... we all started somewhere.

[1buckie]

I'll get drip pans from the dollar store, but be careful, sometimes it's not as good a deal as the regular grocery.............

Sam's club & the bigger restaurant supply places have good deals on full, half & 1/4 "hotel pans".........good for drip beans, smoked mac 'n' cheese, etc.
A full size won't quite fit on a 22-1/2" kettle, but you can bend the corners up a small bit & squeeze it in......







A+ refusing to buy starter fluid, friends don't let friends cook with gasoline......

Looks like you're already in trouble with the wife.....might as well go out & grab a bunch of kettles & drive off the cliff like the rest of us.........

[Bbqmiller]

For heating up small pots of beans or making some bbq/mopping sauce these are great.

I have 4 of these-they are cheap (8-9) bucks, and you can find them at Marshall's, Target, and the like. I just use my insulated gloves to move them around.

[mike.stavlund]

I make my own drip pans out of aluminum foil-- a doubled over piece of it, then bend up the sides and crimp the corners together.  It won't hold water, but it does a good job of holding drippings/grease.  And you can make then in any custom size you need, especially if you get the wider aluminum foil. 

I also have an old 9 X 13 aluminum brownie pan that I have rescued from the kitchen for use for a drip pan.  Just wrap it in aluminum foil to save on scrubbing.