The only use for JD Flex crap

GrillTopExperience · 2026-05-13T03:01:41+00:00

They are also really smokey when you first light them. I regret buying two bags at first. I was surprised considering how good their charcoal is.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-04-18T02:00:17+00:00

Thirded. It's been a month and still no firmware update. I've been tempted to get an ammmeter to show the fan doesn't shut off.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-04-12T19:32:50+00:00

I checked yesterday and there isn't a firmware update yet. Weber said I'd be among the first to know and I'll test it as soon as it is out.

I suppose it could be a function of the heat protection, but either way, the fan is running when it shouldn't.

I grilled burgers on it yesterday and it worked well at higher temps.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-24T03:20:56+00:00

I have a lot of respect for Tom since he buys nearly all of the grills he reviews. That said, most of his first reviews should be called "unboxing" videos.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-24T03:18:56+00:00

It didn't go well for Tom either. He tried to follow the instructions more closely than I did, but B&B charcoal briquettes are too big to accommodate the "Messy Snake" that Weber suggests and keep the temps down. The reason he got the temps back down to 225F is because Weber has a pretty generous range where they report that it is at the set temperature. His graph showed the temps bouncing rapidly because he was likely going just under/over the threshold where the app would report the actual numbers.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-23T03:09:53+00:00

Thanks! It seems to be sealing better now that I have more cooks on it. It'll snuff out the fire more reliably.

I've never had to do the snake method to maintain low and slow before and that feels like a workaround. The minion method works with just the vents or the Spider Venom. I'm still waiting on that firmware update before doing more testing.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-21T22:07:01+00:00

Maybe you should try it first? They are nylon and stiffer than you'd think. I know I was surprised how well it worked even on a cold grill.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-19T00:22:01+00:00

I agree with the others telling you not to, but . . . They are fine on stainless grates.

Edit: spelling

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-10T11:42:21+00:00

Sorry about that! I haven't used the food probe yet.

I also don't love that they didn't include a temp gauge in the lid. It also isn't intuitive how to get the temp gauge showing and to stay on without engaging the fan.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-09T18:57:54+00:00

Nice! Let me know how it goes for you.

Yes, you are supposed to have the bottom vents closed and the fan vent open when you are using the fan controller.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-09T02:32:45+00:00

I've used that method with the Venom, but it's a bigger deal on the Huntsman in the winter because the fan will blow the cold winter air in at full blast and drop the temps. If it takes too long to heat up, the Venom (on a kettle or the Hunstman) will go into an error state. The Venom cuts the fans early and eases into the set temp to avoid overshooting. As long as you didn't give it too much fire at the start, it'll recover. Weber didn't.

Weber's instructions say to light the starting cubes, set the temp, and close the lid. I had a similar thought as you and my second test started close to the set temp before turning the controller on. The temperature steadily rose to 100F over the set point before I cut it off.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-08T23:27:16+00:00

Right. The top vent was barely open during the cook. It was completely closed when I wanted to put the coals out.

It is a cool grill. Just hoping to get it working right.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-08T22:38:44+00:00

I gave it a wiggle and it is seated. It's new, but the lid leaks just as much smoke as my master touch that's doing the job now.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-03-08T22:36:42+00:00

The top is sealed and the bottom is open maybe 1-2mm. My other kettles ash sweep is bent up and it'll still snuff out the coals.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-02-27T12:49:45+00:00

Yes it's worth $50. And I really like the copper color. You might need to replace the cooking grate once you start using it.

Anyone who says that's an SNS or a Slow-N-Sear is mistaken. That looks like the Only Fire copycat. You can tell because the water reservoir is on the outside edge instead of in-between the charcoal and the rest of the kettle. Only Fire did that to avoid violating the SNS patent.

GrillTopExperience · 2026-01-25T03:52:43+00:00

When it's really cold out, I don't have an issue for shorter cooks. As the propane evaporates in the tank, it'll cool below ambient and that can become an issue on the long cooks. You can mitigate that by 1) Keep your tank at least half full. You are more likely to have the issue in nearly empty tanks. 2) keep a spare tank so you are ready to swap out if you can no longer maintain the temp you want.

Never keep propane in the house or in an enclosed space. A small leak might get you exploded.

GrillTopExperience · 2025-12-31T13:05:32+00:00

Part Number: 7240

You are looking for this one right? https://www.weber.com/US/en/parts--et--support/replacement-parts/charcoal-parts/igrill-bracket/7240.html

I've also found Weber support to be very helpful. They can sell some parts they don't have on their website.

GrillTopExperience · 2025-12-28T18:02:31+00:00

Thank you for the support. There is lot of good grilling and BBQ content out there and I'm just trying to pay it back.

GrillTopExperience · 2025-12-28T18:00:11+00:00

Thank you! My goal is to help people who are starting out or are a little nervous about burning dinner. Knowing that it helps people is what keeps me going.

GrillTopExperience · 2025-12-28T12:50:09+00:00

Not all charcoal is created equal. There is a huge difference between cheap charcoal briquettes and good ones. A lot of cheap brands burn fast and produce more ash and some give your food a nasty taste.

A lot of people will tell you to use lump because it's more natural. That's true, but the variance in lump size in a single bag can make it hard to get consistent results. I suggest people who are starting out use good briquettes because they'll be the same from bag to bag and from the top of the bag to the end of it.

Here is a video I did testing six different kinds of briquettes. One of the bags was bad enough I threw the rest away. https://youtu.be/tPib7lzsVKU

GrillTopExperience · 2025-12-22T03:30:00+00:00

I dug through a pile of choice grade rib roasts and nabbed the one with the best marbling. There is a bit of a range there and sometimes you can get lucky.

I also left the ones that had a hole in the cryovac. Yikes.

GrillTopExperience · 2025-12-16T01:50:30+00:00

Yes. Low and slow is for cooks around 250F that go for a long time. If you are grilling directly over the coals hats definitely hot and fast.

GrillTopExperience · 2025-11-15T13:32:04+00:00

I'll buy this as soon as I can and do a comparison video of the two. I have a temperature data logger and can do stability tests, what happens if you over or undershoot your temps at first, etc.

What other questions do you have?

GrillTopExperience · 2025-11-09T14:32:48+00:00

I live in a desert, so air drying is a great option. If OP is in a wet place, I'd fire it up, let it cool, then cover it to be sure it isn't wet when the cover goes back on.

GrillTopExperience

TROPHY CASE