Hello from Lake Orion, MI - Go GREEN!!!

[spartanhuntr]

All,

First time Kettle owner.  I purchased a Performer two weeks ago.  I have been smoking with a pellet grill for a couple of years.  Still love that but felt like i wanted to change it up.  And honestly, one significant interest was the Kettle Cooker Pizza oven accessory.  My family can't wait to use that. (just waiting for amazon to deliver my pizza peel). 

So far i have done simple chicken breasts, pork loin and tonight high quality ribeyes.  I am excited to learn from each of you.  I am already struggling just a bit with keeping temperatures up.  So, an education is needed badly. 

With our current lock down, i have a freezer full of meats to play with while home.  Looking forward to it.  I plan to spend a few hours this weekend searching this forum for tips. 

Thanks for having me!  Go Green!!!! 

[jhagestad]

Welcome from Highland Park, Illinois! We love Michigan (my MIL has a lake cottage in Coldwater, MI)! This group is wonderful on assistance on all things grilling.  For your temps, what's your setup look like? How do you go about lighting the coals, how are your vents set up, and what are you cooking? That should give us an idea of what's happening!

[bamakettles]

Welcome from Huntsville, Alabama!  Lots of grate folks here to learn from and see what they're cooking.  Will be glad to help and look forward to seeing your cooks!

[JEBIV]

Welcome from Doraville,Ga lots of grate folks here plenty of them willing to help just ask away

[spartanhuntr]

Performer..  Using the Slow and Sear.  Fill them up half.  Use the lighter included.  Get them to grey and then add more coals.  Bottom vents open and top vents open.  As soon as i put the lid on the flames that are roaring go down.  I have gotten it to 350 but can't keep it there.  Was about to give up on the slow and sear and just lay them out.  Assuming i am not getting enough air to the coals. 

Thanks all for the warm welcome! 

[bamakettles]

So.......just asking what or why do you need to keep at 350F for a low and slow cook?  Target temps for a low and slow for me are 225F to 250F.


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[DaveG74]

Welcome from just south of Chicago!

[jhagestad]

Performer..  Using the Slow and Sear.  Fill them up half.  Use the lighter included.  Get them to grey and then add more coals.  Bottom vents open and top vents open.  As soon as i put the lid on the flames that are roaring go down.  I have gotten it to 350 but can't keep it there.  Was about to give up on the slow and sear and just lay them out.  Assuming i am not getting enough air to the coals. 

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

You're in the right place!

Alrighty -- well, the SNS is designed for low-n-slow bbq cooks (6-12 hours) or indirect cooking followed by a reverse sear over the coals directly. If you're looking for a quick 15-30 minute blast at high temps, don't bother with the SNS - light a full chimney, give it 18 minutes then dump out the coals in the middle, spread em around using some long tongs and gloves, place the grill grate on, lid on, vents wide open and wait about 5 minutes and you'll be in the high heat business. Having said this, for things like chicken breasts, I don't want my temps to exceed 350F even with direct cooking. I'd go with half a chimney, lay em out for direct heat and do the above, but then your temps won't be Chernobyl level.

A full chimney works great for up to 10 burgers at a time on a 22" grate. The high heat generally holds for about 45 minutes, so if you've got a bunch to cook, you can do 'em in waves. 

Hope this helps!

[Shoestringshop]

Welcome from Melrose Park, IL. Great bunch of people in this group. Just ask us. 

[LightningBoldtz]

Welcome from Sterling Hts neighbor.

[RedCedar]

GO WHITE! Hello and welcome from a fellow Spartan in Monroe County. Same boat as you—invested in a kettle to play around with and now have time and a freezer full of meat. Been experimenting with the SNS (such a great investment) for both slow smoking and reverse sear. Otherwise for direct high heat I use lump charcoal. Gets SCREAMING hot relatively quickly. Took me a while to figure out how to get the grill temp up high and mostly it was me being impatient. Use a chimney and make sure the coals are ashed over, then make sure you wait until the grill preheats for at least ten minutes.


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[Mike in Roseville]

Welcome!

Unless that's a Green Performer...you need to get a Green SSP...and paint the handle/rollers White.


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[View to a Grill]

Hola!


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