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First Cook on Weber Kettle

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    First Cook on Weber Kettle

    Did my first cook on the Weber Kettle I bought yesterday. Reverse sear Ribeye's. Attached are some pictures of the results.

    I have a couple of questions. I do not yet have a SnS so I was using one of the charcoal holders that came with the Weber (a picture of an empty holder along with the one filled with coals is attached). I was monitoring the meat and grill grate temps using the Fireboard with the probe cables run through the holes in the lid. I closed the bottom vents to just a crack and had the top vents closed to the thickness of the probe cables. With this setup, the temp wanted to go up to about 300 degrees. I kept lifting the lid to lower the temp near 225 but it would go right back up to around 300.

    Did I use too many coals in the charcoal holder? I started with about 2/3 - 3/4 of a lit chimney and the it completely filled the charcoal holder.

    With the bottom vent completed closed, does air still enter past the sweeper arms?

    Should I run the probe wires under the lid so I can almost completely close the lid vents?

    Any other suggestions on how to get it closer to 225?

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    #2
    I have have a felt gasket for my Weber and run the cables under the lid that being said I have had my best luck lighting the coals at one side and letting the coals burn using the fuse method from one side to the other without the basket. doing this I have been able to get the magic temp and keep it there for a good amount of time. that being said I now have a SNS and love it.
    Get the most out of your charcoal grill by setting up 2 heat zones, direct and indirect. This set up allows you to add wood chunks to the coals for smoke, to cook low and slow barbecued ribs and pork shoulder, and to better control your temperature. It also helps prevent flareups and burnt food!
    Last edited by Amajeff99; December 31, 2017, 04:49 PM.

    Comment


      #3
      Beautiful cook, amigo!
      Fine Job!
      I have no definitive answers to yer queries, I don't hook up all my ICU stuff, when usin' my kettles....
      I jus' use time, an' an instant read (thermopop)...
      Many smarter, an' more qualified members will assist ya', shortly, I'm pretty dang sure!

      Comment


      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        Always welcome, amigo!
        No derision intended, at all...
        I Understand usin' Science to get comfortable with yer cooker(s), fantastic idea; shows ya' what's happenin'...Bravo, nicely played!
        Keep askin' more questions, as ya' go; lotsa swell folks here will help out!

      • jlazar
        jlazar commented
        Editing a comment
        Didn't take any and would never expect it from you. Happy New Year to you and yours.

      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        Same to ya' an' family! jlazar !
        Be Safe!

      #4
      Looks like an awesome first effort with the new kettle!

      My best guess based on what you described is that you had too many
      charcoal
      briquettes burning. I typical use a SnS but if I was trying this using the baskets that come with the kettle I would only light about 8 or 10 briquettes, push them over to one side once ash'ed over and fill the rest of the basket with unlit briquettes. Bottom vent barely cracked, top vent open about the wide of a pencil. See the link to the video below on setting up a slow and sear, you likely recreate it with the baskets you have. Good luck!


      Comment


        #5
        That's a good lookin' steak. As already stated, you had too many hot coals. And opening the lid to reduce the temp supplies the coals with more oxygen. That gets them hotter. You only want enough briquettes lit to reach your cookin' temp. That's probably ~ 10 to 12 in a kettle. Either method mentioned above will give you better control over your temps.

        So what do you do to get to searing temps with so few briquettes lit? You will have to start a chimney, (probably only 1/2 chimney if you are using the supplied charcoal baskets), of unlit charcoal so that it will be ashed over when the steaks are 15 to 20 degrees below your finished temp. Then stack the baskets and place the grate right on top of the baskets. That will get you to warp ten for searing.

        Comment


        • jlazar
          jlazar commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks. This makes sense. I will try this next time.

        #6
        Thanks for all the help. I am learning about the kettle quickly. Already now know there are 3 charcoal possibilities and each requires a different number of coals: normal grilling, smoking, and searing.

        Comment


          #7
          I think the above covers it. For 325F you can drop a lit chimney in it, but for 225F you only need a few burning at once. The little Weber paraffin cubes are handy and super reliable for starting your "fuse".

          Comment


            #8
            I don't have specific answers to your questions, but I will say that steak made my mouth water. Great effort and keep grillin!

            Comment


              #9
              Those steaks look great. I agree with all of the previous statements but will add this.on my 26” Kettle I don’t use a SnS, I run my cables through the top vents. I usually use the fuse method. For low and slow, 225 to 250 I use 3 briquettes base with 2 stacked on top. I leave my top vents 100% open and start the bottom at 50% and close as needed it usually ends up about 25% open. When I do reverse Sear I use a half a chimney divided into both charcoal baskets. Start another half chimney so it is ready for the Sear when your internal temp is wher3 you want it. Hope this helps.

              Comment


              • jlazar
                jlazar commented
                Editing a comment
                It does. Thanks a lot.

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