Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Question

[Jim Doyle]

Just an obeservation that may be of use for some.

This may be a little late to the game here but I used an IQ 110 BBQ control piped into the port on my WSCGC recently for an overnight brisket cook and did the 5 minute gas light to start it. It ran fine over night, nice and steady, for about 6-7 hours but the temp shot up and dropped at about 7 hours so I pulled the top grate and diffueser plate and noticed that the coals (blue bag Kingsford) had burned in a pretty narrow band across the grill away from the air inlet without spreading to as many briquettes as I had expected. Minor issue, and with a quick stir of the coals it was back on temp and running fine for the rest of the cook. just something to note and I don't think I've noticed the burn be that directional on other shorter cooks without the IQ110 blowing air in.

Jim

[Flying Fur]

Interesting @ Jim Doyle, something to check, wonder how something like that happens, but good to know!

[Jim Doyle]

My hunch is that the cook started with a small lit area right by the air inlet so as the air blew in, it directed the burn down wind across the charcoal. it's not happened when I BBQ w/o the air coming in.

[fzxdoc]

Flying Fur , you don't need a container for the ignition system method of starting your coals. Just pour the requisite number of scoops in the charcoal grate and spread them out the way you want them to be for the cook. Weber suggests you pour them all directly over the igniter and the use a charcoal hoe-looking device to spread them, but I don't do that. I spread them out cold.

Here's my latest lighting method for smoking. I like it better than the Soo Donut method I've used up until the last month. Lucky for me, I read this post by wbzipf (thanks wpzipf!) and immediately started using the igniter.

1. Use 2.5 scoops for short cooks like ribs or chicken and 3.75-4 scoops for long cooks like pork butt, chuck or brisket. Spread them pretty evenly on the charcoal grate. Top with 4-5 chunks of wood (4 to 6 oz each). Don't put a wood chunk directly over the igniter.

2. Start the ignition going. Let it run for exactly 5 minutes with the lid open and bottom vent fully open.

3. After the 5 minute ignition, turn off the gas igniter. Add the diffuser plate and food grate. Attach the Maverick grate probe to the grate. Close the lid, flip down the top vent but leave the holes fully open (bottom vent still fully open) and watch the temperature climb.

4. When you're about 70 degrees from your goal temperature, close the bottom vent to the smoke setting (or just below if your WSCGC runs hot) and close the top vent to 1/2 or less, again, depending on your Weber.

There's a ton of white smoke until the Weber gets around 225-250, then it settles out to white wispy/blue smoke for several hours. If the smoke is pure white (no grey), I'll put the cold meat on at 180°F grate level temp so it can get a jump on the smoke flavor. I feel (but don't know for sure) that adding that cold mass helps to keep the temperatures from running away. I've done it both ways--adding the meat early at 180°F and adding it at 225°F, and honestly, if I keep an eye on the temp, I've yet to have a runaway smoker.

Being a PBC type of person, I'm comfortable with smoking in the 270ish range (270 to 300 works well for my tastes, but that's a bit hot for some folks). A 4 scoop load of coals lasts about 8-9 hours at that setting. I set the lower vent to just above (to the right of) the smoker setting and the upper vent to 1/3 open.

For cooking below 250, I close the lower vent to just below the smoker setting (to the left of it) and set the upper vent to 1/4 open. At 250 or less, I can get about 10-12 hours of smoke out of a single 4-scoop load of coals.

As I've said, I'm still working on dialing in my lighting method, but since reading wbzipf's comment, I've used the igniter for 5 (smoking) cooks now, and it works like a charm as long as I follow Steps 1-4 above.

Kathryn

[Flying Fur]

fzxdoc, By container I specifically meant bottled gas, sorry for any confusion I caused with the term "container".

Thank you for all the detailed information you've provided on using your WSCG, I'm delighted to see you have been able to maintain temperatures over significant periods of time with minimal effort. Precisely what I had hoped, I too, would achieve with this new grill. Now if only the snow would melt, the wind die down and temperature get into the high thirties, I would begin experimenting but for now I'll celebrate winter's return with the joy my huskies woke to this morning-well at least it should slow their shedding for a few days!

[fzxdoc]

Flying Fur , that's one reason why I have not investigated adding a temperature controller like a Digi-Q to my WSCGC. Once I get to my target temp, it stays pretty rock solid for long cooks, until the coals start dying off due to natural causes.

Another weird thing that I'm still investigating is that I don't hit a stall with brisket, chuck or pork butt. The meat temp keeps slowly and steadily climbing throughout the cook. I've not experienced that before on my PBC, but I need to do a few more cooks of each type of meat to verify if it is truly characteristic of my particular WSCGC and the methods I use.

Kathryn

[Flying Fur]

@ffzxdoc,
"Another weird thing that I'm still investigating is that I don't hit a stall with brisket, chuck or pork butt. The meat temp keeps slowly and steadily climbing throughout the cook."

Is it possible you bought a magical WSCGC or you have mysterious powers?

[fzxdoc]

Or maybe Samantha? or how about Jeanie? EdF

[EdF]

I can see you relate to the sexy ones! ;-)

[fzxdoc]

and younger too, EdF

[David Parrish]

Another weird thing that I'm still investigating is that I don't hit a stall with brisket, chuck or pork butt. The meat temp keeps slowly and steadily climbing throughout the cook. I've not experienced that before on my PBC, but I need to do a few more cooks of each type of meat to verify if it is truly characteristic of my particular WSCGC and the methods I use.

Kathryn

Could be the temps you cooked at. Stall duration decreases with increasing pit temps.

Could also be a factor of the humid cooking environment of the WSCG combined with low airflow.

[wbzipf]

I think its the humid cooking environment plus the low airflow that you mentioned.

[fzxdoc]

Well, to my mind the PBC is a pretty humid cooking environment with low airflow, and I hit a stall every time with big meat cuts. I run the WSCGC at the same temps I run the PBC.

Do you guys hit a stall in your WSCGCs?

[David Parrish]

I think the PBC has much higher airflow relative to the WSCG. Apples and oranges.

[Jim Doyle]

I've done a couple pork butts and a brisket so far in my WSCGC in cold outdoor temps (therefore dry air feeding the fire) with a water pan inside and have been amazed at how little water evaporates at 225F cooking temp compared to a WSM. I do get the stall just as I do in the WSM so it may be more cook temp related than anything. I agree there is likely far less air going through the WSCGC due to the better insulation and sealing.

[Baby Back Maniac]

No question should embarrass you here - it's a good question. Baby Back Maniac - do you have anything in your video arsenal that shows this port in use and your set-up of it?

I'm so sorry I didn't see this question. I'm glad somebody else answered it.