LavaLock FireDial for Weber Kettle (KettleDial) review & test cook

[@rbreynolds]

Great video! Congrats on your new home and getting outa dodge! Enjoy!

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

Thanks for this. I like that the LavaLock would be easy to store in little space. I guess my question would be what if you need to refuel part way through a cook?

[@islandoutdoorllc]

Very cool video. Love all of the do and don't aspects of it! Looks like it came out great! Go FireDial!

[@user1233002]

Interesting video. Don't think that is for me. I do great with my Slow N Sear, Tip Top Temp and B&B charcoal. I'm guessing you used Kingsford Charcoal it has a lot of impurities, crushed lime as a binder, Borax, the wood for charcoal is; Pine, Oak, Hickory, Spruce and other assorted woods. B&B uses Oak and corn starch as a binder with minimal smoking as do othe Real Quality Charcoal. Cheers from Chuck in the Arizona Desert.

[@easybackyardbbq]

How well does this hold temps? Is it able to have a drip pan or how hard to clean? How do you set up charcoal? Thanks for your help

[@dscohen0523]

Great questions! Re holding temperatures: Much steadier than the kettle does without it, but not as good as having a controller. I bought a controller as well and with the combination of controller and KettleDial, the kettle is pretty much set it ad forget it. Without the controller, I still had to keep an eye on temps but they didn't fluctuate as much as they did without it. Re drip pan: There's surprisingly little vertical space between the grill grate and the KettleDial - but there's just enough for a shallow drip pan like a pie tin. I tried using a pie pan as a water pan under a turkey breast and found that it was too close, and the turkey steamed instead of smoking. Re cleaning: I don't find the KettleDial hard to clean, but on the other hand, you don't really need to clean it thoroughly very often - the food shouldn't come in contact with it. I also found that when I smoked beef ribs with the KettleDIal in, the tallow drippings added to the seasoning. it's prone to rust just hanging in the garage, so seasoning is a good idea. I think it depends on what you cook. If a sugary glaze drips on it, you'll want to clean it more. Re setting up the charcoal, I find that variations of Minion Method seem to suit this thing. The holes are around the outside edge. If the fire's in the middle, the smoke will make its way to the outside and swirl up from there, so heat and smoke spread out through the cooking area. I haven't tried snake method but I expect that wouldn't work as well because the fire would be underneath the edge.

[@reghunnicutt]

David, I’m curious, what filter did you use either on the camera or post production. The colors have a pleasant, almost slightly muted feel. Noice review too I’m searching for opinions on the fire dial.

[@dscohen0523]

I don't use filters. I'm shooting on an iPhone and a Nikon D750. I do color-correct in post to get the look I want and help match the footage from the two different kinds of cameras.