Charcoal management question on my 22" weber

[jasonwilliams14]

Evening everyone.
I had a couple questions about charcoal setup and charcoal management on my 22" weber.

To be honest, when I bought my first ever charcoal grill, I overlooked the importance of charcoal management. Perhaps I assumed it was "just easy" and I overlooked it. However, after my first dozen cooks, I have learned just how important understanding charcoal setup and management is for successful cooks.

I cooked some thighs today with my vortex. I used Jealous devil briquettes. I filled up my chimney about 2/3 to 3/4. I messed up a tad today by playing with the vents and my temp dropped to around 250. Oops.
I was able to recover and get the temp back up to about 400 on the kettle thermometer. Thighs turned out good. (thinking I should have hit a higher temp, but that can be another thread ).

When I was putting everything away this evening, I noticed that the majority of the briquettes that were in the vortex are pretty much mostly ash, but there were some chunks left over. I was curious and want to learn more. Meaning should I have started with more briquettes, or added some during the cook?

Last Sunday, I did my first successful rack of ribs. Turned out great. My setup was the one weber suggested. I used charcoal baskets on both sides and put the rack in the middle with a foil pan underneath with water. I had a small gap in the top sections of the charcoal baskets where I put the hot briquettes to start the slow burn through the basket. One side burned a tad more, but I had left over charcoal in both baskets on a little over 4 hour cook.

All of this got me thinking of a few things and was hoping for some recommendations, maybe guidelines.

As silly as it sounds, how many briquettes do I roughly need? I know it will depend on what I am cooking, but is there some general guidelines? I started to think, what if i do not have enough briquettes and the cook runs out of fuel. Those kind of things.

What about how much to fill a chimney? I have a full size chimney starter.
Should I be adding briquettes to some of my cooks? Or would that really only apply to long cooks (over 4 hours maybe?)

All of this fascinates me and wants me to learn the ins and outs to be better at BBQing. I would imagine, the more cooks I do, the more experience I will gain.

I guess this is a long winded way of asking for tips for better charcoal management, start to finish.

I appreciate the insights and help very much!

Jason

[Mosca]

I think that you’re doing everything pretty close to exactly right. Myself, I only have two measurements: half chimney and full chimney. I use half chimney, dumped into one basket, for a couple burgers or dogs, and full chimney for everything else.

For me, leftover briquettes are the same as ash. Over a lifetime they won’t amount to more than a bag or two of charcoal, so why bother? They don’t have much energy left in them to make a difference. But anyone who wants to reuse theirs, that’s cool too.

Regarding the Weber method, I’m assuming you mean starting the charcoal at one end of the basket? I start with 8-12 coals and let those get completely ashed over. Then I fill the rest of the basket, and wait for the new coals to catch. If you don’t, that partially burned charcoal smell gets into your food. I think of it as a “flame front”: the place where new charcoal is igniting needs to be hot enough to prevent that billowy white stinky smoke that smells good in the air but doesn’t taste all that great.

Adding briquettes to a long cook… I’m going to defer to those with more experience here, because I use my BGE for briskets and pork butts/shoulders. When I’ve tried it in the Weber Kettle, I got that billowy white smoke, and because I have a different solution for that problem (the BGE) I didn’t try any harder to solve it in the Weber, I just went with the BGE.

[jasonwilliams14]

Ok. I am happy to hear I am on the right track. I tend to be a perfectionist.
For the weber method, on their app, they have you setup charcoals on both sides (with the baskets or not), then put the rack in the middle, under a drip pan (optional). Worked for me and trying again today. Only downside is, I can only fit one rack on.
Appreciate your input!

[Panhead John]

Hey there Jason, concerning the vortex. When I’m doing wings, I’ll start with a full load of briquettes in the chimney, when most of the coals are white hot I’ll dump em in the vortex. I’ve never added more coals to the vortex during a cook, it’s not needed as it’s going to be a short cook [30-45 minutes usually] and you want it to be hot. I always leave the vents wide open during the entire cook, unless I’m using it with a reverse sear cook. I wouldn’t be concerned with checking the dome temp if I was you, just let er rip. Since you’re starting the cook with hot coals, it’s only normal for all or most of your coals to be ash after the cook, that’s not a concern really. I never save charcoal that’s used in a quick cook. Low and slow, I’ll save leftover unburned briquettes.

For long cooks, ribs, briskets etc., do yourself a favor and get the SnS insert for your kettle. It’s not a requirement, but man, it makes it so easy for charcoal management, forget the baskets for low and slow. The SnS is better and easier.

[STEbbq]

https://snsgrills.com/collections/slow-n-sear

[jasonwilliams14]

Hey Panhead John. I think that is where I went wrong. I did not use a full chimney to start. Will do that next time.

[Smoker_Boy]

snip...
Then I fill the rest of the basket, and wait for the new coals to catch. If you don’t, that partially burned charcoal smell gets into your food. I think of it as a “flame front”: the place where new charcoal is igniting needs to be hot enough to prevent that billowy white stinky smoke that smells good in the air but doesn’t taste all that great.

So what happens when I use a snake method???
I have a few coals that are lit, and the ones beside the lit ones are in various stages between not lit and fully lit.

I have always heard about only using charcoal when it's fully lit but the snake method seems to be the polar opposite.
As usual, my old brain is confused.

[Mosca]

That’s the flame front. The burning coal is hot enough to fully ignite the unlit coals, with the billowy white stuff combusting fully. Like when you light a chimney, it billow, then it stops, but the chimney isn’t fully ashed over; new coals are lighting at a high enough temperature.

I’m not a physicist, this is just my guess based on observation and a lot of mistakes. If someone knows better, by all means tell me I’m wrong. It won’t be the first time.

[Panhead John]

jasonwilliams14 If you decide to get the SnS insert, I’d recommend this one. It’s also 30% off right now! The reason I like this one is it has the removable water reservoir. Being able to remove it is pretty handy for me. If I’m doing a long low and slow cook where water isn’t needed, you can remove it and it gives you more space for a larger load of charcoal. Also, if I’m using the SnS for a reverse sear type of cook with a large piece of meat, removing the water reservoir gives me more real estate for searing.

[Mosca]

That is the 2nd generation, and it is definitely an improvement over the 1st gen. I pull the water reservoir for burgers and dogs, too, for the same reason: real estate.

[jasonwilliams14]

ooo!! I just saw this,, read all the comments and bought it!! It was on my radar anyway, the 30% off is a nice bonus! Very excited to get this and try it out.
I am guessing I can do a lot of things with it (wibs, chicken, burgers......heck even bake?).
That was great. Thank you for letting me know about the 30% off. Wife approved the purchase!

[HawkerXP]

Agree with the above. Get the SnS, make sure its not a China knockoff if you buy on Amazon. Go to their web site as they have a lot of good info on "how to" get your best results. Video Gallery | SnS Grills

[jasonwilliams14]

Done. Went with the SnS right off their website!

[barelfly]

I reuse the briquettes that dont fall down into the bottom of the ash. If they are that small, then not worth it as Mosca mentions. I also use the SnS, I think the first gen as the water reservoir is built in, but I never use the water reservoir for cooks. I did at first, but I usually use the SNS for shorter cooks like steak and tri tip and don’t see a difference. And I usually go with 3/4 full or full on the chimney starter depending on the cook.

Have fun with that cooker!

[jasonwilliams14]

Great. Very nice to hear. I am having a lot of fun. Really is quite satisfying for me. THe more I cook, the more I learn and the better my cooks get. I need to figure out how to cook all the time

[Grillin Dad]

On the vortex, I've also struggled with low temps. Now I light a full chimney of briquettes and dump them into the vortex when the white smoke disappears, which is usually long before the top briquettes are ashed. Sounds like it's too soon, but I've noticed higher temps when doing that. Also, I'll crack the lid open just a hair, so the lid doesn't sit quite right in the bowl. That lets in/out more air and really spikes the temp for me.

Regarding low and slow, I agree with others in recommending the SNS. I nearly gave up on charcoal and got a pellet popper (the horror!) until I got that. Also a good grate thermometer so you're not reliant on the dome thermometer. I use, and would recommend, the Thermoworks Smoke, but there are other good options as well.

[jasonwilliams14]

I am glad I grabbed the SNS. Sounds like it is a game changer.
Using a full chimeny with the vortex, seems to be the way to go as well as cracking the lid a tad.

[Jessterr]

Panhead John, They offer a silicone stand for those, I have a couple and they work great. They cost $6, just go to Thermoworks and search for Smoke Receiver Silicone Stand. Also, the Smoke Receiver itself will in fact stand up on its own, even though it is curved on the bottom. They appear to be bottom weighted in a way that enables them to stand up. The stand is better anyway because it positions the receiver to sit back at an angle that makes it easier to view.

[Panhead John]

Jessterr Hey man, thanks for that tip about the stand! Didn’t know it existed, gonna order one now….

[Richard Chrz]

If I’m not using a snake, I bought firebricks, to build up zones, rather then spending the money on SNS system which are loved by many, it’s just cheaper to go firebricks, and just as effective. I prefer to use that money on a better temp monitor, or upgrade the grill grate to a stainless, etc..

It’s just a thing you will learn though, lit coals determine temp, unlit coals and formation dictate time. You will need to adjust that a bit and here as you learn, and as weather changes.

when doing a snake, you want a tight and we’ll formed charcoal, sloppy won’t help you at all.

[Mosca]

You are absolutely correct. I did one “toss them in” snake. After that one, I’ve built them all by hand, stacking them offset from each other like bricks in a wall.

Also: wood chunks go on top, not under the charcoal and not in the middle. They interrupt the flame! I’ve had them stop a cook cold.

[jasonwilliams14]

Interesting. Sounds like there are a variety of options and things to try. The weber kettle is so versatile, which makes it fun!

[Smoker_Boy]

EDIT: I'll look around some more here. I'm sure the snake has been discussed to death.

EDIT 2: I found a thread concerning the minion method that answered my questions.

[Panhead John]

“What about how much to fill a chimney? I have a full size chimney starter.
Should I be adding briquettes to some of my cooks? Or would that really only apply to long cooks (over 4 hours maybe?)“

If I’m doing a short cook with the vortex, I do like Mosca suggested above, anywhere from 1/2 to a full chimney, depending on what I’m cooking and how long it takes. I wouldn’t ever use less than a 1/2 chimney though. If I’m reverse searing a single steak using the vortex, I’ll usually do about a 3/4 full chimney. Honestly, you don’t wanna ever have to add charcoal to a cook, unless you absolutely have to. It’s just a big hassle and takes up time. When doing a long, low and slow cook, I always start with a full basket or SnS full of coals…..it’s better to have coals leftover than having to refill in the middle of a cook.

[jasonwilliams14]

Ok, fantastic. Family wants some thighs tomorrow, so I will definitely give this method a go!

[radiodome21]

I have both size Weber chimneys as I have both size SNS kettles. If the vortex is being used i light the normal size chimney with a full load. I also have the SNS and whatever chimney size I use depends on what I’m cooking and what flavor profile I’m looking for. It’s a learning curve for sure. I also
rotate between B&B and Kingsford pro.

[Max Good]

https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/grill-and-smoker-setup/how-charcoal-is-made/

[Bbqmikeg]

Max’s link is great for learning how charcoal is made. The posts in this link are hard earned experience of how charcoal works in a kettle. I rely on the burn rate of Kingsford Blue bag because it makes things easy. Get good with them first and then all other briquettes are easier to get to know.
Lit coals give you heat, unlit coals in the kettle prolong the cooking time. Unlit coals light fastest above hot coals, slower below hot coals, and slowest leaning against hot coals.
Learn the burn!

[Richard Chrz]

I also suggest, before you consider how much a charcoal grill may swing in temps. Set a good temp probe system in your home oven, my kettles, once learned, run more even than my oven.

[Richard Chrz]

Two notes on the Weber temp gauge. It is on top, not the temp of the grate, so the temps are not the same! Also, the lid thermometer is also not accurate on the Weber 22 kettle. Grate temp will be fun for you to learn, and how the grate temps change across different parts of grate in relationship to fire source. Can be a bit surprising learning that,

[Panhead John]

Jason, you don’t need to drill holes in your kettle! Just run the probe cables under the lid, it won’t hurt anything,

[jasonwilliams14]

That would be awesome. I am doing ribs today and it has been a learning experience again, which is fine. I think the Thermoworks smoke would help me out a lot with understand what the temps are on the grate. Like you said, the weber one is not accurate, so it is a bit of guessing game for me at the moment. Let me see if I can google for how to do the grommet for the kettle. If i get stuck, i can respond back. TY!

[Reds Fan 5]

I think you are overthinking this a bit. You are using a sound set-up. If you are satisfied with the quality of your food, you succeeded. I agree with others who recommend the SnS. Much easier and more efficient than baskets. The SnS also allows you to put charcoal on on side and have more real estate for the food (you can do this without SnS or baskets, too).

There are other variables in charcoal management: Wind, ambient temps, humidity (air and cook chamber), kettle leaks among them.

[jasonwilliams14]

I tend to do that....overthink and analyze things.
I did grab the SNS and it shipped today. Excited to see how it works out. Looking forward to using it with multiple different cooks (ribs, pork butt, chicken etc...)!