Even Fire

dmourati

How do I get my fire to burn more evenly when grilling? I light in three places with a propane torch, stir, and then put on the grate. Invariably, I wind up with a hot spot. This makes cooking more challenging as I have meat/vegetable temperatures and grill temperatures to keep track of.

Thanks.

feef706

Welcome. How long are you letting it burn before putting the meat on? Some wait 30 mins to an hour. I personally do not but I usually let it go 15-20 mins. I usually end up with one hot spot, typically in the center but I have just learned to deal with it.

fairchase

Can Get a charcoal chimney full cherry red then spread it evenly over your bed of unlit lump.

RRP

Amount of time burning from the start plus time with the dome open is the combination that works for me. OTOH what level of dome temperature is your ultimate goal? If left wide open too long then you have a towering inferno. Also what size BGE are you asking about? 

dmourati

Hi, mines a LBGE. I usually wait 15-30 minutes before placing the grate on and starting the cook. Today I was doing chicken thighs and potatoes direct. I noticed a major hot spot on the right side of the grill and low spots along the left edge. Today I was shooting for and accomplished a steady 400F dome temp.

RRP

I'm not being a smart*ss but with a BGE 15 to 30 is a big range! Was it 15 or 30? When in that time frame did you close your dome? Did you adjust your bottom vent as air in take feeds the fire. After you closed your dome how long did you wait before starting your cook? Your temperature/fire needs to stabilize.

dmourati

That's OK, @RRP. Let's see if I can be more precise. Today's routine was:

T(m)
00: Apply rub to Chicken. Put in refrigerator.
10: Light lump in three places with propane torch. Bottom open full. Top cap open full.
25: Stir coals. Put on grate. Close top to ~1/4 inch max gap, petals closed. Close bottom vent to about 1".
30: Thin blue smoke. Put on potatoes. Set timer for 1hr.
45: Put on chicken thighs.
60: Take off chicken thighs as each piece reached 165F.
90: Take off potatoes. 

RRP

BTW even the direction and velocity of the wind coupled with the direction of the wind in relation to where your bottom vent is situated has a bearing. Just trying to nail down some of the variables to help you. OK? 

feef706

fairchase said:

Can Get a charcoal chimney full cherry red then spread it evenly over your bed of unlit lump.

And I also do this, the chimney starter has been my best friend, fill it according to the temp you are going for, maybe half full for low and slow, max it out for high temp. My chimney is the smaller of the two Weber versions I have seen 

Hans61

why complain about natural two zone grilling? Lots of guys would kill for your secret :-)

RRP

Your times from start to putting the chicken on sounds good, but I'm wondering what dome themperature you had if those thighs were done in just 15 minute! Have you calibrated your dome thermometers? For instance I typically cook my chicken parts at 350 for 35 minutes and then flip for another 20 and I prefer 170 for dark meat but 165 for white. 

dmourati

Thanks for the tips. I'll continue to experiment. The good news is the chicken and potatoes came out great. No concerns there. I guess I just need a more consistent setup routine.

SemolinaPilchard

RRP said:

Your times from start to putting the chicken on sounds good, but I'm wondering what dome themperature you had if those thighs were done in just 15 minute! Have you calibrated your dome thermometers? For instance I typically cook my chicken parts at 350 for 35 minutes and then flip for another 20 and I prefer 170 for dark meat but 165 for white. 

I had always read that 165 was the temp for white meat and 175 for dark, which included foodsafety.gov. Now they are all saying 165 for both. Makes for juicier chicken.

RRP

dmourati said:

Thanks for the tips. I'll continue to experiment. The good news is the chicken and potatoes came out great. No concerns there. I guess I just need a more consistent setup routine.

Fine! I still suggest you check the calibration of your dome thermometer. 15 minutes and your chicken is done sounds like one helluva hot fire under those bird parts!

Mattman3969

To get a more even spread fire for grilling  you should light in 3-4 places leave dome open and bottom vent closed.  The fire will go where the O2 is. If the bottom vent is open fire will go down, if bottom vent is closed fire will spread across top of lump.  Once you close the dome slightly open the bottom vent but leave daisy off the top.   Control you fire from bottom vent.  

Engine6

Mattman3969 said:

To get a more even spread fire for grilling  you should light in 3-4 places leave dome open and bottom vent closed.  The fire will go where the O2 is. If the bottom vent is open fire will go down, if bottom vent is closed fire will spread across top of lump.  Once you close the dome slightly open the bottom vent but leave daisy off the top.   Control you fire from bottom vent.  

Hmm, never heard of this method. Very interesting