Snake method question

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The link below is how Weber recommends controlling the temperature on their Weber Kettle cookers....

https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/bu...ature-of-your-charcoal-grill/weber-29520.html

When all else fails, use the manufacturers recommendations....



Written by

Sean Mathy


How do you control the temp on your charcoal grill?

Many people think it's the amount of charcoal you use, but the answer lies with the air dampers. Adjusting the air dampers will increase or decrease your temperature. The more air going into the grill, the hotter the grill will get. The less air going into your grill, the cooler it will get.

Most of our charcoal grills have two dampers - a top lid damper and the dampers on your bottom bowl.

We suggest leaving the bottom dampers fully open and using the top lid damper to control the temperature. Factors such as the temperature outside, how windy it is, how clean (or dirty) your grill is and even the food you are grilling can affect the temperature of your grill, but these are the top lid damper settings we suggest to achieve different temperatures on your grill:

High heat (450-550°F) – Fully open

Medium heat (350-450°F) – ½ open

Low heat (250-350°F) – ¼ open

Low and slow/smoke zone (225-275°F) - 1/4 - 1/8 open

Off – Fully closed

Remember to keep the inside of your bowl and ash catcher clean to promote good air flow throughout your grill. If those bottom dampers get clogged up it can affect the performance of your grill. Check out our simple tips for keeping your grill clean.

The lid thermometer, if applicable, registers the overall ambient temperature of your grill. If your grill doesn't have a lid thermometer, you can use the ambient probe on our iGrill app-connected thermometer to register the temperature of your grill.

If you haven’t already, check out our new Weber Briquettes here! The Chimney Starter and Lighter Cubes are a must for charcoal grills as well. Now that you are a certified charcoal grill expert, let the good times and smoke roll!
 
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Like Chile said, test runs. And a BBQ therm for grate and meat. (two probes) I use a ThermPro TP-08.
One point to remark on: The temperature will change from your tests when meat is introduced. The steam from the meat affects the temperature a lot.
I use my hood thermometer as an indicator of when my cook is getting done. When the meat is nearing done, the temperature will begin to rise.
You will learn this as you gain experience using your BBQ. But in between there may be some "ah, shoots". It's OK, just a part of learnin.
Once you are getting "perfection" with a particular cook, like ribs, butt roasts, chicken loads, or what have you, you'll have noticed the temperature swings with your monitoring device.
Have fun, BBQ is an adventure!
 
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