Weber Charcoal Heat Controller

[DTro]

Not sure if this has been posted here before but there is a new Weber accessory on their site. It's a cone and diffuser plate combo:

https://www.weber.com/US/en/charcoal/charcoal-heat-controller-22/7666.html

[Mosca]

Just don’t add up the cost of all the Weber accessories….

[Andrrr]

No kidding. The kettle is the cheapest part

[Mosca]

They’re all good, and they all work, don’t get me wrong, and I’m not slagging on Weber; the Weber prices are comparable to similar products from other aftermarket vendors (unlike Big Green Egg, for example). But if I had every Weber accessory I wanted, I’d need to build a separate shed for all of them, and it would probably total close to $2000.

[jfmorris]

Interesting. Basically a heat diffuser sitting on a vortex, for indirect. For the direct use, its the same as a Vortex.

[RichieB]

Yep

[Robermax]

If I didn't have a vortex already I might consider. It seems to avoid the need for putting foil on the bottom kettle grate .

[Attjack]

Get yourself a pizza pan.

[RichieB]

Big time waste of money IMO.

[Murdy]

I was having a hard time grasping what the diffuser plate was even for, but their last example cleared it up a bit, where they reference a "fuse." It seems like maybe it would hold and disperse heat while using the snake method to achieve an evener distribution of heat. I wonder, however, whether with a small amount of charcoal burning on one side of the kettle it would actually result in even heat to the point where you wouldn't have to worry about it, or only less uneven, where you'd still have to rotate things around a bit.

[jfmorris]

Well, the main issue with the snake method is you can't put food directly above it. The diffuser helps with that issue, and in the video, they show putting 3 slabs of ribs on, and they claim even heat across the grate when using the diffuser.

[Murdy]

Looks like there's a pretty substantial gap between the edge of the diffuser and the side of the grill, which would be right where the fire was burning using the snake. And since that area moves as the snake is consumed, you'd still have to keep your meat away from the edges.

And, I'm not sure I believe the heat is truly even across the entire kettle.

[StrikeBBQ]

When I saw this I thought Weber was coming out with an actual controlling controller.

[Rattlesnake]

The Spider Venum is a fan controller that will work on Weber kettles

[Spinaker]

The Vortex but not as solid looking.

I feel like I would break those flanges in no time. That being said, I can be hard on stuff.

[Attjack]

When I saw this I thought Weber was coming out with an actual controlling controller.

Here's an interesting aftermarket option.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WRTSC1H?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_GS1275EP3THJS97V9Q3P&fbclid=IwAR2HF21DBYqk17BlrNdl_O8RHqEcNPSC9DSzLAe9J3qJRPvtQ3jrjQuOQDM

[Spinaker]

I was kinda wondering when Weber would come out with something like this. I know this is 3rd party, but Weber has to be working on this, right?

[Attjack]

Spinaker If I were Weber I would come out with a Deluxe Performer with temperature control. Maybe a Deluxe Smokey Mountain too.

[Spinaker]

Yep, agreed.