Kettle 2 Zone -- Has anyone used this?

[ClubChapin]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-Kettle-2-Zone-with-Water-Pan-for-indirect-cooking-on-a-Weber-22-12-kettle-BBQ-/161641577447


I know that this has been around for awhile.  It's been mentioned here before: http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/looks-familiar/msg95670/#msg95670


Has anyone actually used this?  It seems that it would be really nice for controlling airflow, directing all air to the coal.  Does it make the kettle more efficient?  Use less coal?  Is there room for baskets to fit?


Is Hogsy's available for purchase?


Thanks, Pete

[Troy]

i think firebricks, or even baskets will work just as well.

the effect of controlling the airflow that specifically isn't really worth the effort and costs involved.
air molecules diffuse very rapidly. person next to you farts, you smell it.

[1buckie]

[Troy]

this explains much

for what its worth, i fart quite a bit

[ClubChapin]

i think firebricks, or even baskets will work just as well.

the effect of controlling the airflow that specifically isn't really worth the effort and costs involved.
air molecules diffuse very rapidly. person next to you farts, you smell it.

I'm wondering if directing all in coming air to the coals will make it more efficient.  Say I have an ambient temp of 60F and am using a basket, 60F air is going to need to be mixed with heated air from the coals.  If all air can be directed to the coals, cannot a smaller quantity of air be heated to the same temp?  It seems that there is an inherent inefficiency to having most of the air bypass the banked or basketed coals. Air that will also need to be heated to maintain cooking temp.


Baskets and bricks will not do this. Foil might, at least somewhat.

[1buckie]

Yeah here.....check this out..... @Hogsy  esp. has some great input on exactly this & it really makes a difference....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/indirect-cooking-techniques/msg13780/#msg13780

[1buckie]

He's built drip pans shaped for this, even a big one for the Ranch....Troy, unfortunately, must be holding a fart in on
 this one......most of the time that doesn't happen with him....

[ClubChapin]

He's built drip pans shaped for this, even a big one for the Ranch....Troy, unfortunately, must be holding a fart in on
 this one......most of the time that doesn't happen with him....

I love Hogsy's drip pans.  Wish these were a product I could buy.  I'm trying to commission someone to make some similar for me.

[Troy]

i think firebricks, or even baskets will work just as well.

the effect of controlling the airflow that specifically isn't really worth the effort and costs involved.
air molecules diffuse very rapidly. person next to you farts, you smell it.

I'm wondering if directing all in coming air to the coals will make it more efficient.  Say I have an ambient temp of 60F and am using a basket, 60F air is going to need to be mixed with heated air from the coals.  If all air can be directed to the coals, cannot a smaller quantity of air be heated to the same temp?  It seems that there is an inherent inefficiency to having most of the air bypass the banked or basketed coals. Air that will also need to be heated to maintain cooking temp.


Baskets and bricks will not do this. Foil might, at least somewhat.

I don't think this is how thermodynamics works.
I am no expert, but here's how I see it.

There are two things happening in the kettle with banked coals.

The first thing is a simple chemical reaction. The charcoal is oxidized, which pulls oxygen from the surrounding air and outputs heat and carbon dioxide. If there is not enough oxygen, the burn is incomplete - which produces carbon monoxide and creosote.

The 2nd, is the heat radiation. Heat is going to radiate in ALL directions from the source. Not just up. The metal or firebricks we often place next to the coals are insulators. They're going to slow down the most direct heat, but not stop it completely.

The air on the other side of those bricks or that steel is GOING to get heated no matter what. Luckily, air doesn't take much to get heated. It will absorb some energy and quickly rise.
With everything being sealed off and only the coals having direct access to fresh O2, I would think that the dead space under the meat would not have any airflow. It'd be stale heat and stale smoke.
Nothing really changes in the chemical reaction with the charcoal. It's getting its O2 just like it would have without the dead space (or even the fire bricks)

The only thing more efficient is your vent, but your coals are going to need the same amount of air.

Heck, that dead space could mean that your food is getting more stale smoke than fresh. It could be altering the cooker for the worse.

[Troy]

Yeah here.....check this out..... @Hogsy  esp. has some great input on exactly this & it really makes a difference....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/indirect-cooking-techniques/msg13780/#msg13780

He's built drip pans shaped for this, even a big one for the Ranch....Troy, unfortunately, must be holding a fart in on
 this one......most of the time that doesn't happen with him....

Cmon now
I love being wrong, and I love the experimenting hogsy has done.
But I don't think his device is (at least the floor portion of it) is making a positive difference.

[pbe gummi bear]

There's two kind of heat that cooks meat inside the kettle- radiant and convective. If you put a shield between the charcoal and the meat, you reduce radiant heat so it will cook slower. If you imagine a kettle full of meat, the meat closest to the burning charcoal cooks faster (aka burns if you are a noob). An expert like @1buckie uses a brick to dissipate this radiant heat so his turds near the brick cooks about as fast as the turds on the other end of kettle. The meat is more or less at the same ambient temperature and the domed lid equalizes the radiant heat over the cooking surface.

More here: http://www.wired.com/2013/07/gas-grilling-is-objectively-scientifically-better-than-charcoal/

[Hogsy]

I like the setup the guys selling on eBay and it's very similar to my set up, I don't have any scientific evidence to back it up but I find I get a more consistent temp across the grill using it. It was really Pitmaster X's YouTube clip that inspired me to try a different method. This pic in particular -

I found once I made a charcoal basket there was no need for the vertical baffle
Here's my basket-

The basket has a solid wall that acts as a heat deflector like the vertical heat deflector
The one thing I enjoy using the most is the drip pan not only does it push all the cool air towards the hot coals but it also and most importantly it collects all the drippings. I line it with foil and it makes for an easy clean up and I haven't bought an aluminium tray since making it.
 
This is what the eBay listing is missing. If it had sides like a drip tray it would be worth it.

[austin87]

I like that drip pan. I cover 1/2-2/3 of my charcoal grate with foil sometimes. I like the way the kettle cooks like that.

[austin87]

And @pbe gummi bear you should be embarrassed posting that garbage! Gas better than charcoal.... Guffaw!  JK. All in good fun!

[1buckie]

There's two kind of heat that cooks meat inside the kettle- radiant and convective. If you put a shield between the charcoal and the meat, you reduce radiant heat so it will cook slower. If you imagine a kettle full of meat, the meat closest to the burning charcoal cooks faster (aka burns if you are a noob). An expert like @1buckie uses a brick to dissipate this radiant heat so his turds near the brick cooks about as fast as the turds on the other end of kettle. The meat is more or less at the same ambient temperature and the domed lid equalizes the radiant heat over the cooking surface.

More here: http://www.wired.com/2013/07/gas-grilling-is-objectively-scientifically-better-than-charcoal/

 An expert like @1buckie uses a brick to dissipate this radiant heat so his turds near the brick cooks about as fast as the turds on the other end of kettle.

'Cept I didn't know I was doing that until Winz told me I was......