Leak lid .. just adjust vents ... ok?

[carlcmc]

I just bought the Weber Gold one touch 26 inch and the Smokenator to go with it.

First off, fantastic hamburgers grilled low and slow and steak was great next cook.

My experience is that the lid seem to allow a bit of air leak too. I run the bottom vent at 1/4 open (i pre marked with a sharpie at closed, 1/4, 1/2,3/4, 1/1/) and the top at 3/16 (I marked each hole with a line 3/16, 5/16, 7/16)

This will run it right at 250 at the built in thermometer (which I tested in boiling water to be accurate).

If I open either one more than I go up to 300 pretty easily.

So ... anyone see any problems with doing it this way? Seems like a pain to get the clips and put them on or off if I can just make do by keeping the vents closed a bit more.

My hamburgers did take an hour to reach 160 (I ran a digital thermometer through the top vent into the meat so it wouldn't go under the lid) but had a beautiful pink smoke ring in the thick hamburgers. They were the juiciest tenderest smoky hamburgers!

My other problem is that because of the lid leak, when I'm done grilling and shut everything down, it may take hours for the temp to drop as things continue to get just a bit air to keep smoldering. In fact the temp stayed at 240-250 for 5 hours after I closed all the vents ... without much of the charcoal burning .... ?

[ecripps]

Should be fine doing it that way as long as you can keep the temp around 250. If you start to have issues with the temp getting too hot, use the clips. You could also put the binder clips on the lid when it is not in use to help shape the lid to the Weber. We found the 26" Weber were more prone to having a leaky lid than the 22". Most of the 26" Webers we tested on needed binder clips to keep the temp around the 240-250 range.

Regards,

Ed Cripps

[w33mac]

Hi, this is probably going to sound a bit stupid, but, what are BINDER CLIPS?

[rangerone]

Hello w33mac,
These are binder clips.

You can use them to "clip" the lid to the bowl to help reduce or prevent air leaks.

Allan aka RangerOne

[rangerone]

Hello carlcmc,

When I went to a show room to buy my 22 inch, every model on display had a lid that would "rock" on the bowl. None of them sat properly. Before purchasing I asked about this, and I was told it was because the display models were chosen because the units had been dropped, banged, or otherwise abused in shipping. I was promised that if my lid did not sit properly, I would get a replacement. My new 22 inch had no issues with the fit. I saw no leaks and my kettle cools to room temperature in about 20-30 minutes after I close the vents off.
If your lid is very noticeably rocking, you may be able to get a replacement. There is also a thread somewhere here where someone measured the lid and bowl, determined the lid was out of round, and gently reshaped the lid to provide a better fit. That might be another option. You can also go with the clips, but I agree that is a bit of a pain to put them on and take them off each time you need to get into the kettle.

Let us know what you decide to do, and how it works out.

Allan aka RangerOne

[w33mac]

Thanks rangerone, much appreciated.