Charcoal Grills

[ravkesef]

15 years ago i purchased a Weber Gas Genesis Grill. Got tired of monkeying around with the charcoal.

Here are the plusses:
turn on the gas, click the igniter switch and you're up and running at temp in less than 10 minutes.
no messy cleanup, relative to charcoal. Turn it off, and you're done. Also means that you haven't wasted a ton of charcoal to cook 4 hot dogs.
dripping fat gives you that grilled taste, almost as much as charcoal, and regardless of method, the tasty carcinogens in both are approximately equal.
Want smokey flavor, put wood chips in tin foil, pierce and in minutes you've got all the smoke you could want.
Precise temperature control. particularly nice when you're looking for a real low temp.
I can do a beer can chicken that gives me the crispiest, most flavorful skin I've ever encountered. My kids actually fight over it.
virtually industructible. As I said, I've had mine for 15 years and it shows no signs of needing replacement.

here are the minuses:
max temp is nowhere as hot as with wood or charcoal. This means that you have to do a bit of artistry with a steak, and it's harder to get the perfect grill marks.

virtually industructible. As I said, I've had mine for 15 years and it shows no signs of needing replacement. makes it hard to justify buying a new toy, but, ...

I also have a smoker--a brinkman electric. the water pan helps maintain temperature, and you have your choice of woods to use. I've smoked Turkeys, ducks, briskets, beef ribs, you name it. (everything except pork! Everything incredibly moist and flavorful. Downside: Ambient temperataure under 55 degrees, and you can forget it. It won't cook through.
Here are my questions: I'm thinking about adding a Grill Dome to the inventory. I'm fairly confident that I can learn to maintain the temperature, etc. Is this the sort of item that you would use to grill a steak on? We do our steaks about 2 inches thick, like them rare to medium rare. Would you do a steak with the lid on? and if so, how would you keep it from becoming overdone? On the flip side of that coin, How low an ambient temperature can you work with on the Grill Dome. Also, how about low temperature smoking? e.g., I like to cure a pastrami (takes about 10 days,) and then cool smoke it. Will the Grill Dome do that? (i.e, temp not to exceed 125. The trick is to bath the brisket in tons of smoke, but not cook it. The cooking is actually done by simmering the fully smoked meat.
Ditto, certaiin types of fish take well to cold smoking.
appreciate anyone's advice.

 

[ouch]

here are the minuses:
max temp is nowhere as hot as with wood or charcoal. This means that you have to do a bit of artistry with a steak, and it's harder to get the perfect grill marks.

virtually industructible. As I said, I've had mine for 15 years and it shows no signs of needing replacement. makes it hard to justify buying a new toy, but, ...

I got mine with enameled cast iron grates, instead of enameled steel. Much better heat retention, and grill marks galore.

Or........... you can always use my cast iron pan on the grill trick. I get the best tasting burgers that way, too.

 

[kozulich]

Here are my questions: I'm thinking about adding a Grill Dome to the inventory. I'm fairly confident that I can learn to maintain the temperature, etc. Is this the sort of item that you would use to grill a steak on? We do our steaks about 2 inches thick, like them rare to medium rare. Would you do a steak with the lid on? and if so, how would you keep it from becoming overdone? On the flip side of that coin, How low an ambient temperature can you work with on the Grill Dome. Also, how about low temperature smoking? e.g., I like to cure a pastrami (takes about 10 days,) and then cool smoke it. Will the Grill Dome do that? (i.e, temp not to exceed 125. The trick is to bath the brisket in tons of smoke, but not cook it. The cooking is actually done by simmering the fully smoked meat.
Ditto, certaiin types of fish take well to cold smoking.
appreciate anyone's advice.

I do grill steaks on mine. I take the second level grate and flip it upside down, that gives you a grilling level literally an inch or two above the hot lump charcoal. On this level, I sear the meat on both sides. When the outsides look good, I'll raise it up to the standard grilling level, close the lid and then let it cook to the desired interior doneness (medium rare for me).
As for the lowest temp, I've never tried to get it below 200, but 200 is easy to maintain. I don't see any reason it couldn't be done with a small load of charcoal and the vents nearly closed.

 

[Chevyguy]

Hey Dennis,
Check out what charbroil has to offer . They offer quite a few different grill combinations that wont break the bank. And they do hold up for years of use with minimal upkeep. Got mine at home depot.
Happy shopping.
Clayton

 

[kozulich]

I do grill steaks on mine. I take the second level grate and flip it upside down, that gives you a grilling level literally an inch or two above the hot lump charcoal. On this level, I sear the meat on both sides. When the outsides look good, I'll raise it up to the standard grilling level, close the lid and then let it cook to the desired interior doneness (medium rare for me).
As for the lowest temp, I've never tried to get it below 200, but 200 is easy to maintain. I don't see any reason it couldn't be done with a small load of charcoal and the vents nearly closed.

Eric, I did some checking and the guys on the forums report being able to sustain a grill dome temp of 145-150. Nobody got lower than that. I don't know how long you smoke your pastrami at 125, but if its for a short time, I'm sure you could get lower than 145.

Regarding the steaks, here's a good thread discussing two different ways to do it.

 

[mrob]

Boy, the guys on that board are waaaay obsessive about cooking on their grills.

I can't imagine taking anything like that seriously enough to actually join a web forum and trade messages back and forth all day.

 

[kozulich]

Boy, the guys on that board are waaaay obsessive about cooking on their grills.

I can't imagine taking anything like that seriously enough to actually join a web forum and trade messages back and forth all day.

I'd bet they'd feel the same about us and shaving.

 

[Buzz]

I also have a smoker--a brinkman electric. the water pan helps maintain temperature, and you have your choice of woods to use. I've smoked Turkeys, ducks, briskets, beef ribs, you name it. (everything except pork! Everything incredibly moist and flavorful. Downside: Ambient temperataure under 55 degrees, and you can forget it. It won't cook through.

I used to have a Brinkmann electric smoker. It wasn't bad. It was the "gateway drug" that led me to the Big Green Egg.

I found there were two keys to success in colder weather.

(1) The electric just doesn't get hot enough to ward off really cold temps, so get a smoker jacket. Click for some suggestions.

(2) Protect your smoker from the wind. Any kind of wind block will help keep your smoker temp stabilized, but your house setup dictates a lot of your options.

Here are my questions: I'm thinking about adding a Grill Dome to the inventory. I'm fairly confident that I can learn to maintain the temperature, etc.

I imagine controlling the Grill Dome temp would be just as easy as the BGE.

It takes a couple of cooks to get the hang of it, but the temperature control is not difficult. You can precisely control the airflow to fine tune your desired temperature. I typically try to stabilze a bit on the low side, since it is easy to open the vent up just a bit and raise the temp.

For long low 'n slow cooks you can even buy power draft, which is a fan that is controlled by a thermostat (called a BBQ Guru). Temperature control with those is no more difficult than your oven. Set a dial on the controller and your cooker will sit at that temp until you run out of fuel.

Is this the sort of item that you would use to grill a steak on? We do our steaks about 2 inches thick, like them rare to medium rare. Would you do a steak with the lid on? and if so, how would you keep it from becoming overdone?

Steaks are great.

I grill them with the lid closed. Just open the dome to flip.

I toss them onto a 600+ degree grill, flip at 90 seconds. Sear the other side for 90 seconds. Take them off to rest for 20 minutes while the grill temp drops down below 400. Then on the grill for 2-3 minutes, 2-3 minutes longer. Done.

On the flip side of that coin, How low an ambient temperature can you work with on the Grill Dome. Also, how about low temperature smoking? e.g., I like to cure a pastrami (takes about 10 days,) and then cool smoke it. Will the Grill Dome do that? (i.e, temp not to exceed 125. The trick is to bath the brisket in tons of smoke, but not cook it. The cooking is actually done by simmering the fully smoked meat.
Ditto, certaiin types of fish take well to cold smoking.
appreciate anyone's advice.

Cold smoking is a whole different beast.

These cookers are so efficient that even the smallest fire will eventually build enough heat to push the temperature too high. Plus, really tiny fires are hard to keep lit.

The right equipment for cold smoking is an offset smoker.

I've seen photos of offset smoking rigs using a Dome/Egg to generate the smoke and a dryer vent pipe to send it over into a chamber This allows the smoke to cool off en route. This is workable, but I bet it would take some tinkering to get right.

There are recipes for pastrami that start off using corned beef. I haven't tired it, but some people have reported good results.

 

[JohnDoom]

I know this thread is a couple of years unused, but it seemed like the most logical place to post my inquiry.

I recently picked up a Weber kettle charcoal 'one touch' grill, and some natural lump Kingston charcoal. I also received a charcoal chimney, but I've been having a hell of a time keeping the coals lit/hot.

Should I have the underside holes open whilst cooking? If I wanted to do chicken breasts or burgers, would I also want to keep the top ventilation holes totally open as well?

Any, hints/suggestions/common knowledge that everyone knows but me, would be Greatly appreciated.

 

[JPM]

If you primarily want to grill only, I would go with a Weber. They have a new 26" grill that is awesome. If you are thinking about doing any smoking as well as grilling, I would recommend the Big Green Egg.

There is a significant price differential. A 22" Weber is around $140, the 26" is around $290 and depending on what size, a BGE is from around $800-$1,200.

It all depends on what you are looking for. I have 6 grills, all charcoal or wood. But if I could only have one, it would be the BGE. It is by far the most versatile.

 

[danek]

What works best for me is:

To light the coals: Fill the chiminey with charcoal, place one wad of newspaper, drizzled with any cooking oil under and light. Dump when coals are almost totally red (about 7 min).
The bottom vent is used to regulate heat; wide open for full throttle, barely open for low-n-slow, closed might kill the fire completely.
The top vent should remain fully open all the time, unless you're smoking. But be careful, you don't want to smother the fire or impart shmootz (technical term) on your food.

 

[timmy]

When my cheap propane grill blew over in a summer storm 3 years ago, I picked up a Weber Smokey Joe Silver Grill

Nothing special. Great way to try out charcoal grilling. Great to take to beach and tail gate with. I didnt need a huge grill as I was single.

About a year ago, my GF bought me a Holland propane Grill for xmas. Amazing, this thing has no flare ups, can smoke in it. I have even seen standing rib roast done on one.



I still use the charcoal weber when I have a lazy afternoon and want to enjoy the cooking process.

 

[JohnDoom]

Thanks Danek,

I think the problem was I was leaving the bottom vents in the closed position. I thought they were merely for attempting to pull any ash out after cooking. I'll give it a try tonight and see how it goes.

 

[danek]

Let me know how it works. For regular grilling, I leave the vents wide open to feed the fire with as much oxygen as it'll take.

 

[WithTheGrain]

Thanks Danek,

I think the problem was I was leaving the bottom vents in the closed position. I thought they were merely for attempting to pull any ash out after cooking. I'll give it a try tonight and see how it goes.

Yeah, that won't do you much good. There are various ideas as far as temp control on the webber, but personally a just keep the bottom open for max heat. I will then pour my charcoal out on against the side of the grill which results in some of the coals up high and others low... It is hard to describe, but check out my high tech ascii art-- the \\ lines are the coals, the { is the side of the grill and the == is the grill grate itself....

1 2 3
=======
{\\
{ \\\
{ \\\\

The end result of all this is that the area on the grill marked 1 closest to the coals gets real hot and great for searing a steak. The areas over 2 are good for pulling back after the sear but still getting some cooking done. The areas over 3 is useful for keeping things warm as I finish cooking off other things. This general idea comes out of Christ Schlessinger's "let the flames begin" cook book and it works really well for most things. The biggest benefit is you can have multiple heat zones if you are cooking different types of things whereas if you are using the air flow to regulate temps you really only have one main temp zone (unless you use it in conjunction with another temp control method...).

Anyway, there are a million tricks to grilling and I am sure that you will be able to find a method that works best for you. Good luck!

 

[SilkySmooth]

When my cheap propane grill blew over in a summer storm 3 years ago, I picked up a Weber Smokey Joe Silver Grill

Nothing special. Great way to try out charcoal grilling. Great to take to beach and tail gate with. I didnt need a huge grill as I was single.

About a year ago, my GF bought me a Holland propane Grill for xmas. Amazing, this thing has no flare ups, can smoke in it. I have even seen standing rib roast done on one.



I still use the charcoal weber when I have a lazy afternoon and want to enjoy the cooking process.

I love my Holland Grill, but the only downside is that it can take longer to make simple things. It takes at least a half hour to cook burgers (10 min to warm up and 10 minutes per side). They're great tasting and hard to beat, but 30 minutes? Come on!

 

[langod]

... It is hard to describe, but check out my high tech ascii art-- the \\ lines are the coals, the { is the side of the grill and the == is the grill grate itself....

1 2 3
=======
{\\
{ \\\
{ \\\\

Interesting, I'll have to try that. I usually do it this way:
1 being hottest for searing, 3 being cooler for indirect.
(ignore dots -- they're just for spacing)


...3...2....1....2....3
==============
{............\\\..............}
{..........\\\\\\...........}
{.......\\\\\\\\\\.......}



Anyone else have any Weber strategies?

 

[Dennis]

Whoa, thread bump! I ended up getting a Weber with the attached table. Been 2 years, still love it. I will look at a BGE after this wears out, depending on finances of course.

 

[WGPower]

I would have to recommend a Webber Kettle Grill too. Easy to roast or grill!

 

[Jim]

Whoa, thread bump! I ended up getting a Weber with the attached table. Been 2 years, still love it. I will look at a BGE after this wears out, depending on finances of course.

My kettle is from 1996 and is perfect, better to go with plan "b" as they dont wear out!