No covers?

[JimSpy]

Hello, I'm pretty new to BBQ, hope I've come to the right place. (Is there a separate forum for neophytes?) I own a Charmglow Gourmet Series 810-8750, and for years I've been struggling with it because it doesn't have hoods or covers, and the burners seem to burn unevenly. So today I'm surfing, looking for something I can use as a cover, when come to find out, "Those are features, not bugs"...? Apparently you Ph.Ds in Barbecuery don't use covers when grilling? And the uneven burning is due to the burners being "U"-shaped, and it's useful for cooking different things at different temps? Just checking to see if I have this right.

If all this is true, is there a guidebook out there for grilling in this "unique" environment? I have a couple of "grilling bibles" but they don't seem to mention either of these "oddities." Any help appreciated.

 

[Max1]

Boy are you misinformed, I always use a cover, without it you can not regulate your temperatures.

 

[JimSpy]

Boy are you misinformed, I always use a cover, without it you can not regulate your temperatures.

Well. they're apparently saying that that's what the U-shaped burner is for.

And yes, I'm misinformed. That's why I'm here.

 

[Max1]

Sorry, as for your grill I have no input on that, I have never heard of a u-shaped burner. As you can see I have all Webers for grills. I dont understand why they would not have a cover for it.

 

[dledmo]

The reference I have always heard, particularly with gas grills, is that grilling without the lid down is like baking in the oven with the door open. Grilling with wood, briquets, etc. the fire can be built large and hot enough to cook without a lid.

 

[Lexicon Devil]

Well. Without a lid, you can only cook relatively thin cuts of meat over high heat. Any of the indirect heat applications would be fairly useless I would think. Low and slow smoking. A complete non starter. Think of it as a stove and an oven. Most grills can act as a stove (high heat) but then transform into an oven (low or indirect heat). You have a stove only, so it can only do stove stuff. There are plenty of things to cook at high heat though, so all is not lost. Also, you might be able to mod it with a lid of some kind.

Grilling without a lid is something I do sometimes, like grilling burgers or dogs. But not all the time. As was said above, the lid gives you the ability to regulate the temp much more accurately. I do more smoking and reverse sear than I do high heat grilling.

Uneven cooking may or may not be a result of burner design. Either way, you need to learn the hot spots and cold spots on your grill. Everybody does, but for you it is even more critical (what with no lid and all). You can use your knowledge of the grill to move food around on the grate and even out the doneness.

I would say you have the grill you have, find out what it's good at and get a WSM or electric bullet smoker or something that will do some of the other things. Or just get a Weber kettle and it will do everything well.

 

[nvestysly]

JimSpy,

That's one behemoth of a grill! I'm on the noob side too but I didn't even realize you can buy a grill that large. It looks like it belongs in a professional restaurant kitchen.

I looked at several web sites for information about your grill and, like you, I don't see any reference to covers. From the pictures I saw it appears there are as many as 6 or 8 burners. No covers seems odd to me.

You could certainly find some sort of cover that may help you with your issues. A kettle grill cover, or some other sheet metal box could be used on a portion of the grill to capture and utilize heat to make a more uniform cooking area. It's not uncommon to see grills on the street corner on trash day - snag a cover and try it. In absence of that just use a large lid or steel bowl from your kitchen.

If you want to do any sort of smoking you'll need to figure out how to contain the heat and smoke.

Good luck.

 

[JimSpy]

Thanks to all for your answers.

I have been using a couple of "re-purposed" covers, from basting dishes and wok covers and the like. It doesn't seem to make that much of a difference in terms of temp regulation, I'm thinking because they are not big enough to cover the whole grill area and some heat escapes around the sides. I grok the idea of getting to know the hot spots, which are at the back of the U-shaped burners; the front areas are almost cool to the touch at full flame. It's a weird setup to be sure, but it was so cheap I couldn't pass it up - $1200! Including the fridge! But maybe now I know why....