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.