New to Webers

[TofuBBQ]

Hi everyone, I'm totally new to kettle grills and joined because I'm on the hunt for a Weber. The kettle lifestyle looks great tbh. I've used plenty of gas grills and never been hooked on it. I've been grilling on the BioLite grill set up for over 10 years and it's time to upgrade.

Atm I'm just searching Craigslist, FB, etc and hoping to maybe find a refurb project or maybe even someone's end of season curbside discard.

I had no idea how much you could do with a Weber kettle, though! I'm addicted and don't even have my grill yet!

[AZ2FL]

Hi and welcome from Gainesville, Florida.

I have a less than two year old black 22" black master touch kettle, I'll be listing on WKC for $110 (shipping included) when I return from vacation.

Do you BBQ tofu ?

[RRRanger99]

Welcome from Virginia Beach, VA.

[TofuBBQ]

AZ2FL, I'll have to keep an eye out for your post when you get back. I haven't quite decided on which kettle to get, but the 22" master touch did look like a top contender. It's really hard to choose once you add in all of the colors and accessories!

Do I grill tofu? Ehhhhhh, not so much anymore. I've upgraded to cooking more critters over the years To be fair to tofu, it's just a sauce delivery mechanism if you marinate it for long enough. It's easy enough to grill, but not necessarily worth grabbing all of your gear and starting briquettes since you really have to go low and slow. Worth it if you've just pulled some other meat off the grill or have a way to keep it far away from your heat. My grill is super tiny, so it's a fun way to use the last of the heat as it burns out. No need for a thermapen at least when you're doing tofu!

[ThinBlu42]

Welcome TofuBBQ

Im new here also, but not new to cooking on all types of grills and smokers. I'm NO expert compared to these guys!

Nothing wrong with a BioLite, but be ready for your head to explode if you like flavor and a whole bunch of great cooks with hundreds of years of combined knowledge that have your back... for free. any time of day. You will never get bored cooking on a kettle with all the options.

I think of myself as the meat guy, but can't say I'm not intrigued by your tofu shenanigans as I have never cooked it. Maybe a short description of what you do with it and I give it a try?

[TofuBBQ]

Hey ThinBlu,

What kind of Weber do you have?

The BioLite served its purpose well, but you know after a while it's nice to be able to grill standing up! Seriously though, I got it primarily for taking to a tropical vacation spot where the grill situation was always either stolen/broken/rusted beyond repair/no charcoal. Worked great for a long time, but I'm not toting this thing around as much and don't want to sacrifice flavor. I'm blown away by how much knowledge is on here!

A basic on how to do tofu is:
-Start with a block of extra firm tofu (sometimes the extra protein added varieties grill up a bit better, but don't stress about it)
-Open block, drain off the water, then grab yourself 2 cutting boards that are larger than the tofu block. Make a cutting board sandwich in your sink with the tofu in the middle. Add about 10-ish pounds of weight on top and leave it to leach water for roughly an hour. (You want to add enough weight for it to strain, but not break your block).
-Make a marinade (Tofu absorbs flavor well, so don't stress too hard about this; sugars are going to stick a bit more to the grill just like with meat, so maybe go savory for the first cook. I tend to dial it in a bit flavor wise keeping in mind that you're not doing a 6 hour cook, but for now I'd say just use your judgment based on sticking and cook time)
-After the tofu has drained, cut it in half lengthwise, then again. You're looking for 8 rectangles iirc based on your standard block. Generally I'd say keep the pieces larger (little chunks tend to either fall apart into your grill or crisp up too much). For the first cook keep it simple with cassette tape sized pieces.
-Marinate from 30-ish minutes to....? Depends on how long I have and the flavor profile. Let's say 2 hours for the first attempt and call it good! *Reserve your leftover marinade*
-Depending on your grill this is where things get a little up to judgment. I'd typically stick with low and slow for 10 or so minutes. You made need to add a little oil depending on your grates. If you think you're running a little too hot, pop the tofu on foil and then transfer for the final sear and crisping the outer shell.
-Feel free to add a little marinade back on if you want. Or not. Whatever goes!
-Tofu's done when it's squidgy in the middle and crispy on the outside, so no real worry about internal temps =)

Overall I try to cook it as just tofu rather than dressing it up as a meat analogue. It's never going to pass as mock chicken or anything like that, but can be a fun addition to the grill if you want something to top a salad or have some vegetarian/vegan friends. Hope this helped a little bit! There are more complicated versions where you freeze the tofu first or add a cornstarch coating, but generally I just wing it unless I'm really unfamiliar with a particular grill set up. =)

[View to a Grill]

Hey thinblu... once you get in to kettle grilling... hard to get out!