I usually use my big grill to cook with wood. If im cooking then i am cooking alot. day 1: I find the person I want and freeze- day 2: I take a full carcus from the fridge allowing it to thaw for the day, cut into large pieces and soak in seasonings overnight- day 3: I setup grill by loading it with quarter cut logs usually 4-5 (depends on your grill), set a fire and allow entire blocks to burn until half covered in ash n coal, then i chip off coal pieces and push to one side and the larger pieces to the other side. i cut up the body into pieces and put head into open flame to burn off any hair,i only vent the side with large wood pieces and cook on the other side, only using hotter side to sear or burn off hair. I slow cook all day and add wood only if im cook 2 or more persons! ps good coating: mix one cup soy, one cup worcestershire, one cup italian dressing, 3 chopped bonnet peppers, 4 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup thyme, 2 chopped onions, 2 bell peppers and 4 chipoltes!! mmmmmmmmmmm pss: the younger the meat the more tender- psss: just kidding but would work well with pork ;)

I see you created two threads for this. I'll repost what I wrote in the other thread for continuity. ------ I have the Weber Performer. It's an awesome grill. I used a Weber kettle for years with great success, but in a moment of weakness I retired it for a Weber Genesis gas grill. Gas grilling is convenient, but it's not the same. Last year I purchased the Weber Performer to get the convenience of gas starting, but the cooking flavor/performance of charcoal. First, the propane assist is just a charcoal starter. I stack the charcoal in a compact pile over the starter and ignite it. Of course the bottom vents are wide open and the lid is off at this point. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I can hear the charcoal snapping, popping, and smoking to indicate it's "lit." I turn off the propane and let the charcoal burn down until nearly all sides are covered with fine layer of ash. Then, I knock the pile down and spread it evenly across the bottom grate for cooking. Now, I put the top grate and the lid on and open the top vent wide open. I watch the temperature climb to >400 degrees, then open the lid and brush the top grate to clean it. Close the lid and use the upper and lower vents to control the airflow and thus the temperature. After some experience, I know just about how much to close them down to hit a temperature range I'm after. This assumes you're using good quality charcoal and not using too much of it. I prefer the hardwood "lump" charcoal. The old standard Kingsford briquets don't seem as high quality as they once were. If, for instance, I'm cooking hamburgers, I'll have just enough charcoal to cover the bottom grate with the chunks spaced 1/2" to 1" apart. Hamburgers cook pretty quickly. Don't use the little half-round trays Weber includes to hold the charcoal for normal grilling. Those are for special circumstances when you want indirect heat. When I'm done cooking, I close all the upper and lower vent to extinguish the charcoal. I use the leftover charcoal from the previous grilling as the base of for the next cooking and add a little more from the bag to make the pile I want. One more tip, use the lower vent control lever in a back-and-forth motion BEFORE you begin to sweep the ashes into the built-in collection can. Clearing out any build up debris in the bottom of the kettle helps the airflow. Return the lower vent to full open position before lighting the new charcoal. If you aren't getting to the temperature you want, you may have crappy charcoal, inadequate airflow, or impatience. ------ After reading the additional information you posted in this thread, I'd want to reemphasize the need to mound the charcoal tightly on top of the propane igniter for the initial lighting and burn down. Turn the propane ALL THE WAY ON and leave it that way for the 3-5 mins it takes to light the charcoal well. It should sound like a weak torch with a touch of whistle to the outlet flame. Let the charcoal burn down in its mound before spreading it. Lid off and bottom vent fully open for the initial burn down. The propane igniter works great.

That was a very helpful video. Thank you, CO! Enduring, I don't know if my husband will clean the grill or not. He really hates doing any sort of chores. But now that he is retired, he is doing a few new things around the house, and doing most of the grocery shopping which is really helpful. I have sent him the video and told him to decide. If he wants to break it down and clean it, I will help him, but I can't do it by myself. I have always washed the exterior and scrubbed the bars and grates myself. Plus I do all the grilling. But honestly, I don't care that much about grilled meat. I could care less if we have a grill or not. So I'm going to leave it up to him. But I'm not going to sit and look at a dysfunctional, half-disassembled grill in the backyard for months on end. Right now I have the grates out. So it's gotta get clean, or she's outa here. We shall see.

A couple of my favorites haven’t been mentioned yet, so I’ll add. Our artichokes are almost ready to pick and are delicious finished on the grill. First we steam them with garlic and lemon juice then drizzle on a little balsamic vinegar and sesame oil before setting them on the grill for 30-45 minutes. Yum! DH also grills russet potatoes wrapped in foil for me to use in potato salad. I leave the skins on and the grilled potatoes are a little more firm than boiled potatoes in the salad.