Small Vortex

Wonderful product! Been using it weekly. Cooks wings/drumsticks/thighs/burgers, etc to perfection. Really pleased I made this purchase. The small works great in my 22in Weber kettle. Plenty of long-lasting heat. But may end up buying a medium size to cook whole chickens (inverted radiant heat). Worth the money.

After watching video's by some big time BBQ "experts" who all gave it positive reviews., I decided to get one coming. I'm using it on a 22" Weber with their their "Gourmet Grill grate system. I place the Vortex under the cast iron sear plate and boy does this thing sear the steak. I have not tried it on chicken wings yet, that seems to be the main thing that everyone raves about. I will say that it really does channel the heat up in a much more concentrated fashion then say a regular charcoal basket. They come in 3 sizes, I would say that the small one is perfectly sized for a 22" grill, any larger would be overkill. The steel seems to be thick enough to last a good while and time will tell if the spot welds hold up to that intense heat.

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first after seeing and hearing about these Vortex Cones for many years and thought I would finally just give it a try and see what all of the hype is about. WOW, let me tell you, it works like Magic !! I use this on a 22in Weber Charcoal Grill. The Small Vortex Cone size is perfect. I bought the Medium size to try also but the Small size is the one that works best. Place the Small size Vortex Cone in the center on the bottom grill grate where you normally put the Charcoal at with the Large opening on the bottom and the Small opening on the top. Fill it to the top with already lit Charcoal briquettes. Using a Charcoal Starter Chimney works best. Then place the grilling grate over top of the Vortex Cone that you will be cooking your food on. Can then place a chunk of your favorite Wood chunk right over top of the Vortex Cone for a great smokey flavor. Add your Food about 2 or 3 minutes after the Wood starts to give off smoke. We use Apple Wood chunks most of the time. Hickory Wood chunks is great also. Experiment with other Wood flavors as you wish. Chicken Wings are the best for using the small Vortex Cone. Line the Chicken Wings around the outside edge of the grill grate in a circle. Be sure to not place your food over the Vortex Cone or it will burn instantly. Cook for 20 minutes with the Grill Lid on, then remove the Grill Lid and flip the Chicken Wings over, place the Grill Lid back on and cook them another 20 minutes. Remove Grill Lid and leave the grill uncovered, then flip the Chicken Wings over at 2 minutes per side, then remove and enjoy !! Word of Caution, the Handle of the Weber Charcoal Grill will get extremely "Hot" so be sure to use an Oven Mit or a Towel to remove the Lid. I think I saw the temperature on the Grill Lid Thermometer was close or over 600 Degrees. The Medium size Vortex Cone will work best for cooking a Beer Can Chicken on the bottom Grill Grate without using the Top Grill Grate at all. Place the Large Vortex Cone on the bottom Grill Grate. Be sure to flip the Vortex Cone over where the Large opening is at the Top and the Small opening on the Bottom. Place the Beer Can Chicken on it's stand in the center of the Vortex Cone and then place the lit Charcoal Briquettes around the outside of the Vortex Cone. The heat from the Charcoal will not touch the Chicken in this method. Place the Grill Lid back on the Weber Grill and cook to recommended heating temp for Chicken which is normally a target temp of 165 Degrees. Cooking times will vary but plan on close to 1-2 hours. Add more Charcoal as needed. Start checking temp with Digital Meat Thermometer at 45 minutes. There are plenty of cooking videos on the web with others who are using the Vortex Cone to grill with. Happy Grilling !! Enjoy !!

Worked exactly as intended. Great product.

It seems to simple to be great. Its a little pricey for what it is but im a believer now. Gets my weber kettle nice and hot in a controlled way. Crispy Wings better than ever. Can walk away from it momentarily without worrying about a flair up as food is not above flames. Makes cooking a breeze. No more constant flipping. Cooks both sides great at the same time. Permanent addition to the bbq accessories.

This thing is my new favorite way to cook chicken wings. And I get tons of compliments on them. I like my wings as crispy as possible and this can be tough with grilled wings. I think this is a great way to get the crispiest wing you can. I used to use a basket and rotisserie which I also attached a photo of. It made great wings, but was an absolute pain to cook with/clean and just manage overall. I was much more limited on how many wings I could cook at a time as well. The vortex is amazing for wings on the kamado and has basically no clean up. Its also super easy to use and set up. Just dump in charcoal and a chunk of wood, light and its ready in about 10 minutes

To be honest, I haven’t used it yet but I’m very impressed with the quality construction and material. Also included with the Vortex was an instruction booklet that will be EXTREMELY hopeful to me (the consummate grilling rookie!).

too sharp. cut my thumb while washing. need to dull the edges somehow or roll them. also shouldn’t put paper stickers on, but easily removed stickers. better yet, how about laser engraving your logo. will update when i use to sear steaks… wish me luck Update: Works very well. Made awesome chicken wings and seared some steaks afterwards. Great product.