Cooking with a Weber Kettle...
Discussion
...Or any kettle really.
What I'm trying to get to the bottom of is air vent management. The Weber website suggests that both top and bottom vent ought to be fully open at all times - is this standard operating procedure? Do some types of cooking require careful vent management?
What's the lowdown on kettle BBQ cooking...?
What I'm trying to get to the bottom of is air vent management. The Weber website suggests that both top and bottom vent ought to be fully open at all times - is this standard operating procedure? Do some types of cooking require careful vent management?
What's the lowdown on kettle BBQ cooking...?
It depends on what temperature you want, and this in turn depends on what fuel you are using.
Lump wood burns hotter and quicker. I tend to keep both vents fully open, sustaining 180-200 degrees, else the fuel dies.
Briquettes burn slower than lump wood, producing less heat, but burn for longer at a far more consistent rate. I usually have the bottom fully open and vary the top vent depending on what i'm cooking and thus was temperature i want.
Lump wood burns hotter and quicker. I tend to keep both vents fully open, sustaining 180-200 degrees, else the fuel dies.
Briquettes burn slower than lump wood, producing less heat, but burn for longer at a far more consistent rate. I usually have the bottom fully open and vary the top vent depending on what i'm cooking and thus was temperature i want.
I've done a fair bit of experimenting with my weber kettle this year, I guess I've probably used it around 30 times this year now so I'm happy to chuck my 2p in.
Basically, the beauty of the weber kettle is the ability to cook indirectly and also smoke using wood chips at the same time.
In terms of vent control, because I've yet to cook a full on joint (aside from a spatched chicken), I haven't really got to grips with precisely how this should work - sufficed to say from what I've read, once your coals are white, you close the vents and then slowly open them to ensure the internal temp remains the same. Basically, the more air you allow to the coals, the faster and hotter they burn.
The method I use for cooking anything from skewers to burgers to sausages to chicken is basic but the results are always pretty good.
1) Set one of the dividers up a third of the way across the base and fill this third with charcoal briquettes and get it burning
2) Once the coals are burning evenly and ready to cook on, put your soaked woodchips in a tinfoil bowl and place directly onto the coals
3) Wait until the wood has started smoking a little then add your meat to the other side of the barbie (1/3rd coal works well as you then still have 2/3rds left of the grill to cook on)
4) Stick the lid on, leave the bottom vents totally open and close the top vent 50% to retain more smoke inside.
Leave like this for however long the food takes to cook and it'll turn out great. You don't need to turn the meat if cooking using this method and it's best to leave the lid for as long as you can (resist the urge to keep checking) because otherwise the heat and smoke escapes very quickly.
Basically, the beauty of the weber kettle is the ability to cook indirectly and also smoke using wood chips at the same time.
In terms of vent control, because I've yet to cook a full on joint (aside from a spatched chicken), I haven't really got to grips with precisely how this should work - sufficed to say from what I've read, once your coals are white, you close the vents and then slowly open them to ensure the internal temp remains the same. Basically, the more air you allow to the coals, the faster and hotter they burn.
The method I use for cooking anything from skewers to burgers to sausages to chicken is basic but the results are always pretty good.
1) Set one of the dividers up a third of the way across the base and fill this third with charcoal briquettes and get it burning
2) Once the coals are burning evenly and ready to cook on, put your soaked woodchips in a tinfoil bowl and place directly onto the coals
3) Wait until the wood has started smoking a little then add your meat to the other side of the barbie (1/3rd coal works well as you then still have 2/3rds left of the grill to cook on)
4) Stick the lid on, leave the bottom vents totally open and close the top vent 50% to retain more smoke inside.
Leave like this for however long the food takes to cook and it'll turn out great. You don't need to turn the meat if cooking using this method and it's best to leave the lid for as long as you can (resist the urge to keep checking) because otherwise the heat and smoke escapes very quickly.
been cooking joints of meat for years now on my Weber Kettle. I normally use two dividers, put coals on each side (stacked up) tin foil tray down the middle, with water if you wish to make gravy at the same time, then stick the meat on the grill over the tray.
I leave the bottom vent open and have the top vent half open.
One of the best bits of kit I bought, was the chimney for lighting the coals, works really well, and no more building pyramids of coals to light
Coals are ready to go in about 20mins, then pour them out
I leave the bottom vent open and have the top vent half open.
One of the best bits of kit I bought, was the chimney for lighting the coals, works really well, and no more building pyramids of coals to light
Coals are ready to go in about 20mins, then pour them out
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