Post your "Rookie Mistake Lists"

[1buckie]

When I said "coals in the center", I meant to say "coals over the entire aperture with no indirect areas anywhere".

AHhhhhh......

The old "painted into a corner" routine......

[MartyG]

That makes two of us Buckie! Actually, this was misposted. It was supposed to be attached to Golly's WKC hat photo. I don't know how that happened...

[1buckie]

figgered as much........you'll do better keeping track of that 'circle up the wagons' cooker setup ya got going.........that's the stuff that's real !!!!!

[teerhardy]

First major mistake was not opening the bottom vents.  For the life of me, I could not get the charcoal to heat up.  Doh!

[vader06]

I used to boil my chicken and then put it on the grill for a few minutes with bbq sauce.  I used to think that was really good chicken done that way.   I have learned so much after almost 20 years.  I know better now.  Chicken is one my most favorite things to grill or smoke. 

[heart of coal]

rookie mistake. 

letting the coals burn in the chimney starter and having the grill hanging on the nearby side.  and then grabbing the grill.  not smart.

[spinsheet]

Reading the Celsius part of the thermometer thinking it was Fahrenheit.  By the time I realized it my pork butt was slow cooking at about 450.

[anderson143]

i used lighter fluid when tailgating...yum lighter fluid burgers nothing better NOT!! for the longest time i used nothing but a gas grill because of the lighter fluid taste untill a friend of mine cooked me a burger on the kettle using nothing but kingsford,a chimney and some news paper...

[JP]

I once started a small fire. This happened many years ago when i got my first Weber kettle.
I was cooking chicken in very windy day, somehow wind blow some hot coals from ash tray and i did not notice that. I went back inside and looked back to my yard, then i noticed a burning bush in my backyard. Luckily i was able to extinguish the fire before i had to call fire department... 

[Red Blaze]

Alright Folks, Refill your cocktail,  A couple of years ago..I was down at Mom's(Burbank, Cal), My cousin had fallen into 8 Pork Butts after a benefit BBQ.  She had them all in her freezer and asked me to help get rid of them..   I took 2 packages out and lo and behold it was 4 butts.  I had never seen or cooked one at that point.
I thought "OH &ell" I can cook this.  I called a friend who is a chef and he said 'lo and slow" about 8 hrs at 225. 
WEELLLLL. I put them in her oven(this is 4 butts) and set it at 225.  I figured there might be some drippins so I fabed a pan from aluminum foil(WRONG).  Next Morn.  4 perfectly done butts.  Foil pan failed.  Pork fat filled up the oven, the drawer under the oven and was running across the kitchen floor.   I spent 8 hrs. cleaning up everything I could find and figured I would run the OvenCleaning Program WRONG!!. We had flames.... I mean BIG YELLOW flames.  Every smoke detector in the house went off.  The Gardners came over to check on us.  I mean noisy.  Got it out.  Spent another 4 hrs. cleaning.  Tried the cleaning cycle.  FLLLAAAMESSSS!....At this time I found I didn't have the tools to dissassemble the oven further and said I would be back in 2 mo.. to finish the job.  The oven was clean but there was a pan under I couldn't get to.  The oven would work just not at cleaning temps.   
Anyway, My Brother(bless his heart) had the tools and spent another 8 hrs. cleaning up the oven to where it was clean enough to run the cleaning cycle.   End of saga till.......

I took another 4 butts home and put them on my Weber Summit Gold(6 burners+).  It was humming along at 225 for about 2 hours.  I left it alone for about 30 min. and come back to FLAMES!!!! Got that put out and cleaned out the drip pan.  Made it thru but it has a permenant gold cast to it.  The GLOW never quite went away.   Anyway.  That's my Rookie Mistake!  I hope I have learned a few things since.......

[1buckie]

I sense somewhat of a theme here....................FLAMES !!!!!


                    "I mean BIG YELLOW flames."


wish I couda  been there.....I just love stuff like that .........

[SimSportPlyr]

About 3-4 weeks ago I cooked ribs.   First, I boiled them to get them mostly done, then put them on the grill to finish them off.   I then added bbq sauce and proceeded to leave the ribs over the coals too long and charred the entire dish.

I scraped off the charred sauce and the ribs themselves seemed perfectly done.

What a bummer, and all that time and effort.

On the plus side, I'll never forget the lesson!

[harlanr3]

waited this long to get a kettle 

[07BlackSpecV]

Back in college cooking brats we'd do match light WITH lighter fluid. How that apartment complex is still standing I don't know...also setting your beer on the ground while your buddy messes with the bottom vents was always good for a very unfiltered ale.

[mike.stavlund]

I was cooking for about 20 friends yesterday, thought I'd start with a little roasted broccoli.  When asked, I proudly announced it would take about 20 minutes, but the kettle never heated up over about 300.  After about 15 minutes I thought to check the bottom vents, which were closed. 

The good news was that it only took about 30 minutes total.  The great news was that people practically fell out of their chairs exclaiming that it was the best broccoli they'd ever had.  Weber Kettle FTW!