How to use basket splitter

[jmagaram]

My basket splitter came with 4 pieces and I'm not clever enough to figure out how to use them. Some photos would be handy along with tips about when to use the different pieces. I think I figured out I can put the vertical divider into the charcoal basket to split it exactly in half. And then there is a solid half moon I can lay on top of one half to presumably block and direct fire that comes up from one side. Would you ever use the half moon without the splitter? And there are two half moon grates that I don't know how to use. Is there any guidance on how to orient the charcoal basket when the splitter is in use?

[dstr8]

I can't wait to hear the answer on the 2nd 1/2 moon shape steel too!   Generally I have the sear basket oriented so the divider runs front to back of the KK; just because that's the way I've viewed it here and there.   Having said that, when using the rotisserie, I turn the basket 90 degrees so that the coal portion sits left to right at the rear of the KK and thus providing a little indirect heat for the roti.

 

Because I do go back and forth with both baskets often I opted for the 2nd coal grate so I could have dedicated systems; quicker and a little less messy going back/forth between full and 1/2. 

[Loquitur]

To cook with a 1/4 basket of charcoal, put the vertical divider in the center of the basket and then lay a half grate in horizontally in one of the halves created by the vertical piece.  Fill this side with charcoal. I like to pile it high so that I'm maintaining the same distance from the top of the burning coals to the grate as I would with a mounded full basket of charcoal. Then the solid metal piece goes on the empty half of the basket to force the air coming in from the vent through the half of the basket with the charcoal to promote air flow. Other configurations would be a deep half basket, 50% charcoal, which would be just the vertical splitter, one half filled with charcoal and the empty half with the solid metal piece. Or you could do a wide shallow basket, 50% charcoal, with the two half grates in side by side horizontally and fill both sides with charcoal. You wouldn't use the solid metal piece in this configuration.   I don't know if you need the  vertical splitter piece in with the wide shallow basket configuration since I've never done it but it would be easy to figure out if you need it while you are putting it together.  The basket splitter works so great for small cooks - I just love it!! I can do my Pittsburgh style rib eyes with a crispy sear on the outside and rare center just as well on 1/4 gasket of charcoal as a full basket in the same amount of time.  I also highly recommend that you buy an extra charcoal basket so you can have one dedicated to the splitter and the other dedicated to full basket cooks. It gets real messy trying to use one charcoal basket for both kinds of cooks. 

 

This is for a 23" KK which only has one solid half moon piece with the splitter kit.

 

I orient the basket so that the coals are to the left rear of the KK at an angle which is very comfortable for me to come in with a spatula or tongs to turn the food cooking over very high heat without significant heat under my hands - so much so that I don't even need gloves.

                                                                                                                                               Susan

[tony b]

I know you've recommended it in the past, Susan, but hearing you bring it up again, I'm seriously thinking about that second basket for the added convenience. I usually just dump out the coals into the lid of my charcoal tub and put the splitter configuration in that I'm using and dump the coals back in; but while it's not a major hassle, it's still extra work and messy.

[Loquitur]

Tony: It's so much easier just to swap out the baskets. The one down side is that you always will have a basket to store. I keep whatever one I'm not using, usually the full basket, with whatever charcoal is leftover in it, in a dedicated space in a large deck box next to the KK and tuck an old cheap old plastic tablecloth over it so it doesn't get wet if any rain leaks in the box. It takes seconds to change the baskets and is much less messy than trying to move leftover charcoal between baskets. I do give the basket in the KK a shake before I lift it out to get rid of loose ash but that's about it. I'm able to reuse the leftover charcoal in the stored basket when I go to use it again with no trouble at all.  

                                                                                                                                                          Susan   

[mk1]

I am with Susan on this.....

[tony b]

Sounds like a "no brianer." I have several Rubbermaid tubs on my deck for holding gear, charcoal, smoking woods, etc., so I have home for the second basket.

[tony b]

Done.  Just ordered a second basket.

 

While I was at it, threw in one of the newer heat shield/ash deflectors, hoping to solve the problem of ash and other bits getting around the door and preventing a good tight seal for shutdowns after high heat sears with the door pulled open.

[MadMedik]

Cooking a steak on the basket splitter setup???

 

If you use half a basket of coals, and  add the steaks....do you  put them on the  "indirect side", or over the  coals  directly?  I am thinking  put on coal side for about  2 minutes for a sear, then  push to side over the indirect side to finish?? 

 

Is that what  you do for steaks? 

 

MadMedik

[jmagaram]

I think doing a sear over half basket and then indirect to finish them off might work, but I have no first-hand experience with it.

I'm wondering a similar thing. I've got 3 steaks in the fridge and wonder if and how I should use the basket splitter. I want to do reverse sear and first do a slow cook, like 300 degrees, until internal steak temperature is 95. And then sear it very hot. I want to minimize the amount of wasted coal. I know that when you shut all the dampers the coals are supposed to go out, but from my experience I think (but am not sure) they keep burning a bit leading to some waste. There have been a couple times when the coals weren't totally extinguished the morning after.

I could use full basket at low temp and cook on lower grill and then remove the steaks to rest. During the rest I'd hair-dryer the coals to get the temp up and then sear on the searing grate. One option here for a gentle first cook is to use the heat deflector but it might use up a bunch of coal getting the grill heat soaked at 300 which goes against my goal of a quick week-night cook.

Or I could just use a half basket which is probably enough fuel for 3 steaks. For the slow cook I'd get the coals to moderate temp and put the steaks on the indirect side, maybe on the lower grill. I'd then pump up the temperature of the coals and move the steaks to the searing grill and cook right over the coals.

[Loquitur]

 I am thinking  put on coal side for about  2 minutes for a sear, then  push to side over the indirect side to finish?? 

 

 

 

 

        Yes. My steaks are done after the sear on the low handles of the sear grill at about Tru Tel 450 deg. But if you have a thicker steak or prefer it more well done it will finish indirect on the empty side of the basket. I did this with a pork tenderloin the other night at 325 Tru Tel - a couple of minutes sear per side and then moved it to the empty half and finished it there in less than 10 min at 140 deg. It came out beautifully.  

[Loquitur]

 I want to minimize the amount of wasted coal. 

One option here for a gentle first cook is to use the heat deflector but it might use up a bunch of coal getting the grill heat soaked at 300 which goes against my goal of a quick week-night cook.

 

My experience to minimize the amount of charcoal used for higher temp cooks is to cook close to the coals so you never have to create all that energy to reach 700 deg temps and then turn around and try to shut it down quickly. And, if you tried to sear a steak for 2 min a side on the low handles of the sear grill at 700 deg, it would be incinerated. You can get the same effect close to the coals at a much lower temp than searing at a high temp with the meat higher up in the grill. If you like to cook at those high temps its great that the KK handles it so easily but there is a price to pay and that is burning a lot of charcoal.  I put my steaks and burgers on when the Tru Tel reaches 425 to 450, get a beautiful sear and use very little charcoal - maybe 1/4 of the charcoal in the 1/4 splitter basket.    

 

If you use a metal heat deflector, like an old pizza pan, the grill will come up to temp a lot faster than using the heavy ceramic heat deflectors that came with the KK.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                Susan  

[normstar]

Great discussion and lots of good info. Keep in mind folks, when using the basket splitter and a lower volume of charcoal, it requires more airflow as opposed to a regular full basket of charcoal.

Especially if you want a raging fire of a small amount of coals like Susan mentioned. I like this technique because you can get a great sear from a hot fire, but the temp in the KK does not get away from you since it's a much smaller volume of charcoal.

[Loquitur]

t the temp in the KK does not get away from you since it's a much smaller volume of charcoal.

 

Norm is reminding me about another good thing about the pork tenderloin cook, part direct and part indirect with the splitter basket. I was able to monitor the internal temp of the tenderloin the whole way with my Thermoworks Chef Alarm once I moved it over to the indirect side of the basket. I had the empty side of the basket in line with the probe port and since there was no fire there and the overall temp of the grill was not that hot, there was no issue about me frying my probe. I definitely would have lost the probe if I had draped it over the hot side of the basket. Its so easy to cook to the perfect state of doneness without having to guess what will happen to the final temp after the reverse sear. Also there is not so much carryover cooking after finishing over the empty basket since the heat from the initial sear has already pretty much dissipated whereas with the reverse sear, you nave a lot more carryover cooking after the food is off the grill from the intense heat at the end which needs to be accurately predicted to avoid overcooking the meat.  But I don't see why you couldn't do a reverse sear with the splitter basket, indirect first and direct at the end, if you wanted to. 

[MadMedik]

Thanks for input and ideas. I ordered the kit and another basket. Can't wait to try

[Loquitur]

I did some experimenting with the wide shallow basket this week, which is the two horizontal splitter grates in the basket creating a wide basket which is one half the depth of the full basket. You do not need the vertical center piece. I did four large chicken leg quarters at 410 deg for 1 hr 10 min and had roughly one third of the charcoal left after the cook. Then yesterday I did a 2/3 wide shallow basket for burgers. My husband invited two of his buddies over after golf for burgers and the Masters. The 1/4 splitter basket is too small for 4 large burgers but I didn't need the full wide shallow basket for them and wanted room to heat pretzel buns without a any flame under them. So I filled 2/3 of the width of the shallow basket with lump and then propped the solid metal piece up against the coals to contain them. This gave me a perfect area for the buns.  I fired up the grill, put the buns in and realized that I forgot my tongs when the Tru Tel was at 300 deg. and climbing. I was gone less than a minute and when I got back, the Tru Tel was pushing 625 deg!! So I closed the back door, front door and spun down the top praying that my buns were OK.   I was able to get it down to 425 quickly and put the burgers on. The buns were fine and everything came out great. They were the short rib blend LaFrieda burgers and the guys loved them. The picture below show how much charcoal I used. This is an under 5 five minute cook once the burgers go on and I burned extra due to the high temp.  But I still had most all of it left. Also is a picture of two rib eyes on a 1/4 splitter basket at 425 Tru Tel.      

 

   Having a problem with the pictures. Will try again later.

 

   Can somebody tell me where the FAQ is so I can see why I'm having a problem posting pictures? I know I've seen it but I can't find it and a search won't accept FAQ since its less than 4 letters. 

 

                                                                                                                                           Susan

[tony b]

Sorry, Susan, but I'm the last guy you want help from when it comes to what works and what doesn't on this Forum!!!

 

With all the other problems that I've had with this software, uploading pictures hasn't been one of them.

[mk1]

Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

...which is seen below when posting. Upload the picture then add to post, button also down below

 

[tony b]

New basket arrived yesterday, all nice and shiny. Can't wait to smudge it up!!

[MadMedik]

I got  a new basket splitter  last week.  Finally used it last night.    I did  one  half  a basket,  as  opposed to  a quarter...put it in upper left corner of grill.  Cooked  2 small flat iron steaks,  1 trout,  3 sausages  and they all cooked great.   I shut her down and i have not looked  at  'remaining' coals  yet....to see if almost gone, mostly there, or  what ?  it worked  fine.  I actually had  a fair amount of food on the  'half'.   To do  2 steaks,  or  2 or  3  hamburgers it would be perfect.    I cooked  using  the  Main,  center  grill.   I did NOT cook up high,  or  very very low on the  low  sear level grill.

 

It was  great.   The flat iron  was  exceptional....