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Author Topic: too much ash with diy vortex?  (Read 5129 times)

Transit98

  • WKC Brave
  • Posts: 379
too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #15 on: September 07, 2020, 12:19:09 PM »
Try a different bag or brand charcoal it’s the only variable I can think that would consistently be giving you these results- I made my and it worked fine - I left it at a friends house and bought a Original Vortex in support of the community.


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bamakettles

  • WKC Ambassador
  • Posts: 5544
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #16 on: September 07, 2020, 12:32:46 PM »
B&B lump or briquettes.  You’ll be happy and put this to bed.


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Stoneage

  • WKC Brave
  • Posts: 255
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #17 on: September 08, 2020, 06:54:07 AM »
That sounds like a plan!
Let us know.

ohen

  • Smokey Joe
  • Posts: 20
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #18 on: October 14, 2020, 07:35:29 AM »
Quick update for anyone interested: last weekend we tried with different charcoal (Royal Oak hardwood lump) and left the vents fully open.  Results are inconclusive: the chicken was covered in particles, albeit fewer.  I made the mistake of wiping them down instead of tasting them first to see if it was actually problematic.  Will repeat this test, the flavor from the RO lump was better than the Kingsford.

mdjason

  • Smokey Joe
  • Posts: 48
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #19 on: October 14, 2020, 01:34:08 PM »
Do you have a picture of the vortex you’re using? I’m no expert but my vortex functions fairly simply with no results like what you’ve been seeing


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bbqking01

  • WKC Ranger
  • Posts: 1620
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #20 on: October 15, 2020, 10:13:06 AM »
My concern would be “tasting” uncooked chicken.


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Kneab

  • WKC Performer
  • Posts: 3460
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #21 on: October 15, 2020, 10:47:48 AM »
When I do my wings on a 22" with my poortex I normally run the bottom vent wide open as well as the top. I put the wings in the circle around the vortex. Cook them for 25 minutes without opening the lid. I then flip them over and cook for another 20 minutes remove them and toss them in  whatever sauce I am finishing them with. I then put them back on for 5 to 10 minutes. My internal temps are usually over 180°

I have not tried this on an 18" kettle.
I have an 86 and 89 red one touch 18" kettle and the 89 has larger lid vent holes than the 86. The 89 definitely runs hotter but not sure by how much. Maybe this is part of the problem since yours is an 81. Also the one touch kettles might run hotter than the three wheelers because of the increase in airflow due the size difference in the lower vents as well.

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ISO Brown Go Anywhere

HoosierKettle

  • WKC Ambassador
  • Posts: 7354
too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #22 on: October 15, 2020, 03:18:51 PM »
I haven’t seen enough information presented to figure out what the problem might be.  What is your cooking temperature?  A cheap oven thermometer could help figure out what the temp is doing.

You said you had success grilling chicken. Why not grill the wings how you did the chicken?


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« Last Edit: October 15, 2020, 03:20:30 PM by HoosierKettle »

ohen

  • Smokey Joe
  • Posts: 20
Re: too much ash with diy vortex?
« Reply #23 on: October 19, 2020, 02:40:46 PM »
Here's a picture of the homemade "poortex" hahaha I love that name :).

It matches the dimensions of the small one on the website, except the bottom diameter is 1/2" shorter.  We used stainless steel pop rivets to hold the sheet metal together (yes, the rivets are in backwards, we were just messing around).

Temps in the kettle reach over 400F when grilling with all vents open.  We taste the chicken only after it is cooked.

I think we've exhausted all options related to the poortex itself, so the next cook we will likely try grilling wings without it.  I am still disappointed in myself that I didn't try the wings before wiping them down last time, I think we wouldn't have tasted the ash.

I really like how even the cooks turn out, there's no need to flip the wings, which is why I keep trying to get this to work!  It's better than a convection oven :)