Adding more heat bead briquettes

[cartandpeg]

Hi All,
        Well I am currently using my new kettle,first I put the chicken in then a bit later I added the trays with the spuds,carrot,pumpkin and corn etc.I let that go for about an hour and half,then I checked again and noticed the chicken was still pink and the other vegies where not done right through,the temp had dropped a fair bit.After discussing with my good lady if we should add more heat beads with the food in we elected not too,in fear we may contaminate the food.So basically I needed more heat.I did add the recommended amount of beads prior to cooking.

So needless to say was a bit disappointed that everyone was told the meal would be not ready on the time we thought.

Could I have added more heat beads whilst the meal was still cooking or would I need to take everything out until the heat beads where ready to go.

Thanks again for any replies.

Andy

[Troy]

add more (unless they're the kind with lighter fluid already added)

[cartandpeg]

Thanks Troy,no they are not the lighter fluid kind,we have just removed every thing and put it in the oven and after checking every thing, it does not look to bad ( cooked wise).
We where just worried we would ruin the meal by adding while cooking.
I felt a bit dumb asking the question,but I suppose it is the only was to learn.
Many thanks for the prompt reply.

[landgraftj]

Andy your just starting out...there really are no dumb questions. Ask away, its what we're here for!

[wyd]

Thanks Troy,no they are not the lighter fluid kind,we have just removed every thing and put it in the oven and after checking every thing, it does not look to bad ( cooked wise).
We where just worried we would ruin the meal by adding while cooking.
I felt a bit dumb asking the question,but I suppose it is the only was to learn.
Many thanks for the prompt reply.

Normally on cooks if your temp is kept around 300 degrees and you only open the kettle 2 or 3 times total in that time frame I found I can go about 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours before needing to add more briquettes.  Now during that time I might have to open a vent a little bit to keep me at the temp I want to cook at.  Now higher temps will require add more fuel more often to keep those higher cooking temps and the vents would need to be more open to keep those higher temps.

Ask questions it is the only way to learn.  I wish I would of found this website sooner as I cooked from April til about 2 months ago before I found this site.  Lots of helpful people of this site.  I also watched a lot of videos from BBQ Pit Boys as they cook tons of food and 99% of it is done on a Weber Kettle grill so it really makes it easy to be a great cool on the kettle.

[tattooedant]

The way I look at it is, they wouldn't have put hinges on the grates if they didn't want you to add more briquettes...like the others have said, as long as it's not the lighter fluid kind, its not a problem. There have been a few times where I had to fire up the gasser to finish a cook off because I couldn't get my temps to stay. Sometimes the weather plays a big roll, and you may cook fine on a nice sunny day, but a cold and snowy day may take some more fine tuning. Whatever you do, don't stop trying new ways!

[G$]

Hi All,
        Well I am currently using my new kettle,first I put the chicken in then a bit later I added the trays with the spuds,carrot,pumpkin and corn etc.I let that go for about an hour and half,then I checked again and noticed the chicken was still pink and the other vegies where not done right through,the temp had dropped a fair bit.After discussing with my good lady if we should add more heat beads with the food in we elected not too,in fear we may contaminate the food.So basically I needed more heat.I did add the recommended amount of beads prior to cooking.

So needless to say was a bit disappointed that everyone was told the meal would be not ready on the time we thought.

Could I have added more heat beads whilst the meal was still cooking or would I need to take everything out until the heat beads where ready to go.

Thanks again for any replies.

Andy

Bear in mind, if you are cooking on charcoal (or wood) that items like chicken  may have a pink tinge on the outer area where the smoke has contributed to a Maillard reaction.  I am not saying this is what occurred in your case because I was not there, but do be careful to draw the distinction between "pink in center and not cooked"  versus a "smoke ring".

Also, and this is a very generalized statement, the longer a meat is kept above the safely cooked zone, the lower that safely cooked temperature is.

To answer your original question, as others have said, feel free to add quality briq to an in process cook  as long as you have a large enough existing coal bed to ignite the new briqs.   

[saxart]

CartandPeg-
It sounds to me like one of two things happened during your cook.  Either the coals were not fully ignited when you started cooking, or you had a vent-damper closed too much and they went out.

Can you describe how you lit your coals?  Back during my days of using lighter fluid (gasp!) I had this exact same problem because I wasn't getting the coals (beads) hot enough to keep them burning.  If you describe how you lit your coals, we may be able to help you fix the problem before your next cook.

[Mark Schnell]

I felt a bit dumb asking the question,but I suppose it is the only was to learn.
Many thanks for the prompt reply.

Others have already encouraged you to keep asking questions. But I wanted to point out how cool the the WKC is about answering questions. I'm a member of other various forums and when people ask questions they get all kinds of snarky comments telling them to do a search or belittling them for asking. I never see that kind of crap here. I know I've asked my share of questions and have benefitted from it. So have my family and friends!
Welcome aboard, by the way.

[cartandpeg]

Thank all so much for the replies.The help I have had in such a short time on WKC has been fantastic,thank you.
After reading the replies it makes more sense now.The weather did cool somewhat and the wind picked up and I did add additional trays with the vegies in.
After cutting the chicken there was small areas of pink around the joints and on the bottom,the rest was cooked very nicely,it was only in the gas oven for about 10 mins tops.
When I lit my heat beads,I placed my firelighters in the Vee of the grate,I put 35 beads into each holder and placed the holders over the lighters,the lighters where well ablaze when I did that.
I left the beads for about 3/4 hr, they where all ashed over when I moved the holders to the side of the kettle.I think my downfall was I only had the bottom vent open a bit and the top vent open fully and with opening the lid a few times and adding the two large trays with the vegies in,I think that might have assisted in dropping the temp down.
From what I had read in the cook book I have, I will take as a general guide line and not think it is the exact cooking time,which I did.
Many thanks for every ones help,as Mark pointed out,one is not belittled on WKC, irrespective of the question or how many times that question has been asked before,so I tip my hat to you all.
Cheers Andy

[saxart]

Andy-
As you've mentioned, the WKC is a great place to ask questions and learn.

It sounds like you did all of the right things with regards to lighting your coals.   It also sounds like your grill temp just dropped a bit too low.  This could have been a combination of things like; the bottom vent not being open enough, the wind you mentioned, and the "trays of veggies" could have contributed to poor airflow within the kettle.

Having said that, do you have a decent thermometer?  You don't have to spend a lot of money to get something that will at least get you in the general vicinity for proper cook temps.

Keep cooking, experimenting, and posting pics for us!  The more you use your kettle, the better you'll get at managing grill temps.   I'm always learning more every time I fire up the kettle.

[cartandpeg]

Thank you saxart,

I have a digital thermometer on its way,nothing fancy at present,just one that I can push into the meat and check the temp inside,once I get into it a bit more I will upgrade to a decent one.The only thermometer I am using is the one that is mounted on the kettle lid.I have been told that the Thermapen are good, along with the DeltaTrak FlashCheck Digital Thermometer,suggested by members of WKC. I do think the trays may have been a major factor as every thing was crammed in and this would have reduced the flow of air considerably.As I did notice that once every thing was removed from the grill the temp did rise up again.

[MINIgrillin]

Recipe "time" is only a tool and a guideline. Ambient temp and wind and opening the lid effects the heat and adds more time. I have noticed that I touch my kettle less and less as I'm cookin now. I started this June and by now I'm at the point that I know how long 1/2 to 3/4 of a chimney will burn when the vents are full open or choked off a bit. I'm just mindful of too much direct heat and let it ride.

I'm still learning about my kettle tho. I try to use my kettle at least 3 times a week. Sometimes more. I was told that it would take me 1yr to learn my kettle because there are a lot of factors that extend cook times.  My job is to identify those issues before they happen and adjust vents to accommodate heat fluctuations. Experience is the only way to identify those issues. Luckily we have this forum and a few other sources (YouTube, grillskills on the Weber site, books) to increase our base of knowledge. I'm no master at this any way you look at it. I still don't have chicken down yet. I just cooked a turkey for the first time ever two weeks ago for thanksgiving but I just jumped right the hell in there and surprised myself, wife, and family. First turkey ever!! And I did a 12lb spatchcock in an hour and 45 minutes.

I'm a newb. Research, YouTube, books, and a killer desire to impress my friends and family with awesome flame kissed food has driven my kettleitis. WKC grillfellas have helped the whole way, but they have also infected me with a collecting bug too. I love it tho.

Ok..to sum up.
1) do more practice cooks before inviting a bunch of people to impress them.
2) time is a tool. It's best to use a thermometer to check doneness.
3) research and ask questions(I have never been flamed here. Even when I posted a Weber surfboard in the trading post section-my bad. I thought it was funny at the time)
4) the lid temp gauge is not correct. You need to get a temp reading at food level.
5) clear some space on the patio for new grills. They will come
6) have fun