Weber question

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Discussion

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
I went to a showroom that sells Weber BBQ's today and had a look at the big one and the small one. I live alone and figured the smaller one will be more than enough as I can cook for several people on it, I think. I don't generally have huge gatherings at home, as I live in a small flat. But I am in the process of building a house so maybe I should plan ahead....

Assuming 95%+ of the use of it will be cooking for a single person, is it wasteful to use a big one? I was wondering tonight if I wanted to cook a steak and a couple of potatoes or something in the big and the small, would the big one take more briquets ? If it does then it seems awfully wasteful for me to go with the big one - I'd be better with the small for the next year or so. Then add a bigger one when I'm in a position to do some entertaining smile

Anyway a quick response would be appreciated as I've already reserved the smaller one but not paid for it, and meant to be picking it up tomorrow afternoon when I could get hold of a suitable car. I'm sure they won't have any problem in me changing the order to a more expensive one.

btw, 12 euros for bags of briquets, is that about right? Seems awfully expensive in comparison to supermarket stuff...

Mobile Chicane

20,740 posts

211 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
IMHO, get the larger one. For versatility in cooking / smoking.

Nothing more frustrating than having to run BBQ in 'sittings' because the thing isn't large enough.

You don't have to use all of the space in cooking for one, or two.

calibrax

4,788 posts

210 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
If you are planning on doing indirect cooking (the best thing about a Weber in my opinion!), you will only be able to use around half of the grill area, so you should definitely get the bigger 57cm one. I have the 47cm and it's ok, but I do regret not buying the 57cm from the start.

brissleboy

400 posts

169 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
As above. The 57cm is a brilliant starting point for indirect cooking and is a fantastic bit of kit. Be warned though, smoking meat will become an obsession, I first started a year ago after reading the BBQ thread on here, since then my addiction has grown and I now have a competition BBQ team! Our first comp was at Grillstock Bristol this year, we didn't do very well but had a blast! Good luck and enjoy!

Phud

1,262 posts

142 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
brissleboy said:
As above. The 57cm is a brilliant starting point for indirect cooking and is a fantastic bit of kit. Be warned though, smoking meat will become an obsession, I first started a year ago after reading the BBQ thread on here, since then my addiction has grown and I now have a competition BBQ team! Our first comp was at Grillstock Bristol this year, we didn't do very well but had a blast! Good luck and enjoy!
+1 here, I have a 57 and due to smoking I am now looking at a smokey mountain

brissleboy

400 posts

169 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
Phud said:
brissleboy said:
As above. The 57cm is a brilliant starting point for indirect cooking and is a fantastic bit of kit. Be warned though, smoking meat will become an obsession, I first started a year ago after reading the BBQ thread on here, since then my addiction has grown and I now have a competition BBQ team! Our first comp was at Grillstock Bristol this year, we didn't do very well but had a blast! Good luck and enjoy!
+1 here, I have a 57 and due to smoking I am now looking at a smokey mountain
I went ProQ Frontier route, been perfectly happy with it and used by many, much cheaper too... talking to the guys on the circuit, it is harder to maintain temps with the larger Excel. I did 2 x 5kg shoulders on my Frontier weekend before last, plenty of room and only 1 coal top up for a 14 hour cook. I've just invested in a PitmasterIQ 110 so I can sleep a bit more!!

arfur

3,871 posts

213 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
brissleboy said:
Phud said:
brissleboy said:
As above. The 57cm is a brilliant starting point for indirect cooking and is a fantastic bit of kit. Be warned though, smoking meat will become an obsession, I first started a year ago after reading the BBQ thread on here, since then my addiction has grown and I now have a competition BBQ team! Our first comp was at Grillstock Bristol this year, we didn't do very well but had a blast! Good luck and enjoy!
+1 here, I have a 57 and due to smoking I am now looking at a smokey mountain
I went ProQ Frontier route, been perfectly happy with it and used by many, much cheaper too... talking to the guys on the circuit, it is harder to maintain temps with the larger Excel. I did 2 x 5kg shoulders on my Frontier weekend before last, plenty of room and only 1 coal top up for a 14 hour cook. I've just invested in a PitmasterIQ 110 so I can sleep a bit more!!
I have the XL version of this ... ie two shelves ... Best thing I've bought in years .. mmmm pork

brissleboy

400 posts

169 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
arfur said:
brissleboy said:
Phud said:
brissleboy said:
As above. The 57cm is a brilliant starting point for indirect cooking and is a fantastic bit of kit. Be warned though, smoking meat will become an obsession, I first started a year ago after reading the BBQ thread on here, since then my addiction has grown and I now have a competition BBQ team! Our first comp was at Grillstock Bristol this year, we didn't do very well but had a blast! Good luck and enjoy!
+1 here, I have a 57 and due to smoking I am now looking at a smokey mountain
I went ProQ Frontier route, been perfectly happy with it and used by many, much cheaper too... talking to the guys on the circuit, it is harder to maintain temps with the larger Excel. I did 2 x 5kg shoulders on my Frontier weekend before last, plenty of room and only 1 coal top up for a 14 hour cook. I've just invested in a PitmasterIQ 110 so I can sleep a bit more!!
I have the XL version of this ... ie two shelves ... Best thing I've bought in years .. mmmm pork
The Frontier has 2 shelves too, just not as big.

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
Thanks everyone, went with the bigger one in the end. I don't think I'm going to get it setup today but it'll definitely be getting taken for a test run tomorrow.

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
Got it outside now, I'm not even hungry after a hospital visit today but think I might fire it up and try and do the chicken I've got in the fridge. Just watching a couple of youtube videos on it first laugh


Blueprint

2,067 posts

233 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
KFC said:
Got it outside now, I'm not even hungry after a hospital visit today but think I might fire it up and try and do the chicken I've got in the fridge. Just watching a couple of youtube videos on it first laugh

I bought more or less the same set up as you, last week and have used it 4 times already!
Once to burn it in, once for a pizza, once for some indirect smoked fish and once yesterday for some direct chargrilled chicken!

I'm just getting started with this thing but it appears to be a very versatile unit. Initially I was going to the shop to get a Smokey Mountain but walked out with the Kettle.
Youtube is full of cooking videos on the Kettle - I am hooked and can only see it getting worse from here.....

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Wednesday 16th July 2014
quotequote all
Do you need to burn it in?

I've got the chicken in, no idea how it's going as I'm at the pub..,

brissleboy

400 posts

169 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
KFC said:
Do you need to burn it in?

I've got the chicken in, no idea how it's going as I'm at the pub..,
Awesome. How was it, did you survive the night?

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
The chicken was excellent. It was showing 350 degrees when I put it in, but the coals were still burning. When I got home 3.5 hours later it was showing 230 or so I think.

The thing is, the chicken was woeful quality wise - I went to a really bad supermarket and they only had cheap chickens at 2.50 euros per kg. So given how well it turned out, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when you actually put quality meat in it laugh

brissleboy

400 posts

169 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
KFC said:
The chicken was excellent. It was showing 350 degrees when I put it in, but the coals were still burning. When I got home 3.5 hours later it was showing 230 or so I think.

The thing is, the chicken was woeful quality wise - I went to a really bad supermarket and they only had cheap chickens at 2.50 euros per kg. So given how well it turned out, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when you actually put quality meat in it laugh
This is especially true for brisket, buy the best quality you can!

And get a decent thermometer, the one in lid is a guide at best, I use a Maverick ET-732 wireless thermometer bought on Amazon for about £60, well worth it in my opinion.

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
I'm undecided whats going in it tonight. Maybe a duck? I'll be passing a far better supermarket with a proper butchers counter in it later so I'm going to have far more choice.

I was thinking ribs but I'd rather marinade them for a day before I do those.

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Okay, another Weber question.

I have the weber long lasting briquettes (burn for 240 minutes) and I have the regular weber briquets (180 minutes). Both are working well for cooking things indirect... I'm getting some great results with a full bird in there for 3-4 hours. But these briquets aren't cheap, it seems a waste of money to use them when you want to cook something in direct heat. I done a kebab for breakfast today, 10 minutes or so direct heat. I tried to use cheap supermarket stuff:



I lit it in my weber chimney and even the big chunks ended up burning so much they were pretty much dropping out the bottom of it through the spaces. Carrying the chimney over to the bbq ended up with loads of roasting hot coals all over the patio.

Whats the solution when you just want to cook a few sausages or something under direct heat for 10 mins? Surely its not wasting your expensive 3 hour burn briquetts?

I realise I could have partly solved todays issue by lighting the chimney while it was sitting on the weber, at least any dropping through land where they're meant to be then.

What are you guys using when you want to do a very quick , direct cook?

thanks

Mobile Chicane

20,740 posts

211 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
KFC said:
What are you guys using when you want to do a very quick , direct cook?
The grill, indoors.

KFC

Original Poster:

3,687 posts

129 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Mobile Chicane said:
The grill, indoors.
I don't have a grill indoors laugh

I suppose I could fry or oven cook things, but in this weather you really want to be cooking outside!

Fotic

719 posts

128 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
KFC said:
Carrying the chimney over to the bbq ended up with loads of roasting hot coals all over the patio.
I think you're using the chimney wrongly!

I light mine in situ and then just up-end it when the top coals are grey. Why are you lighting it elsewhere?