Getting the barbie above 250c

[Ultraviolet]

.. anyone any tips?

I can get the Weber up to about 250-260c, but any hotter is eluding me at the moment.. and the moment I open the lid to say, turn a steak, the heat drops and is difficult to recover.

any tips on getting - and keeping - the Barbie hotter? I'm using lumpwood charcoal at the moment, lit with a chimney and put into the char baskets. Even with the chimney full to the brim, there still doesn't seem to be enough oomph somehow. Vents both top and bottom are fully open...

any hints or tips appreciated...

UV

[Pferdestarke]

So you're grilling direct, lid on - and the thermometer in the lid is suggesting 250/260?

Unless you insulate you're going to struggle. This is why ceramic grills offer far higher heat at the lid. Think of it as output (charcoal) vs heat loss through the thin gauge metal lid. In reality the coals will be far hotter than the air temp around the lid, and the grill temp will be somewhere in between. So in essence you might be grilling at 300c plus.

What you need is an instant read digital infrared thermometer so that you can check the temp at different areas. If you are starting your coals correctly and allowing them to burn sufficiently before trying to cook on them, if you're grilling directly you should achieve plenty of output from your charcoal.

The thermometer in the lid is there really to control temp when smoking or cooking indirectly.

http://thermometer.co.uk/infrared-thermometers/104...

[calibrax]

Some people like to line the inside Weber with foil, that will help retain some heat.

[theboss]

Consider placement and ensure you have the grill in a sheltered spot - a slight breeze will cool things considerably. My current garden is much more exposed than the last one. Smoking is actually a struggle at times.

[MajorProblem]

Acetylene.

[RizzoTheRat]

It deepends a lot on what charcoal you're using, I struggled to get mine above 170 with some lumpwood the other week, but have had no trouble keep it it running at higher temperatures than that with Tesco briquettes. Never tried for 250 though.. A lot of people reccomend using the Webber branded stuff but Iv'e not tried it myself.

MajorProblem said:

Acetylene.

Amateur http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjPxDOEdsX8

[btsidi]

Are the air holes open underneath?

[GreenDog]

I find I get a much greater temperature using Aldi briquettes than I do using lumpwood charcoal. They also stay hot for a much longer time.

[jogon]

Have a look on this website..

http://thelondonlogcompany.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-d...

Engineered logs - "Hotties" - should do the trick or just use as much charcoal lumpwood or briquettes as you can squeeze in and make sure all vents are fully open.

[D1ngd0ng]

Sheltered spot in the garden, mixture of briquettes and lump wood to start off with then when that gets hot tip on more lump wood and let that get hot. Had the bbq temp off the scale a few weeks back. Took the hairs of my fat fingers. Using cheap lump wood from home bargain too. Best £4 a bag ever spent.

[Mobile Chicane]

Ultraviolet said:

.. anyone any tips?

I can get the Weber up to about 250-260c, but any hotter is eluding me at the moment.. and the moment I open the lid to say, turn a steak, the heat drops and is difficult to recover.

any tips on getting - and keeping - the Barbie hotter? I'm using lumpwood charcoal at the moment, lit with a chimney and put into the char baskets. Even with the chimney full to the brim, there still doesn't seem to be enough oomph somehow. Vents both top and bottom are fully open...

any hints or tips appreciated...

UV

I don't think you're using enough charcoal.

You need a massive pile of glowing coals, heaped up to one side to provide a temperature gradient.

For a 57cm Weber, I use a whole chimney starter full of coals, plus the same amount again on top.

I don't bother with char baskets / fuel holders, but I do use the charcoal rails just to help keep the coals to one side.

[sunil4]

dont believe this

Its not about insulation

I think either

the thermo is faulty

Fuel not lit/ damp A 3/4 weber chimney (bigger than DIY crap) with lumpwood allowed to almost turn grey at the very top of the pile before being poured in, with all vents open will go off the clock in a 57cm

Are you sure the coals are lit enough before pouring into the kettle?

(i own 3 webers for over 10 years and have made most mistakes along the way)

thanks

Edited by sunil4 on Saturday 26th July 12:20

[sunil4]

have u tested the thermo in boiling water and ice water (off the lid of course)

[Ultraviolet]

Thanks for the tips.. Will give it another whirl this evening.

1. Top vent is always open, except when closing down the Barbie after use to extinguish the charcoal. I've also been reusing charcoal.. Maybe not such a good idea?
2. Lid is closed and I'm using direct heat at the moment
3. Garden is pretty sheltered although there is some gusting wind where the Weber is currently located

So looks like I'll need to look into
- Filling the weber chimney right up, and waiting longer until the charcoal is greying (I've been waiting around 20 mims for the chimney, with gas ignition underneath, until the top most charcoal is glowing)
- Look at engineered charcoal - the londonlogcompany is a great site, and seems to have some very high quality stuff, also for smoking.
- mix of briquettes and charcoal and possibly more that 1 chimneys worth of fuel
- check thermo / temp with a digital thermometer

Any other ideas? Rump steak tonight, so will need plenty of oomph..

Cheers,
UV

[jogon]

Just use the metal dividers to push the charcoal up to one side, rather than spreading them evenly across the grill, you want them stacked up high close to the grill then cook the steaks over that part.

Nice marinade for your beef -

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
juice ½ lemon, reserve lemon half
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 rosemary sprig, bruised

Wipe of the marinade then rub the other half of the lemon over the steaks and then on the grill.

I would also cook with the lid off when direct cooking things like steak which only take a few minutes, this might be why you don't see as high temps on the lid thermometer as your meat is covering the coals.

Edited by jogon on Saturday 26th July 14:35

[arguti]

Not sure if these will get the temp up that high but certainly will keep it burning evenly and for longer!

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/heat-beads-BBQ-brique...

Much better than the weber stuff IMHO

[Craikeybaby]

Ultraviolet said:

Thanks for the tips.. Will give it another whirl this evening.

1. Top vent is always open, except when closing down the Barbie after use to extinguish the charcoal. I've also been reusing charcoal.. Maybe not such a good idea?
2. Lid is closed and I'm using direct heat at the moment
3. Garden is pretty sheltered although there is some gusting wind where the Weber is currently located

So looks like I'll need to look into
- Filling the weber chimney right up, and waiting longer until the charcoal is greying (I've been waiting around 20 mims for the chimney, with gas ignition underneath, until the top most charcoal is glowing)
- Look at engineered charcoal - the londonlogcompany is a great site, and seems to have some very high quality stuff, also for smoking.
- mix of briquettes and charcoal and possibly more that 1 chimneys worth of fuel
- check thermo / temp with a digital thermometer

Any other ideas? Rump steak tonight, so will need plenty of oomph..

Cheers,
UV

How did you get on?

You mentioned the too vent in your post, but not the bottom vent, that's the one that really controls the temperature.

[Ultraviolet]

Craikeybaby said:

How did you get on?

You mentioned the too vent in your post, but not the bottom vent, that's the one that really controls the temperature.

Went well... Followed the tips above, including moving the barbecue but I think half the problem was impatience... I was waiting around 20 mins after emptying the chimney onto the grill as the temperature seems to 'pause' at about that point... However, leaving it for around 45 mins got the temperature up to 290c... Much more acceptable.

So did rump steaks with salt / pepper / garlic / paprika / flat leaf parsley / virgin olive oil rub over direct heat for 9 mins, turning once after 5 mins, accompanied by broccolini with a sea salt / olive oil rub then cooked over direct heat to char it up a bit, then indirect to soften. Broccolini was soaked in water for 30 mims first. Currently following the Weber cookbook which is very good...

I leave the top vent open all the time and keep the lower vent fully open until the temperature builds up, then close this to about 50% to try and keep the temperature and slow the burn... Lid is kept closed all the time, except for (minimal) turning...

Still experimenting.. I overdid the steaks slightly as I didn't reduce the time enough given their thinness relative to sirloin... Want to have a crack at smoking next...

Cheers,

UV

[Craikeybaby]

Cool, I actually find smoking is easier on the Weber.

[RizzoTheRat]

Ultraviolet said:

I leave the top vent open all the time and keep the lower vent fully open until the temperature builds up, then close this to about 50% to try and keep the temperature and slow the burn.

Is this the best way to control it? I tend to leave the bottom fully open and close the top one down a bit, mainly because I can see how fat open the top vent is while the bottom one doesn't seem to match what it says on the slider, but I'll freely admit I'm a webber noob.