Review - The Vortex (Kettle grill accessory)

Back in July I picked up my first Weber Kettle grill. While I was researching which grill to buy, I found several accessories I really wanted to try. The one that really caught my eye was the Vortex ring.

The Vortex is a grilling accessory designed to work with Kettle style grills. It's made from 20 gauge 304 grade stainless steel. I guess that's important to people who really know about different grades and gauges of stainless steel, but for the rest of us I'll just say it's quite a solid, sturdy, piece.
My man Alton Brown always taught us to shy away from "uni-taskers" and look for tools that can "multi-task". Well. the Vortex is certainly in the Multi-tasking department.

I've had my Vortex for just about 6 months now and I have to say I'm impressed.  For me, the primary use is chicken wings! We LOVE chicken wings, but lets face it, frying wings is a pain in the butt and right up there on my Doctors list of "Things Rick should avoid.". So what is a guy to do to get crispy wings without dropping them in hot oil?  Enter - The Vortex!

Feelin' HOT HOT HOT!!

Using the Vortex on my 22" in Weber Kettle grill, I am able to produce essentially a convection oven easily reaching temps of over 500-600 F degrees. Screaming hot! The shape of the vortex reminds you of a volcano, so imagine the heat from the charcoal blasting out the top, like lava. Once the heat hits the domed lid it cascades down to the grill surface producing a very hot, very even cooking environment.  That high heat allows the chicken wings to basically "air fry" in their own skin. The results...well, a picture speaks a thousand words so here you go..

I'd say, based on the results we've had so far that the Vortex is worth the $40.00 we spent just because of the exceptional wings alone, but this thing does much more than that!!

The white powder is Corn starch. It helps to crisp things up and create a bit of crust.

Air Fried Potato Wedges w/ the Vortex

KFC! Kettle Fried Chicken

Flipping the Vortex over, so the wide side is up, and filling it with hot coals will allow you to create a high heat searing area for steaks, chops or anything you want to sear super hot and fast.


Leaving the Vortex wide side up and spreading your coals around the outside will create an sort of infra-red heat zone. This works especially well for things like beer can chicken.

Leaving it wide side up will also allow you to easily create a charcoal snake around the outside for true "low and slow" gentle cook. We've wrapped a 2 over 2 charcoal snake 3/4 way around the kettle and smoked pork butts @ 225-240F for 8-10 hours easily.


I'll admit, me and a whole lot of other grilling enthusiasts like the Vortex mainly for the chicken wings, but truth be told, this little steel ring has become one of the main tools in my grilling arsenal.

I imagine the Vortex can be found a a number of different places, but i'm recommending Owens BBQ. Not only do they sell the authentic Vortex unit, but they also have a bunch of grilling products available as well. I have only tried their Buffalo Wing rub so far (BTW- they include a big shaker full with each Vortex order!), but since July I've gone through 3 shakers and will probably be ordering more come spring! I'll do a review of that rub next - it's excellent!


If you're a kettle grill fan (or any charcoal grill really, it'll work!) I definitely recommend giving the Vortex a try.  If I had an extra hand, I'd give it THREE thumbs up!