Where to Put Top Vent with Billows
I use a Weber Kettle with a billows unit. I put the charcoal in an SnS across from the fan. I have traditionally put my top vent opposite my charcoal and above the fan hole. I struggle with my pit temp dropping 20-25 degrees every time the fan starts blowing. I usually keep the top vents about 2/3 closed. Do I have my to vent in the wrong spot or could I be doing something else wrong? I typically hear that these controller fans keep the pit at a steady temperature, but that is not my experience. Please let me know what y’all think!
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Last edited by J-Melt; October 6, 2022, 08:48 PM. -
Have you smoked for a long time prior to owning a billows? I ask as I have no reference to your experience , so please accept my apologies if I’m assuming to much. But something I believe about fans, and this is just one person. You still need to know how to build the fire for the fan to control. I personally think the fan is a great tool, and I use them, way more than needed, I’ve come to like them. My fires would not run any different 90 percent of the time without a fan. They are just that extra 10 percent insurance that my cook goes as planned. So, it "may" be in how you are building a fire. Again, I’m not sure of your experience outside this one question; I hope you find the answer among the many that will likely have great advice. Grill on!Last edited by Richard Chrz; October 7, 2022, 08:58 AM.-
Please report back on your experience with B&B and any other changes you make.We all learn from the shared experiments. These are just my current beliefs where credit is due. You already have the Weber, now you just need to finesse the little secrets of how to optimize the design. A thing none of us ever achieve by the way, -
P.s. B&B may seem a bit higher priced, when burned in efficiency, not even close, it is a savings. -
Richard Chrz, I just bought a bag of B&B Orange bag from Ace with a half off coupon at Ace on Black Friday. I am currently doing a pulled pork and decided to try the new charcoal without my Billows. This is the most consistent cook I have ever done! My cooker has not moved outside of 296-217 with it staying between 300 and 310 90% of the time!!!
This stuff is amazing, thank you for the recommendation!Last edited by J-Melt; November 26, 2022, 02:41 PM.
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I'm also waiting for the educated responses coming from other members on this topic. I am 4 cooks into my new Fireboard with Drive and am struggling with 225 as a target temp. I'm running too hot. My set up is Weber Kettle, SnS, fan opposite the side of the coals, foil covered charcoal grate except for right under charcoal in the SnS, bottom vent closed, top vent barely open and located over the coals. As the learned Richard Chrz suggests, I believe my issue is with how I'm starting/building the fire.
Always learning !Comment
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I have a 22" with SnS and a fireboard with a fan. My low and slow setup is fan on opposite side of charcoal, drip n griddle blocking the grates and the top vent over the food. I setup the fire the way SnS recommends - starter cube with 15 or so briquettes, once they are ashed over, fill the basket with more unlit coals and wood, put the fan on and get it rocking. bottom vents closed, top vent about 1/4 open. Works great. Like Richard said above, it might be your original fire setupComment
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Main difference in what I do is that you block the grates with the drip ‘n griddle. I often use a drip pan, but that does not block the incoming air from going straight to the food instead of straight to the charcoal. I’m going to try covering my lower grate with foil so the air goes only to the charcoal. Thank you!!!
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J-Melt what you don't say are a couple of things:
1. Are you using the Billows with some type of adapter, or just mounting it with the spring clips into a hole under the charcoal grate? If so, is there anything on the adapter (if in use), to steer the air down and across the bottom of the kettle?
2. Do you have any type of deflector on the charcoal grate to help keep that cool blowing air from coming up to the cooking grate? I.e. a Drip 'N Griddle, or even lining the charcoal grate with foil in the indirect area next to the SNS?
3. Where on the cooking grate are you placing your probe?
I have a different fan than you - mine is from BBQ Guru, and it has an adapter with an inside deflector that can be pointed, and I have it pointing down, and I always put my Drip 'N Griddle on the charcoal grate in order to help deflect the air from the fan over to the bottom of the SNS. With that setup, I never see the temperature on the cooking grate drop when the fan turns on. If anything, it starts going up very quickly.
I too put the top vent on the side opposite the SNS, which means the side where the fan is installed. I probably run it 1/3 to 1/2 open, and of course the bottom vent is fully closed when using the fan.
I have to think your issue may be that there is no deflector, and you are pushing air up to the cooking grate when the fan is on.Comment
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jfmorris Thank you for responding! I probably should have included a picture from the beginning, so here is a picture of my setup. This first one is an older picture from when I first started using billows and I have since moved the SnS to the right end of the grill exactly opposite of the fan.
This second picture is my more recent setup, but it's harder to see where the billows and thermometer is.
To answer your questions directly:
1. There is no adapter to steer the air to the charcoal. Based everything I'm hearing here, I am planning on putting foil down to block the area under the meat and push the air directly to the charcoal.
2. I put the thermometer to the side of the meat making sure I have at least an inch or two of clearance from both meat and edge of grill.
Let me know if y'all have additional recommendations!
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J-Melt I don't see anything wrong with what you are doing, but see that there is somewhat of a design flaw, if you can call it that, in the use of the Billows on a Weber kettle. I'll show you what I mean.
If using a fan like the ones from BBQ Guru, I use an adapter like this on my kettle. There is a small deflector piece that screws down on the inside of the kettle, and which allows you to direct all airflow down and across the bottom of the kettle:
The tube part of the Guru adapter is on the outside of the kettle - the deflector on the inside, and it has an opening that directs the air only in the direction you want. It also includes a high temp silicone plug that I leave in the hole to plug it when not using the fan.
I think on an offset, where the fan is blowing into the firebox, or an kamado, where it is blowing into the bottom firebox/charcoal area as well, won't have the issue you are seeing with the Billows fan on a kettle.
I think in your case, foiling the entire charcoal grate in the area EXCEPT for where the SNS is sitting will do a great job to direct all the airflow to the bottom of the SNS, to feed the fire. What is happening without that is that the incoming air just goes in all directions I expect, and you are measuring the effect of that air coming up on the food side of the grate. You ought to see an instant change in that behavior once you block the air coming up on that side of the grill.
I think a Drip 'N Griddle would help some, but since it leaves about a 1" gap around the pan on the charcoal grate, it may not be enough in your case to fix the problem. You have a foil drip pan in your photos, but that is just not nearly enough to fix the airflow issue. In fact, the air temp probe is not above that pan at all, and it is likely a lot of incoming air is just coming straight up over the grate temp probe.Comment
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Richard Chrz running sideways is likely fine too, especially if the fan is not 180 degrees opposite the SNS. Mine is not quite 180 degrees across from where I place the SNS, and seems to work fine with the fan blowing down and presumably across the bottom and back up into the SNS. -
i have a billows that I do not use fits, if you buy the billows adapter which I did prior to just switching to Fireboard and the pit viper combo, and it did fit. I also believe it makes the billows a far better product then how it comes as a stand alone. https://www.thermoworks.com/billows-mounting-kit/ -
Jim, on direction. I will loosen it a bit here and there and switch direction of flow based on how my fire is set up. It is one of the other great things about that adapter.
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Thank you everyone!!! I am doing an overnight brisket tonight and am going to cover my charcoal grate next to the sns under the meat with foil and see how it goes. I’ll post an update tomorrow!Comment
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About 45 minutes into the cook and my grill is staying much steadier than it has ever stayed! It’s fluctuating 10-15 degrees in both directions. I’m not too surprised considering it us a decently cold and windy night here in Chicago. If this is how it works on a night like tonight, then I am highly pleased! Thank y’all for your help!Comment
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It’s official! That was the best my billows has ever done! At no point did it feel like it was counteracting itself! Thank y’all for your help!
The brisket I did was by far the best I have ever done, and it was choice meat because Costco was out of prime meat!
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I meant to cancel my subscription to Pitmaster in February because I didn’t really use it last year. This is now the second time since it accidentally renewed that y’all have helped up my BBQ game! Best mistake of the year!​Comment
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Love the "y'all" but how did a man from the cold windy frozen north pickup our little contraction? Hey, were all here to learn and share what we know. The more you share and contribute what you know, you will have more and more fun! And you will learn much! And perhaps, the best part is all of the new friends you will make! Tom
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