# Weber Q Indirect grilling



## MRRussell

I have downsized my gas grill to a Weber Q. I love its easy cleanup when you are just one person but does anyone have any idea how you could do indirect grilling on it?? I used to do roasts on the big gas grill but gave it away and would like to do more than steaks and hot dogs.


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## QSis

Since the Weber Q's burner is rectangular, indirect cooking of a small roast or chicken would be done in the center of the grill, in the space within the rectangle.  

Lee


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## vagriller

Is it the 100, 200, or 300 series? What do plan to cook via indirect heat?


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## MRRussell

*Weber Model*

It says Weber model 396000, 12,000 BTU on the grill.

I would like to be able to prime rib, a beef tenderloin, and a beef rib roast. Maybe 5 pounds max for me and the shih tzus.


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## The Z

I wonder if you could wrap foil around the gas jets at the end away from where the gas comes in... effectively closing off half (or whatever) of the direct heating surface.


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## vagriller

I'm thinking you could use bricks somehow to deflect the heat.


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## The Z

QSis said:
			
		

> Since the Weber Q's burner is rectangular, indirect cooking of a small roast or chicken would be done in the center of the grill, in the space within the rectangle.


 
The only problem is that it's not a huge cooking surface with a cool spot in the middle.  The grill surface is iron (I think) which tends to heat pretty evenly (not like a wire rack).  I don't think the center area would be big enough, nor the surface cool enough, to do indirect cooking there.


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## vagriller

The Z said:
			
		

> The only problem is that it's not a huge cooking surface with a cool spot in the middle.  The grill surface is iron (I think) which tends to heat pretty evenly (not like a wire rack).  I don't think the center area would be big enough, nor the surface cool enough, to do indirect cooking there.



I was thinking about that too. Space will be a factor, especially if you are cooking a roast.


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## Andy M.

Considering what you have to work with and the ultimate result of all the suggestions, you'll be a lot better off using your oven where you can control the heat and not have to spend a major effort to jury rig a grill that wasn't meant for indirect cooking.


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## LeoRousseau

Maybe this will be of some help. I do a lot of indirect cooking with my weber kettle so I have an idea for the Q since I just scored one really cheap this weekend. How about if you get a throwaway alluminum pan that fits inside the Q and place a roasting rack inside the pan so that the meat doesn't sit in the juice. 
Here's a pic to make you all hungry


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## QSis

Wow, Leo!  I would love to have my competition ribs turn out as beautifully as YOURS!

Great job!

Lee


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## BBQ'd Dude

Thought from left field. Where I live I can go pick up a bullet smoker for around $49-$199 depending on my needs. The $49 bullet smoker I saw last week was at Lowes. For that price and the size (small) I think it would work out great.

Here is a link http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&N=0&Ntk=i_products&Ntt=smoker

Take care,

Brian


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## keltin

Be careful with the Brinkmanns. They are notoriously horrible about air flow. They have redesigned the water smoker (as shown) to have a separate and enclosed fire box that is removable. Nice improvement. But I still don’t see any air flow vents in the fire pit (it's been said that they removed the air vents from the original model because hot ash would fall out and create a fire hazard....I don't know for sure why they did it, but they did remove the air vents from the coal pan). You can search the web and find many pages dedicated to modifying the older Brinkmann water smokers to make them into decent smoking rigs. The original Brinkmanns are affectionately known as ECBs (El Cheapo Brinkmann), and here is one page talking about the mods.

If you get the charcoal version, you’ll probably want to modify the fire box by drilling some air vents in it if it doesn’t have any (in the side, but also be wary of hot ash falling out). Otherwise, get the electric version, especially if it has a thermostat that lets you set the desired temp (some electric smokers don’t).


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## BBQ'd Dude

Thanks Kelton, I was unaware. It almost seems like every smoker needs a few "tweaks" or mods. It would be nice if the manufactures would troll the forums and pick up on these type of mods. Oh well.

Sorry for the bum steer.

Take care,

Brian


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## keltin

BBQ'd Dude said:


> Thanks Kelton, I was unaware. It almost seems like every smoker needs a few "tweaks" or mods. It would be nice if the manufactures would troll the forums and pick up on these type of mods. Oh well.
> 
> Sorry for the bum steer.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Brian


 
Nah, I wouldn’t call it a bum steer! The redesigned Brinkmanns are full or potential, and have adopted the superior compartmental designs used by Weber, Mastebuilt, Meco, and many others. Personally, I wouldn’t have a problem with getting the unit and drilling holes in it. You’d also want to add a charcoal grate to keep the coals off the floor of the pan and allow better air flow (the Brinkmanns usually don’t come with a coal grate). 

But, some people might be put off a bit by having to drill and cut on a new grill.....but for that price, it wouldn’t bother me! Also, it’s good to let people know about the potential airflow problem because they might not be aware and if they try to use the smoker as is, they will have fits trying to regulate the temperature or even keep the fire lit.


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## LeoRousseau

QSis said:


> Wow, Leo! I would love to have my competition ribs turn out as beautifully as YOURS!
> 
> Great job!
> 
> Lee


 
Here is how I do it... I'm gonna try doing some ribs on my Weber Q maybe this weekend while camping.... I'm gonna have to experiment with it and see how low I can get the flame.... Might have to add a valve to cut back the flow just a bit... There are a few ribs missing from the pic because I gave some to the neighbor that was drooling all over the fence...


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## Paymaster

Great Pics,LeoRoussea. Make'n me hungry.


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## Jeekinz

Is it the 300 series Weber Q?

I've done indirect grilling on small grills using one side of the grill and an old pan under the meat.


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## LeoRousseau

I bought the Q 200.... Somewhat smaller than the impressive 300.... The 300 is sweet but I can't imagine carrying that around on our camping trips... The 200 fits perfectly in the doorway of my pop-up camper where thats where it will be while we are towing....


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## Chief Longwind Of The North

Use foil or a shiny, throwaway aluminum pan to deflect the direct heat away from the food.  For grilled flavor, put a bit of the fat over the unprotected area, and maybe some smoking wood in a foil packet to create  the smoke you need.  Keep the heat low.  

And as for those great looking ribs, I do something similar on my Webber kettle, but use two small banks of charcoal on opposite sides, and place my soacke smoking wood directly on the charcoal to insulate the meat from the direct heat.  I use 4 inch diameter by 1/2 inch thick roounds of apple or maple for my wood.  This setup also works great for whole chicken, roasts, and turkeys.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## keltin

Check out what this guy does with an old Weber Kettle. He uses firebricks to build a firebox, then with a small amount of coal, can get 1.5 hours of 225 degree heat for smoking. Pretty neat idea.

Five brick kettle.


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## BBQ'd Dude

Wow, that is a GREAT idea. Makes the heat indirect and is a simple one to do.

Take care,

Brian


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## notjustamom

With our grill we can turn the two end rows of gas on, and leave the middle one off.  I have cooked things in the center that was therefore "indirect".  And those ribs did look tasty.

Wait a minute, I just went back, isn't this thread a year old?  lol


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## keltin

notjustamom said:
			
		

> Wait a minute, I just went back, isn't this thread a year old? lol


 
LOL! 

I didn’t even notice that till you mentioned it. I looks like Leo resurrected it with his post on the 27th. No wonder we haven’t heard anything from the OP!


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## notjustamom

Well, I guess he figured it out by now, lol.


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## Andy M.

notjustamom said:


> With our grill we can turn the two end rows of gas on, and leave the middle one off. I have cooked things in the center that was therefore "indirect". And those ribs did look tasty.
> 
> Wait a minute, I just went back, isn't this thread a year old? lol


 
This is harder to do on a Weber, in my opinion, as the burners run from side to side rather than front to back. As a result, you hava long narrow area of indirect heat rather than a more useable sort of square one.


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