*Charcoal* BBQ/Grilling

Brian?

neris wrote: »

Bottom vent needs to be open slightly. Your coals need air and if you close it your not letting oxygen into the coals to burn properly

I follow the guidance of Meathead from amazingribs on this one. Bottom vent all the way open and uses your lid vent to control the temp. It never let me down.


It's different with the WSM, I leave the top vent open all the way and control the temp with the bottom vents.

But either way, you don't need to move both vents. One will do and the lid vent is easiest on a kettle.


Edit: it would appear that advice has changed since my first kettle purchase.


I think this article covers all the questions :

https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/grill-and-smoker-setup-and-firing/using-vents-control-temperature

Planet X

Deleted User wrote: »

Not that particular model but a big fan of Kamado Joe and have purchased one- I’ll never by a Weber charcoal BBQ again- ever! :P

Just looking at them....nice.
Expensive though!!!

Cloudio9

For those who do pizza on a Weber grill do you find its best to bank all the charcoal in one side or make a ring of coals around the perimeter?

Planet X

I'd like to buy a Weber 37cm. Smokey Mountain.

Have a 57 Weber Kettle and a Square Smokey Joe portable.....all great and used frequently.
Generally, there are three of us to cook for but this can jump once you put the word out that you're having a BBQ....the free food brigade.

Is the Smokey Mountain 37 a good size 'cos I don't want to regret not buying next up size.
Would it do a Christmas Turkey for eg., 5kg size?
Cheers.

The Nal

Planet X wrote: »

I'd like to buy a Weber 37cm. Smokey Mountain.

Have a 57 Weber Kettle and a Square Smokey Joe portable.....all great and used frequently.
Generally, there are three of us to cook for but this can jump once you put the word out that you're having a BBQ....the free food brigade.

Is the Smokey Mountain 37 a good size 'cos I don't want to regret not buying next up size.
Would it do a Christmas Turkey for eg., 5kg size?
Cheers.

Yeah would do a 5KG turkey no problem. Ive a 57cm and pic below is a 6kg turkey and a big ham on the top grate. 37cm will do both - one on top, one on the bottom.

Planet X

^^^^ Brilliant. Cheers.

What sort of time scale are you looking at for the above approx. considering a 5kg turkey from rough memory would be about 4 to 5 hours.

nialldinho

Cloudio9 wrote: »

For those who do pizza on a Weber grill do you find its best to bank all the charcoal in one side or make a ring of coals around the perimeter?

I did mine with a slow n sear in a Weber and it worked well. Banking to one side would be similar I think. I then rotated the pizza stone every minute until cooked. Took 5-6 minutes I think.

I’ve only done it once so far so others might have different opinions..

budgemook

The chan chan man wrote: »

How does it turn out on KJ compared to Ooni or other wood fired ovens?

I did a pizza on the kettle before and it was dreadful. Nowhere near hot enough on the stone.

I haven't tried anything else but the last two times I did pizza it was great - getting it hit enough was not an issue. The first time I did it I used a pizza stone meant for an oven and it broke in half. The second time I used a granite stepping stone that I bought from woodies and it worked great. I just had to knock the corners off the granite for it to fit into the bbq. I did a bit of a messy job on it actually and might just get another one so it looks a but tidier.

The Nal

Planet X wrote: »

^^^^ Brilliant. Cheers.

What sort of time scale are you looking at for the above approx. considering a 5kg turkey from rough memory would be about 4 to 5 hours.

In the oven a turkey that size is 3hrs 30 tops so 4 1/2 to 5 hours maybe at 125F on the Weber. Just have the termometer ready to take it out at 165f. You can rest if for a couple of hours if you like so would defo recommend doing it earlier in the day rather than later.

carq

Anyone know if Weber sell lids separately or a way to fix?

It got a bit banged around during a storm a few years ago so leaks air as it is not perfectly round anymore.
Only becomes an issue for longer cooks as it becomes hard to keep temp low enough with the excess air coming in.
Tried folder binders but does not seem to work too well.

Brian?

The Nal wrote: »

Yeah would do a 5KG turkey no problem. Ive a 57cm and pic below is a 6kg turkey and a big ham on the top grate. 37cm will do both - one on top, one on the bottom.

I don't know, I think a 37cm is too small. I'd go 47cm. I've a 57 and it's probably too big.

neris

carq wrote: »

Anyone know if Weber sell lids separately or a way to fix?

It got a bit banged around during a storm a few years ago so leaks air as it is not perfectly round anymore.
Only becomes an issue for longer cooks as it becomes hard to keep temp low enough with the excess air coming in.
Tried folder binders but does not seem to work too well.

Try ebay or amazon might be your best bet otherwise some sort of a bbq gasket sealant might do the trick. As a temporary solution you could use strips of layered tin foil on the spots where it leaks but you wouldnt want to be lifting the lid alot

The Nal

Brian? wrote: »

I don't know, I think a 37cm is too small. I'd go 47cm. I've a 57 and it's probably too big.

Actually you may be right. I was thinking of the next size down from the 57, which is the 47cm yeah. 37cm could be a tight squeeze.

The 57cm is massive alright yeah but great for cooking for groups or batch cooking.

neris

The Nal wrote: »

The 57cm is massive alright

Yah think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4SGrwhDOys

Brian?

The Nal wrote: »

Actually you may be right. I was thinking of the next size down from the 57, which is the 47cm yeah. 37cm could be a tight squeeze.

The 57cm is massive alright yeah but great for cooking for groups or batch cooking.

I love my 57, I once did 12 racks of ribs without having to use a rack.

Weber introduced the 37 recently and I don't know why. I'd it's too narrow for a decent sized rack of ribs.

The Nal

Brian? wrote: »

I love my 57, I once did 12 racks of ribs without having to use a rack.

Weber introduced the 37 recently and I don't know why. I'd it's too narrow for a decent sized rack of ribs.

Just got the measuring tape out, yeah small alright. Id imagine the lid might touch the top of any large ish cut of meat too - chicken, turkey etc. I had 47cm size in my head.

blue note

Jim Stynes wrote: »

How often to you lads clean your Weber Kettles?

I was going to put that question up the same day as you!

Far less than I should I reckon. I clean the grates with a wire brush before and after each use, but there's loads of grease caked onto the inside of it now. It could do with a serious clean right now. I plan to do it at the weekend but now I'm planning to do a chicken for lunch Saturday and rib of beef for dinner Sunday. It might get pushed out to next week again!

Planet X

I just cleaned my 57 just now. Serious caked grease/ash near bottom vents to the degree that yesterday, vents were jammed half closed and one of them was bent up. Almost a cm. of caked gear.

Took vents apart, sprayed degreaser and scraped away for ages ......wow, I wasn't aware of this build up.

All fine now.....scrubbed with chainmail scrubber and ready to rock with proper vent control. Happy days.

stayback

So I bought a new master touch premium during the week. Going to fire it up this evening and cook a few t-bones.. any suggestions what else I could cook. Was thinking a few onions and mushrooms

Planet X

Bang in a garlic bread wrapped in tinfoil for a few minutes.......if you have room.

Planet X

Anyone mod. their Weber kettle legs.....always loose.


(Besides drilling them.....read about the wooden dowel)

neris

Planet X wrote: »

Anyone mod. their Weber kettle legs.....always loose.


(Besides drilling them.....read about the wooden dowel)

Yep, 2 of my legs rusted off year before last. Drilled holes through the leg holder parts and through the cooking unit and a few nuts and bolts and was fine

Planet X

How do you mean "rusted off"?
Buy replacement legs or something?

Brian?

blue note wrote: »

I was going to put that question up the same day as you!

Far less than I should I reckon. I clean the grates with a wire brush before and after each use, but there's loads of grease caked onto the inside of it now. It could do with a serious clean right now. I plan to do it at the weekend but now I'm planning to do a chicken for lunch Saturday and rib of beef for dinner Sunday. It might get pushed out to next week again!

Leave it alone. That grease is doing no one any harm and helps regulate the temperature.

neris

Planet X wrote: »

How do you mean "rusted off"?
Buy replacement legs or something?

theres fittings welded onto the botton of the kettle for the aluminium legs to sit into, being outside for years and close on 10 years old they gradually rusted apart so just did a diy job putting them back on

I dont have photos anymore but this was what I posted on here at the time. It,ll give you some idea of what I was at

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=109568043&postcount=1997

Planet X

Ah......OK.

ccarr

Looking at getting BBQ/smoker. Don't have massive budget. Would something like this be any use https://www.hifi-tower.ie/Garden-Outdoor/Grills-Outdoor-Cooking/Prince-sized-Kamado-Grill-Ceramic-Grill-Oven-11-Smoker-BBQ-Slow-Cooking-red-Red.html
Ah would I be better getting Webster kettle BBQ and using it for smoking.
Be looking smoke ribs, brisket , maybe a small chicken
Thanks

Quin_Dub

Brian? wrote: »

Leave it alone. That grease is doing no one any harm and helps regulate the temperature.

Until it starts growing BBQ flavoured Penicillin if you don't use it for a few weeks straight :-)

FixitFelix

ccarr wrote: »

Looking at getting BBQ/smoker. Don't have massive budget. Would something like this be any use https://www.hifi-tower.ie/Garden-Outdoor/Grills-Outdoor-Cooking/Prince-sized-Kamado-Grill-Ceramic-Grill-Oven-11-Smoker-BBQ-Slow-Cooking-red-Red.html
Ah would I be better getting Webster kettle BBQ and using it for smoking.
Be looking smoke ribs, brisket , maybe a small chicken
Thanks

I've smoked ribs, brisket and pork shoulder all in my Weber kettle, it's very versatile, I both a smokenator for it but don't use it now as I've bought a Weber smokey mountain.

You can't really go wrong getting a Weber kettle

The Nal

Or if you're handy at DIY

One of the nicest BBQ I've ever eaten was from an old fridge converted into a smoker.