"Jim" > wrote in message
>
> Couldn't see how 2 sheets of paper was gonna make all this charcoal ash
> up so I set it on my turkey fryer base and turned on the gas.

Yep, them engineers at Weber don't have a clue. Glad you thought to do
something different rather than try following the instructrions.

> Don't know if I went overboard or what, but by
> the time the top pieces ashed over, the chimney was about half full.
> Didn't know what to do so I threw it in the kettle. Chucked the wet
> hickory on, put the top grate on and thew on the meat.
>
> It smoked like crazy

Soggy wood does that.

>
> Problems came in that I'm sure I didn't have enough charcoal..

You lost a bunch of it getting it started using the space shuttle booster.


>
> How can I get the temp up? More charcoal would obviously help but I won't
> have time to wait for another chimney full to be ready. Did I ruin the
> lump by feeding it the steady flame from the gas burner? I'm thinking I
> didn't need the newspaper at all if I was gonna use the gas burner.

And you don't need the gas burner with the newspaper. Lump starts much
easier than briqettes and you can add lump at any time withoug having to
start it.

>
>
> Also, a good bit of the cooked charcoal fell through the grate. I've read
> somewhere that the spacing on the Weber charcoal grate is really a bit
> wide. Would it be ok to lay a piece of chicken wire or somesuch over it
> to prevent small pieces from falling through?

Sure, why not?

>
>
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...want to use it some more
> this weekend.

Vents opened properly?
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in
:


> Yep, them engineers at Weber don't have a clue. Glad you thought to do
> something different rather than try following the instructrions.

Technically the chimney wasn't made by Weber but smart-ass comments are oh
so helpful. Thanks much.


> You lost a bunch of it getting it started using the space shuttle
> booster.

See, that was so much better...thanks.


> And you don't need the gas burner with the newspaper. Lump starts
> much easier than briqettes and you can add lump at any time withoug
> having to start it.

Even better...good info. I'll try it.


> Vents opened properly?

Yep, had both the bottom cleanouts open and the vent in the lid.

Jim wrote:
> Soaked the chips for a few hours...was in no rush, waiting for the
> wife to get home from work.

Never... ever... soak ya chips. Unless ya want steamed food. Leave
em as is and set them to the side of your pile of lump. Better yet,
get chunks next time rather than chips. Same process, longer smokin
period.
>
> Cracked open the box of lump which had some huge pieces (as tall as
> the chimney). Stuck 2 sheets of today's newspaper under the chimney,
> then filled it with the lump.
>
> Couldn't see how 2 sheets of paper was gonna make all this charcoal
> ash up so I set it on my turkey fryer base and turned on the gas.
> Figured I could keep that going and the time it took for the lump to
> be ready should be greatly reduced. Don't know if I went overboard
> or
> what, but by the time the top pieces ashed over, the chimney was
> about half full. Didn't know what to do so I threw it in the kettle.
> Chucked the wet hickory on, put the top grate on and thew on the
> meat.

Unlike charcoal that has to ash over before ready for use, lump only
needs to get burnin to be ready for use. No need to fill the chimney
full of lump. Unless ya got some little ol' dinky chimney, use half
a chimney full to get started.

> Problems came in that I'm sure I didn't have enough charcoal...Oh, I
> stuck the probe of my digital thermometer (not a Polder, but works
> just as well) through half of an apple (yeah, an apple....didn't
> have
> a potato handy) and set it near the food. Temp never got above
> 270...food took forever to cook. The burgers were real tasty, the
> sausage had more of a smoked flavor to it (low heat, lots of
> smoke....duh) but it seemed a but undercooked so we threw them into
> the nuker for a minute just to be safe.

For burgers, ya need a good hot fire up near the cookin grate. Build
ya a hot enuff fire that when ya hold ya hand over the fire at the
place you'll put your patties, ya can't keep it there more than a
couple secs. Them burgers'll cook up good then.

> How can I get the temp up? More charcoal would obviously help but I
> won't have time to wait for another chimney full to be ready. Did I
> ruin the lump by feeding it the steady flame from the gas burner?
> I'm
> thinking I didn't need the newspaper at all if I was gonna use the
> gas burner.

Ya only need one chimney of lump to get ya fire started. When it's
ready, dump in onto ya fire grate; then add more unlit over the top of
it til ya get the fire I mentoned above. Then it's time to cook. How
long will it take for the unlit to get goin? Not too long; maybe
another 10 minutes if ya leave the cooker open and there's plenty of
air circulatin inside.

> Also, a good bit of the cooked charcoal fell through the grate. I've
> read somewhere that the spacing on the Weber charcoal grate is
> really
> a bit wide. Would it be ok to lay a piece of chicken wire or
> somesuch
> over it to prevent small pieces from falling through?

Order another charcoal grate from Weber if ya can't find one locally.
Put it crossways from the other one. Should take care of most of your
drop-thrus.
--
-frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry

Did I ruin the
> lump by feeding it the steady flame from the gas burner?

Pretty much. You burned it all up before you used it.

I'm thinking I
> didn't need the newspaper at all if I was gonna use the gas burner.

Correct.


> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...want to use it some more
> this weekend.
>
>
>

You don't need to wait for lump to ash over. Just get it burning and use
it.


TFM®

"frohe" > wrote in news:Ensxe.99354$PR6.93421
@tornado.texas.rr.com:


> Never... ever... soak ya chips. Unless ya want steamed food. Leave
> em as is and set them to the side of your pile of lump. Better yet,
> get chunks next time rather than chips. Same process, longer smokin
> period.

Hmm....I'm not really trying to smoke though. I used less wet chips
tonight and didn't get near the smoke (no kidding, hehe). Was supposed to
do steak, but unexpected company came, we didn't have enough to go
around, so dinner turned into burgers again. Ah well, I'm still figuring
things out so no big deal.


> Unlike charcoal that has to ash over before ready for use, lump only
> needs to get burnin to be ready for use.

Didn't know that...


> No need to fill the chimney
> full of lump. Unless ya got some little ol' dinky chimney, use half
> a chimney full to get started.

Used a full one again tonight and this time, just used the newspaper.
MUCH BETTER! Highest I saw my thermometer go was 320 though. Still don't
know if that's high enough for grilling.


> For burgers, ya need a good hot fire up near the cookin grate.

That's a problem with Weber kettles, isn't it? Non-adjustable cookin
grate.


> Ya only need one chimney of lump to get ya fire started. When it's
> ready, dump in onto ya fire grate; then add more unlit over the top of
> it til ya get the fire I mentoned above. Then it's time to cook.

See, this is also something I didn't know....figured what you put in the
chimney "is" your fire. Didn't realize you need to add on unlit stuff to
it...though I did do this tonight as a test, but started cooking
immediately (mistake obviously).


> Order another charcoal grate from Weber if ya can't find one locally.
> Put it crossways from the other one. Should take care of most of your
> drop-thrus.

Good idea!

Thanks for the help

"TFM®" > wrote in news:r9vxe.138995$VH2.71802
@tornado.tampabay.rr.com:


>> Did I ruin the
>> lump by feeding it the steady flame from the gas burner?
>
> Pretty much. You burned it all up before you used it.
>
>> I'm thinking I
>> didn't need the newspaper at all if I was gonna use the gas burner.
>
> Correct.
>
>
>> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...want to use it some more
>> this weekend.
>>
>
> You don't need to wait for lump to ash over. Just get it burning and use
> it.

Thanks....seems I'm learning alot. Did better tonight but not ideal yet.

Jim wrote:
> Hmm....I'm not really trying to smoke though. I used less wet chips
> tonight and didn't get near the smoke (no kidding, hehe).

Sorry but I gotta ask - if ya ain't tryin to smoke anything, why ya
addin chips at all? Grillin or Qin, chips/chunks "smoke" the meat.

> Highest I saw my thermometer go was 320 though. Still
> don't know if that's high enough for grilling.

320°F is "ok" but you won't get a good sear on the meat at that
temp... Add more lump!

> See, this is also something I didn't know....figured what you put in
> the chimney "is" your fire. Didn't realize you need to add on unlit
> stuff to it...though I did do this tonight as a test, but started
> cooking immediately (mistake obviously).

Look at your chimney as if it were a measurin cup. If it takes 2
chimneys to get a fire where ya want it, use 2 chimneys. If it takes
3 chimneys to get a fire like ya want because it's wet and cold, use
3. Get it?

--
-frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry

In article >,
"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "Jim" > wrote in message
> >
[SNIP]
> > I've read somewhere that the spacing on the Weber charcoal grate is
> > really a bit wide. Would it be ok to lay a piece of chicken wire or
> > somesuch over it to prevent small pieces from falling through?
>
> Sure, why not?

Isn't chicken wire galvanized? If so, it would probably produce toxic
fumes when the zinc starts to burn. Besides that, chicken wire is so
thin that it wouldn't last very long. Maybe a piece of expanded metal
mesh would work better.

--

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.

In article >,
"frohe" > wrote:

> Jim wrote:
> > Also, a good bit of the cooked charcoal fell through the grate.
> > I've read somewhere that the spacing on the Weber charcoal grate is
> > really a bit wide. Would it be ok to lay a piece of chicken wire or
> > somesuch over it to prevent small pieces from falling through?
>
> Order another charcoal grate from Weber if ya can't find one locally.
> Put it crossways from the other one. Should take care of most of your
> drop-thrus.

I found a Weber charcoal grate at Home Depot. I'm using it in my ECB,
though.

--

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.

In article >,
Jim > wrote:

> "frohe" > wrote in news:Ensxe.99354$PR6.93421
> @tornado.texas.rr.com:

[SNIP]

> > No need to fill the chimney full of lump. Unless ya got some
> > little ol' dinky chimney, use half a chimney full to get started.
>
> Used a full one again tonight and this time, just used the newspaper.
> MUCH BETTER! Highest I saw my thermometer go was 320 though. Still don't
> know if that's high enough for grilling.

[SNIP]

> > Ya only need one chimney of lump to get ya fire started. When it's
> > ready, dump in onto ya fire grate; then add more unlit over the top of
> > it til ya get the fire I mentoned above. Then it's time to cook.
>
> See, this is also something I didn't know....figured what you put in the
> chimney "is" your fire. Didn't realize you need to add on unlit stuff to
> it...though I did do this tonight as a test, but started cooking
> immediately (mistake obviously).

Additionally, as I pointed out in another thread, you can put a layer of
hickory chunks on top of the burning charcoal and let it burn down to
coals. This may add enough heat to do the job, and it also lends a bit
of smoke flavor to your meat.

Stan

--

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.

In article >,
"frohe" > wrote:

> Look at your chimney as if it were a measurin cup. If it takes 2
> chimneys to get a fire where ya want it, use 2 chimneys. If it takes
> 3 chimneys to get a fire like ya want because it's wet and cold, use
> 3. Get it?

Whenever I need more coals than one chimney can provide, I use a simple
"extender" which almost doubles the amount of coals. Just take a large
(39 oz) coffee can with the top and bottom cut out, fill your chimney
almost full of lump, then set the can on top of the charcoal and fill it
with lump.

--

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.

On 03 Jul 2005, you wrote in alt.food.barbecue:


> Whenever I need more coals than one chimney can provide, I use a simple
> "extender" which almost doubles the amount of coals. Just take a large
> (39 oz) coffee can with the top and bottom cut out, fill your chimney
> almost full of lump, then set the can on top of the charcoal and fill it
> with lump.

hmmmm.....good idea.

Jim wrote:
> Got it...have dumb question #4: Any real need to leave the lump in
> the
> chimney for more than 15 minutes? Seems if all I'm really trying to
> do if get it started, I could dump it into the kettle and start a
> 2nd
> one. Or would it be better to just put unlit on the hot ones just
> dumped?

I use those Strike-A-Fire starters under my chimney. They take about
10 minutes before they've burned through and go out. After that, it's
lump dumped to the cooker. Yeah, you could get it started, dump it in
and start another chimney if ya want, but why? You already have lump
goin so let it start the unlit you add.
--
-frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry

"frohe" > wrote in news:Q37ye.108949$PR6.98832
@tornado.texas.rr.com:


> Yeah, you could get it started, dump it in
> and start another chimney if ya want, but why?

Didn't know which would be easier (or quicker).


> You already have lump
> goin so let it start the unlit you add.

Sounds good to me....if I end up doing steaks tonight, I know I'm gonna
need a good hot fire.

On 4-Jul-2005, "frohe" > wrote:

> Jim wrote:
> > Got it...have dumb question #4: Any real need to leave the lump in
> > the
> > chimney for more than 15 minutes? Seems if all I'm really trying to
> > do if get it started, I could dump it into the kettle and start a
> > 2nd
> > one. Or would it be better to just put unlit on the hot ones just
> > dumped?
>
> I use those Strike-A-Fire starters under my chimney. They take about
> 10 minutes before they've burned through and go out. After that, it's
> lump dumped to the cooker. Yeah, you could get it started, dump it in
> and start another chimney if ya want, but why? You already have lump
> goin so let it start the unlit you add.
> --
> -frohe
> Life is too short to be in a hurry

I like those Strike-A-Fire starters also. I break them in half and light one
end of both pieces. I place the lit pieces on the grill in parallel with lit
ends opposite each other. Set the full chimney of lump on top and go
away for a few minutes. When fire begins to show at the top, I dump
it into the pit and add some fresh lump direct from my lump bucket on
top. Open the chimney and set draft at 10%. Wait until the dome
reaches 250°. Start cooking.
--
The Brick® said that (Work harder; millions on welfare depend on you. )

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On Sat, 02 Jul 2005 01:45:23 GMT, Jim > wrote:

>Well, after 15 years of using gas I got the urge to go back to charcoal.
>Bought a Weber kettle (22" Silver...wasn't spending big bucks until I see
>how it works out), some lump charcoal at Home Depot (15lb box, looks like
>New Braunfels, but has Char-Broil on it), a chimney & some hickory
>chips.....

I did the exact same thing. Except I didn't see the lump, and bought
the double-bag of briquettes instead. I'll know better next time.

I had gone into the Home Depot to buy the Charmglow gas grill for
$299, since it was mostly stainless, but the one I thought it was,
wasn't. I wanted the one with all SS - grates and everything, but it
was $349. Maybe they'll go on clearance.

Saturday, did NY Strips from Costco. Made the mistake of closing down
the dome vents too far, and as a result, they were a tad red.

Rest of the weekend, grilled every day. Italian sausages and brats and
portabello mushrooms and hamburgers one day. Pork chops from Costco
another. Another mistake - by the time I got all the food off, the
flare up that resulted from opening the lid turned my three brats into
bratcoal. But, the sauzitza's were outstanding, the burgers were juicy
and all full of hickory smoke, the mushrooms were tasty, and the brats
will go into tonight's bbq beans (minus the black carbon I'll scrape
off first!).

Yup, I know the newer Weber isn't quite the indestructible machine of
yore, but I really like the one-touch cleanout method. I even bought
the heavy-duty cover for it.

EZ from St. Louis