Weber Kettle Questions

[lowcountrygamecock]

We’re going on vacation next week and the house we’re staying in has a Weber kettle. I cook on a kamado Joe all the time but have never cooked on a kettle. What do I need to know? Is it better to use briquettes or lump? We’re going to the keys so any fish or shrimp recipes would be appreciated too!

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

I use lump when i want it hot. But if I’m using it to smoke I use briquettes and snake method. Really easy grill. You’ll love it

 

[thirdeye]

A Weber kettle is probably the best designed outdoor cooker on the planet. I prefer lump because it has some flavor of it's own. With seafood as fresh as you can get, the set-up will probably be indirect (with all coals banked on one side) so you can move food over the hot side or let it bake on the cooler side.

Simple seasonings, roasted lemon wedges and maybe a light marinade or some melted butter brushed on is all you need. Enjoy the selection of seafood.

 

[Hamdrew]

briqs are probably easier to learn; you can get pretty much offset flavor out of a kettle if you get good at it.

Personally I don't recommend getting anything to hold the kettles to one side. Just be careful pouring (leather gloves help). I want them to be able to be "rolled"/jostled so as to get them hotter again, after the ash starts to smother the fire (big metal spatulas work here). Most don't, but you can try using the exhaust to control temps to go very low.

As for recipes, I'd simply go for as big of pieces as you can, and maybe even a short sugar/salt brine. Cayenne, paprika, and citrus (i just got a persian lime fancy olive oil myself) are all great with fish

 

[edmonds]

Shouldn't be too much different from your Joe. Indirect (coals on one side) will give about 350+ F with all vents open and lid closed, good for "baking" fish. You can throw a chunk of wood on if you like. Keep marinades simple (maybe just oil, salt, basil, lemon, etc). Instead serve fish with a sauce (mayo/horseradish/capers sauce). Alternatively, you can spread a light layer of coals over whole grill, still about 350 but larger cook surface. Cook fillets with skin side down (oil on bottom of fish). Hopefully they will have a chimney.

 

[mcokevin]

We’re going on vacation next week and the house we’re staying in has a Weber kettle. I cook on a kamado Joe all the time but have never cooked on a kettle. What do I need to know? Is it better to use briquettes or lump? We’re going to the keys so any fish or shrimp recipes would be appreciated too!

Where in the Keys are you heading, if I can ask? If you happen to find yourself in the Key Largo area I highly recommend stopping by Alabama Jack's. Great little dive on the water.

Went there the day before a tropical storm a number of years ago. Called to make sure they were going to be open and not doing storm prep and was met with a "hell yeah we're open" - only to get there and see them closed doing storm prep. Guy behind the bar says "sorry we're closed". My friends turned to walk out and I said "Man that's some bullshit, we called and you said you'd be open!". Guy behind the bar says "Oh, that was you? Sorry man! Well come on in". Turns out he was the owner, so we sat and drank one too many beers with him and one of the other staff. Getting ready to leave, try to pay, "registers aren't open" so it was on the house.

 

[SmokinAl]

Where in the Keys are you heading, if I can ask? If you happen to find yourself in the Key Largo area I highly recommend stopping by Alabama Jack's. Great little dive on the water.

Went there the day before a tropical storm a number of years ago. Called to make sure they were going to be open and not doing storm prep and was met with a "hell yeah we're open" - only to get there and see them closed doing storm prep. Guy behind the bar says "sorry we're closed". My friends turned to walk out and I said "Man that's some bullshit, we called and you said you'd be open!". Guy behind the bar says "Oh, that was you? Sorry man! Well come on in". Turns out he was the owner, so we sat and drank one too many beers with him and one of the other staff. Getting ready to leave, try to pay, "registers aren't open" so it was on the house.

Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but that is a great story!
Al

 

[mcokevin]

Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but that is a great story!
Al

It's one of my all time favorites. One of our friends jumped off the roof into the water wearing nothing but his boxers, he got to put a dollar bill on the wall.

The kicker is we have a couple of friends who were supposed to come with us, but they thought we were crazy driving from Miami down to Key Largo towards an oncoming tropical storm. So they stayed behind, and missed a story that they would have for their entire lives. My now wife and I had been dating only a few months at that point, and her family was not too thrilled that she was going along with me and definitely questioned my judgement. We all returned in one piece though, thanks mostly to our DD

 

[gmc2003]

There is no real right or wrong way to use a kettle. I prefer briquettes because I can control the heat better. The set up you choose will be dependent on what your trying to cook/smoke. Most of my cooks are set up for indirect cooks.

Chris