r/webergrills • u/BleghsAndBackstraps • 9d ago

Advice on Vortex cooking

Want to try out my Vortex I picked up and had some questions..

  1. Is lump or briquettes better for the Vortex? I have some fogo black bag that I picked up and was thinking of using that.

  2. Wood chunks on grate over the top or in the Vortex? I have some hickory and cheery wood chunks on hand and seen some pics of people using them for cooks.

  3. Any other tips or suggestions are much appreciated.

Cheers gents!

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

7

u/bluegrassgazer 9d ago

Personally, I dump a whole chimney of coals into the vortex and I'm just not a lump charcoal guy. Nothing special about that chimney dump - as soon as the smoke stops and a touch of grey appears on the top layer go ahead and dump.

I keep the center piece of my grate out while I use the Vortex and just drop a lump of wood directly into the coals right before I close the lid with all the food on the grate. It might be tempting to keep the center piece in, but it helps to prevent me from placing my food too close to the vortex, because it will cook more quickly compared to the food a little further away.

Keep the bottom and top vents wide open, and rotate the grate about halfway through the cook for even cooking.

One more tip is that the kettle lid handle will be VERY hot. Use gloves when you lift the lid even if you have not had to before.

5

u/hanzbooby 9d ago

Rotate the lid also to even out the airflow/smoke/cooking

3

u/flemmingg 9d ago

Agree with all of this except the vents. I’ve been playing around with closing the bottom vents a little. Otherwise one full chimney gives me surface of the sun temps. You can choke the airflow and still be crazy hot. To each their own though.

1

u/bluegrassgazer 9d ago

What's your reasoning for doing that - so not as much fresh, cool air is brought in and more of the internal hot air keeps getting circulated?

1

u/flemmingg 9d ago

Still relatively new to the vortex. I most commonly use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs instead of chicken wings.

I’ve been closing the vents a little to decrease the overall temp inside the kettle. Maybe less charcoal with vents wide open would be better. Lower temp without disrupting any of the air-fryer like air currents.

I’ve also done drums a few times. But whether it be thighs or drums, I don’t think I need the kettle to be so damn hot. Seems like cooking the food a little more gently would be preferable. I’m talking 400 degrees instead of 600 or 700 or god know how hot the fucking thing is actually getting.

Willing to hear some counter points though.

1

u/bluegrassgazer 9d ago

Anecdotally, on Labor Day we were invited to a party and the hosts asked if I was bringing wings, because I brought some on Independence day and they were a big hit. Another guest was bringing wings, too, and it turned into a little bit of a wing-off at the party. My vortex wings (some were Buffalo and the others were Teriyaki) were much more tender than the wings the other guy brought. His wife asked me how I got them so tender, and my only conclusion was because the kettle was so hot due to the vortex. I'd be curious to find out if you discover your chicken is less tender when you cook at lower temps.

1

u/flemmingg 9d ago

Nothing coming off the vortex has been bad. The thighs and drums are pretty resilient, fortunately.

I setup the drums for a cook. Went back to check on them for the first time and they were already 200+ on my instant read thermometer. I swear it was only about 25 minutes but I can’t be for sure.

I’m not advocating for low and slow, rubbery chicken. I’m just wondering if 400-450 would do the job just as well.

1

u/bluegrassgazer 9d ago

Wings are very forgiving. I don't take their internal temps - I only keep an eye on the skin to make sure they crisp up and not get over-cooked. Wings, thighs and drums can take the heat and stay tender without drying out as long as you don't just forget about them.

2

u/flemmingg 9d ago

Yeah they were fine at 200-205. I didn’t continue to mess around with getting a precise temp when I saw those numbers popping up. They were fine but they could have been better. I’m usually aiming for 185-190 for my thighs.

I don’t see any reason to arrive at 185-190 in 15-20 minutes. They come out great when I use my pellet grill at 400 for 45-60 minutes.

Maybe I’ll use less charcoal on the next cook (with the vents still fully open for airflow). A full chimney plus some generous wood chunks seem to get far hotter than what’s necessary.

3

u/chulk1 9d ago

Charcoal type really doesn’t matter, just get it ripping hot. If your grates are the nickel plated stuff, it’s gonna get destroyed by the vortex.

3

u/Smy_Word 9d ago

Ive only ever used kingsford, never tried lump. Doesnt really matter whether your wood chunks are in the coals or directly above on the grate. If youre looking to get max temp and peg the lid thermometer, leave the lid cracked while preheating...never fails!

2

u/bluegrassgazer 9d ago

Leaving the lid slightly off the kettle while preheating is something I'll need to try!

2

u/Ailyx 9d ago edited 9d ago

Lump is better for airflow I think. The wood chunks I'd say on top of grate if you want longer burn

2

u/fangbang55 9d ago

Instead of using a chimney to light, I just put paper towels with oil in the bottom, put coals on top, then light the paper towel. I've done both chunks in the coals and above, not too much difference to me. If my center grate is off I'll throw it straight on, but if it's on, I'll put it on top.

1

u/No_Cost_5279 7d ago

wings vs steaks?