general newbie advice for Weber charcoal grills

bgaviator · Mar 19, 2013

Hello all,

Well after our propane gas grill has rusted to the point it's not worth replacing the parts anymore, I have decided (I think) on getting a Weber Kettle One Touch Gold 22 inch charcoal grill. I have always like the taste of charcoal, and I like the idea that I can smoke meats on this thing as well. I might eventually get that Smokenator attachment, or just try using some fire bricks as a partition as I have seen many people report successful.

This isn't really particularly about smoking, but using this new charcoal grill in general. It has been YEARS since I have used charcoal. I think easily 15 years or more. I do plan on buying one of those Weber chimney starters, and maybe those Weber charcoal holders.

I am not quite sure how to determine how much charcoal to use for any given cook.....I mean, do you always fill the chimney full, or is that overkill? I am usually cooking for 7 people, and most of our weekly cooks involve brined chicken, hot dogs, or hamburgers. I know the chicken usually takes 45-60 mins when I use propane, cause I like to cook the chicken low and slow. And I know hot dogs, and burgers go real fast.....so I'm just trying to gauge how much charcoal I need to use, and the various methods needed for different meats.

Thank you for any guidance you can give me in my attempt back into charcoal.

bhawkins · Mar 19, 2013

I use lump charcoal, and part of the reason I do is because after the cook is over, you just close all vents and smother out the fire. Next you cook you can use what is left sitting in the grill. So I would go ahead and put in a full load of charcoal just to keep from having to try an fire tend too much.

dward51 · Mar 19, 2013

Weber chimney's are cheap. I have two and on occasion have fired them both up when I really needed a big load of hot coals. I would think if you are cooking for 7, you might want to invest in 2 chimneys or your could dump hot coals over unlit and wait for them to light also. If you buy a chimney, go with the Weber models.

The Weber grills are very versatile and you have a lot of options as to how you use them. You can go "low and slow" and smoke in them, but you do not get to use the full grate area if you do. That's why for smoking Weber came up with their WSM models. But the WSM's don't do hot cooks like hot dogs and hamburgers very well, so each has it's place.

As to charcoal use, that depends on several variables. Wind, temps, how much you have to open the top lid, etc... so it's hard to say you will use x amount of charcoal for y cook. But charcoal is cheap.

For "hot cooks" of hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled chicken or the occasional "low and slow" indirect smoke of a pork shoulder or ribs, it will be hard to beat a Weber charcoal grill for overall versatility IMO.

bgaviator · Mar 19, 2013

thanks for that!

Can someone tell me more about cooking with lump charcoal? I have never done that. Do you light it in the chimney just like regular charcoal? Do you wait for it to ash over like regular charcoal? What are some disadvantages of lump?

dirtsailor2003 · Mar 19, 2013

bgaviator said:
thanks for that!

Can someone tell me more about cooking with lump charcoal? I have never done that. Do you light it in the chimney just like regular charcoal? Do you wait for it to ash over like regular charcoal? What are some disadvantages of lump?

Yes light it in the chimney just like briquettes. Lump burns at a higher temp, and I've found that it's easier to control the temp. Depending on the wood the lump was made out of you may not need additional wood for the smoke flavor your looking for.

dward51 · Mar 19, 2013

Originally Posted by bgaviator

thanks for that!

Can someone tell me more about cooking with lump charcoal? I have never done that. Do you light it in the chimney just like regular charcoal? Do you wait for it to ash over like regular charcoal? What are some disadvantages of lump?

The main disadvantage that quickly comes to my mind is lump is more "sparky" than briquette. While lighting in a chimney it tends to produce more popping and sparks floating up and out of the chimney. Just be careful where you start lump and it's not that big of a deal.

There is a interesting website called "The Naked Wiz" where they have spent a ton of time reviewing the performance of different brands of lump charcoal. If you have not seen it, it's well worth a read. They lean towards the Green Egg and other ceramic cookers overall though. Here is a link to their lump charcoal database

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

Of particular interest would be their page where a head to head comparison of several of the more available and popular brands of lump charcoal were tested against the blue bag Kingsford briquette. Lump won hands down in longest burn time and for less ash production. Blue Bag Kingsford was the worst of the bunch tested (but seems to be the most used in America). I must confess, I still use Kingsford as it is often run on sale at Lowe's/Home Depot. I've heard of guys buying whole pallets full when it's on sale.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/burntimetest/lumpcompare.htm

They seem to really like "Wicked Good Charcoal" products. I found a mom & pop store near me that carries it, but I have not tired it yet (keep saying I will though).

bbqbrett · Mar 19, 2013

Like DWard said, lump can be more "sparky". I have used lump on occasion though and have not had problems with it. I know some people though who prefer briquettes as they are uniform in size and shape while lump is not. I don't know if that would make a difference to you but thought I would put it out there for you.

comosmoker · Mar 22, 2013

I have a Weber 22" as well. However, I just bought a Brinkmann TLE to do more smoking on. I will keep my Weber for "hot" cooks. As far as charcoal goes, I use both. Sometimes at the same time (I also buy Kingsford when it is on sale). However, I will use lump and/or wood in my smoker. Hy-Vee sells a 50 lb bag of local lump for around $15. Like above, lump burns hotter and doesn't leave as much ash. I like using lump better. It seems to burn cleaner than briquettes. The Weber kettle is a wonderful grill. I was going to order the mods for mine until I decided to move to the horizontal off-set smoker. It is very versatile and easy to use. You can grill fast or slow, smoke, even bake with it. I got to where I was using mine more as a smoker (using the off-set heat method) for most all my cooks. Hence the purchase of a new smoker. If you have a side burner that still works on your gas grill, I have learned on here that you can use that to start your charcoal chimney. I am out of gas for mine or I would be doing that now. There is a ton of information and resources to use on this forum, and plenty of willing people to answer any questions you may have. Good luck and happy grilling!

Search

Search

general newbie advice for Weber charcoal grills

bgaviator

Smoking Fanatic

bhawkins

Smoke Blower

dward51

Master of the Pit

bgaviator

Smoking Fanatic

dirtsailor2003

Epic Pitmaster

dward51

Master of the Pit

bbqbrett

Master of the Pit

comosmoker

Smoke Blower

Similar threads

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Spammer PMs, Anybody Else?

Lost my dad yesterday

On the Edge of Trying Sausage Making

Took a stroll this afternoon

Don't let your Meatloaf