# Breaking in the Vortex on the kettle: questions.



## browneyesvictim (Jun 14, 2018)

So i got this thing fired up. Got 3/4 chimney with RO Chefs Select and several medium sized pieces of Lazzari lump. Left vents open and temps shot up like a rocket like i expected it would. Im cooking some chicken hind quarters to get a feel for it. Do you guys throttle the temps down with vents or just let it blaze as intended! 

Dried out skin in convection oven. Sprinkled a little of Jeff's rub with oil. A fresh batch of Jeff's bbq sauce to finish.


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jun 14, 2018)

Instant read says 185 to 190. Time to flip and start saucing.







Quite the disparity between dome temp and grate temp.


----------



## dcecil (Jun 14, 2018)

Chicken looks awesome.  I can’t wait to get a vortex for my Weber.  THe thing that caught my eye in the picture is what your chimney is sitting on.  Is that a propane burner.  And let me just say if it is and that’s how you light your chimney GENIUS.  LOL


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jun 14, 2018)

Thank you. And yes. That propane burner is awesome for that. They light in mere minutes. When I start the Lazzari lump with that... what a fireworks show!


----------



## dcecil (Jun 14, 2018)

I bet it is, guess I’m gonna have to grab one of those when I grab my kettle.  How did the chicken turn out


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jun 14, 2018)

Outstanding skin and flavor but a little overdone. Not dry though being dark meat. Char was perfect to my liking. I have learned to not be afraid to go hotter and faster and less time with the vortex. It's not going to burn with the dome therm pegged!


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jun 14, 2018)

The propane burner came with a turkey fryer set-up. I use the aluminum stockpot and perforated basket more for boiling crab. But i use the gas burner for pan roasting green coffee beans now too.


----------



## gmc2003 (Jun 15, 2018)

I let it go full bore. No throttling down the vents. That chicken looks great. 

Point for sure.

Chris


----------



## joedube70 (Jun 15, 2018)

Looks good!
I am breaking in a new vortex this afternoon.


----------



## SmokinAl (Jun 15, 2018)

I let mine go full throttle too, but I use a full grate & put a chunk of wood over the fire.
I have found it easier to just start with about 1/2 chimney of coals & the fire isn't quite so hot.
The first time I used it I did wings & they were done in about 15 minutes, I had to use welding gloves to take the lid off.
I thought it was gonna melt the lid. But boy is it a chicken wing smoking machine!!
Al


----------



## 73saint (Jun 15, 2018)

I hadn’t even heard of this device, where have I been?  Gotta get one!


----------



## Bones816 (Jun 15, 2018)

What size Vortex is it?  Which size should I get for 22" Weber?  The medium?  Are you all getting the actual Vortex brand or knock offs?


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jun 15, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> I let it go full bore. No throttling down the vents. That chicken looks great.
> 
> Point for sure.
> 
> Chris



Thanks Chris for the like. Thank you for the input. I throttled this cook down. But I wont on the next one and see how it goes.



joedube70 said:


> Looks good!
> I am breaking in a new vortex this afternoon.



Awesome. I really like this thing so far. I can envision I will be using mine a lot.



SmokinAl said:


> I let mine go full throttle too, but I use a full grate & put a chunk of wood over the fire.
> I have found it easier to just start with about 1/2 chimney of coals & the fire isn't quite so hot.
> The first time I used it I did wings & they were done in about 15 minutes, I had to use welding gloves to take the lid off.
> I thought it was gonna melt the lid. But boy is it a chicken wing smoking machine!!
> Al



Thank you AL Your input is appreciated as well. For wings I will definitely go full bore, but I wasn't so sure about that with leg quarters. But it sure got hot when I did have all the vents open! I guess I "chickened" out. I wasn't sure on how much charcoal to put in it either. Do you monitor your grate temps at all other than (ignoring) the dome therm?  I'm going to try the full grate next time and a wood chunk. I didn't put any in with the coals either and I didn't get much smoke al all.



73saint said:


> I hadn’t even heard of this device, where have I been?  Gotta get one!



Place your order 73 and join the club. Everyone that I know of that got one LOVES it. I just got my first crush last night...



Bones816 said:


> What size Vortex is it?  Which size should I get for 22" Weber?  The medium?  Are you all getting the actual Vortex brand or knock offs?



This one is a Medium size that is for the 22 Kettle 26.75 WSM, and the medium Kamado and BGE. This one is an authentic Vortex brand.


----------



## Bones816 (Jun 15, 2018)

Thank you!  Gotta order one!


----------



## SmokinAl (Jun 15, 2018)

Thank you AL Your input is appreciated as well. For wings I will definitely go full bore, but I wasn't so sure about that with leg quarters. But it sure got hot when I did have all the vents open! I guess I "chickened" out. I wasn't sure on how much charcoal to put in it either. Do you monitor your grate temps at all other than (ignoring) the dome therm? I'm going to try the full grate next time and a wood chunk. I didn't put any in with the coals either and I didn't get much smoke al all.

I put an oven therm on the grate close to the outside where the meat is, you know one of those $5 ones from Wally World. The temp usually stays in the 350+ range.
I figured that much heat would fry a temp probe. I'm sure the middle of the dome was 1000 degrees, the first run.
Also after the first run I used a cast iron grate, cause I thought the Weber S/S grate was going to melt. It got red hot in about 30 seconds.
After using less charcoal the wings take about 45 min to an hour to cook, and boy are they crispy!!
Al


----------



## gmc2003 (Jun 15, 2018)

I'm with Al on the full grate, I only use KKB and a full grate with a chunk of wood in the middle. The only difference is that I fill the Vortex up to the top.  If it's too hot you can lift the lid and basically stop the cooking(except residual). Make sure you use some type of insulated glove or you'll burn your hand. 

Chris


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jul 5, 2018)

Another round... wings this time! 24 hours in slaughterhouse brine.







3/4 chimney RO select. I did also throw in a chunk of kiawe. 5 lbs of wings sections on. No rub.







Getting there... for some reason temps are cruising at 425 with vents wide open.  I eas expecting hotter and faster like last time. Hmmm...






Sauced 1/2 with dirtsailors Carolina Gold and 1/2 Jeff's Bbq sauce.





They took over an hour to get done. But OMG so good! The kiawe really came through and were a hit for the 4th.

Lessons learned:
Adding some Lump vs straight briquettes= BIG difference in temps with vents wide open.
5 lbs. of wing sections is the max load with this ring shaped grate.
Kiawe is AWSOME on wings!


----------



## gmc2003 (Jul 5, 2018)

Looks mighty tasty to me BEV, I was surprised that it took over an hour to finish. Mine are usually done in under an hour. I do however fill the Vortex up to just under grate level. Nice job on those wings.

Chris


----------



## 73saint (Jul 5, 2018)

That sure looks tasty, where do you get kiawe?


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jul 5, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Looks mighty tasty to me BEV, I was surprised that it took over an hour to finish. Mine are usually done in under an hour. I do however fill the Vortex up to just under grate level. Nice job on those wings.
> 
> Chris



Thank you. That's what I was expecting as well- particularly after my experiences with the hind quarter smoke. The only thing different is I used a mix of lump and briquetts last time. I guess it is possible I might have had a bottom vent(s) plugged or something.



73saint said:


> That sure looks tasty, where do you get kiawe?



Thank you. I bought the Kiawe directly online from Guava Wood Farms Hawaii, but the order was fulfilled by Kauai Tree Care


----------

