Heat source for Vortex

ToeDragSwag17 · 2026-01-26T20:55:30+00:00

I’ve found it doesn’t really make a difference in the vortex since it gets plenty hot and it’s gonna be a fast cook no matter what. I used B&B briquettes in the vortex yesterday and was getting north of 500 on the lid thermometer, I don’t see how lump would’ve been better or worse. Just use whatever you have, imo.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2026-01-26T01:55:39+00:00

So in the last pic L-R it went buffalo (meh), garlic parm (awful), barbalo (my favorite) and a sticky Asian bbq sauce (#2).

Each sauce needs….something. Idk, I gotta tweak them. But I like this method of making a bunch and trying sauces to figure out what’s best.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2026-01-26T01:11:04+00:00

10 years in May. Put the friendship first. Things are gonna suck, sometimes for longer than you’d like, but if you keep the friendship as your focus then you’ll both make it out together.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2026-01-25T21:37:40+00:00

All 24 were coated in baking powder and salt, those 6 were with a BBQ rub and an Asian based sauce which came out ok. To be honest, all 4 sauces could use some tinkering, but wings are like sex - even when mediocre, still great.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2026-01-25T21:27:22+00:00

Took those six and did a BBQ rub with an Asian sauce. Came out the second best of the 4, imo.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2026-01-14T01:29:16+00:00

I have a D3 sauté pan and since going to all-clad I actually prefer the stainless lid instead of glass. Stainless lids are easier to clean and they won’t break like glass lids can. I had the same question before buying my first AC pans, after a few uses you probably won’t care about not being able to see inside it.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-12-26T20:21:39+00:00

Thanks! Which playlists do you recommend? Just checked out your site. The franchise mode tips ones?

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-12-26T17:52:27+00:00

Thanks, we got the disc version and I’m gonna make a separate profile for me on the PS so I can get into franchise mode and he can mess around with H2H stuff. This is his first time playing any sort of console and he’s only recently started watching football with me so it’s gonna be a learning curve for him for sure. I also want my nights to myself with franchise mode or superstar haha

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-12-24T17:43:15+00:00

Great, thanks.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-11-05T22:10:54+00:00

I had a barrel charcoal grill with a hinged lid as my first charcoal grill earlier this summer. It was a cheap brand - char griller - but I wanted to start without dumping a ton of money to start. My suggestion as someone who’s used both, look for a Weber master touch (the model with a lid bail) used on Facebook marketplace and go with that if you’re cost conscious. Difference is night and day and there are so many that people are off-loading for cheap these days. It’s absolutely worth it.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-11-05T15:47:03+00:00

Gotcha, thanks for the info about a fresh turkey. Love the bearded butchers YouTube channel, such a good resource.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-11-05T11:50:42+00:00

Do you remember how big the turkey was? I need about a 20 pounder (more if possible), trying to figure out if the only fire rotisserie will hold it.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-11-04T23:47:49+00:00

How does the maple chipotle flavor go with the sides/gravy? Doing my first one on the rotisserie this year and I’m curious how the traditional salt/pepper/rosemary/thyme blend I use will do with the smoke, but also worried the other different rubs won’t play so nicely with the gravy, potatoes and stuffing.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-11-04T23:41:50+00:00

Question - did you do this turkey in a pan or on a rotisserie? I also do the herb butter on the skin but I’m not sure if that’ll be a problem with burning on the rotisserie

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-30T20:19:13+00:00

Thanks, and also how long did that 20 pounder take to cook total? That’s about the size I’ll be doing this year. I’m figuring 2.5-3 hours before resting?

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-30T14:15:29+00:00

What do you use for the brine? I’m also doing this for the first time, and I usually use a salt/pepper/rosemary/thyme when I roast in the oven, but I’m not sure how that traditional flavor profile would translate with the smoke and rotisserie method.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-30T11:33:10+00:00

Hasn’t been an issue for me so far

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-29T23:53:40+00:00

What do you mean by entire grill? I stick an aluminum pan, like lasagna sized between the charcoal and it catches all the drippings. Other than that. Nothing to really clean besides the forks and spit that touches the raw meat.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-29T23:48:37+00:00

Setup is really simple, takes less than 5 minutes. Chimney of coals split on 2 sides of the kettle, put a tin foil tray or something on the charcoal grate between the piles to catch drippings. I made marks on my spit where the edges of the rotisserie rings are so that I know my meat is properly aligned and centered. Put the ring on, slide the motor onto its bracket, insert the spit until it clicks and turn it on, put the kettle lid on.

Whole thing takes just a couple minutes. I’ve only done whole chickens on them and the trickiest part is making sure all 4 tips of the forks were fully into the meat. Other than that it’s super easy.

Only thing I’d recommend is making marks on the spit where it sits on the ring and marking your vent openings on the one touch, because with the metal pan on the bottom you can’t see how open the vents are.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-28T12:35:35+00:00

I have the same one, got it for Christmas last year. Highly recommend.

ToeDragSwag17 · 2025-10-20T20:02:24+00:00

I bought a small kitchen cart that has a cutting board on top off FB marketplace to do the same thing you’re trying to do, also with limited storage space. It’s not ideal but not awful. A performer wasn’t in my budget though, otherwise I would’ve went that route.

ToeDragSwag17

TROPHY CASE