Need help w/ chicken parts on Weber Kettle please

[jfmorris]

jjdbike not sure what your accessory budget is, but I will share with you my thoughts one more time. First - without anything, you can setup a nice 2 zone setup by either banking your coals to one or both sides, or by using Weber charcoal baskets if you have those. My experience though is that the Weber baskets don't hold enough coals to maintain heat for the 45-60 minutes I need for cooking nice chicken parts.

My preferred methods are either the Vortex, or a full set of Grillgrates for the 22" kettle. Here are some pictures to show you capacity in either mode.

Vortex "fried" chicken thighs on the kettle:



Using the Vortex to do chicken halves (split 5-6 pound chickens I think). I split them with Oxo poultry shears:



Crisping up some of those halves at the end of the cook:



This is about the max amount of wings you can fit around the vortex:



Now, on to how the Grillgrates work. As you likely know, they act as a heat diffuser/deflector, and they don't extend into the grate handle area on the kettle, but cover probably 85% of the grate. The area they do not cover is past the area that is directly above the charcoal grate, so I've often let meat spill over into that area.

Two spatchcocked chickens and some wings:



Wings off, chickens moved to one end, and some veggies added on that same cook. I just tossed the veggies around using the Grillgrate forked spatula tool.



Same set of Grillgrates, a full grill cook of leg quarters. I had between a dozen and 15 leg quarters on the grill, and just moved them around and flipped them as needed.



Now, here are a couple more grill grate 1-zone full grill cooks, but I moved the Grillgrates over to the 22" SNS Kamado, but same principle - full charcoal grate of charcoal, running around 450F or so on the dome thermometer.

​


I think the Grillgrates are nice on charcoal grills, even though I know they get more love on gas grills, because I can do deconstructed kabobs like above, and not loose loose veggies through the wire grate to the fire. And they are the only way I know I can do a full grill 1 zone setup without burning up my chicken, burgers, whatever. Sure a plancha is an option, but that would't really work for bone in chicken.

[Old Glory]

That looks Grate! Pun intended lol.

[jjdbike]

Thanks for such in depth write ups & beautiful pics. That food looks amazing! Frid chick on the grill!?!? Cool!
I wound up getting the Vortex for now.
Please see my questions below.
Thanks again,
JD

[jfmorris]

jjdbike the fried chicken on the kettle is this recipe, courtesy of Attjack :

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking/poultry-chicken-turkey-and-duck-recipes/1079422-kettle-fried-vortex-chicken-thighs#post1079422

[Mister C]

Edit: So I just saw the question and started typing, rather than reading that others had already recommended SnS or Vortex. I guess I'm on Team SnS from experience, but man that Vortex looks pretty cool too!


If you have, or are willing to purchase, a Slow'n'Sear, I have found it is fantastic for making foolproof bbq chicken, with or without smoke flavor. It's indispensable in general, in my humble opinion, and a worthwhile investment if you plan on using your kettle regularly.

I typically do whole chickens rather than parts, but that should only really change the cook time on this recipe. Here's what I do:

1: The day before, dry brine the chicken per Meathead's typical method: 1/2 tsp kosher salt per lb of bird. Stick in the fridge overnight.

2: fire up the grill the next day. I use a chimney starter, again a really useful tool if you use the kettle a bunch. The Weber one is available at most big hardware stores. Dump the hot coals in the SnS basket. No water needed in the reservoir. If you want wood flavor, put a small hunk in the basket and dump the coals on top. Small. It goes a long way. Open the top and bottom vents full blast.

3: Put the lid on and let the box and grate heat up some, then open and throw your chicken on the side opposite the coals. Put the lid back on with the top vent on the same side as the meat.

4: Now we wait. For me, a 4-5 lb spatchcocked chicken is done to about 155 degrees on the breast in an hour flat. Dark meat to 165-170 in the same time. That's the way l like it, feel free to adjust to your preference. I suspect individual pieces might be more like 30-35 minutes if spread out nicely. First time through, I would check regularly to be sure it's not done quicker than that. You might at some point rotate them about as the ones closer to the heat will cook faster. The SnS keeps the temp so consistent on the indirect side that I just use a timer now rather than a remote probe or any other equipment (of course I always do check at the end to be sure).

5: Once you hit temp, either sear the pieces on the hot side for a few seconds or just remove and enjoy. I find skin is usually already nice and crispy due to the dry brine and fairly hot temp, but then again all of the skin is on top when you spatchcock so it gets the brunt of the heat.

I have come to really like chicken like this with nothing but salt and a bit of apple wood smoke. Then again, I've also found chicken from a local co that tastes amazing naked. You certainly could rub it right before cooking with herbs etc or sauce it afterward, depending on the tastes of of the birthday girl. Either way, using a SnS has made grilling chicken a very predictable process for me. Hope you find a great method for you, and if you go this route, let me know your experience!

Cheers

[jjdbike]

Hello again everyone,

I ordered a medium genuine Vortex for this cook.

These chicken parts for my wife's birthday party will be my first swing w/ vortex. I've spent some time on YouTube watching Vortex vids. They say that the amount of charcoal you load it with determine how hot it is.... I know, duh.

Using Kingsford blue, how high do you recommend filling the Vortex for my 1st chicken parts cook... 1/2 - 2/3rds?

I'm going to to towel them off and leave exposed to air to dry the skin over night. The next morning, i.e. day of cook, slather w/ a little mayo as a binder and rub them. I'll let rub sit on chicken in fridge for 6 or 8 hours as a dry brine.

I'll do the drums hot & spicy BBQ, the thighs sweet BBQ and the breast quarters w/ herb butter flavor. I'll glaze w/ sauce at the end.

What surprised me was the wide variation of final internal temps recommended. I know dark meat is done at 165 & white meat a little lower, but folks were taking them to 185 - 200 internal. They said they were good, to me that sounded extreme. How high do you take your chicken parts internal on the grill?

Thank in advance!
JD​

[jfmorris]

jjdbike I *ALWAYS* fill the Vortex all the way to the top. And while it takes a little longer than a chimney, I start my fire IN the Vortex. I have a Performer Deluxe, and I just turn on the propane ignition. If you have a regular kettle, just put a starter cube UNDER the charcoal grate, place the charcoal grate, then the Vortex (narrow end up), and fill with briquettes. Leave lid off and bottom vent wide open until top coals just start to burn, then lid on. I leave all vents open entire cook.

You can certainly use a chimney, but I would just figure out how much chimney it takes to fill the Vortex.

I often shut down the cook, and will have leftover coals in the Vortex for the next cook. I stir those around so that the ashes drop down to the ash sweeps, then top off with more fresh charcoal for the next cook.

I'll be curious if others fill the Vortex only halfway or third way, but I always fill it to the top before each cook.

On meat temp, I would pull BREASTS at 160-165. I like to let dark meat (thighs and legs) reach 175 to 180. Dark meat only cooked to 165 is ok, but not fully rendered and to me a bit slimy in texture. And a lot of it depends on what the skin is looking like as well. If you overshoot temps, the dark meat can handle it more than the white meat. When I do split chickens around the Vortex, it always seems that when the breast hits 160-165, the thigh and leg are at a perfect 175 or so.

The advantage of doing pieces is you can pull each piece as it reaches the perfect temp. And if the skin is not crisp, toss it over the Vortex in the center for 20-30 seconds per side, being careful not to burn.

[jjdbike]

Great info here.
That was exactly what I needed to know.
Much appreciated!
Best regards,
JD

[jfmorris]

jjdbike in case you did not see the comment above, the fried chicken on the kettle is this recipe, courtesy of Attjack :

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...hs#post1079422​

[Richard Chrz]

I do not have a vortex or a SNS, I’ve never seen the value in them, ( I know I’m alone in that thought). I use some fire bricks to build a hot 2 zone on my kettle. I put all the chicken skin side down over the hot embers or wood, or coal, for a few minutes, just to get the maillard effect going early, then put them skin side up, back on the cool zone, my fires are typically 325-370 range. After about a half hour, I move them back over to the fire side, skin side down, give it some more crisp. Then back to cold side. About another 15 - 20 minutes, then back on the fire for any finishing work.

I found a phot of a fire set up; ignore the wood chucks, this was for a longer smoke. But,I take almost a full chimney of un started coal, and then dump over it a 1/3 of a chimney of hot coals over the top. That sets my heat, and the un started coal, sets the time.

[FireMan]

That’s not alone, you’ve just created yer own makeshift SnS without a water reservoir.

[Richard Chrz]

Or the cost, I sometimes put a water pan down, if the cook will benefit from it.

[Panhead John]

jfmorris No offense my friend, but I’ve never heard of someone trying to light coals in the vortex the way you described. Placing unlit coals in the Vortex and starting them with a wax cube placed on the bowl of the kettle? I’ve never tried that before, but why? It seems to me with the much wider area of coals at the bottom of the vortex would take forever to light. I’m not sure what the purpose of doing it this way is. The vortex is meant to be used with all or mostly fully lit coals. Why not just light the coals in the chimney, then dump them in the vortex? Much quicker and easier IMO.

To answer your question about filling the vortex with coals, here’s what I’ve found. If you fill the chimney completely full of coals, that is enough to fill the vortex up with lit coals. I use a full vortex when doing chicken wings or parts, it normally takes 30-45 minutes for me. If I’m reverse searing steaks or chops, I’ll use about a 1/2 chimney of coals…which equals about a half filled vortex. That amount still gives plenty of heat for the reverse sear and also keeps the coals a little further from the meat when searing. With the coals a little lower than normal, I’ve found it prevents a few less flareups, while still plenty hot for my sear.

For quick cooks like this, I never try and save any coals, I just let them burn out. Not worth the hassle for me. If it’s a slow cook, I’ll try and salvage what’s left, if any.

[jfmorris]

Bogy I seem to use my Performer mostly with the Vortex lately, and I'll just keep topping it off with more charcoal on top of whatever is left, and hitting the ignition button. Easy Peasy. With the SNS, I can light coals with propane but I gotta use a scoop or something to move them to the SNS once lit by the ignition.

[Bogy]

jfmorris yeah, the Vortex is nice because it is located where the propane hits it. With the SNS I can move the basket to the center, and then push it back to the side once things are lit. But the Vortex is easier.

[jfmorris]

Bogy I guess I could do that too if I took the SNS Deluxe over to the kettle. Right now the original SNS I bought for the Performer is one of the models with no bottom grate, so you really can't move it with the coals in it. But the one that came with my SNS Kamado has the bottom grate.

[jjdbike]

Thanks everyone!!!
JD

[jfmorris]

This is to illuminate good old Panhead John in relation to the post 2 above where we talked about this. Bogy and I were saying how we light coals IN the Vortex, and PJ didn't grok that. Here's what I'm talking about.

I pulled the cover off the Performer, and it might have been a month since it saw the light of day. It had a half full Vortex of old ashed over coals. I proceeded to top those off with new briquettes, I worked the ash sweeps a couple times, started a 20 minute timer, and killed the propane after 3-4 minutes and walked away. When the timer went off, I came back to this:



All but the top coals were starting to ash over, and the Vortex was fully engulfed in flames. I went ahead and put the grate on, put the lid on, and left all lids wide open and went to fetch the chicken. 5 minutes later, chicken was on the kettle, which had a dome reading of 450 to 500.

I don't think I would have gotten cooking any quicker doing the coals in a separate chimney, then pouring them into the Vortex, and it would have sure been a lot harder to reuse that old charcoal.

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during the creation of this post. Animals were consumed as a result however.