The Weber charcoal Grill
- Thread starter BrunoMars420
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It would work, but you still might get a pellet or two stuck to your steak.
It would be far better to have some real wood chunks in the coals below the Grill Grates.
I’m going to have to try the upside down configuration. I use the vortex for everything, it’s such a simple attachment but so versatile. Made brats yesterday then burgers today using it.
Have you tried Aviation Gin (very good in my opinion) or Monkey Schrwarzwald 37 Dry Gin with some Jack Rudy tonic water and a lime....drunk for days boys.....lol
Ehhh, not really sure the point of that exactly. I can't imagine doing that.
I'm like you, I rarely use mine. I know a lot of people love them, so they're obviously a good product, but I definitely don't get my money's use out of them. Wish I had the money back to use on something else.
They are excellent as advertised at putting grill marks on stuff, no doubt. And if that's important, it's a good tool to have. And I'm not going to lie, if I has somebody over for steaks, I might bust them out just to give it that extra impressive look.
But for me? Nah, not into searing thin strips and leaving in tan in between. I reverse sear, and its hot enough I get grill marks from the regular grates (albeit thinner and less distinct), with the bonus of the area between the grill marks getting more seared/charred. I'm team this:
That said, the rare occasion I do pull them out is when I'm making something that I WOULD like some grill marks, but would not be good with an all over char. Like salmon or grilled vegetables. Like grilled eggplant, that comes out like this:
I just don't do a ton of that stuff.
The other advantages of them aren't significant enough to my uses. I don't really deal with flare ups, because I cook two zone, and while it does flare up on the sear, that's usually cool with me, it usually improves the sear, and the flare dies when I move it off. I could see how it would be helpful to cook something greasy over the direct flame, but I don't really grill that way.
The flat side is arguably more useful to get a better sear or do use like a griddle. But if that's the case, I would use a griddle with no holes and a lip. Yes, you can do smashburgers on it, but you can't do eggs on it.
It's just not something that does much for me. They're super popular in the PK community, because the PK standard grates are crappy, and you can get Grill Grates for the same price as just a stainless steel upgraded grates. They're just not for me.
It seems like people either love them and use them all the time, or bought them and a year later hardly use them.
Ehhh, not really sure the point of that exactly. I can't imagine doing that.
I'm like you, I rarely use mine. I know a lot of people love them, so they're obviously a good product, but I definitely don't get my money's use out of them. Wish I had the money back to use on something else.
They are excellent as advertised at putting grill marks on stuff, no doubt. And if that's important, it's a good tool to have. And I'm not going to lie, if I has somebody over for steaks, I might bust them out just to give it that extra impressive look.
But for me? Nah, not into searing thin strips and leaving in tan in between. I reverse sear, and its hot enough I get grill marks from the regular grates (albeit thinner and less distinct), with the bonus of the area between the grill marks getting more seared/charred. I'm team this:
over
That said, the rare occasion I do pull them out is when I'm making something that I WOULD like some grill marks, but would not be good with an all over char. Like salmon or grilled vegetables. Like grilled eggplant, that comes out like this:
I just don't do a ton of that stuff.
The other advantages of them aren't significant enough to my uses. I don't really deal with flare ups, because I cook two zone, and while it does flare up on the sear, that's usually cool with me, it usually improves the sear, and the flare dies when I move it off. I could see how it would be helpful to cook something greasy over the direct flame, but I don't really grill that way.
The flat side is arguably more useful to get a better sear or do use like a griddle. But if that's the case, I would use a griddle with no holes and a lip. Yes, you can do smashburgers on it, but you can't do eggs on it.
It's just not something that does much for me. They're super popular in the PK community, because the PK standard grates are crappy, and you can get Grill Grates for the same price as just a stainless steel upgraded grates. They're just not for me.
It seems like people either love them and use them all the time, or bought them and a year later hardly use them.
I love mine. Try potato slices cooked like those eggplants in your pic. Fabulous.
Anyway, the control over flare ups is why I really love them, not just the pretty grill marks.
Ehhh, not really sure the point of that exactly. I can't imagine doing that.
I'm like you, I rarely use mine. I know a lot of people love them, so they're obviously a good product, but I definitely don't get my money's use out of them. Wish I had the money back to use on something else.
They are excellent as advertised at putting grill marks on stuff, no doubt. And if that's important, it's a good tool to have. And I'm not going to lie, if I has somebody over for steaks, I might bust them out just to give it that extra impressive look.
But for me? Nah, not into searing thin strips and leaving in tan in between. I reverse sear, and its hot enough I get grill marks from the regular grates (albeit thinner and less distinct), with the bonus of the area between the grill marks getting more seared/charred. I'm team this:
over
That said, the rare occasion I do pull them out is when I'm making something that I WOULD like some grill marks, but would not be good with an all over char. Like salmon or grilled vegetables. Like grilled eggplant, that comes out like this:
I just don't do a ton of that stuff.
The other advantages of them aren't significant enough to my uses. I don't really deal with flare ups, because I cook two zone, and while it does flare up on the sear, that's usually cool with me, it usually improves the sear, and the flare dies when I move it off. I could see how it would be helpful to cook something greasy over the direct flame, but I don't really grill that way.
The flat side is arguably more useful to get a better sear or do use like a griddle. But if that's the case, I would use a griddle with no holes and a lip. Yes, you can do smashburgers on it, but you can't do eggs on it.
It's just not something that does much for me. They're super popular in the PK community, because the PK standard grates are crappy, and you can get Grill Grates for the same price as just a stainless steel upgraded grates. They're just not for me.
It seems like people either love them and use them all the time, or bought them and a year later hardly use them.
I got some utility out of the flat side. The thing for me is that I found them very annoying/difficult to clean. Maybe I wasn't diligent enough, but even keeping them moderately clean inside the grooves/valleys was annoying. However, as you point out, they are very popular, so the issue is likely my own.
Yep. Use that two zone method with two water pans when doing ribs (pork or beef), pork butt, pork loin, chuck roast, or a brisket point or flat (I never do an entire brisket as our butcher cuts them into points/flats). Some say 1 water pan some say 2, 2 makes a HUGE difference. The water pan below the grate will never run out of water, the water pan over the coals needs refilled every hour or so. If it goes dry the temps will spike.
This two zone method is so easy to do. Bottom vent about a 1/4 open, top vent about 1/2 open. Water pan down low filled with hot water, bank coals to side ( I use some bricks on edge to separate the two zones and it holds the charcoal back), add top grate (mine has hinges so I can add more coal), meat on cold side, add dozen hot coals to coal side, water pan over coals, fill water pan with hot water (don't spill on your hot coals), put top lid on with vent side over meat and therm side over coals. Monitor ever hour or so. The hood gauge will read around 300-320 but I've had a therm at grate level next to the meat and measured this and the temp sticks at about 225. Adjust your vents for more air flow and higher temps as you desire.
I've gotten to the point that I can set it up and do yardwork and things around the house or run to the store without worry. Just need to check every hour to make sure that top water pan doesn't go dry.
I've never tried the 2nd water pan over the coals. A big pan with an entire teapot of water does the job good enough for me. Really smooths out the temperature fluctuations.
Does the 2nd pan make that much of a difference?
I hadn't thought of or seen the two water pan method, with one directly on the coals. Of course, I use to have a WSM and the water pan is.... directly above the coals. I used to have some issues with high temps when trying to slow smoke using my PK grill, the two water pan method should have been obvious. Thanks.
I have a Vortex and use it for wings and chicken like in the video. Works great. I've also inverted the vortex and dropped a whole chicken in the middle into it and it worked really well. Used a chicken/turkey stand like you'd use in a turkey fryer.
Huge difference. You need to check it every hour though as if it goes dry temps will rise.
If some of you are one the fence about the Weber kettle you may have noticed another advantage while reading this thread, a ton of readily available accessories. Vortex, Slow and Sear, Rotisserie. You can also get a pizza accessory kit, or rig up the Weber to bake fired pizzas up using a stone or cast iron. There are so many different ways you can set up and rig out a Weber kettle to cook almost anything you want.
You know, lots of times when I see these "innovative" new grills and smokers, I shake my head a little bit because it seems like they end up overcomplicating things considerably and make the grill less versatile.
But man, I really do like this. And he chose the exact perfect thing to cook with this, the bone in chicken.
I really like the idea of being able to alter the distance of the food from the coals. For many years I used a Char Griller barrel type grill. It had terrible air control, it would rust out like every 2-3 years, but I really liked that you could raise the charcoal tray.
This would be a fun thing to have if you had the property for it which I don't. Even the price isn't unreasonable, it's in BGE territory. I was guessing it was going to be like $3500.
The main drawback I see from cooking is that using this method of reverse searing, where you raise your food well above the open fire and then lower it at the end, is a pretty inefficient use of heat/fuel. You would fly through a ton of charcoal this way I think, and it would seem a lot more susceptible to outdoor temperature and wind. I don't know that it would be a deal breaker, but I'm guessing I would go through 3x+ the charcoal.
I also couldn't help to be concerned with just all the pieces there is to this thing...poles, pullies, levers, hooks, straps, handles...that's a lot of stuff you hope will hold up for years and years at this price, any of which failing renders the thing useless.
But still very cool.
I had that for years and years. I had probably four of them in about 12 years, which is why I eventually moved on to something else (Char-griller Akorn). That also lasted about 3 years.
I won't really say anything bad about Chargriller, they are the most bang for the buck out there. That grill you have is amazingly loaded with features for an awesome price.
Main issue I had with it, besides limited longevity, was not being air tight. When I was done and shut all the vents, the charcoal still all burned until it was totally consumed. It would be hot for hours and hours. With that leakage, it was pretty impossible to do low and slow.
And there was a design flaw with the side fire box that made it mostly useless. It leaked too much air, and didn't propel enough heat and smoke into the main chamber.
I'm guessing they probably corrected fire box issue at some point in the years since I had it, it was well griped about online. And for the main unit, there was quite a bit of mods you could do to really tighten up the air leakage. While I liked the cast iron grates for a while, I eventually got tired of fighting the rust. I could never keep them from rusting, probably related to it not sealing tight.
But it was still an awesome grill...SO much space, chunky grates, and the killer feature of the charcoal grate you can raise and lower. You could make so much food on that thing, and I miss that aspect. A ton to love for the price.
And while still expensive, the Weber user base is big enough that they are not AS expensive as some grills with a lot more options.
It's one of the biggest drawbacks of the PK really. You could spend $400 on a PK Grill, and if you buy some very common accessories like a charcoal basket (doesn't come with one), replacement stainless steel grate (because the one that comes with it is not stainless and rusts quickly) and/or Grill Grates, a second level rack to expand capacity (because its pretty small)...you're pushing another $300 easily. Obviously you don't NEED any of those things, but almost everyone with a PK gets them eventually because they're a huge help.
Just got my monthly email from Weber and since Memorial Day is fast approaching and the weather is nice I'd thought I'd share some rib recipes from Tuffy Stone. Enjoy.
LINK to Rub Recipe
Tuffy
LINK to Rub Recipe
Tuffy
Anyone have any thoughts on the weber diffuser plate?
Looks like it's only available with the weber master touch premium (weber seems to really like to have the incremental upgrades to a model to get you to pay more) which is only available at Costco in the US.
www.weber.com
I think I've convinced myself to stay with Weber vs the SNS grill given the reputation but think the weber diffuser plate set up might allow for greater grilling surface (and maybe more even heat?) compared to the SNS insert or similar. On the flip side the weber master touch premium has a hinged lid and no handle on top and it sounds like the hinge can be faulty.
Decisions decisions.
Looks like it's only available with the weber master touch premium (weber seems to really like to have the incremental upgrades to a model to get you to pay more) which is only available at Costco in the US.
Master-Touch Premium Charcoal Grill 22" | Master-Touch Series | Charcoal Grills
The legendary Weber Kettle has been reinvented. The Master-Touch Premium charcoal grill can sear the perfect steak, and then easily transform into a smoker for smoking low-and-slow ribs or pork shoulder. With new features such as a convenient hinged lid and charcoal ring for efficient fuel...
www.weber.com
I think I've convinced myself to stay with Weber vs the SNS grill given the reputation but think the weber diffuser plate set up might allow for greater grilling surface (and maybe more even heat?) compared to the SNS insert or similar. On the flip side the weber master touch premium has a hinged lid and no handle on top and it sounds like the hinge can be faulty.
Decisions decisions.
Anyone have any thoughts on the weber diffuser plate?
Looks like it's only available with the weber master touch premium (weber seems to really like to have the incremental upgrades to a model to get you to pay more) which is only available at Costco in the US.
Master-Touch Premium Charcoal Grill 22" | Master-Touch Series | Charcoal Grills
The legendary Weber Kettle has been reinvented. The Master-Touch Premium charcoal grill can sear the perfect steak, and then easily transform into a smoker for smoking low-and-slow ribs or pork shoulder. With new features such as a convenient hinged lid and charcoal ring for efficient fuel...
I think I've convinced myself to stay with Weber vs the SNS grill given the reputation but think the weber diffuser plate set up might allow for greater grilling surface (and maybe more even heat?) compared to the SNS insert or similar. On the flip side the weber master touch premium has a hinged lid and no handle on top and it sounds like the hinge can be faulty.
Decisions decisions.
I'm with you, I do not like that hinged lid at all. I don't like the way it always hangs at least somewhat over the grilling area when open, it just makes things feel more crowded, and can get in the way depending on what you are doing. My previous master touch had the holder you would slide it into, and it was fine, because the lid would slide down perpendicular to the grill and it would be totally clear of the space above the grill. I recently switched to a performer, and the holding rack holds it slightly hanging over the airspace, and I hate it. I end up having to rest the lid on another table. The overhang might not bother other people, but it bugs the hell out of me, and the hinge version means you have no option but to have the lid hanging partially over the grill at all times.
Plus, I see a ton of reports that the hinge prevents the lid from totally sealing air flow. That would be a no go for me as well.
As for the diffuser plate, I wouldn't feel like I had to make a decision based on that piece included. There are a lot of aftermarket products that accomplish the same thing if you want it later. I have one of these, they're super nice, but probably overkill for how expensive they are now.
https://auraoutdoorproducts.com/products/kettle-zone
But there's probably at least a dozen other solutions you can buy. More importantly, you can basically recreate that for almost nothing. A $5 pizza pan from Walmart, resting on a couple of bricks or the charcoal baskets upside down, can recreate that effect.
I personally find it's only useful for low and slow smoking, I don't do anything that I want to grill indirect the entire time, but that's just me, I almost always want some searing time on a hot zone to finish whatever I do.
Even with low and slow, there's something I hate about these diffuser setups, even the one I have. You'd better be damn sure that you have you're wood and charcoal calculated exactly right. Because if you have to add more charcoal, or you're not getting enough smoke (or getting too much), you have to dissemble the entire thing. I have had some times with this kind of setup where the way I placed the wood, the fire either goes around it, or instead of it smoldering, it burns through it too quickly, and there's no easy way to add wood or coals.
Unless you absolutely need every inch of grill space for what you are smoking, setting up a two zone setup for smoking is much easier with easy access to quickly throw in more charcoal or rearrange the wood.
If I do use the full grill diffuser to smoke, which I sometimes do (and I just bought one for my PK to use the whole surface for meat), I find the snake method way more predictable, because you place the wood at intervals and there's nowhere else for the fire to go. So on that weber version, I would likely snake the coals around the outside of the diffuser than pile them in the fire ring.
Great feedback! I was reading elsewhere about the difficulty in replacing briquets if you run out with the diffuser. Sounds like my concern for grilling surface might be overblown - especially since right now my only use is direct grilling.
Maybe this means I'll look at the master touch and look to buy the SNS insert or something similar and call it good.
The SNS insert gives you about 2/3rds of the grill indirect, and about 1/3 very hot. The Vortex about the same.
The big difference is the positioning, the vortex putting the direct in the middle and the indirect a ring around the outside, the SNS on one side. However, with the vortex in the center, all the indirect is equidistant to the heat, and the with the SNS some parts of the indirect are obviously further from the heat than others. I think the Vortex is cheaper.
It's a matter of preference. Personally, I prefer it to the side so my 2/3 indirect is all together, and can hold a larger piece of meat that way. And I have the grill against a rail so I can't walk around it, and don't like the idea of having to reach over the fire to work with stuff on the other side of the vortex.
Of course, you don't need either to do indirect, you can just pile coals without a basket, or use the enclosed charcoal baskets, that works fine. For me the SNS is worth it, it gets really hot over it, hotter than the regular charcoal baskets, and seems to keep the direct more defined/concentrated. And having a thicker gage holding the charcoal off the walls of the kettle, which can bubble the paint if you run hot enough. It's something that allows you to do something you can do anyway a little bit more effectively and conveniently, and very useful to me, but it's not like a rotisserie attachment or something that gives you a new capability.
As far as the grilling surface, I do like to grill a lot at a time, more than we would eat at one meal. I'm not going to lie that when all my kids were at home, sometimes I wish I had a little more space. But for the most part, two thirds of a 22" can handle a lot of food.
If I was concerned with whether it was going to be enough space when set up with 2-zone, I would go with a 26", rather than try to make do with deflecting the heat, it's not worth blocking yourself from the coals, or giving up a searing area. On the rare occasions where I want the whole grill, and am not worried about getting a strong sear, like maybe making fish, I just use like 2/3 of a chimney and spread it directly on the bottom. You get a medium hot fire across the whole grill, probably similar to I'd get with a full basket and a deflector.
I'd only think about deflector options when it comes to low and slow smoking, and then would probably make do with a pizza pan or pizza stone on bricks unless you find you are low and slowing pretty frequently.
For Memorial Day I had both the Kettle and the PBC going at one point. Baked beans and brats were on the Kettle, and the PBC was full of corn on the cob. Good times!
That's just a regular kettle on short legs for portability, I believe. All the kettle accessories should work in a smoky joe.
To expand on that, the Smoky Joe is only 14". The Jumbo Joe is 22 inches.
That said, Vortex makes different sizes if you have a smaller kettle-style grill.
Yeah, I had the Kettle and PK going at the same time a couple weeks ago when I was doing a huge batch of my specialty grilled chicken for the whole crew. I had the kettle set up at low heat with just a light layer of charcoal for the "indirect", and had the PK going full blast for the direct. Moving it back and forth between grills...stressful but always fun dealing with flare ups from bone in chicken.
I'm making a conscious effort to expand my repertoire, and start doing more sides and things on the grill, so it will probably happen more often.
Man, I happened to have to run to Costco to get some stuff on my lunch break. I know they have this Weber with the hinged grate out, so I took a little time to look at it more closely. I hate it even more.
First, the lid when opens overhangs at least 50% of the grill. Theoretically, that might be ok if you could position the grill with the hinge directly opposite where you stand, because the overhang isn't too disruptive if it overhangs directly opposite of you. BUT there is only one vent, by the hinge. So if you set up that way, your only choice if you're two zone smoking is to build the fire right by where you stand, to vent the smoke opposite the fire. You can't do the standard fire on the right/open the left vent (or vice versa), you have to do fire in the front, vent in the back. Which means if you want to move the food around or anything, you get to reach directly over the fire, which is always fun, and you've got the hottest part of the fire at your balls.
Now, they do have it designed so you can unhook the lid from the hinge to reposition it or to clean or whatever. But I tried that out, and aligning the hood in any other direction, it didn't rest cleanly. I could shove it down onto the kettle only with effort. Now, its possible that's a quality control issue and this one display kettle wasn't properly round like its supposed to be, but that is concerning to me. And there's no handle on top, so if you did want to reposition it while cooking, you need two hands to grab the side handles, and your wrists are right on the hot lid.
And of course, having the lid hinged prevents any of the accessories like pizza ovens or rotisseries or Santa Maria setups that require either coming between the kettle and lid, or require open air space above the grill.
That said, that charcoal ring/deflector plate piece included seemed like a solid piece of work. I still don't think it's that necessary and can be accomplished other ways or with other accessories, but it wasn't a cheap piece of crap.
Try this:
Core out the top of a large sweet onion, creating a cup out of the onion.
Put a pat of butter and a beef bouillon cube in the cup, season with your favorite rub, and wrap the whole thing tight with foil. Stick it anywhere on your cooker away from direct heat, and remove when it gets soft. About 45 minutes.
It tastes like French onion soup. Delicious.
