Taking a trip down BBQ memory lane and remembering the times we have done a whole turkey on the Weber Kettle.
This method works for camping or at home.
We set up a new blog category here: Whole Turkey On The Weber
How we set up the grill here: Thanksgiving – One Week Later
We rotate about one quarter turn and add a few briquets every hour.
Many suggestions are posted on the web.
Above: About five hours on the Weber Kettle and we are done.
This is the basic 3-2-1 method. We cut about an hour off the smoking time at the beginning and the ribs are not overcooked. Maybe we run a little hot.
Several good videos are available to show the way.
The way we set up our grill for cooking is described here:
After smoking, we are ready to wrap:
Serving suggestion:
Top two are vegan, bottom has pork. Steak, chicken, shrimp & squid are nice too.
More here: Noodle Night
Also here.
Click image once or twice to show detail.
We added noodles only. No flavor/seasonings packets.
We added sliced roast pork and some onions.
That’s it. A nice soup for this time of year.
Monica provided adult supervision.
Washington Coast
Click image once or twice to show detail.
Thanksgiving prep – ready to stay cozy.
Thanks to my brother for his generous firewood deliveries this year.
Above: Winner of J.P.’s Rib Challenge – November 2025
Ribs by J.P.
Click image once or twice to show detail.
Cut up one rack of baby back ribs and boil them for 30 minutes with a bit of salt.
Place in a slow oven and cook until mostly done.
Place ribs with a bit of BBQ sauce over direct heat on a gas grill and leave on to get a bit of burnt sugar char going.
These turn out really nice. I’ll try to get back with J.P. to get a more exact oven cook time.
Below – 2nd Place
We went with a basic version of this method:
We use apple wood chunks on the Weber.
Along for the afternoon: KOZT
Last time at our place:
Possibly of interest:
Our buyers inspect and select only the leanest cuts of meat for the grill – Seal Rock
Car/tent camping means all the groceries show up. No freeze dried/dehydrated/powdered breakfast here:
We did this one with no meat or seafood.
Add meat or seafood anytime you want.
More here: Noodle Night
Also here.
We recently purchased a large onion at a local city market.
Recent onion rings at our place have been done in the air fryer. Someone special made these.
Last night was a joint effort. My wife provided adult supervision.
I started out by trying to remember the basic steps for cooking these in oil and found several helpful videos. People teach various methods that lead to success.
A few of the favorite videos we found:
The version we put together last night is vegan. Some people use milk, buttermilk and egg and that’s OK with me. If we can go with something vegan, then we get to enjoy together and this really turned out nice.
Basics for us:
Bisquick with spices, a bit of cornmeal and a can of beer.
We sliced the onion rings and put them in a gallon bag with a bit of beer to get them wet.
We rolled them in the dry mix and set them on a plate.
We added beer to the dry mix to make something like a pancake batter.
We dipped the rings into the batter and cooked in hot oil. My wife uses the end of a clean chopstick to see if the oil bubbles enough to show it’s hot.
A happy Friday night.
See you next time.
On the stove – Smoked Pork Burrito
Dessert too:
On the grill:
Related:
We had a good walk earlier and it was time to eat. This one includes a little smoked pork.
I made it a bit too spicy. It’s easy to do if you are not very carful when adding this:
A really nice sauce for noodles:
Background above:
This is the wok advertised on TV in the early 90s and I have used it often since then. Very happy with having a wok in the kitchen.
Spring Season
Making an effort this season to develop a better technique for ribs.
We tried on May 3rd
Again on May 24th
On both occasions, the ribs were left on too long.
Fall off the bone is what some people like, but ours is too extreme.
A better result yesterday:
What We Did Differently
Baby back ribs this time, St. Louis style last time. No problem with St. Louis style again, just need to use better methods on my end.
Several good videos have been posted on how to do baby back ribs on a Weber kettle.
Key change for us:
Adjusted the vents to let less air in.
At 5:04 in the video below, he explains that top and bottom vents should be 1/4 open for low and slow:
After one hour, I opened the top vent all the way because things were going super slow.
Next time I will try to start with a 1/2 open top vent, or maybe 3/4.
We did wrap in foil, but only added brown sugar during the wrap.
I like the way the brown sugar turned out. I may go with a spice rub in the future.
Total cook time for us was about 5.5 hours.
See you next time.
The way we set up our grill for cooking is described here:
Above: Getting started. Three hour smoking is complete.
This is the basic method for today:
We add apple wood chunks on top of the charcoal when we start.
We do not add any spices or rubs. Not at all against that, but to me, six hours of cooking nullifies the flavor of anything above and beyond the apple wood smoke.
I am not using any temp gauge.
Time to wrap in foil:
Foil time is complete:
Time for the final hour unwrapped:
All done:
Along for the afternoon: KOZT
Again – Lessons Learned
I like this method and I will go with it again. Our ribs stayed on too long.
Fall off the bone is what some people like, but at 6:03 in the video above, he shows his finished product and reveals a better result, which is what I will try for next time.
Whidbey Dog House
Those who visited us on Whidbey remember that my ribs never seemed to be done on time. We are past that now. We just need to adjust so that they are not overdone.
Serving suggestion:
Neighborhood spirit:
Warm weather safety:
Stay hydrated at all times.
Learning
A couple of videos I paid attention to after this project was done.
Love it:
A few rainy days in our area.
Years ago, we would eat out more often, now, more of that happens at home.
Recent:
Pizzas made at home- no two are alike.
In the past:
Did some time on Okinawa and brought back a desire to do fried noodles at home.
We did this one with no meat or seafood.
Add meat or seafood anytime you want.
More here: Noodle Night
Also here.
Went to Texas in the 80s and they were drinking red beer. Threw one together here with a couple shakes of Tabasco.
Various recipes are on the web.
Today, we are away from Texas and closer to:
The Westport coastal weather cam.
Along for the afternoon: KOZT
More here:
Diet starts Monday.
Image above: Smoking is complete.
We used the video below as a guide today.
The way we set up our grill for cooking is described here:
Below: Time to wrap the ribs.
After two hours, we unwrap, add a little sauce and cook for another hour:
All done:
Serving suggestion:
Along for the afternoon: KOZT
Lessons Learned
I like this method and I will go with it again. Our ribs may have stayed on for too long. Fall off the bone is what some people like, but at 13:38 in the video above, he shows his finished product and reveals a better result, which is what I will try for next time.
Cleaned up with hot water/no soap:
A light coat of oil and it’s ready for next time:
Possibly of interest-
Some favorite ingredients:
Above: Pork Ribs coming out of a slow oven with rough cut fresh garlic, sauerkraut, and a bit of your favorite BBQ sauce. We covered it with the glass lid- upper left.
Apple Wood Smoke
We set up the Weber like this:
Apple Wood Chunks
We use the chimney method/no lighter fluid to start:
Slow ‘n Sear water bath separates the hot and cold sides of the grill.
Add about a quart of hot tap water. Do not fill all the way or it will slop on the coals when you wire brush the grill. Check water level and add more when needed when turning the meat.
Add some wood chunks to the charcoal when you dump the chimney.
Chilly Weather
We put the meat on for about 90 minutes for smoking, then took it inside to finish in a slow oven.
Somebody special made potato salad:
Possibly of interest:
Late October 2025
Cut up one or more onions and place them on the bottom of the pan with a small amount of oil before adding the meat.
