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So I am currently grilling some brats and sliced potatoes. I used a full chimney of RO and planned to go two hours due to cooking the taters indirect while wrapped in foil. I'm less than two hours in and I had to add a half chimney cuz it burned out too soon. On top of that, only the spot directly above the coals are hot enough to cook on. It is about 200 on the other side.

I've never had this much trouble grilling brats and taters. Is it the cold weather? Fuel source?? I normally use lump.


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And this thread is really just me bitching while I wait for my easy/quick dinner to finish an hour too late.


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I don't have problems with RO briquettes in the cold.  Can maintain 250-300 using 2x2 snake below zero. I'm guessing that you're getting hit by the winds sweeping the Midwest(?).  In my experience, wind causes more issues than cold.


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The easy cheesy answer is use Weber briquettes! (and I'm a lump guy). Those things burn hot, and forever. You will need to be patient and wait for about half an hour for all the crap to burn off, but after that, it's fine.

As was said, shield against wind. For lump, pack the chimney fairly tightly and pour the lit onto a layer of unlit, Minion style.

Thanks fellas. I only bought the RO cuz Weber briqs are $$$$ and the RO is $. But I need more before TG so I'll be getting some Weber briqs since they are only $11/20# at Lowes bear my house.

I didn't notice any more wind than usual. Hopefully I don't have this problem on TG.


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@Schaefd2  Check this out for Weber charcoal

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-20-lb-Charcoal-Briquettes/1000156169

I have a hard time when it's that misty piss rain that is like a super heavy fog.. where everything is soaking wet but it's not pouring rain. So much humidity screws with my temps. I also try to keep all my charcoal stock in the dry garage.. this helps also on cold and wet days.


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I don't recall having too much trouble regardless of brand. In cold temps I start with a full chimney of lit and run vents open or more open than normal. The trick for me is getting the food off the grill and into the house quickly because the cold zaps the heat out of the food when pulling off the grill. Also I have a couple metal serving trays that I don't use to ferry food in the winter because the metal conducts the cold to the food quickly.


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Sounds like damp charcoal.

Quote from: Hell Fire Grill on November 21, 2017, 05:01:24 AM
Sounds like damp charcoal.

it is definitely dry as it is kept in the shed at all times. The only difference I can think of is the wind, cold, and fuel.

It was just so frustrating because I couldn't even cook a hot dog 3 inches away from the hot coals. I ended up just cooking the brats and dogs by shuffling them over the coals. And I had to mess up the taters by opening the lid frequently to turn the brats; that cold air woulda sucked the heat from those taters in no time. I gave up on the taters. They are this morning's hash browns.


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And yes I'm getting some cheap Weber briqs later today.


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Regular (non-Summit) kettles and WSMs aren't well insulated, and has already been said, wind is a bigger factor than cold at "wiping away" heat from them. It's not due to air leaks though, but without that constant layer of heat surrounding the bowl and lid, more will take its place and fuel gets beat up, trying to keep up.

More fuel, or better fuel. If you normally use lump, that's a hotter fuel.

I am going to disagree with the consensus. I find the ambient temperature makes a huge difference. It may not affect my ability to maintain a given temp, but it requires the use of a lot more fuel and greater airflow. But I'm not talking about the difference of 20° degrees outside. More like the difference between 85° and 20°. At the other extreme, I've found it more difficult to maintain 225° in the wsm when the outside temps are over 100°. I happen to live in an area where temps regularly peak above 100° in the summer and fall down to single digits in the winter.

My first thought was damp charcoal.  You'd be surprised how quickly a bag can consume/absorb any moisture (even in a garage or shed).  I had some Stubbs have trouble getting up to temp in "normal" conditions.  Then a fresh bag on a cool rainy day and I had no trouble.  I'd vote damp fuel, then wind/weather as a factor.

Always roll the bags as tight as you can and store them off the ground either on a shelf or pallet.

I just did some acorn squash the other day in 25 degree temps with a full chimney of Weber charcoal. No issues and had plenty of heat near the end to cook up some hamburger and veggies on a cast iron skillet to stuff them and let the squash cook a bit longer. Love the Weber stuff for long cooks.

I did ribs recently and temps outside hovered between 30-40.  I didnt have trouble maintaining cooking temps, but I went through at least twice as much charcoal (KBB) as I have in the past.  I chalked it up to the colder weather.  i was anticipating having trouble keeping the cooking temp constant/hot enough but that really didnt seem to be an issue at all. 

I really don't know how my charcoal would have gotten wet. I mean we did get a ton of rain this weekend, enough where it flooded Main St, but I'm two miles from there and didn't experience and flash flooding. My charcoal is in the shed, but I leave the bag open, always have.

I now have three bags of the Weber briqs. I guess I won't be so stingy with them despite being $$.


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Quote from: Schaefd2 on November 21, 2017, 10:02:39 AM
My charcoal is in the shed, but I leave the bag open, always have.


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There's your problem right there.  Charcoal is a moisture magnet.  Roll the top down real tight from now on.  The Weber bags are resealable. 8)

Quote from: kettlebb on November 21, 2017, 10:05:07 AM
... The Weber bags are resealable. 8)

yes and so are some other ones

Love my Kingsford Kaddy! It's one of my critical grilling accessories.

I don't place the bag in it though, as some pictures will show. I just dump the charcoal into it. One large bag = full container. You wind up with charcoal dust at the bottom in this way, but I don't care.

It's easy to tilt and pour into the chimney, and mine has never leaked even a drop, when left outside.

Quote from: addicted-to-smoke on November 21, 2017, 11:44:30 AM

Quote from: kettlebb on November 21, 2017, 10:05:07 AM
... The Weber bags are resealable. 8)

yes and so are some other ones

Love my Kingsford Kaddy! It's one of my critical grilling accessories.

I don't place the bag in it though, as some pictures will show. I just dump the charcoal into it. One large bag = full container. You wind up with charcoal dust at the bottom in this way, but I don't care.

It's easy to tilt and pour into the chimney, and mine has never leaked even a drop, when left outside.

+1 for the kingsford kaddy. I've been planning on adding one so I can store 2 different coal types in the grilling area or one for smoke wood.

Weber bags are suppose to be able to reseal but I haven't been able to crack the code. It's straight forward zip loc type deal but I'm not smart enough to make it work.


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The only time this has ever happened to me was damp charcoal....

the OP post could be due to an endless variety of factors.

was chimney fully lit before dumpong coals.
age of charcoal....
current humidity...
did the meat leak juice out and dampen the lot coals.
after dumping lit coals...was the kettle then allowed to preheat for 15-20 mins

the avoid the meat leaking juice onto coals and dampening the lit coals...inusually try to indirect cook first..so raw meat will juice out without hitting coals...then going into direct sear post initial juice leak stage

I cooked more brats tonight. Used the same coal, plus some leftover from two days ago. I everything cooked normal. I got 450 directly over the coals and 275 indirect. I still think those temps are lower than normal, but I was only using 1/4 chimney (plus the old stuff) or so.


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Quote from: Schaefd2 on November 22, 2017, 01:53:44 PM
I cooked more brats tonight. Used the same coal, plus some leftover from two days ago. I everything cooked normal. I got 450 directly over the coals and 275 indirect. I still think those temps are lower than normal, but I was only using 1/4 chimney (plus the old stuff) or so.


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Oh my gosh!  1/4 chimney?  Your are a tight wad with coal. I reuse the unlit coal too but I've never cooked with anything less than a half chimney of new added. Usually about 2/3 of a chimney. I think we found the problem. Especially if outside temps are low.


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Lol yes Hoosierkettle he is a tight wad with a lot of things but it makes him very resourceful too.

Still think the coal is damp


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Quote from: HoosierKettle on November 22, 2017, 02:24:54 PM

Quote from: Schaefd2 on November 22, 2017, 01:53:44 PM
I cooked more brats tonight. Used the same coal, plus some leftover from two days ago. I everything cooked normal. I got 450 directly over the coals and 275 indirect. I still think those temps are lower than normal, but I was only using 1/4 chimney (plus the old stuff) or so.


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Oh my gosh!  1/4 chimney?  Your are a tight wad with coal. I reuse the unlit coal too but I've never cooked with anything less than a half chimney of new added. Usually about 2/3 of a chimney. I think we found the problem. Especially if outside temps are low.


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Well, the other night was a full chimney of new. Tonight, was a 1/4 chimney new on top of 1/4 chimney old. I was only cooking 5 brats tonight.

But I do have my stingy tendencies


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