DaWeber: A ten-dollar rescue

[gary s]

Can't beat That !!

Gary

 

[bluewhisper]

Well you made me learn something. The letter code is M which means it's a 1990 according to this site:

http://virtualweberbullet.com/determine-age-weber-grills-smokers.html#charcoaloneletter

Much older than I thought, it must have been doing nothing for a long time. The paint isn't very sun-faded and all in all, it's in good condition. I did fix the legs BTW.

I plan to spatchcock a chicken on it today so I may come back and edit this post to add.

 

[chopsaw]

Thanks for checkin the date . Just fun to know what you have . Weber kettle club has some cool pics and history if you're interested .
I have a " Happy cooker " that I grabbed out of the trash . Looks like a Weber 22 1/2 . Workin on a performer style cart for it right now .

If you do the chicken share some pics .

 

[SmokinAl]

Nice score!
You just can't beat a Weber kettle, I bet more than half of the folks on here have either had one or have one.
Al

 

[bluewhisper]

Chicken, brined.

Cut out the backbone and butterfly

Got a bit happy happy with the temp, I think I'll switch to the tradition of choking the bottom vents. I need to get the hang of how much fuel this kettle wants.

When it looked like this I decided to take it off, tent it and let it rest.

It was not a loss, though. The skin was over-done but the meat under it was still moist, nothing scorched or too tangy from smoke.

 

[chopsaw]

I just did one last week . Lid therm was 450 when I put the bird on . TOP vent OPEN ( lol ) , coals off to both sides . Chicken in the middle . Heat settled around 400 . I let it roll , all vents full open . I tuck the wing tips under , and tie the legs together .

That's awesome that you cooked on that after how many years . I've got the cart for the happy cooker complete , kettle mounted . It's ready to go . It's from late 70's early eighties . Gonna fire it up tomorrow .
Nice job on the save and the cook .

 

[Rings Я Us]

Well you made me learn something. The letter code is M which means it's a 1990 according to this site:

http://virtualweberbullet.com/determine-age-weber-grills-smokers.html#charcoaloneletter

Much older than I thought, it must have been doing nothing for a long time. The paint isn't very sun-faded and all in all, it's in good condition. I did fix the legs BTW.

I plan to spatchcock a chicken on it today so I may come back and edit this post to add.

Going to purchase a Weber in the morning.. circa 1978 I think.
It's got steel side handles. And wood lid handle. It has a large tab damper on top.
Can't see wheels in pic but I know it has only the 3 vents on bottom.
It's 40 years old give or take 1 year. I don't think it has the letter code above the patent number on top damper. It's missing the ash pan though..
No one touch cleaning system..

I decided to get this Weber instead of a new one. Save cash and it might be better for smoking. Will see..

 

[bluewhisper]

We have some warmer weather coming, and I want to spend some time working on mine. I don't have the set screws to hold the legs, so they want to drop when I move it. I plan on using some locking pliers to crimp the legs and the sockets slightly out of round to get a twist-lock effect. I want to be able to easily remove the legs for transport.

I need to fix the attachment of the triangular shelf. That should be easy, but it has me wondering if this is an opportunity to modify it somehow, like cutting a triangle of expanded steel to go on it.

 

[Rings Я Us]

We have some warmer weather coming, and I want to spend some time working on mine. I don't have the set screws to hold the legs, so they want to drop when I move it. I plan on using some locking pliers to crimp the legs and the sockets slightly out of round to get a twist-lock effect. I want to be able to easily remove the legs for transport.

I need to fix the attachment of the triangular shelf. That should be easy, but it has me wondering if this is an opportunity to modify it somehow, like cutting a triangle of expanded steel to go on it.

So I go get this old Weber and come to find out that the guy selling it is a moderator in the Weber forums. :p

Very nice guy. He had more Weber grills than you could shake a stick at.
And this thing was in great shape. Looks like he kept it nice. Feels heavy . I bet it's heavier than new ones. Just has the 3 damper bottom and no one touch thing. It has no letter designation on the top damper.. so it's before the 79 year . Wheels have Weber in the white wall. Plastic. So it's surely a 78 year. Tab on top damper is big style.. steel handles and wood top handle.:cool:

 

[Rings Я Us]

Oh.. mine has the "friction socket legs" also. Was after the screw type ones they used to have.
I would just put a piece of masking tape on the legs and twist them up into the sockets I think.. Be careful trying to crimp the sockets. Man, they look heavy-duty on mine. Not sure I could uncrimp them if I went to far. Not sure if I would drill and put in screws. Mine are still pretty tight.

 

[Rings Я Us]

Bump for lightningbolt
;)
Made my charcoal basket.

15x7x5 high
Should be room for brisket on the one side over the pan.

 

[mneeley490]

Gotta love those Weber kettles! They are built to last. I picked up a Performer last year, so I sold my One-Touch Gold. Almost brought a tear to my eye to see it go.

Rings R Us, I made a charcoal basket similar to yours for my old horizontal some years ago. Haven't used it in a long time, and when I went to clean it out recently, it looked basically intact. I tried to pick it up, and it literally turned into dust in my hands. LOL

 

[bluewhisper]

Are you referring to this Weber board?

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php

I haven't been there long, under the same handle as here but with a different avatar. It looks like a good board with good people. Man, those folks are serious about their Webers. There are some nice collections but I can't see much reason for me to have more than one. Maybe if I see a little tabletop Smokey Joe at a yard sale, I'll get it.

With the offset, and the kettle, and the Lodge hibachi (Sportsman) I have just about everything I need.

 

[Rings Я Us]

Are you referring to this Weber board?

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php

I haven't been there long, under the same handle as here but with a different avatar. It looks like a good board with good people. Man, those folks are serious about their Webers. There are some nice collections but I can't see much reason for me to have more than one. Maybe if I see a little tabletop Smokey Joe at a yard sale, I'll get it.

With the offset, and the kettle, and the Lodge hibachi (Sportsman) I have just about everything I need.

You have 4 chicken leg quarters for an avatar? I just saw you.. lol

 

[Rings Я Us]

Gotta love those Weber kettles! They are built to last. I picked up a Performer last year, so I sold my One-Touch Gold. Almost brought a tear to my eye to see it go.

Rings R Us, I made a charcoal basket similar to yours for my old horizontal some years ago. Haven't used it in a long time, and when I went to clean it out recently, it looked basically intact. I tried to pick it up, and it literally turned into dust in my hands. LOL

I have a round basket like that I use in the Brinkmann bullet.. works good.

 

[bluewhisper]

So the warm weather is here and I put in a few hours of Kettle Love.

I began with the top handle, which was badly weathered and looking like something hanging off of an old barn.

I removed the wood, sanded it and sealed it with mineral oil. Before I put it back, I polished the lid with a mild abrasive cleaner.

Then for the inside of the lid: With a safety-razor paint scraper, I removed the Unspecified Dark Material which I did not want o have dropping on to my food as I cooked.

Then for the bottom. The vents were stuck in position and the shelf was disconnected from the front leg.

I mean to say the vents were STUCK after an unknown period of time with the lid off. I needed locking pliers and a hammer and spray grease and a lot of tap tap tap to get them to turn again. Then I used engine starting spray to flush out the grease.

Then I scraped out the bottom. This picture looks like sun and shadow but it's showing scraped vs. ash-covered.

Then, the charcoal grate's wires were spaced widely enough to let charcoal briquettes to drop through. I had a spare round grate but it was just barely too small to rest on the tabs, so I simply placed it over the stock rack.

I scraped the cooking grate with a stainless steel scouring pad. I didn't bother to take it down to the chrome finish; I was satisfied to get a smooth finish.

Done for the day. Now I need to fire it up again, empty, to cook off any of the cleaners and lubricants I used.

 

[SonnyE]

I like it!
Good Job on the TLC!

LOL! 'Unspecified Dark Material' LOL!
Yeah, make your own! ;)