Posted on 04/16/2026 7:42:41 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
The Vortex is so simple yet so effective as a BBQ accessory. Using it for chicken wings on your BBQ is absolutely essential as you can see in this video. You can also flip the Vortex and use it as a divider for indirect heat. The curvature perfectly fits along the curvature of a 22" Weber when the Vortex is flipped. Perfect for indirect heating of meat. Some people even take large metal dog bowls and cut a hole in the bottom and bang the metal into a Vortex shape.
My next BBQ video will probably reveal a barrel extension I added to my Weber which now gives it the capacity to smoke up to 22 racks of ribs, about a dozen whole chickens, and about 10 pincanhas. This weekend I will be smoking a couple of the latter on the new expanded Weber and I will also be using the Vortex in an inverted position for the final sear. The pincanhas will be hanging whole from hooks at the top of the extended BBQ.
PING!
Brine Them
Trim them
Rub them
have another Margarita !
Please let me know when you post your bbq setup.
Sounds like a great idea.
Where did you even get the “vortex” from?
T Check Amazon. However, also check the Onlyfire Vortex knockoff on Amazon because it sells for only about $20. Just make sure it is designed for the 22 inch Weber if that is what you have.
Here is my 22" Weber that you saw in the video with the barrel extension. The transformation is amazing. This weekend I plan to slooowly smoke 2 whole picanhas hanging from hooks from racks in the interior.
OK, so Weber style charcoal collar that focuses heat to center of grill rack to insure wing indirect heat.
Nice.
I have a weber pizza oven extension that is similar.
BKMK
Tomorrow will be a YUUUUUGE BBQ day for me. It will be the FIRST time I use my barrel extension on my Weber. Not only does it allow vastly MORE meat to be cooked but I can also HANG the meat for better cooking. I have already dry brined with kosher salt and pepper two picanhas. Their fat caps have been scored and in one of the picanhas I have inserted garlic cloves deep inside the grooves from the scoring. Hopefully that garlic will soften sufficiently to meld with and spread out inside the meat. In any event it will be an interesting experiment to compare the regular picanha to the picanha with the embeddd garlic. I used about 20 garlic cloves.
Sounds like My kind of Experiment!
Cheers!
The easiest way to make a vortex is go to IKEA get a $4 stainless steel salad bowl and cut the bottom out with a Dremel or angle grinder or drill a pilot hole and use tin snips. Bowls can be had for less at Dollar General or Dollar Tree if you have those in the area.
I have three sizes of bowls with the bottoms cut out. Flip them cut side down and set a beer can chicken in the center coals in a ring around it the bowl shields the IR heat perfectly. Cut side up they generate the airflow vortex effect just like the $80 versions but for $1.50 and some Dremel.time.
Also Protip if you want to burn pellets for heat not just smoldering in a pellet tube get the stainless steel utensil holders also at IKEA or better at goodwill the wide tall one at IKEA holds two hours of heat which you control just like normal with the bottom damper light the pellets top down with a propane torch or use a couple of cotton balls rubbed in Vaseline. No need for a pellet tube if you use burning pellets for heat as the layers under the combustion front smolder first and give plenty of clean smoke not the gross black smoke that’s bitter.
You can also use
For direct heat to grill above it fueled with pellets I found one at goodwill for $2.99 new still had the stickers on it. Put a 2” thick layer of pellets light it with a propane torch across the top center to be it 10 min to fully catch and it’s a 1200 degree inferno large enough under the grate for 6 burgers or two large steaks.
If you really want to get the temps up use a blower feeding into the bottom kettle openings mine uses a metal dryer hose so I can have the blower away from the ash fall.
Amazon has blowers for $15
https://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-Fireplace-Variable-Centrifugal-Barbecue/dp/B0FLJTRYDW/
With pellets I have gotten the fire temp to 1800F via a IR contact less thermo. And with the lid and pizza door kit 900F at the upper some temp the stone was 800 and I was impatient it also would have equalised at 900+ F this is 90 second Neapolitan pizza with that blister that can only be done at 700+ F temps cast iron pizza stone 15” diameter Oak pellets for the heat and flavor with the blower it’s literally a forge you could melt metals with it for sure.
Cheers
#kettlegang
Happy Summer BBQ-Grilling season
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.