Noob Intro

[M635_Guy]

I'm a noob in most directions here. I've had a propane Weber Spirit for...close to 25 years?... and my company's meager list of 25th anniversary presents included a Weber Performer as one of the gifts. Honestly, while I was interested I didn't see the need for another grill, and frankly I was intimidated by charcoal. I decided to wait a while see if they updated the list.

The list got shorter and lamer. So I got the best thing on the list: The Weber Performer.  (I should note that I think the gift is fine, just a bit light for 25 years)

It's taken a week or so to arrive, and of course I'm out of town until tonight. In the meantime, I've watched a ton of videos on YouTube and read all kinds of stuff on the websites. I've bought some stuff. And I found this place.

I have some Fogo Premium lump charcoal. I got a Weber 7416 chimney and some gloves. I have a Slow & Sear and some other goodies on order. I got a Maverick XR-50 from Overstock (for $70 which seemed like a decent deal - they confirmed it came with 4 probes - hoping it's the "full kit"). I've seen that the the S&S is a little controversial, but I net it down to making consistent results easier and more accessible, not anything I couldn't do with other ways. I've never done low & slow before. My work on the gas grill has been pretty basic - burgers, steaks, chicken and the occasional London Broil. I generally manage not to screw those up, but I'm looking forward to trying some new things with the Weber kettle.

I'll spend a chunk of this weekend putting everything together (probably - there's other life-stuff on the boil that might absorb my time), and I'm really looking forward to getting started.  I'll probably do some wings with my sons to get things kicked off after a hot-session to burn off any factory leftovers.

I'm very interested in replacing the table with a wood one at some point.  Will be scanning the mods section for some info on that.

Any tips appreciated!

[HoosierKettle]

Welcome from Indiana. It will be fun cooking on live fire. Where are you from?


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[M635_Guy]

Welcome from Indiana. It will be fun cooking on live fire. Where are you from?


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I'm in the Raleigh, NC area. 

It's funny - I've not spent a lot of money on this "free' grill, but I'm pretty excited

[DaveG74]

Welcome from just outside Chicago, IL, tons of great info here, have fun!

[Shoestringshop]

Welcome from Melrose Park, IL. I told my buddy just now about your 25 year gift and he said his one job he had, he was laid off after 25 years. So that grill sounds really good in comparison.

[HoosierKettle]

Welcome from Melrose Park, IL. I told my buddy just now about your 25 year gift and he said his one job he had, he was laid off after 25 years. So that grill sounds really good in comparison.

I agree!  My dad got a 50 yr gift. He chose a Weber charcoal go anywhere so you faired pretty good in comparison.


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[JEBIV]

Welcome from Doraville,Ga. congrats on your 25 years and your new FREE grill. Lots of fun and help here. What year is your M ?

[M635_Guy]

Thanks for the replies folks - I know it sounds ungrateful.  It's just that when I joined, 25 years was a Rolex.  Then it was a Tudor, etc.

Now it's a blender, a bad set of luggage, etc.  The Weber was easily the best thing on there.  Having assembled it this morning and just finishing up the seasoning run, I'm pretty excited to cook something!

Welcome from Doraville,Ga. congrats on your 25 years and your new FREE grill. Lots of fun and help here. What year is your M ?

The grill was free, but I've spent a ton of other money on it already!    But like I said, I'm really looking forward to getting the hang of it and making some great food for my family!

The M is an '86 Euro M635

[JEBIV]

sweet ride

[Firemunkee]

The M is an '86 Euro M635

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[JonesBBQ]

Welcome from Fuquay Varina NC. Your going to really enjoy cooking on charcoal. What part of Raleigh are you in?


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[Walchit]

When you build that wood table you should sell me the one you take off for super cheap lol

[M635_Guy]

My first run was a qualified success.  My wife told me to use some skinless/boneless thighs we had that needed eating, so I dry-brined them for several hours beforehand.  In the meantime, I did some research on a basic DIY rub since I didn't have anything handy.  I found a salt/pepper/garlic powder ratio mix - the salt ratio sounded high, so I reduced it.  I got some lump charcoal going and put it in the Slow & Sear.  I set up a temp probe on the cooking grate and let one hang down to stick in a thigh.  I'd quartered a bunch of small potatoes, tossed them in olive oil and just before I pressed the button to warm up the oven I realized I'd have an oven in the grill, so I just put them on the indirect side in a cast-iron skillet.  I seasoned the thighs.  I had the potatoes in the grill and the readings at the grate were around 375 most of the time.  It would drift down a bit and I tried to manage it using the bottom grate, mostly successfully.  After about 25 minutes I put the thighs on the direct side and cooked them for 7 minutes or so on each side.  Once the internal temp hit 180 or so I pulled them off.  After getting things settled inside for serving, I pulled the potatoes.

Things I learned:
- I need to be careful when pouring coals
- Hot coals can make your deck burn.  Thankfully it was just some spots.
- The remote thermometer is worth its weight in gold.  Takes so much guesswork and learning curve out of the process.
- I need to get comfortable with all the parts so I can pay more attention to the details
- I can successfully manage two different cooking styles on the same grill.

What I did right:
- The chicken was cooked well.
- The potatoes were cooked well.

What I did wrong/need to improve:
- I waaaaaay over-seasoned the chicken.  Too salty.  It wasn't fatal, but I'm going to be more judicious in the future.  The "you can always add more" rule applies (which should have been obvious, but the number of new things I was doing somehow pushed it out of my mind)
- I didn't manage the hardware all that well.  The Slow&Sear Grate doesn't drop in easily due to the nuts for the dome-rack.
- I didn't do the cold-grate thing.  No biggie at all, but it was my intention to.

Overall I was pretty happy for a first-time-out with charcoal in...30 years?  And then it was pretty basic and not at all controlled.  So I'm going to give myself a C+ on the meal and a B on the grilling itself. 

[Firemunkee]

That sounds great to me! Doing a dual cook on your first go is I like all the notes, thanks for sharing! It seems like you are progressing up the learning curve real well. Keep it up and keep sharing your progress!

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[redneckoutdoorsclub]

Welcome from Springfield mo

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