Lighting enough fuel to fill 57cm grill

[StuartMc]

Hi. I’ve recently started and come to love  BBQing over coals vs gas. 
 

i have a 57cm classic Weber kettle grill and my question is about how to light enough briquettes to use the whole grill for direct heat cooking?

i have a starter chimney and it’s amazing but only lights enough fuel for about one 3rd of the grill. It’s fine most of the time but when I have friends over and only need direct heat I could do with more and lighting the starter again would take too long. 

[hoogl]

You could try and light some in the Weber either using the wee baskets or just bank coals at the side. That way by the time the chimney is up to temp they should either be at temp or almost there and you could dump the chimney in the middle. 

Alternatively you could get a second chimney and light twice as much fuel if you feel that one isn't enough for a full kettle. 

Are you using briquettes or lump? I think Lump wood be better fuel choice for a more direct cooking. 

[valve90210]

Multiple starter chimney owner here! That's how I do it, it's the simplest way. I think a fair few of up here probably own a handful of chimneys.

 

[Wade]

I too have multiple chimneys, however they do come in different sizes. I find the large one is sufficient to give graduated coals over one half of the grill - which is ideal for most of my grilling. I sear the food over the hot side and then move it to the "cool" side to finish cooking with the lid closed.

What kind of things are you grilling that require hot coals over the entire grill?

[Chef Kevin]

Like Wade said creating several heat zones on a charcoal grill is the best way of controlling the heat.

When I use my 12 year old rectagular charcoal grill I create 3 heat zones to better control the heat (see photo.

After all, if you were in the kitchen you wouldn't leave all the burners of your stove up high during the whole of the cooking process.

[Justin]

I tend do indirect first then sear after if grilling. Reverse sear

[Wade]

We all have our preferred methods... I find that I get a better flavour and have more control of the end result if I sear first as there is less chance of the meat becoming overcooked. I find this especially important when cooking burgers and chicken.

When I make burgers fresh (or even if I buy them) I will always chill or freeze them first before cooking. When you then place them over the high heat the meat does not immediately start to char and you have more control over the colour produced by the sear and also the depth if flavour that is produced through the maillard reaction. The sear then seals the surface of the meat keeping the juices inside. At this point the inside is still raw/chilled/frozen. When you then complete the cooking by convection on the "cool" side of the grill the flavours of the sear have time to penetrate the patty and also less of the juices are lost. As soon as the patty is up to temperature then is is ready.

I like my burgers to be moist and on the "rare" side. If i have ground my own meat i will cook them to 65C but if i have used shop bought mince or ready made patties I will cook them to 73C. I found that by cooking indirectly first and then searing after, it was too easy for them to become overdone - as the sear continued to raise the internal temperature. More of a problem when cooking relatively thin burgers.

[AdamG]

2 hours ago, Wade said:

We all have our preferred methods... I find that I get a better flavour and have more control of the end result if I sear first as there is less chance of the meat becoming overcooked. I find this especially important when cooking burgers and chicken.

When I make burgers fresh (or even if I buy them) I will always chill or freeze them first before cooking. When you then place them over the high heat the meat does not immediately start to char and you have more control over the colour produced by the sear and also the depth if flavour that is produced through the maillard reaction. The sear then seals the surface of the meat keeping the juices inside. At this point the inside is still raw/chilled/frozen. When you then complete the cooking by convection on the "cool" side of the grill the flavours of the sear have time to penetrate the patty and also less of the juices are lost. As soon as the patty is up to temperature then is is ready.

I like my burgers to be moist and on the "rare" side. If i have ground my own meat i will cook them to 65C but if i have used shop bought mince or ready made patties I will cook them to 73C. I found that by cooking indirectly first and then searing after, it was too easy for them to become overdone - as the sear continued to raise the internal temperature. More of a problem when cooking relatively thin burgers.

Never tried cooking burgers from frozen before and the way you describe it certainly sounds great. I may have to try it next time👍

[Wade]

Thet don't need to be in the freezer for long. 30 minutes is usually sufficient so the outside is hard and the centre is chilled.

[OrbandBullet]

On 7/6/2023 at 7:59 AM, Wade said:

We all have our preferred methods... I find that I get a better flavour and have more control of the end result if I sear first as there is less chance of the meat becoming overcooked. I find this especially important when cooking burgers and chicken.

When I make burgers fresh (or even if I buy them) I will always chill or freeze them first before cooking. When you then place them over the high heat the meat does not immediately start to char and you have more control over the colour produced by the sear and also the depth if flavour that is produced through the maillard reaction. The sear then seals the surface of the meat keeping the juices inside. At this point the inside is still raw/chilled/frozen. When you then complete the cooking by convection on the "cool" side of the grill the flavours of the sear have time to penetrate the patty and also less of the juices are lost. As soon as the patty is up to temperature then is is ready.

I like my burgers to be moist and on the "rare" side. If i have ground my own meat i will cook them to 65C but if i have used shop bought mince or ready made patties I will cook them to 73C. I found that by cooking indirectly first and then searing after, it was too easy for them to become overdone - as the sear continued to raise the internal temperature. More of a problem when cooking relatively thin burgers.

Same here Wade. I do this all the time, especially with steaks. Give them 45 mins in the freezer, (pre-rubbed), then on to a screaming hot grill. Get a nice char on both sides then move to the cooler side of the grill, stick a probe in, and bring them up to preferred temp. Since the steak is chilled there is very little chance of stuffing up the cook. I've done them from frozen before as a giggle, & they turned out good. Just take a bit longer to cook. I rarely cook a steak that's less than 1.5" thick, so even more wiggle-room to play with.

I've tried the reverse sear, and in my opinion it's a bit of a gamble.....or I'm just useless at it.