Refactoring the BBQ – Setting Up a BBQ Grill for Grilling, Smoking and Roasting
On the way towards our Texas BBQ brisket, it dawned upon us that we could save alot of time by writing out the instructions for setting up a BBQ for grilling, smoking and roasting once, and referring back to it many times. In programming this is referred to as refactoring.
Of course, how one sets up a BBQ depends on the type of Q you have. These generally fall into 2 categories, a charcoal BBQ like the Weber or Big Green Egg, and gas like the…Weber Gas Grill.
If you are serious about technique and flavour, dump the gas grill for charcoal. It’s messier, takes slightly more time, but you can generate more heat and flavour from charcoal.
Here our are refactored instructions.
Setting Up a Charcoal BBQ
Before you start setting up a charcoal BBQ, save yourself a world of trouble and buy a Weber charcoal chimney, large fireproof BBQ mitts, and 25 pound bag of Kingsford charcoal briquettes.
The chimney allows you to ignite charcoals safely and effortlessly. The briquettes burn much more evenly than lump charcoal allowing a more control over a chaotic process.
Here is the condensed version of lighting the charcoals:
- Take a piece of newspaper, crumple it up, and stuff it in the bottom of the chimney.
- Turn the chimney right side on the grill of your BBQ. Load the upper chamber with charcoal.
- Light the newspaper with a match. Wait about 15 minutes until all you see bright orange colour below the topmost briquettes.
- Put on the BBQ mitts, and pour the hot coals into your BBQ. Using a BBQ rake, move the coals to the desired location.
For an illustrated version of the process, check out the instructions from the “Virtual Weber Bullit” website.
Now that the coals are hot, you can distribute the coals for the grilling, smoking and roasting.
Setting up the Charcoal BBQ for Grilling
For grilling, you want alot of direct heat. Evenly distribute the hot coals over 2/3 the surface of the charcoal holder. Open the lower and upper vents of your BBQ to allow maximum airflow. You should be able to crank your BBQ over 500F or more. Our experience is that one chimney full of coals is good for 2 hours of grilling.
Setting up the Charcoal BBQ for Roasting
For roasting, you want to setup indirect heat. To do so, push the coals over to one side of the grill. Shut the vents completely. The temperature should rise to 250F to 300F. Open the vents a bit to raise the temperature, or conversely, shutter the vents to lower the temperature. Roast your target meat or vegetable on the cool side of the grill.
Setting up the Charcoal BBQ for Smoking
Smoking also requires indirect heat, so the setup is similar to roasting. Push all coals to one side of the grill. Most charcoal grills have a trap door that allow you to add more briquets and woodchips to the hot coals. Adjust the vents for your deisired temperature. For smoking times longer than 2 hours, add 4 briquettes and your desired wood chips to the hot coals every hour.
Setting Up a Gas BBQ
Setting up a Gas Grill for Grilling
This is pretty easy. Turn on the gas on the grills you want to use. Close the lid and let it come up to temperature.
Setting up a Gas Grill for Roasting
Still simple. Turn on the burners of one side of the grill, and leave the other side off. Close the lid and let it come to temperature. Roast from the cool side of the Q.
Setting up a Gas Grill for Roasting
This is a little bit trickier. You will need need to remove the grates from the hot side of grill. Remove the grates and turn on the burners of one side of the grill. You will need aluminum foil poaches to hold your wood chips. Take some aluminum foil, wrap a handfull of wood chips or chunks like a burrito, punch some holes in the foil to allow smoke to escape, and chuck the whole thing on hot side of the grill.
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