im a weber grill newbie

[lizard55033]

I bought mysef one of those Smokenator 1000 off of Amazon:


I love the thing. I have smoked alot with it; making it easy to control the temp of indirect heat

 

[ats32]

Been looking at those Pizza gizmos ATS... Seriously considering it.  I like the blue.  I'm a proud owner of a GWK  Brian

If you can find an old drum or sheet metal that's good enough you can make it yourself.

 

[corman]

Not really a mod, but an accessory that will expand the capacity vertically so you don't run into the chicken being too big issue.  

Smoke-EZ.com. (no financial interest in this product, I just love.) 

I use one on my Weber and have for the most part stopped using my horizontal offset and use the Weber for smoking everything.

Thanks for the advice. 

 

[dumasbro2]

 I started with a one touch gold but now use a 22 1/2 performer and also picked up a 22 1/2" WSM. I have several of the Weber cookbooks that have some great recipes as well as a few from Steven Raichlen. Check out www.primalgrill.com as well as BBQ Bible. If you have PBS He also has the Primal Grill show. I have done pork butt and brisket on my kettle, just much easier now with my WSM. Instead of beer can chicken I've done red wine chicken that turned out well on the kettle. Good luck, you'll be hooked soon if you aren't already.

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• dumasbro2
• Jul 9, 2013

 

[dagresta]

Hey,do you BQ at all? Mod's you can do when you have a style you like.There is a lot of junk and some really neat things.
 

 

[dumasbro2]

I find it hard to maintain a temperature much below 275, I did keep the brisket around 250 to 275 most of the time but it took a lot of baby sitting.  With the WSM it's a breeze, I'm able to maintain 225 all day with less and less fiddling with the dampers as it gets broken in.
 

 

[sam42830]

How long did your fire last with the way you had your grill set up?  I have been wanting to do that.  Great looking chickens

sam42830

 

[sskyking]

OK yall, I got a Weber grill and a Weber gas grill from a friend of mine that is moving and can't take them with him. My question is, what do I need to do to clean them up?  Do I need to make any Mods on the charcoal grill?The charcoal grill is 22.5 in. model. Thanks

I Can't speak to the gas grill as I never use one, but typically, the only Mod a Weber Kettle needs is a fully stocked cooler and a spot in the shade!  As for cleaning, knock any loose stuff off and then use any good citrus-based degreasing cleaner on the inside of the kettle.  The outside doesn't usually get messy.  If cleaning the grates, light the grill and get them good and hot and then just hit them with a good wire grill brush.  If they are too bad for that, just pick up a replacement grate at your favorite big-box and remember to ALWAYS keep them brushed down and lubicated before putting the food on them.

 

[dumasbro2]

With indirect grilling, I can get around 2 hours out of one load. One of the best investments for your kettle are the charcoal baskets. I started to use the "Minion" method similar to what I do in the WSM. I put a wood chunk in each basket along with unlit charcoal (Lump BTW), then start about 1/2 a chimeney of coals and dump them on top. I can run around 275 - 300 for 2 hours. If it starts to get low on coals I just toss a few more pieces in each basket, great thing with the hinged grill. You can do the same by using a drip pan in the middle to keep the coals separated ( that's what was done with the chickens in the picture). The baskets seem to do a better job though as they keep the coals together and burn more efficient.
 

 

[fwismoker]

I made a home made charcoal basket for my kettle and can get several hours of burn...Charcoal baskets make all the difference!

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Hello and welcome to the Family...here's some reading that may help...http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=Webber+recipes

 

[xwagner]

When I finally got a Weber 22.5" (after years of cheap hibachi use) I found a recipe from Cook's Illustrated for chicken that my wife and family loved: Whole chicken breasts, place those between sheets of wax paper and with a rolling pin or piece of PVC pipe or whatever you have at hand, FLATTEN THEM!!! Noisy and effective. Don't pulverize them, but you want them about 1/4" thick, no more.

Mix up a quart of water in a gallon Ziplock bag with half a cup each of kosher salt and white sugar. In go the flattened breasts for about half an hour while you get the coals hot, and you want a REALLY hot fire, so build a double layer of coals. YOU'LL BE HAPPY IF YOU HAVE LEATHER STEELWORKERS GLOVES FOR THIS ONE. AND A LONG METAL SPATULA! Coals are hot, chicken goes on former-skinned side down for TWO minutes. Flip and count down another two minutes. Off them come.

INCREDIBLE flavor, plus if you can find those King's Hawaiian hamburger buns these make *outrageous* sandwiches the next day with some honey mustard salad dressing.

Give it a try, but that fire is going to be SUPER hot and the gloves are not an option.

Have fun!

 

[manchester bob]

...

Mix up a quart of water in a gallon Ziplock bag with half a cup each of kosher salt and white sugar.

...

Something I try to do when brining, if you have the time, is to boil the brine, let it cool down, and chill it in the fridge in order to make sure that the meat stays cold when adding the brine...you don't want to let the temp of the meat drop when adding the brining solution!

The salt, sugar (white, brown, or raw), and whatever other seasonings you want to add are dissolved into the water, and it seems to absorb into the meat more efficiently. This method works very well on larger meats, like when doing an overnight brine on a whole turkey, but when I am able to plan ahead, I try to do this for everything I brine.

 

[xwagner]

Awesome idea!

 

[manchester bob]

Thanks! I wish it was mine, but I have to admit that I saw it on one of the cooking shows on TV.

 

[sskyking]

Don't forget to try grilling your next Thanksgiving Turkey!  Awesome flavor and very moist.  Your wife will love you for freeing her oven for the sides!

Checkout the Butterball website for the very simple instructions.  Also, if you are going to do larger cuts like whole chicken, turkey or roasts, invest in a good remote digital probe thermometer.  Heat is your friend, but also your enemy and knowing exactly when to take the food off makes all the difference!

 

[mike65]

I just got a Weber Grill ( Silver ) from a friend.  Are there different ways to lay the charcoal for different kinds of meat?

 

[steve carpenter]

My first charcoal grill was one of those square portable camping grills. I loved learning how to build the fire and control the heat even though it took longer than a gas grill to heat up. I eventually moved onto a chargriller duo to compromise my preference to use charcoal and my wife's preference for gas. After some playing around with smoking, I ended up getting rid of that and buying a WSM for smoking and a kettle for grilling.

That said, what I've learned from moving from grill to grill is that as a new charcoal griller, I used to start with a huge amount of charcoal and vents wide open, to starting smaller and building up as needed.

I usually reuse what's left in my grill from a previous cook into my chimney starter and top it off with fresh out of the bag.

For steaks, I usually build a tall stack on one side of the grill to sear it and then move it to the side to finish.

For chicken, I usually build stacks to either side and cook down the middle. Unless I'm doing alot of wings, then I build a tall fire in the middle and build a ring of wings around the perimeter of the grill.

For pork shops, I do the same steaks. For sausages and hot dogs, I cook them like chicken.

 

[dumasbro2]

You can do indirect grilling/smoking with coals on each side then place the meat in the middle or coals on just one side. Weber makes baskets that work great for this method. For steaks, chicken breasts, etc. I use a 3 zone method. Heaver coals on one side, medium in the middle, no coals on the other side (this is the safe zone).

 

[redwood carlos]

 
I just got a Weber Grill ( Silver ) from a friend.  Are there different ways to lay the charcoal for different kinds of meat?

Get the charcoal holders they have them at the box hardware stores for $15. They are worth it though for keeping coals from rolling, falling through the cracks, etc...

Two to a pack and put them off to the side. You can get two whole 6 lb Chickens in no problem. Add your favortie wood and you are good to go.