I am struggling to get this keg hot enough to grill; smoking is all I can do. Any suggestions?
596302
Make sure it is not over filled with coal. Adequate ventilation in combination with air flow adjustments both top and bottom should increase temperature.
596303
Let the coals burn with the lid and bottom vent wide open for 15-20 minutes, then close the lid. Keep the bottom and top vents fully open until you get to the temp you need. Once I hit temp with the vents wide open, I usually close both down to level 1 or 2. That usually works fine. To ensure air flow into the bottom vent, you may need to orient (i.e., turn the keg) "into" whichever way the breeze is blowing. On an unusually calm day recently (no breeze at all), I actually hooked up a small floor fan near the keg and pointed it to the bottom vent. That worked great. Got the coals red hot in no time. Hope you're enjoying the Keg. We love ours.
596304
Let the coals burn with the lid and bottom vent wide open for 15-20 minutes, then close the lid. Keep the bottom and top vents fully open until you get to the temp you need. Once I hit temp with the vents wide open, I usually close both down to level 1 or 2. That usually works fine. To ensure air flow into the bottom vent, you may need to orient (i.e., turn the keg) "into" whichever way the breeze is blowing. On an unusually calm day recently (no breeze at all), I actually hooked up a small floor fan near the keg and pointed it to the bottom vent. That worked great. Got the coals red hot in no time. Hope you're enjoying the Keg. We love ours. Let the coals burn with the lid and bottom vent wide open for 15-20 minutes, then close the lid. Keep the bottom and top vents fully open until you get to the temp you need. Once I hit temp with the vents wide open, I usually close both down to level 1 or 2. That usually works fine. To ensure air flow into the bottom vent, you may need to orient (i.e., turn the keg) "into" whichever way the breeze is blowing. On an unusually calm day recently (no breeze at all), I actually hooked up a small floor fan near the keg and pointed it to the bottom vent. That worked great. Got the coals... » Read More Let the coals burn with the lid and bottom vent wide open for 15-20 minutes, then close the lid. Keep the bottom and top vents fully open until you get to the temp you need. Once I hit temp with the vents wide open, I usually close both down to level 1 or 2. That usually works fine. To ensure air flow into the bottom vent, you may need to orient (i.e., turn the keg) "into" whichever way the breeze is blowing. On an unusually calm day recently (no breeze at all), I actually hooked up a small floor fan near the keg and pointed it to the bottom vent. That worked great. Got the coals red hot in no time. Hope you're enjoying the Keg. We love ours. « Show Less
596305
humm...I assume you are using "lump" charcoal. On that basis try lighting it with a torch or one of the little wax impregnated compressed wood lighters. Lump cam be difficult to light, once you get the hang of it no problem. Yes, as someone else pointed out overfilling can be a problem as well. Consult instructions.
596306
humm...I assume you are using "lump" charcoal. On that basis try lighting it with a torch or one of the little wax impregnated compressed wood lighters. Lump cam be difficult to light, once you get the hang of it no problem.
596307
are you using lump charcoal? ignore the suggestions, double the recommended amount - light it in 4 places. I am using Frontier lump, but there are many other good ones (see The Naked Whiz Review http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag). I use a Looftlighter, but there re many methods. mine goes to 740 degrees in abut an hour
596308
Allow grill to run with lid and air vent open until fire is desired heat. Can take 20-30 minutes
596309
The key to getting this grill hot, is air flow. Make sure you are not blocking the bottom air holes with e charcoal, and also make sure you keep the ash dump clear and open before each use. If you have the top and bottom vents open fully you should be able to get this grill above 600 easy!
596310
Keep bottom Vents open and dont close top untill temp gets where you want. Remember the more air flow the hotter the coals.
1360281
hey thomas, the best result i have found is with either the charcoal or gas grill flame being close enough to heat the bottom of the grill grates with at least 350 degrees. with the lid then closed and good airflow you want the grates to get to "steakhouse temps" approx 600-650 degrees, before you put the meat one. so with a decent bbq grill thermometer, check the temp and see if it will work, which since your traeger is not just a low temp smoker, the medium or high cook setting will do the trick. never let the grill grates get over heated as it can ruin the anodizing on them, gary.... p.s. go to smokingmeatforums DOT com for a wealth of bbq info hey thomas, the best result i have found is with either the charcoal or gas grill flame being close enough to heat the bottom of the grill grates with at least 350 degrees. with the lid then closed and good airflow you want the grates to get to "steakhouse temps" approx 600-650 degrees, before you put the meat one. so with a decent bbq grill thermometer, check the temp and see if it will work, which since your traeger is not just a low temp smoker, the medium or high cook setting will do the trick. never let the grill grates get over heated as it can ruin the anodizing on them,... » Read More hey thomas, the best result i have found is with either the charcoal or gas grill flame being close enough to heat the bottom of the grill grates with at least 350 degrees. with the lid then closed and good airflow you want the grates to get to "steakhouse temps" approx 600-650 degrees, before you put the meat one. so with a decent bbq grill thermometer, check the temp and see if it will work, which since your traeger is not just a low temp smoker, the medium or high cook setting will do the trick. never let the grill grates get over heated as it can ruin the anodizing on them, gary.... p.s. go to smokingmeatforums DOT com for a wealth of bbq info « Show Less
1765613
I bought the chimney for lighting it, the chimney speeds things up.The grill is good, but find myself using the gas grill yet,seems I don't want to take time lighting etc. Maybe grill twice on a small bag of coal
978542
Have you tried looking at the indicator from a lower position (looking up at it)? We thought the same about ours, and later realized that while looking at it from above (its) counter height that it always looked full. Upon stooping down we noticed that the bars were actually decreasing with the keg contents, just the lights show through and always appear full when looking down at it. Now we always know when we have to get ready to crack another. :-)
339642
I have used wood with charcoal to grill and I really like that but I've not tried only smoking. There is good air control on the bottom and on the lid, so it might be possible if you set the air flow correctly. Good Luck
935827
Yes..first time using..temp is difficult to get over250, and drops to 150 immediately on opening grill top. Does anyone else notice that the back of the grill is open above the black backing? Heat is escaping, though doesn't feel like much. The food, hamburgers and sausage, seems to be cooking though, and nicely. What's the deal here?
347106
I have one just like yours. Make a schedule to clean your grill at least every other month. Check the burners for blocked holes. Dirt and grease built up will for sure lower the heat output. Buy new burners from Weber website. Its tech support people are great.
205186
I have the same problem on one I received a week ago. The tap is over sized a bit. I corected the problem with a wrap of heavy aluminum foil and then several wraps w/ teflon tape. It holds pretty well for now, when I have a chance I will add a nut to the inside to make sure it won't slip out. I want to make beer, not deal with the hassle of return...
1418875
Try adding the extension piece. Weber is extremely helpful with this problem.
1232678
You need make sure your vents are partially opened, the more open they are the temps will rise higher. I am assuming you have a WEBER, you also will be better served if you have a Weber chimney starter. Make sure all your coals (kinsford) is best and any wood chunks are evenly hot under the water shield. Make sure your thermometer is working properly, and dont add meat to the grill until the temperature is around 250 deg. Having a Weber with the sweep motion to clean the ashes is also a must, this feature controls the temp of the grill. You will see the by using minor adjustments during the cooking time (it needs to be open somewhat). Good luck You need make sure your vents are partially opened, the more open they are the temps will rise higher. I am assuming you have a WEBER, you also will be better served if you have a Weber chimney starter. Make sure all your coals (kinsford) is best and any wood chunks are evenly hot under the water shield. Make sure your thermometer is working properly, and dont add meat to the grill until the temperature is around 250 deg. Having a Weber with the sweep motion to clean the ashes is also a must, this feature controls the temp of the grill. You will see the by using minor adjustments during the... » Read More You need make sure your vents are partially opened, the more open they are the temps will rise higher. I am assuming you have a WEBER, you also will be better served if you have a Weber chimney starter. Make sure all your coals (kinsford) is best and any wood chunks are evenly hot under the water shield. Make sure your thermometer is working properly, and dont add meat to the grill until the temperature is around 250 deg. Having a Weber with the sweep motion to clean the ashes is also a must, this feature controls the temp of the grill. You will see the by using minor adjustments during the cooking time (it needs to be open somewhat). Good luck « Show Less
832495
Only add water if you want to "smoke" cook your food. I usually dont use water to grill at all.
2278652
Soak plank. Put fish/meat on plank. Put plank on grill. Try not to ignite/ burn the plank. That's it.
1032717
IF let's off a fair amount of smoke. I was not very happy, and would net rocommend. For me, the problem I had was it got too hot, even on the lowest of settings for my gas burner. Also, it's impossible to clean, without scraping of the coating. the last time I used it was to sear tuna. I let it sit for a day and scrubbed very hard to remove the residue. I used a sponge,then a soappad, becasue the sponge did nothing for the black residue ledt behind. I scrubbed so hard some of the costing rubbed off, and there is still residue left? Hope you have better luck and this was helpful
1881792
I never found a good way. This item is a better smoker than it is a grill. I could never get the coals close enough to the grill to sear a steak, so i got a piece of grate and a couple of bricks and just raised the level about four inches. It works much better.
998931
Thanks for replies. The burner is usually the first thing to rust out so I will look for a different grill.
43087
Pot is top of the line. I agree it could be that your burner will not go low enough. A flame tamer works great.
26982
Well, I thought about that too. The only thing I did was put in the new grates & flavorizers and heat it up to a pretty high temperature. You'll see some smoke for a few minutes and then I let it cool. After that no more smoking and I went ahead and started cooking. I typically spray a bit of that Pam for Grilling spray to make cleaning easier later. (Never clean the flavorizer bars though.)