Weber Kettle Club Forums
Grill Talk => Weber Grill Forum (Grills, Accessories) => Topic started by: P0234 on September 30, 2020, 04:54:44 PM
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I'm a relatively new kettle owner and would love to hear about some of the more subtle built in features.
I think the lid hanger is pretty well known. The spinning grate trick was new to me. I was also surprised to discover the cooking grate hangs off the side of the bowl by its handles.
What else am I missing?
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If you feed your kettle a healthy diet of meat and one day it will grow up and evolve into one of these healthy monsters...
All jokes aside, maybe you could tell us little about yourself in term of your experience level with grilling, smoking, and etc. I am sure a lot of fellas can chime in here.
I think one trick that new kettle owners greatly benefit from is learning how to use the charcoal baskets to achieve indirect cooking, searing, and etc. Also learning how to not overdo it in terms of the amount of fuel.
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if you shut the vents top and bottom when you are done cooking you can re-use the coals that didn't get consumed.
You can smoke on it using the snake method and once you learn vent control.
They hypnotize you and make you a fanatic.
They make you seem like a good cook as everyone will love your food.
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The spinning grate trick was new to me. I was also surprised to discover the cooking grate hangs off the side of the bowl by its handles.
Wait, What!?!?! Pix please
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Wait, What!?!?! Pix please
You mean you’ve never seen this?
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I was also surprised to discover the cooking grate hangs off the side of the bowl by its handles.
Be careful with this. On my 26"er, the weight of the cooking grate proved to be too much for the handle. Over time it became loose, then fell off due to rust (Weber support was great...sent me a new bowl AND lid). This might be OK with kettles 22" and smaller.
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Wait, What!?!?! Pix please
You mean you’ve never seen this?
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Some other options....on the newer Performers there’s a spot on the back to hang the grate on the SSP there’s a hook on end to hang it.
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...on the SSP there’s a hook on end to hang it.
Huh... so that's what that hook is for.
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If you feed your kettle a healthy diet of meat and one day it will grow up and evolve into one of these healthy monsters...
All jokes aside, maybe you could tell us little about yourself in term of your experience level with grilling, smoking, and etc. I am sure a lot of fellas can chime in here.
I think one trick that new kettle owners greatly benefit from is learning how to use the charcoal baskets to achieve indirect cooking, searing, and etc. Also learning how to not overdo it in terms of the amount of fuel.
Sent from my SM-G981U using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
I've cooked on kettles before, and we used to have one as a kid, but I never appreciated them. Covid has afforded me a little time to slow down and appreciate things, so here I am, with a 22 base model! I've been grilling and smoking things since a kid, so over 30 years though I'm far far away from an expert.
But I'm here specifically for the little nuances built in to our fine kettles. Temp management, charcoal selections, etc, I feel comfortable with.
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I was also surprised to discover the cooking grate hangs off the side of the bowl by its handles.
Be careful with this. On my 26"er, the weight of the cooking grate proved to be too much for the handle. Over time it became loose, then fell off due to rust (Weber support was great...sent me a new bowl AND lid). This might be OK with kettles 22" and smaller.
On my 22, it hangs just fine from the bowl, though handle is probably good too, though I use that for my wireless thermometer.
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Learn the snake method. It's a game changer if you want to BBQ on a kettle. I also use a throwaway roasting pan filled with just-boiled water in the middle. It will catch drippings and make BBQing way less messy, it maintains a moist cooking environment, and the water acts as a heat sink, making it that much easier to maintain a steady temperature.
(https://i.imgur.com/dcJcyxt.jpg)
Always have a tasty beverage within reach.
(https://i.imgur.com/ConmaFl.jpg)
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OK, I'll bite. Whats
The spinning grate trick
?
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OK, I'll bite. Whats
The spinning grate trick
?
Say you are grilling wings on indirect and it's time for crisping up the skin. Instead of moving the wings one by one, you spin the grate around 180.
Same for direct grilling, say you have four steaks on and you get a big flare up. Just spin them over to the indirect side until things calm down.
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Ahh! OK, thanks.
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Two more I've come across.
The holes where the standard grate handles are allow for putting more coals in without lifting the grate up (from the 70's cookbook).
With regular briquettes, and the lid on the grill is designed not to get over 450 degrees no matter how much charcoal you have in it (temp is regulated by the limited airflow). To get closer to 550, tilt the lid slightly to allow more air in. For searing, remove the lid and let the coals get very hot.
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Two more I've come across.
The holes where the standard grate handles are allow for putting more coals in without lifting the grate up (from the 70's cookbook).
With regular briquettes, and the lid on the grill is designed not to get over 450 degrees no matter how much charcoal you have in it (temp is regulated by the limited airflow). To get closer to 550, tilt the lid slightly to allow more air in. For searing, remove the lid and let the coals get very hot.
I can achieve much higher temps with briquettes and lid closed on a 22.
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I can achieve much higher temps with briquettes and lid closed on a 22.
I think in certain scenarios it is possible, especially localized heat, but if you can make your entire dome over 500 degrees extended periods (without lifting the lid and maintaining tight seals), you should share you knowledge as there are several threads looking for such advice, some going to the extent of fans or chimneys to get additional flow.
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I can achieve much higher temps with briquettes and lid closed on a 22.
I think in certain scenarios it is possible, especially localized heat, but if you can make your entire dome over 500 degrees extended periods (without lifting the lid and maintaining tight seals), you should share you knowledge as there are several threads looking for such advice, some going to the extent of fans or chimneys to get additional flow.
It was accidental. Too much charcoal in my newbie days. Two zone cooking....popped porcelain on my SSP and even my charcoal bin started melting.
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I’ve seen some pictures of that on Amazon reviews for an Akorn. Runaway fire and paint melted off.
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Two more I've come across.
The holes where the standard grate handles are allow for putting more coals in without lifting the grate up (from the 70's cookbook).
With regular briquettes, and the lid on the grill is designed not to get over 450 degrees no matter how much charcoal you have in it (temp is regulated by the limited airflow). To get closer to 550, tilt the lid slightly to allow more air in. For searing, remove the lid and let the coals get very hot.
Thanks!
I never knew this was a design feature. I knew that it happened as I have figured out over the years, but didnt know it was on purpose. I just knew to crack the lid to get it over 450 and remove it to go full sear.
My next thought on this is that they don't want you to have the lid on when its at 600+? Im assuming it would not be good for handles?
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I'm assuming it would not be good for handles?
You seem to have inserted a couple of extraneous letters into the middle of the word "hands" there.
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I'm assuming it would not be good for handles?
You seem to have inserted a couple of extraneous letters into the middle of the word "hands" there.
True!
This is exactly why I have found that keeping a set of welding gloves around while I'm grilling comes in very HANDy
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Two more I've come across.
The holes where the standard grate handles are allow for putting more coals in without lifting the grate up (from the 70's cookbook).
With regular briquettes, and the lid on the grill is designed not to get over 450 degrees no matter how much charcoal you have in it (temp is regulated by the limited airflow). To get closer to 550, tilt the lid slightly to allow more air in. For searing, remove the lid and let the coals get very hot.
Thanks!
I never knew this was a design feature. I knew that it happened as I have figured out over the years, but didnt know it was on purpose. I just knew to crack the lid to get it over 450 and remove it to go full sear.
My next thought on this is that they don't want you to have the lid on when its at 600+? Im assuming it would not be good for handles?
Just a couple of guesses:
The flash point of grease is around 600F. With no flare ups being a selling point I think it might have been a margin of error. Residential ovens for a long time stopped at 500F for this reason but most new ones go to 550F now.
The porcelain coating becomes brittle and cracks at high temps. As another poster mentioned it starts to peel at extreme temps, especially with the 700+ degree coals right next to it. I worry about this using the snake method.
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I think with the snake method there is not sufficient
oxygen available to super heat the fuel.
Like with a blacksmith's forge you'd have
to force additional airflow directly at the
hot spot on the snake. I've used an old
hairdryer for this purpose to revive a poorly
constructed snake and to rescue a cook
in my stick burner that I ignored for a bit too long. :o
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I’ve got a few tips...
Position of the lid vent in relation to the food and coals should be considered. As a rule of thumb, I keep vent above food being cooked, for both direct and indirect methods.
The lid vent is also a good spot to insert a thermometer.
No chimney starter needed! This one works best with an 18” or smaller kettle. First make sure grill is clean and free of ash in the bottom of bowl. Take 2 full sheets of newspaper, crush into a loose ball, drizzle with cooking oil, and place under lower grate. Add charcoal in a pile in center and ignite newspaper through bottom vent!
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After seeing Leeharvey418's picture, I realized that a weber bonnet sitting in it's bail looks just like Pac-Man...swallowing up porkbutts and other tasty treats. Sorry po34, I don't think that helps you at all haha
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Always a good idea however, when you're smoking or cooking "low n slow" position the exhaust vent over your protein, vegetables etc. This causes the smoke to be pulled over your food and exits above it. You may have been aware, but that was one I didn't learn for some time after picking up my 22in
Keep on discovering!
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Always a good idea however, when you're smoking or cooking "low n slow" position the exhaust vent over your protein, vegetables etc. This causes the smoke to be pulled over your food and exits above it. You may have been aware, but that was one I didn't learn for some time after picking up my 22in
Keep on discovering!
Good tip, in fact the older manuals specifically mention grate and vent positions in relation to wind as well. They are a treasure trove of tricks.
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I discovered with one of my grills at least... If you have the lid thermometer over the food, it displays grate temperature, not lid temp.
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I can achieve much higher temps with briquettes and lid closed on a 22.
I think in certain scenarios it is possible, especially localized heat, but if you can make your entire dome over 500 degrees extended periods (without lifting the lid and maintaining tight seals), you should share you knowledge as there are several threads looking for such advice, some going to the extent of fans or chimneys to get additional flow.
@P0234 1 chimney of RO charcoal in SnS in a 22 inch kettle. Cooking a marinated top sirloin. Kettle topped out at 508 and sat there. Did a reverse sear. But this temp was achieved with no tricks. Just one chimney. Thermometer was 1/2 back on side of grate.
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An interesting kettle trick I’ve tried is cooking directly on coals. Troys video with aristocrat is awesome. The Alton Brown video is well known, too.
Who needs grill grates anyway?
https://youtu.be/kB7pDlVSwLk
https://youtu.be/KJ1kiWh7PHk
https://youtu.be/Q5y2voEWJ6U
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The thermometer supplied "points to magnetic north better than it records temperature", wildly inaccurate! replace or supplement it.
The "hooks" on the handle ends are for hanging BBQ tools.
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You can use charcoal baskets as "walls" to confine charcoal to a certain area of the kettle. This way you're way less constrained by the shape and capacity of the baskets
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You can use charcoal baskets as "walls" to confine charcoal to a certain area of the kettle. This way you're way less constrained by the shape and capacity of the baskets
Never thought of that. I may need to use that next time. Also that seems like you can use it as a shelf to put a drip pan closer to catch drippings that may fall if you indirect cook.