# Weber Kettle Zone Cooking System?



## Bummed (Aug 29, 2018)

Ran across this today and wanted to get the seasoned kettle users what you think about this 'Kettle Zone Cooking System'. I am not affiliated with this in any way but though this was a great idea. It's up on kickstarter to get in early.


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## WillRunForQue (Aug 29, 2018)

I do this same heat deflector technique with my kettlepizza baking steel, the overall approach works well.


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## noboundaries (Aug 29, 2018)

Hmmm, interesting. Kind of a like turning the Kettle into a dry smoke WSM. Indirect, I get. Not sure how you'd refuel for a long smoke though. Short smokes, no problem.


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## one eyed jack (Aug 29, 2018)

I have thought about doing something like this by simply suspending a cast iron pizza pan under the grill grate.

I think that it's a sound idea but also think that the cast iron pizza pan would be more durable and I also think that it could be cobbled together for less than the $50 + pledge.  (The $50.00 pledge, obviously, has no guarantee that you will wind up with one for that price)

Granted;  You don't get the nice new grate, and stone suspension rack, but I would start with a new Weber grate anyway.  The stone pieces may well be a better heat sink than a cast iron pizza pan, but I'm not sure that you would benefit a whole lot from that.

My idea is to suspend the CI pan under the grill grate with a combination of appropriate length bolts and fender washers.  You may, obviously, need to bore holes through the pizza pan.


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## noboundaries (Aug 30, 2018)

Put a couple of fire bricks on the outside of the charcoal grate, load the charcoal grate with cold charcoal and wood no wider than the end of the CI pan, add a few hot briquettes, put the CI pan on the bricks, add the grill grate with the ends that tilt up to add more charcoal  Might work. Going to have to try it.


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## one eyed jack (Aug 30, 2018)

noboundaries said:


> Put a couple of fire bricks on the outside of the charcoal grate, load the charcoal grate with cold charcoal and wood no wider than the end of the CI pan, add a few hot briquettes, put the CI pan on the bricks, add the grill grate with the ends that tilt up to add more charcoal  Might work. Going to have to try it.



Good idea.  This might be a better idea than suspending the pan from the grate, which was bound to become cumbersome, at least.  Seems like, with careful placement of the support bricks, you could still utilize the "snake" charcoal method, too.


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## noboundaries (Aug 30, 2018)

In my 18" Kettle, may it RIP, I used to use line up firebricks off to one side, put a charcoal basket behind them, add the cold charcoal/wood, a few hot briquettes, and smoke like that. With the tilt-up grate, I could reload charcoal as needed. It worked basically the same as my Smokenator in the 22". The firebricks have since disappeared (a mystery never solved), but I actually liked smoking that way in the Kettle.


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## Bummed (Aug 30, 2018)

one eyed jack said:


> I have thought about doing something like this by simply suspending a cast iron pizza pan under the grill grate.
> 
> I think that it's a sound idea but also think that the cast iron pizza pan would be more durable and I also think that it could be cobbled together for less than the $50 + pledge.  (The $50.00 pledge, obviously, has no guarantee that you will wind up with one for that price)
> 
> ...



I like that idea, I have an old Char-Broil Kettleman grate that I can use to suspend a round cast iron pizza pan with and then put a grate on top of that.

I didn't know that about Kickstarter, glad I didn't pledge.

Thanks


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## one eyed jack (Aug 30, 2018)

noboundaries said:


> In my 18" Kettle, may it RIP, I used to use line up firebricks off to one side, put a charcoal basket behind them, add the cold charcoal/wood, a few hot briquettes, and smoke like that. With the tilt-up grate, I could reload charcoal as needed. It worked basically the same as my Smokenator in the 22". The firebricks have since disappeared (a mystery never solved), but I actually liked smoking that way in the Kettle.



I use that type set-up quite often in my kettle.  I didn't have access to fire brick and used regular brick,  (I do know about moisture saturation and the possibility of exploding brick, but my brick had been in dry storage for quite a while.  They have worked fine for 5 or 6 years.)  I use the snake for low and slow in the kettle and the bricks for higher heat cooks.

Flame is Hickory chunk.


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## one eyed jack (Aug 30, 2018)

Bummed said:


> I like that idea, I have an old Char-Broil Kettleman grate that I can use to suspend a round cast iron pizza pan with and then put a grate on top of that.
> 
> I didn't know that about Kickstarter, glad I didn't pledge.
> 
> Thanks



Your welcome.  I'm not much of a gambler and so avoid "kickstart" deals, usually.

For clarity;  I was thinking to simply suspend the pizza pan under the Weber grill grate but, it would be more convenient to have an additional grate, for your food, above the grate holding the pizza pan.

Post some pics when you get it together.


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## Bummed (Aug 31, 2018)

Here is the charcoal grate that is suspended with my 14" cast iron pizza pan. Think I may need a larger pan but it would work well for indirect.


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## one eyed jack (Sep 3, 2018)

Hey Bummed,

Thanks for the pictures.  I've been out of town for the weekend.  Just now catching up.

As long as your coals are under the CI pan, your golden.


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