Bought me a Weber Kettle 2 months ago. Ive been scouring youtube since then for this exact video. You answered all my questions in one fell swoop. Great informative video. Cant wait to apply it tomorrow. Thank You so much. And Yup, I subscribed. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
First, thanks for watching! Second, I’m very glad you found value in it. Let me know how things go! Lastly, thanks for the sub, I truly appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks for answering so many of my questions in this one video! I bought a cheap version of a kettle and used it to cook a steak yesterday. First time on wood, it's so much better than on gas - I wish I knew earlier!
Any Bluetooth temp probe that will give you a graph on your phone helps. You can see the grill temp level off and the meat probe will show when you hit the stall. I just have the ThermoPro for $38 and it works great for this.
Thanks for watching! Just go to www.grumpysgreatoutdoors.com and put your name and email address in and it will get sent straight to your email. Thanks again!
Thank you for all your videos, it is helping me alot for I am going to try to do smoke bbq for the first time in my life and i think i will be the first one in my area(i live outside the US). My question is that my grill is more rectangle and because it was made especially for me, so how to calculate the right amount of charcoal (from wood) to put in it, especially i will not be able to make the snake method because of the shape. Any advices?
First, thanks for watching! How exciting making it for the first time. Even though your grill is rectangle, you can still make a snake….just make sure all the charcoal is touching each other. It doesn’t have to be circular, just touching. Then just place a chunk of wood about every 2 inches on top of the charcoal. Keep the meat opposite of where the coal is the hottest at any given time. So if the charcoal is currently burning in the top left corner then put your meat as far as you can into the bottom right corner. Hope this helps!
Thank you for watching and the kind comments! I did use a new rub and that part of the video got left on the cutting room floor, as they say. Not because it wasn’t a good rub, it was actually really good. I had someone edit this video for me and he does a great job. I don’t think I did a good job of describing it in the video so he cut that out. The rub was from Gulf Coast Smoke and it’s called Southern Hospitality. Really good! Thanks again!
Great job on breaking down how to control the kettle temperature, but I still have a question: Why wait for the internal temperature to reach what you want BEFORE placing the meeting on the grill? If you're smoking something for 6, 8, or 12 hours, and the temperature will vary up and down a lot during the cooking process, what difference do those early 20 minutes make? When you lift the lid, the internal temperature will drop precipitously. Yes, it will return quickly, but I've never found a difference between waiting until the desired temperature is reached versus getting the fire started, placing the meat on the grill, and adjusting accordingly as you did. Have you? Thanks in advance.
First, thanks for watching and the kind comments! As for waiting until the desired cooking temp is reached...my main reason for waiting is so that the initial dirty smoke has burned off. Typically when you start a fire, be it in a kettle or offset smoker, there is some pretty "dirty" smoke at the start. I always wait until the kettle (in this case) gets to temp because the initial dirty smoke is usually over and the very nice light blue smoke is rolling. Thanks again!
@@grumpysgreatoutdoors Oh, that's a real good reason. I'm very aware of "dirty smoke" and "blue smoke," but I hadn't considered the burning off the dirty smoke in the beginning while the temperature is getting up there. I should try that.
The biggest take away here from this video is that cooking with charcoal is an inexact science and things are gonna happen and temps are going to vary during the cook. Where I live it is the wind that will change things up the most. I usually keep my bottom vents wide open and use the top vents to control. Far easier to see the holes in the top and make the adjustments plus I've found messing with the bottom vents will sometimes kill the air flow and smother the coals altogether. Nothing wrong with doing the opposite as you do. Just two different ways to get to the same place. I found a good buy on mesquite wood so that's all I have been using of late. My palate can't tell the difference anyway. Good luck!
Thanks for watching! Wind is my biggest challenge as well, as I mentioned in the video. And I agree with you, the opposite way with the vents is a perfectly viable way to control temps. I just like the convection factor of leaving the top vent open as much as possible. Mesquite is a great choice in wood as well! Thanks again for watching and commenting with good perspective!
I had a question, so whenever you are waiting for the grill to heat up to the temperature do you leave the pork butt sitting out on the counter? Or is it in the fridge? I just ordered a smoke and sizzle so Im not completely sure how to maintain good temps with that. Maybe you have a video already out for it?
Thanks for watching and great question! You can do either! Here’s the deal….people will leave it in the fridge until right before it goes on the smoker because you get a better smoke ring when you put it in the smoker cold like that. Smoke rings have zero taste though…lol. But they do look cool! Ha! It’s much easier to leave beef out without concern than it is pork (or especially chicken!) for food safety purposes but if you left it out 30 minutes while waiting on the temp to stabilize you’d be fine. You’ll hear folks say “leave it out til it gets to room temp”….thats like 70°. That’s a looonng time to leave something out. In all actuality, it doesn’t matter if you leave it out or not. It will still take hours to smoke. The only real difference is the smoke ring factor and a smoke ring is hard to see on a pork butt anyway! I have a few vids showing the smoke and sizzle but none related to whether you should leave your pork butt out for a certain amount of time. It’s just personal preference! However, it’s always best to wait until the smoker gets to temp before you put the butt on…otherwise you get some rancid smoke on there while the smoker is acclimating itself. Hope this helps!
Why not use a slow cooker plastic cooking BAG instead foil? I finish pork and brisket in a slow cooker over night on low. I clamp the bag with a clothespin to seal in the heat.
Hi, I've been watching your videos for around 2 months now and have upgraded my 30 year old weber. I've known about the snake method for many years but have never used it. I do have a question about this great presentation of yours. As the snake starts to burn around its arc, do you adjust the location of your grill so the meat is opposite of the heat source? And this brings up another question for me. Are you rotating your meat so one side isn't ways pointed at the heat source? Thanks again for the info in your video. Cheers
@@williamparker8318 First, thanks for watching for the 2 months! Greatly appreciated! Yes, rotate either the grate or actually move the meat as needed, to stay across from the hot part of the snake. And yes again, turn the meat occasionally so that one side isn’t always facing the hot coals. I should have done better explaining that! Thanks again!
I've watched a ton of BBQ uploads on TH-cam since I bought a Weber grill earlier this year. Yours caught my eye, and I subscribed. I normally use a fabricated 55 gallon drum I've had since the 70s. The Weber is a lot more convenient now that I'm generally cooking for two instead of four or more. Nothing beats meat grilled and smoked over a charcoal and wood fire. Been doing it since I was a kid. 👍🏿
First, thanks for subscribing. I greatly appreciate that. I agree, the taste of charcoal and wood is unbeatable. I’m not perfect at it but I love doing it and trying new things. Thanks again!
Hey Grumpy, have you considered getting a spider grills venom? I'm very interested in their new grill, the huntsman, but the cost is prohibitive for me personally... But the brains of that grill is the venom... This may be beneficial to all of us kettle owners.
I have 2 of them. My plan is to eventually do a video on them but I want to make sure I cover everything about webers without using devices. I don’t know why I feel compelled to do that, I just do. But the Venom is awesome. I use them all the time when I’m doing a big cook. I’m doing a cook for a local company for a tailgate get together at our local NASCAR track in a few weeks. I will use both of them and I also have a DigiQ Dx3 (older version of the venom, unrelated company) and I will use it too. I have 2 offset smokers I will have to use too. I’m all about using technology, but I just think people understand the smoking process better when they can do it without any devices first. Thanks for watching Chris! I appreciate your support!
You'll love the Venom, holds temps great, also good for setting your grill after a brisket cook, to 150 to let your brisket rest without overcooking, You'll love it
Great question! I like apple for chicken. My three kind of main " go to's" are.... oak for beef, pecan for pork, and apple for chicken. Thanks for watching!
Hey, I don't have a channel or anything, but I do a lot of barbecue and if you want another view, I'm of the opinion that there are several woods that are good with basically anything, just personal preference. If you use, Apple, Cherry, or Pecan for a milder, sweeter smoke. Or use Hickory, Oak, or Mesquite(my personal favorite) for a more intense almost "spicy" smoke. Some people don't like their smoke as intense, so should stick with the top 3 I listed. But if you really like barbecue and smoked meat, then basically any meat (or vegetable) will go well with any of those woods. Most barbecue restaurants use one wood for everything on their menu and do just fine. Some will so a "signature blend" of a couple types of wood mixed together in their smoker, but still use it for everything they smoke. So for an inexperienced person, I recommend trying different woods to see what you like. Experiment. I especially like taking one of the milder woods and one of the more intense woods in different combos. Cherry with Hickory. Mesquite with Pecan (did a really good Thanksgiving turkey with that blend one year). Mix and match. Have fun with it. Then maybe branch out into other woods like Alder, Maple, or Plum if you feel especially ambitious. Just a different point of view.
@@cameronmccoy5051 Fantastic advice! I didn’t mean to pigeon hole wood types. You are exactly right. I think I even mention that during the video but only name 3 or 4. Yes, please experiment! There are tons of fruit woods and even maple is a great option. Nut woods, oaks, many options. Just stay away from soft wood…pine type woods! Thanks for pointing this out Cameron! And thanks for watching!
Just go here www.grumpysgreatoutdoors.com and put your email address into the space and then it will get emailed to you immediately! Thanks for watching!
Finally! Someone is teaching about vents and temps. You're the best.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Hope this helps!
Bought me a Weber Kettle 2 months ago. Ive been scouring youtube since then for this exact video. You answered all my questions in one fell swoop. Great informative video. Cant wait to apply it tomorrow. Thank You so much. And Yup, I subscribed. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
First, thanks for watching! Second, I’m very glad you found value in it. Let me know how things go! Lastly, thanks for the sub, I truly appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend!
Good luck bro! Got mine a few months back and every single weekend has been a blast
Thanks for answering so many of my questions in this one video! I bought a cheap version of a kettle and used it to cook a steak yesterday. First time on wood, it's so much better than on gas - I wish I knew earlier!
Thanks for watching and I’m glad it helped! Yes, wood fired steak is incredible! Glad this helped!
Awesome job of instruction. Thank you very much.
Thanks for watching and the kind comment! Greatly appreciated!
Thank you soooooo much for this video this is exactly everything I was looking for! Bless you!
Thanks for watching! I hope this helps!
"Landing the plane" is a brilliant piece of advice.
If you learn ANYTHING about smoking on a weber. Thats what you need to learn first
Thanks for watching! That analogy just felt right. Glad you get it!
Grumpy your info is so detailed and easy to follow! Thanks for all your hard work and spreading the Grilling news !❤
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Your support is greatly appreciated!
great video on the specs of temp management. still trying to learn myself so this was very helpful, thanks
Thanks for watching! I learn something new every time I fire up the kettle it seems. Hope this helps!
Great instructional video the Weber performer is one of the best grills for the $$.
Thanks for watching and the kind comments. I agree 100%, it is a great grill!
Any Bluetooth temp probe that will give you a graph on your phone helps. You can see the grill temp level off and the meat probe will show when you hit the stall. I just have the ThermoPro for $38 and it works great for this.
Well said! Thanks for watching!
Really useful, thanks (and Brisket/Ribs have my vote)!
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you found it useful. I think Brisket/Ribs is the only good candidates we have, huh?! Thanks again!
I like that temperature guide. Thanks!
I’m glad you like it! I hope it helps. Thanks for the kind words!
Great clear instructions. I'm a newbe & appreciate you! I'm a weber girl.
Thanks for watching another one Sheila! Glad they have helped!
Great information, thanks
I’d like to get the suggested temp guide
Thanks for watching! Just go to www.grumpysgreatoutdoors.com and put your name and email address in and it will get sent straight to your email. Thanks again!
Thank you for all your videos, it is helping me alot for I am going to try to do smoke bbq for the first time in my life and i think i will be the first one in my area(i live outside the US). My question is that my grill is more rectangle and because it was made especially for me, so how to calculate the right amount of charcoal (from wood) to put in it, especially i will not be able to make the snake method because of the shape. Any advices?
First, thanks for watching! How exciting making it for the first time. Even though your grill is rectangle, you can still make a snake….just make sure all the charcoal is touching each other. It doesn’t have to be circular, just touching. Then just place a chunk of wood about every 2 inches on top of the charcoal. Keep the meat opposite of where the coal is the hottest at any given time. So if the charcoal is currently burning in the top left corner then put your meat as far as you can into the bottom right corner. Hope this helps!
What another great video! You mentioned that you used a new rub on the pork butt. Curious what you used.
Thank you for watching and the kind comments! I did use a new rub and that part of the video got left on the cutting room floor, as they say. Not because it wasn’t a good rub, it was actually really good. I had someone edit this video for me and he does a great job. I don’t think I did a good job of describing it in the video so he cut that out. The rub was from Gulf Coast Smoke and it’s called Southern Hospitality. Really good! Thanks again!
Great job on breaking down how to control the kettle temperature, but I still have a question: Why wait for the internal temperature to reach what you want BEFORE placing the meeting on the grill? If you're smoking something for 6, 8, or 12 hours, and the temperature will vary up and down a lot during the cooking process, what difference do those early 20 minutes make? When you lift the lid, the internal temperature will drop precipitously. Yes, it will return quickly, but I've never found a difference between waiting until the desired temperature is reached versus getting the fire started, placing the meat on the grill, and adjusting accordingly as you did. Have you? Thanks in advance.
First, thanks for watching and the kind comments! As for waiting until the desired cooking temp is reached...my main reason for waiting is so that the initial dirty smoke has burned off. Typically when you start a fire, be it in a kettle or offset smoker, there is some pretty "dirty" smoke at the start. I always wait until the kettle (in this case) gets to temp because the initial dirty smoke is usually over and the very nice light blue smoke is rolling. Thanks again!
@@grumpysgreatoutdoors Oh, that's a real good reason. I'm very aware of "dirty smoke" and "blue smoke," but I hadn't considered the burning off the dirty smoke in the beginning while the temperature is getting up there. I should try that.
The biggest take away here from this video is that cooking with charcoal is an inexact science and things are gonna happen and temps are going to vary during the cook. Where I live it is the wind that will change things up the most. I usually keep my bottom vents wide open and use the top vents to control. Far easier to see the holes in the top and make the adjustments plus I've found messing with the bottom vents will sometimes kill the air flow and smother the coals altogether. Nothing wrong with doing the opposite as you do. Just two different ways to get to the same place. I found a good buy on mesquite wood so that's all I have been using of late. My palate can't tell the difference anyway. Good luck!
Thanks for watching! Wind is my biggest challenge as well, as I mentioned in the video. And I agree with you, the opposite way with the vents is a perfectly viable way to control temps. I just like the convection factor of leaving the top vent open as much as possible. Mesquite is a great choice in wood as well! Thanks again for watching and commenting with good perspective!
I had a question, so whenever you are waiting for the grill to heat up to the temperature do you leave the pork butt sitting out on the counter? Or is it in the fridge? I just ordered a smoke and sizzle so Im not completely sure how to maintain good temps with that. Maybe you have a video already out for it?
Thanks for watching and great question! You can do either! Here’s the deal….people will leave it in the fridge until right before it goes on the smoker because you get a better smoke ring when you put it in the smoker cold like that. Smoke rings have zero taste though…lol. But they do look cool! Ha! It’s much easier to leave beef out without concern than it is pork (or especially chicken!) for food safety purposes but if you left it out 30 minutes while waiting on the temp to stabilize you’d be fine. You’ll hear folks say “leave it out til it gets to room temp”….thats like 70°. That’s a looonng time to leave something out. In all actuality, it doesn’t matter if you leave it out or not. It will still take hours to smoke. The only real difference is the smoke ring factor and a smoke ring is hard to see on a pork butt anyway! I have a few vids showing the smoke and sizzle but none related to whether you should leave your pork butt out for a certain amount of time. It’s just personal preference! However, it’s always best to wait until the smoker gets to temp before you put the butt on…otherwise you get some rancid smoke on there while the smoker is acclimating itself. Hope this helps!
Why not use a slow cooker plastic cooking BAG instead foil? I finish pork and brisket in a slow cooker over night on low. I clamp the bag with a clothespin to seal in the heat.
Thanks for watching and that’s a good idea! I never thought of that.
Hi, I've been watching your videos for around 2 months now and have upgraded my 30 year old weber. I've known about the snake method for many years but have never used it. I do have a question about this great presentation of yours. As the snake starts to burn around its arc, do you adjust the location of your grill so the meat is opposite of the heat source? And this brings up another question for me. Are you rotating your meat so one side isn't ways pointed at the heat source? Thanks again for the info in your video. Cheers
@@williamparker8318 First, thanks for watching for the 2 months! Greatly appreciated! Yes, rotate either the grate or actually move the meat as needed, to stay across from the hot part of the snake. And yes again, turn the meat occasionally so that one side isn’t always facing the hot coals. I should have done better explaining that! Thanks again!
@@grumpysgreatoutdoors Thanks for clarifying. I figured that was the case. Cheers
Drill a hole in the middle of the top vent. Install a thermometer or just below the vent.
I like it!
I've watched a ton of BBQ uploads on TH-cam since I bought a Weber grill earlier this year. Yours caught my eye, and I subscribed.
I normally use a fabricated 55 gallon drum I've had since the 70s. The Weber is a lot more convenient now that I'm generally cooking for two instead of four or more. Nothing beats meat grilled and smoked over a charcoal and wood fire. Been doing it since I was a kid. 👍🏿
First, thanks for subscribing. I greatly appreciate that. I agree, the taste of charcoal and wood is unbeatable. I’m not perfect at it but I love doing it and trying new things. Thanks again!
Hey Grumpy, have you considered getting a spider grills venom? I'm very interested in their new grill, the huntsman, but the cost is prohibitive for me personally... But the brains of that grill is the venom... This may be beneficial to all of us kettle owners.
I have 2 of them. My plan is to eventually do a video on them but I want to make sure I cover everything about webers without using devices. I don’t know why I feel compelled to do that, I just do. But the Venom is awesome. I use them all the time when I’m doing a big cook. I’m doing a cook for a local company for a tailgate get together at our local NASCAR track in a few weeks. I will use both of them and I also have a DigiQ Dx3 (older version of the venom, unrelated company) and I will use it too. I have 2 offset smokers I will have to use too. I’m all about using technology, but I just think people understand the smoking process better when they can do it without any devices first. Thanks for watching Chris! I appreciate your support!
And I’ve looked at the Huntsman, I agree with you…pricey!
You'll love the Venom, holds temps great, also good for setting your grill after a brisket cook, to 150 to let your brisket rest without overcooking, You'll love it
What kind of wood do you recommend for chicken?
Great question! I like apple for chicken. My three kind of main " go to's" are.... oak for beef, pecan for pork, and apple for chicken. Thanks for watching!
Hey, I don't have a channel or anything, but I do a lot of barbecue and if you want another view, I'm of the opinion that there are several woods that are good with basically anything, just personal preference.
If you use, Apple, Cherry, or Pecan for a milder, sweeter smoke.
Or use Hickory, Oak, or Mesquite(my personal favorite) for a more intense almost "spicy" smoke.
Some people don't like their smoke as intense, so should stick with the top 3 I listed.
But if you really like barbecue and smoked meat, then basically any meat (or vegetable) will go well with any of those woods. Most barbecue restaurants use one wood for everything on their menu and do just fine. Some will so a "signature blend" of a couple types of wood mixed together in their smoker, but still use it for everything they smoke.
So for an inexperienced person, I recommend trying different woods to see what you like. Experiment. I especially like taking one of the milder woods and one of the more intense woods in different combos. Cherry with Hickory. Mesquite with Pecan (did a really good Thanksgiving turkey with that blend one year). Mix and match. Have fun with it. Then maybe branch out into other woods like Alder, Maple, or Plum if you feel especially ambitious.
Just a different point of view.
@@cameronmccoy5051 Fantastic advice! I didn’t mean to pigeon hole wood types. You are exactly right. I think I even mention that during the video but only name 3 or 4. Yes, please experiment! There are tons of fruit woods and even maple is a great option. Nut woods, oaks, many options. Just stay away from soft wood…pine type woods! Thanks for pointing this out Cameron! And thanks for watching!
how do I get temp guide
Just go here www.grumpysgreatoutdoors.com and put your email address into the space and then it will get emailed to you immediately! Thanks for watching!
Very comprehensive briefing Captain . Thank you very much ✈️
Ha! Thanks for watching and for the funny and kind comment!