Efficiently Use of Charcoal on Kettle

The biggest tip I can give you is practice. Start with something forgiving like a steak and build a fire. Worse comes to worst you get to eat your mistakes.

I have been using my kettle for 2 years and I still learn something Everytime I cook. Never had an inedible meal.

Keep your charcoal stash dry.

I agree with the guys that close the kettle down to snuff the charcoal. Next time you cook, light new charcoal and pour it on top of the old. Charcoal baskets can also make the handling of charcoal easier as it burns out.

I too have been closing the vents and using the unburnt charcoal for the next cook but after reading this maybe I have been going about it wrong, here's how I have been doing it.

I pour some new charcoal in the chimney and then using a fireplace shovel I remove the used, placing it in the chimney, then lighting it up. Never thought about just pouring the new charcoal on top of the old, also never thought of shaking the old charcoal either.

I will give it a try next cook, how long does the old to re-light itself after pouring on the new charcoal?

raggdoll said:

Excellent question. I'm considering a WSM and also wonder about this. Is it even worth it, for all the start and prep hassle just to grill standard BBQ meats. Stuff like that is only on my gasser from 10 to 20 minutes, what am I'm missing here?

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The WSM was designed to indirectly cook briskets, ribs, pork shoulders, etc. for relatively long periods of time over relatively low temperatures. You need a Weber kettle to grill (cook with direct heat) steaks, burgers, etc., ie - the kettle is the replacement or substitute for your gasser, not the WSM.

I don't know about that. I did a simple mod to my WSM. I attached the coal grates and ring to make a simple fire basket and added four handles to shake the ash out. The four handles allow me to set the top cooking grate over the fire basket for direct cooking. I have done several cooks directly over the coals.

Get a weed burner at HF and use it to light your kettle... only way to fly

Okay, well I'm in a different camp than most guys that posted.

I throw out snuffed out charcoal or let whatever I have left at the end of a cook burn out. Especially during the humid summer months. Charcoal is too good at sucking up moisture that when I go to try to relight it, it will light but burn terribly inconsistent. Sure, adding new stuff helps but if I'm lighting fresh charcoal, I may as well start completely fresh and go for broke. Note though, for grilling I use cheap charcoal/lump that I find on sale. I'm not picky when it comes to charcoal for grilling. The cook time is so short that to me personally, the charcoal quality is insignificant. So sometimes I grill with lump, sometimes with briquettes. Just depends on whatever was on sale when I last stocked up.

As far as your grilling technique goes on the kettle, it sounds to me like you have it pretty much figured out and just aren't used to the different style a charcoal grill presents over a gasser.