Weber Kettle Club Forums

I landed me an original kettle 18" on Target's clearance sell. Now that I have the grill, I was wanting to see what everybody recommended as must haves for a beginner. I've cooked on charcoal before, but it's been so long, I really feel like I'm starting for the first time.

I'm thinking for my first bag of charcoal I'll try the Royal Oak Ridge charcoals. They seem to get a lot of love these days.

I definitely know I want the hinged cooking grate and a chimney starter.

I also want a thermometer so I can monitor my cooking temps just above the grate, but I'm really not sure what to go with in this department.

Anything else you recommend as a must have? Or even something that's just plain nice to have?

Thanks!

The ROR briquettes are my Briquettes of choice. However, my favorite fuel is lump
Charcoal. Both serve a purpose in my cooks though.

The first thing I did with my first kettle was remove the ash pan and replace it with a galvanized, antique, laundry detergent bucket. It allows me to go almost a whole season without worrying about cleaning ash.


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I'd suggest some charcoal baskets 


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A quality set of tongs, spatula, and charcoal chimney.  I recommend the Weber ones. 


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I love the 18.5 SnS basket. Adrenaline hit a home run with it imo. Great addition to any 18.5 kettle.

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+1 on the SnS basket. Works great also in the new Jumbo Joes. I use mine for 99% of my JJ cooks.



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Meat. Lots and lots of meat.

Ok! I stand corrected :-(
Listen to @AZ Monsoon ;-)


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https://grillhandle.com

Quote from: AZ Monsoon on July 22, 2018, 12:31:16 PM
Meat. Lots and lots of meat.

I agree with @AZ Monsoon. Get quality tongs/spatula and get some meat for grilling. I will say a good meat Thermometer is great for the perfect cook. I bought a Thermoworks thermo and love it. Nobody likes overdone meat. There are methods for low and slow or searing that don't require extra $ but SnS products are legit.


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Thanks for all the great suggestions so far! Keep 'em coming.

Today I picked up a bag of Royal Oak and a Weber chimney starter. Have they recently changed the ROR's to Royal Oak Original? That was the only thing I could find at Lowes. I'm guessing people are using the regular chimney starter for the 18" kettles as opposed to the mini chimney?

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a thermometer to mount in the lid above the grate? Is it best to put it on the direct or indirect cooking side?

Utensils, a folding grate, and a charcoal basket are still on a list of definite additions. I'm sure I'll come up with endless others as I get cooking again. Thinking about possibly getting one of those Weber utensil hook deals that hang off the side of the grill, figure it can't hurt to have somewhere to hang stuff while I'm cooking - especially for the $3.99 or whatever they cost.

I figure I'll try a bag of the RO lump next time, figured the briquettes may have a little bit less of a learning curve (or at least that's how I rationalized it at the time).

Pick up some drip pans.  They help keep your kettle much cleaner. I also recommend a grill cover if it is going to live out in the elements.

Beer.

Screw the accessories.  You have the grill. Get charcoal, buy meat.... cook the stuff...make meals.... learn how the grill works for you,  only then get accessories. Right now, just get a good thermometer so you know when the food is cooked properly.

^^This^^

Oh yeah.
Get some nice steak knives.

Quote from: Darko on July 24, 2018, 10:34:07 AM
Screw the accessories.  You have the grill. Get charcoal, buy meat.... cook the stuff...make meals.... learn how the grill works for you,  only then get accessories. Right now, just get a good thermometer so you know when the food is cooked properly.

Quote from: YardBurner on July 24, 2018, 11:43:39 AM
^^This^^

Oh yeah.
Get some nice steak knives.

I'd pay attention to these two . . .





BD

So it looks like you have a good start...

Royal Oak Ridge charcoal is one I haven't tried. Mostly as they are not in my HEB... But I hear good things about them!

Hinged grate and chimney are must haves for me for sure!

If you have the means to do it, and don't mind poking a hole in the lid, I would STRONGLY suggest installing a thermometer IN the lid, between the hook and the lip of the lid, that puts it plenty close to the grate without interfering with the operation of anything else in the grill.

If you are unsure of how to do that, I made a quick and easy video on it...
https://youtu.be/EYYatwbi4MQ (https://youtu.be/EYYatwbi4MQ)

Foil catch pans to do an indirect heat. The Weber branded ones are honestly pretty lousy, but they work, and are a mess cheaper than the other ones in the store... You pick...

Other must haves are stainless steel tongs, spatula, meat thermometer, meat fork, skewers, silicone basting brush,lighter, tool holder. etc...

On the tool holder, I got a Weber branded one that hangs off the kettle itself, it's for the 22" models and I am not sure if they make one for the 18". It would be worth a look...

And of course like so many others have mentioned, meat, lots of lots of meat. Pour coals, light, cook, eat, clean repeat...

As soon as I get off of work today, I'm going home and lighting the grill for the first time. I plan on grilling on it as soon and as often as possible. I would have started last night, but by time I purchased the charcoal and chimney and made it home, it was pretty much time to get ready for bed for work in the morning.

I certainly don't have any problems with putting a thermometer in the lid. I was really just more curious which thermometer people have had good experiences with and recommend.

I plan on buying the add ons as I go, no way I was waiting til I have them all to get started enjoying the grill. Just trying to compile a list of what everyone likes, uses, and suggests so I have some ideas to pull from as I get started.

@yippee .  As I said, all you need is the grill, charcoal & food. As you cook stuff, you'll decide what accessories you want based on what your preferences are. That's when you'll really hate us, because we'll tell you to buy everything.

I cooked some burgers last night, I figured they were a fast and simple way to get my feet wet. I used the chimney starter to kick things off, preheated the grill, then got to cooking. Burgers came out good, everyone liked them.

I do definitely want a thermometer to add to the lid. I'm sure it will become more second nature with time, but I'd like something to look at to quickly tell the temp.

Do I remember reading somewhere that the charcoal baskets help keep the coals hotter longer? If so that's a definite add on too. I just placed the coals on the bottom grate, and they kind of scattered. I feel like I was losing temp by the end of the cook. Maybe it was just my imagination, but to me it definitely didn't seem to be as hot towards the end. I'm hoping that maybe a nice charcoal basket will help with that. I put about 40-45 briquettes in an 18" kettle, does that sound like a reasonable amount?

All in all, I was happy with my first cook, but I'd like to keep getting better with each cook.

Beer.

Being a purist... I wouldn't deface my kettle lid(s).  I would invest n a remote therm to clip on the grill.  Maverick has an inexpensive wireless set up.  I have the maverick 733.  It has two probes.  One for the grill and one for the protein.   The wire fits nicely between the Lid and the bowl.

Just know that the therm on the lid is a "best guess" of the grate temp.  It usually runs 40 - 50 Degrees hotter at the lid.  You want stable temps at the cooking grate.

I agree with the guys here.  You have the kettle.  Now learn the kettle and go from there. 

Welcome to the WKC and congrats on the new Kettle and the Maiden cook!!  More is in your future!! 

Best of Luck!  Oh... and we like pictures.. LOTS of pictures... As @Bob BQ says.. NO pics????  Then it didn't happen.. :)

Pull up a chair and be careful... You just may learn a thing or 12....

J

If you don't have one yet, a good woman is a great accessory for a grill.  Usually best to stay away from the vegetarian ones.

Get a Vortex...

(http://www.hhsbbq.com/dsp/03-04-18/greenie6.jpg)

I installed a Weber lid thermo...

(http://www.hhsbbq.com/dsp/18-4.jpg)

And get yourself a Thermapen to check internal temps of your meats...

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImu6bs_e83AIVRGt-Ch0oowlAEAAYASAAEgLyaPD_BwE (https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImu6bs_e83AIVRGt-Ch0oowlAEAAYASAAEgLyaPD_BwE)

I think that the only must have is a good thermometer.  hawgheaven's suggestion of the thermopen is a great one, but if you are looking for something a little more budget friendly, I'd recommend a thermopop (https://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop). It reads a little slower, but is still very accurate.

Quote from: Neil_VT00 on July 26, 2018, 06:49:04 AM
I think that the only must have is a good thermometer.  hawgheaven's suggestion of the thermopen is a great one, but if you are looking for something a little more budget friendly, I'd recommend a thermopop (https://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop). It reads a little slower, but is still very accurate.

I agree with the Thermpop as well... I have a few of them in my arsenal...  :) Great product for cheap.

   Lid thermometer and an instant read therm yes, when you start doing whole birds rumps and roasts and other big hunks of meats then it's time to step up to a wireless therm. Hamburgers, chops and bird pieces don't don't need a wireless. Get the slow and sear basket and Weber SS flip grate and switch to the ash bucket.

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I love the charcoal baskets and the small chimney for the 18" I will never not use the baskets! a cheap and effective tool hanger I use are the magnetic hooks from Harbor Freight, I think they're $3 and they work just fine. I also added a lid thermometer and ash bucket on my 18". I love my 18" kettle!

Thermometers always get placed over food, not over the heat source. You want to know the temp that the food experiences. The temp generated at the food source is irrelevant.

I'm a fan of @DirectDrive 's Tel-Tru mod, http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/lid-therm-mod-for-kettle/

What's nice about the 18 is that because the lid is a flat top, you can place the thermometer closer to the edge than you could with a 22, AND since the lid is closer to the grill grate (than a 22's is) the thermo should read more accurately.

That being said, any bimetal lid thermometer is a "best guess" tool, relegated largely to glancing at whether or not the gill is "hot" or "cold." Tel-Tru's BQ100 is the best there is.

But you can also skip all of that and place a cheap oven thermometer on the cook grate! Just know that no matter how you clean it/oil it, it'll cloud up and be hard to read eventually. (Remember to place it with food, not over coals!)

I use a Weber 7407 ash pan (the one for regular 22.5" kettles) inside my old 18.

The pan sits on the charcoal grate straps, and the charcoal grate just sits on top of the ash pan.

Very little ash collects in the kettle, so very little needs to be swept out. This is a really nice upgrade for the old daisy wheels (3 wheeler) grills, and performs the same function as the Happy Cooker internal ash pans. You could also use it in your modern 18 of course.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-7407-22-5-Inch-Replacement-Catcher/dp/B000WEOQ1I

I like the 304 SS grates from Killa Grilla. For the 18 they make regular and single-flip cook grates.

http://killagrilla.com/item/round-bbq-stainless-cook-grill-grate-kg-weber-replacement

http://killagrilla.com/item/round-bbq-stainless-cook-grill-grate-kg-w-flip-up-door


*********************

Of course, you could also mod yours into a "One Touch Gold," with ash catcher assembly, lid bale.

Quote from: yippee on July 25, 2018, 05:16:47 PM
Do I remember reading somewhere that the charcoal baskets help keep the coals hotter longer? If so that's a definite add on too. I just placed the coals on the bottom grate, and they kind of scattered. I feel like I was losing temp by the end of the cook. Maybe it was just my imagination, but to me it definitely didn't seem to be as hot towards the end. I'm hoping that maybe a nice charcoal basket will help with that. I put about 40-45 briquettes in an 18" kettle, does that sound like a reasonable amount?

I use half of that when cooking on my 18" kettle, usually around 20-25 Stubbs briquettes and I use one charcoal basket. That gets my 18" kettle up to around 400 F and I cook for a good 1.5-2 hours with the top and bottom vents wide open. I still have enough fuel for my next cook too, I just add lit coals on top of what ever is left in the basket. I really like the baskets as I do think they help concentrate the heat better for two zone setup and I think they do help coals last longer. Definitely recommend giving them a try!

The ash pan (and most other Weber parts) is cheaper here by over half.

https://bit.ly/2vahRtN

I went ahead a purchased the Weber charcoal baskets to try out, since they're available locally and today. I figure if/when I uprage to the SnS I could either use them on a backup grill or find someone else who could use them. They did make a world of difference maintaining a hotter grill. I feel like I had a hotter and more stable grill through the whole cook (although short). So far I'm incredibly happy with them, especially for the price. Charcoal baskets seem to make a big difference from what I can tell so far.

I fired up the grill for the second time today, and cooked burgers again. The burgers were definitely way better this time around. Theres still room for improvement but they were a definite step up from last time.

I'm still debating all the thermometer stuff to decide which route I want to take. The Thermopop seems like a winner. I'd still like something to keep tabs on the cooking temps right above the grate. It sounds like something like the Thermoworks Smoke is meant for lower temp environments?

Quote from: yippee on July 26, 2018, 08:07:57 PM

I'm still debating all the thermometer stuff to decide which route I want to take. The Thermopop seems like a winner. I'd still like something to keep tabs on the cooking temps right above the grate. It sounds like something like the Thermoworks Smoke is meant for lower temp environments?

I'm a huge fan of the Thermoworks DOTS to monitor temps. Super easy to use and they can be used for grill temp or food temp. They also have an alarm I use to know when my meat has reached temp. I've got 5-6 of them and use them all over with my smokers and grills.

All worthy comments. On the tongs front. Pet peeve the tongs that don't have a clip at the top to keep them shut

On the thermometer, I used a DozyAnt from Amazon. I have used their stuff before, and it is pretty accurate. I don't mind poking holes in the lid for something I am going to actually use. Now if this was a 1970s kettle different story, but even then, it's your grill, do what you want...

WHat I consider basic accessories are...

#1. Tongs. Stainless steel, that can lock shut and hang.
#2. Aluminum catch pans. The aluminum lasagne pans are fine, but the Weber branded catch pans are the same size, thinner but usable, and a LOT cheaper... You could use a steel lasagne pan, just make sure it fits your kettle!
#3. Silicone basting brush and a steel / stainless steel cup for keeping sauces / mops warm / hot while cooking...
#4. Stainless steel spatula for flipping burgers.
#5. Tool hanger(s).
#6. Meat fork.

Additions I have found nice are...
#7. High temp silicone glove for grabbing / moving the grate if need be.
#8. Hinged grate. Not 100% necessary, but it certainly makes long cooks easier!
#9. Waterproof charcoal bin for coal storage.
#10. Condiment rack. Nice, works with some stuff, not so great with other...

Not going to mention charcoal chimney and lighter as you stated you already had them...  but if not, but them under necessary.

I also like having a cutting board and prep knives out by the grill on a folding table.  Paper towels, waste bin etc... But again, that is elaborating the art...

No one has mentioned a cooler
with beverages of your choice.
Adult and/or other.
Oh, and ice. Lots of ice.

Of course most of us wouldn't
consider this to be an accessory.
More like a necessity. 8)
(kinda like charcoal)

A lid gasket was a must have for my kettle to hold low steady temp for pork shoulder - pulled pork.


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That lid must have been severely out of round. Never given gaskets a second thought.


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I just used vortex (thunder dome ) for first time. Wow,is how it works. My grill was Up too 600 degrees,I used a combination of Royal Oak and Mali lump. Chicken legs were fantastic and still moist inside. I added some Walmart Western lump and did direct with a flank steak and man I impressed myself. Lol. We had a great day today with the family.