I have asked this question to Weber I said what were you thinking and their reply was to tell me that they prefer the method of putting the charcoal on each side of the kettle and placing the food in the middle and positioning the vent over the food that's in the middle.
Weber put their thermometer opposite, or in line with the vent to measure indirect temp. when using both of the coal baskets on opposite sides of the kettle. This way, the meat is in the middle of the grill, indirect heat, directly under the vent and temp. gauge.
Thanks for the info I had watched a different video of yours and had asked this question. This answered it for me. Now that I have better understanding of this I will do some changes to my kettle. I've been battling temps on my 26 inch for about a year as I'm still new to this. Thanks so much for all your information now I feel a lot better about cooking on my kettle sir.
I got a wild hair the other day and decided that it was time to smoke a pork butt on my Weber slow and low. Thank you so much for taking the time to do some experiments and provide good baseline temps for us. Have a great weekend, and cheers!
Weber designed the kettle to cook indirect with the lid on and, direct with the lid off. Their indirect method called for coals on two sides, thus the baskets, and food in the middle. The lid would then be placed so both the vent and gauge would be over the food with heat source on either side.
Yep I originally copied Weber and put it opposite the vent. I have since moved it next to vent and works great. I plugged the old hole with a nut and bolt temporarily because I may add another thermometer but its not needed.
Hi Sting. I know some people are thinking of moving their thermometer next to the vent but are not sure how to plug the hole. That's a good idea to plug the hole with a nut and bolt. Thanks for sharing.
Actually I did just that. Moved my thermometer close to the vent, same place you show in your vid, and plugged the original hole with a nut, bolt and washer of appropriate size. Works great. I cannot understand why Weber sells grills with the thermometer opposite the vent when the cover is explicitly designed for indirect cooking. Just baffles me, but it's now fixed! Thanks for your video in any case, I get more or less the same temp as in your tests.
Sting I would just add another thermometer there myself, since you already have a hole there. But what I would do is.. buy a nice, 3” dial, made in USA one for the vent side.. & for the bolt & nut plugged hole.. I’d swap that one you have in there now. There a little pricey but dead on accurate
Weber designed the kettle to cook indirect with the lid on and, direct with the lid off. Their indirect method called for coals on two sides, thus the baskets, and food in the middle. The lid would then be placed so both the vent and gauge would be over the food with heat source on either side.
kettle pitmaster- please can you tell me, when i have finished cooking, is there anyway to save the part used coals, ive been just leaving them to burn, can i stop them burning somehow, if so whats the best way thank you!!
Simply put the cover on and close both top and bottom vents. Charcoal won't get oxygen and will stop burning after a short while. That's what I did yesterday and now I have half-used briquettes for next BBQ :) Before using coals for a 2nd time time, get rid of excessive ash on them.
HI BE. I'll bet the probe makes life easier, especially if it's a long cook and you have other things that need attended too. Luckily I don't need to walk to the grill to check the temp because I can see my vent from the picnic table when I get up to grab another BBQ n' beer.
Interesting... this confirms what I kind of intuitively had thought. What is the thermometer you installed? I looks extremely accurate! Thanks for posting this.
Hello Kanekila nine months later. I just noticed I never replied to you. Sorry for such a late answer to your question, the thermometer is a Char-broil brand, under $10 at Lowes.com.
My Weber kettle is a new one so lid vent and thermometer are opposite each other. Can't I just put thermometer over the meat and vent over the hot, coal side of the BBQ and still do the fine temperature adjustments as you've shown in other videos? In other words, does the lid vent have to be over the cooler, cooking side in order to adjust the temperature? Thanks & great videos.
Hi Michael. When the meat/food is opposite the hot coals for an indirect cook, the grill is basically being used like an oven. If you place the vent over the coals the heat is going up and out and not circulating over to the side of the grill where the food is. You can use the grill this way but it will not be near as efficient as placing the vent over the food. When the vent is over the food on an indirect cook this allows the heat and smoke to circulate around, under and over top of the food then out the vent which is a much more efficient way to cook the food. And a lot more of the heat stays in the grill compared to the vent over the coals. When the vent is over the hot coals it's like a fireplace in a home, most of the heat goes up and out the chimney and not into the house.
I have the Weber Performer Grill. The temperature gauge is in a different spot than other grills. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact if the gauge would line up if you were to set the lid in the holder. Now it is off set the gauge wont hit the bracket on the holder.
@@KettlePitmasterBBQ On the Performer Grill there is a holder that the lid sets in to rest while you tend your grill. There is a metal strip that runs down the middle of the holder for support. If the gauge was in line with the handle your gauge would rest on the bracket in the middle if the gauge holder. The older grills before the Performer the temp gauge was made line up in line with the handle. I bet that is why they moved the temp gauge. My older Weber lid with temp gauge is in line with the handle. My Performer grill temp gauge is mountd like yours. I think that might be why the change was made.
From what I see on the performer is the vent is still opposite the gauge. Are you saying if the gauge was located next to the vent where it should be for accurate temp readings this would screw up using the lid wire lid holder?
@@KettlePitmasterBBQ Here is what I was trying to say. I thought they moved the gauge due to this. Mine is in a different place, like yours. ua-cam.com/video/SECmModE9sg/v-deo.html
I have watched several of your videos & have subbed. Thanks for the tutorials. I am curious about your accent and would like to know what accent/dialect it is, if this is not too personal.
hey first great looking chicken, once again you have made my homework easy when it come to completing my very first outdoor grill set up so far I have a weber 26 grill ,,charcoal , then went all out and bought from Adrenaline Barbecue Company these>>> maverick RX50 thermometer , slow n sear, and few other things from amazon that I feel I need for my set-up but most important I am subscribed to your channel, your very good and kind so big thank you. sir
Hi WH. Thank you for the feedback and kind words. Sound like you're all set for a summer's worth of hard barbecuing. I don't have may cooking vids up but there's millions out here on YT so you'll never run out of recipes and different methods to try.
Man, those chicken quarters look great! What were you talking about?? LOL, thanks for doing this video. I think I may add a second thermometer by the vents, then I can see what the temps are on each side. Your videos are very helpful, I love 'em...
Thanks for the feedback, Woolval. Chicken was good. Wife loves dark meat chicken salad so I just did 16 leg quarters last night, 4 for dinner and 12 to pick for salad.
HI Alice. I add wood to some of my cooks like ribs and pork shoulders but not too much on anything else. I enjoy the charcoal smoke flavor you get naturally from using charcoal briquettes on chicken and burgers etc..
That is a great point David Forthun....the split heat sourse. Another reason why Weber may have placed the thermometer opp of the vent is because with vent over the coals, you may have quicker and more precise control of the coals. I know this may go against the conventioal wisdom of having the vent over the meat to 'draw' smoke over the meat, but when think about it, smoke is dense thru out the dome, so why would you need to 'draw' the smoke over the meat when it is already there. Those Weber engineers know a thing or two us mere mortals can only guess at, lol.
I added mine below the vent so it's at meat level. I will say that it reads about 25° lower than the oven thermometer on the grate. postimg.cc/image/d8ab9hmoh/
No issues. I intentionally placed the thermometer beside the vent instead of under so it would not interfere and so I did not need to drill thru the lid hanger. I rarely use the hook anyway. I sit the lid on my deck rail.
Its better to put the temp gauge below the vent & the lid hook (if it has one). That way the probe is closer to where the food is above the grill.
I have asked this question to Weber I said what were you thinking and their reply was to tell me that they prefer the method of putting the charcoal on each side of the kettle and placing the food in the middle and positioning the vent over the food that's in the middle.
Correct.
Weber put their thermometer opposite, or in line with the vent to measure indirect temp. when using both of the coal baskets on opposite sides of the kettle. This way, the meat is in the middle of the grill, indirect heat, directly under the vent and temp. gauge.
Maybe Weber put the temp gauge opposite to the vent because the coals are split instead of only to one side .
For indirect cooking?
Thanks for the info I had watched a different video of yours and had asked this question. This answered it for me. Now that I have better understanding of this I will do some changes to my kettle. I've been battling temps on my 26 inch for about a year as I'm still new to this. Thanks so much for all your information now I feel a lot better about cooking on my kettle sir.
Hope you're able to master the temps and whip-up so mighty tasty vittles on the cooker.
I got a wild hair the other day and decided that it was time to smoke a pork butt on my Weber slow and low. Thank you so much for taking the time to do some experiments and provide good baseline temps for us. Have a great weekend, and cheers!
Adding my gauge this week, now I know where thanks
Weber designed the kettle to cook indirect with the lid on and, direct with the lid off. Their indirect method called for coals on two sides, thus the baskets, and food in the middle. The lid would then be placed so both the vent and gauge would be over the food with heat source on either side.
Yep I originally copied Weber and put it opposite the vent. I have since moved it next to vent and works great. I plugged the old hole with a nut and bolt temporarily because I may add another thermometer but its not needed.
Hi Sting. I know some people are thinking of moving their thermometer next to the vent but are not sure how to plug the hole. That's a good idea to plug the hole with a nut and bolt. Thanks for sharing.
Actually I did just that. Moved my thermometer close to the vent, same place you show in your vid, and plugged the original hole with a nut, bolt and washer of appropriate size. Works great. I cannot understand why Weber sells grills with the thermometer opposite the vent when the cover is explicitly designed for indirect cooking. Just baffles me, but it's now fixed! Thanks for your video in any case, I get more or less the same temp as in your tests.
Sting I would just add another thermometer there myself, since you already have a hole there. But what I would do is.. buy a nice, 3” dial, made in USA one for the vent side.. & for the bolt & nut plugged hole.. I’d swap that one you have in there now. There a little pricey but dead on accurate
Yes sir! Added a Tru-Temp exactly where yours is on my new kettle!
Word has it that's a excellent thermometer so you're all set to turn out some good Q.
I don't know why Weber did what they did but I'm off to the shop to buy an oven thermometer! Thank you for this!
Weber designed the kettle to cook indirect with the lid on and, direct with the lid off. Their indirect method called for coals on two sides, thus the baskets, and food in the middle. The lid would then be placed so both the vent and gauge would be over the food with heat source on either side.
kettle pitmaster- please can you tell me, when i have finished cooking, is there anyway to save the part used coals, ive been just leaving them to burn, can i stop them burning somehow, if so whats the best way thank you!!
Simply put the cover on and close both top and bottom vents. Charcoal won't get oxygen and will stop burning after a short while. That's what I did yesterday and now I have half-used briquettes for next BBQ :) Before using coals for a 2nd time time, get rid of excessive ash on them.
I did the same thing on mine as well but ever since I bought a probe for the grill grate I dont even look at it. Great video.
HI BE. I'll bet the probe makes life easier, especially if it's a long cook and you have other things that need attended too. Luckily I don't need to walk to the grill to check the temp because I can see my vent from the picnic table when I get up to grab another BBQ n' beer.
Interesting... this confirms what I kind of intuitively had thought. What is the thermometer you installed? I looks extremely accurate! Thanks for posting this.
Hello Kanekila nine months later. I just noticed I never replied to you. Sorry for such a late answer to your question, the thermometer is a Char-broil brand, under $10 at Lowes.com.
Thank you!!! Just got my Weber kettle grill with no thermometer and was wondering what would be the best place to install one!. Awesome!
I recommend installing under the vent, closer to cooking surface.
Would it be better to place it below the vent closer to the meat?
I'm just getting into BBQ thanks for the tips!
If I don’t want to drill a hole into the lid can I place thermometer into one of the 4 vent holes permanently with a nut?
My Weber kettle is a new one so lid vent and thermometer are opposite each other. Can't I just put thermometer over the meat and vent over the hot, coal side of the BBQ and still do the fine temperature adjustments as you've shown in other videos? In other words, does the lid vent have to be over the cooler, cooking side in order to adjust the temperature? Thanks & great videos.
Hi Michael. When the meat/food is opposite the hot coals for an indirect cook, the grill is basically being used like an oven. If you place the vent over the coals the heat is going up and out and not circulating over to the side of the grill where the food is. You can use the grill this way but it will not be near as efficient as placing the vent over the food. When the vent is over the food on an indirect cook this allows the heat and smoke to circulate around, under and over top of the food then out the vent which is a much more efficient way to cook the food. And a lot more of the heat stays in the grill compared to the vent over the coals. When the vent is over the hot coals it's like a fireplace in a home, most of the heat goes up and out the chimney and not into the house.
I have the Weber Performer Grill. The temperature gauge is in a different spot than other grills. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact if the gauge would line up if you were to set the lid in the holder. Now it is off set the gauge wont hit the bracket on the holder.
Hi Bob. Not quite sure what your are trying to say. What is the gauge lining up with?
@@KettlePitmasterBBQ On the Performer Grill there is a holder that the lid sets in to rest while you tend your grill. There is a metal strip that runs down the middle of the holder for support. If the gauge was in line with the handle your gauge would rest on the bracket in the middle if the gauge holder. The older grills before the Performer the temp gauge was made line up in line with the handle. I bet that is why they moved the temp gauge. My older Weber lid with temp gauge is in line with the handle. My Performer grill temp gauge is mountd like yours. I think that might be why the change was made.
From what I see on the performer is the vent is still opposite the gauge. Are you saying if the gauge was located next to the vent where it should be for accurate temp readings this would screw up using the lid wire lid holder?
@@KettlePitmasterBBQ Here is what I was trying to say. I thought they moved the gauge due to this. Mine is in a different place, like yours. ua-cam.com/video/SECmModE9sg/v-deo.html
I have watched several of your videos & have subbed. Thanks for the tutorials. I am curious about your accent and would like to know what accent/dialect it is, if this is not too personal.
What does it sound like or remind you of? Take a guess, Gamer.
@@KettlePitmasterBBQ Without wanting to sound creepy, but I like the sound and I did some research and came up with mid-atlantic.
Na, that's not creepy. I like the way Australian's sound. Good research Mid Atlantic it is.
hey first great looking chicken, once again you have made my homework easy when it come to completing my very first outdoor grill set up so far I have a weber 26 grill ,,charcoal , then went all out and bought from Adrenaline Barbecue Company these>>> maverick RX50 thermometer , slow n sear, and few other things from amazon that I feel I need for my set-up but most important I am subscribed to your channel, your very good and kind so big thank you. sir
Hi WH. Thank you for the feedback and kind words. Sound like you're all set for a summer's worth of hard barbecuing. I don't have may cooking vids up but there's millions out here on YT so you'll never run out of recipes and different methods to try.
Man, those chicken quarters look great! What were you talking about?? LOL, thanks for doing this video. I think I may add a second thermometer by the vents, then I can see what the temps are on each side. Your videos are very helpful, I love 'em...
Thanks for the feedback, Woolval. Chicken was good. Wife loves dark meat chicken salad so I just did 16 leg quarters last night, 4 for dinner and 12 to pick for salad.
thanks, enjoy your videos, do you do any smoking on your Weber?
HI Alice. I add wood to some of my cooks like ribs and pork shoulders but not too much on anything else. I enjoy the charcoal smoke flavor you get naturally from using charcoal briquettes on chicken and burgers etc..
Awesome video! I know where I’m putting this thermometer at on this kettle!
That is a great point David Forthun....the split heat sourse. Another reason why Weber may have placed the thermometer opp of the vent is because with vent over the coals, you may have quicker and more precise control of the coals. I know this may go against the conventioal wisdom of having the vent over the meat to 'draw' smoke over the meat, but when think about it, smoke is dense thru out the dome, so why would you need to 'draw' the smoke over the meat when it is already there. Those Weber engineers know a thing or two us mere mortals can only guess at, lol.
Great video!
Thanks BIG LEW. (A.Einstein).
Another Great Vid!👍
Thanks, TLL1.
I added mine below the vent so it's at meat level. I will say that it reads about 25° lower than the oven thermometer on the grate.
postimg.cc/image/d8ab9hmoh/
I did the same thing with the logic it would be close to grill level! That is the one I go by for indirect to know my temp.
Any issues with gauge when hanging the lid on the hook?
No issues. I intentionally placed the thermometer beside the vent instead of under so it would not interfere and so I did not need to drill thru the lid hanger. I rarely use the hook anyway. I sit the lid on my deck rail.
Outstanding!!!
Sounds like your teeth..are loosen up..there