tired of pellets, what charcoal grill?

[payne7744]

when i moved a year ago my charcoal grill did not come with me. i bought a memphis advantage and it works well BUT i miss the charcoal taste that ive enjoyed my whole life (54)  i cook mostly steaks, burgers and chicken breasts, what would be a good easy grill to use that would look good on the patio. made one expensive mistake already!!! thanks

 

[boykjo]

Hey Payne, what charcoal grill did you leave. If it worked for ya i would try to search for another one like it. Memebers here like the weber smokey mountain smoker here and get great results..... I dont have one but they do look good sittin on a patio

Good luck and happy smoking

Joe
 

 

[forluvofsmoke]

when i moved a year ago my charcoal grill did not come with me. i bought a memphis advantage and it works well BUT i miss the charcoal taste that ive enjoyed my whole life (54)  i cook mostly steaks, burgers and chicken breasts, what would be a good easy grill to use that would look good on the patio. made one expensive mistake already!!! thanks

I have a Weber 18.5" one touch gold. I cook for 7-8 on it, although I have lots of grilling experience. I char-grill chix pieces, chops, pork or beef steaks, wings, anything smaller. I have used it for indirect cooking of pork loin (a halved whole loin, 9lb give or take, 2 pieces side-by-side) and it did a fantastic job for that...superb fire control. The unit is so air tight that I use it to kill my left-over briquettes from my smokers...just close the intake and top vent, pop the lid on and walk away...fire's dead in about 3-4 minutes and the grill is cooling down shortly after. BTW, the bowl, grates and lid are heavy enough to retain some heat for less temp swings during adverse conditions, as well.

If you will cook for more than six regularly, I would suggest going with the 22.5" as it is 50% larger (360sq in grate area vs 240 with the 18.5").

I highly recommend spending the extra coin for the Weber kettle. They're built to last and designed to perform like every charcoal grill should. I can do things with my Weber that I wouldn't even consider doing with the cheapos I own, now that I know how easy cooking on the Weber really is. Very few brands can achieve the performance of a Weber without serious mods (been there, tried that), and then you still have longevity issues to deal with (corrosion, etc).

Eric

 

[i is a moose]

X2 The Weber One-Touch Silver or gold are great grills that can be had for 80-150 bucks new. I picked mine up used from a garage sale for 50, and have had no regrets. Weber's got the market for simple charcoal grills under its thumb, and it's hard to beat the simple functionality of it. A skilled grillman can make those things sing with little effort.

I have a Weber 18.5" one touch gold. I cook for 7-8 on it, although I have lots of grilling experience. I char-grill chix pieces, chops, pork or beef steaks, wings, anything smaller. I have used it for indirect cooking of pork loin (a halved whole loin, 9lb give or take, 2 pieces side-by-side) and it did a fantastic job for that...superb fire control. The unit is so air tight that I use it to kill my left-over briquettes from my smokers...just close the intake and top vent, pop the lid on and walk away...fire's dead in about 3-4 minutes and the grill is cooling down shortly after. BTW, the bowl, grates and lid are heavy enough to retain some heat for less temp swings during adverse conditions, as well.

If you will cook for more than six regularly, I would suggest going with the 22.5" as it is 50% larger (360sq in grate area vs 240 with the 18.5").

I highly recommend spending the extra coin for the Weber kettle. They're built to last and designed to perform like every charcoal grill should. I can do things with my Weber that I wouldn't even consider doing with the cheapos I own, now that I know how easy cooking on the Weber really is. Very few brands can achieve the performance of a Weber without serious mods (been there, tried that), and then you still have longevity issues to deal with (corrosion, etc).

Eric

 

[i is a moose]

I'd also like to mention that the lids on a Weber kettle are too low for a good beer butt, but you can call Weber to order a spare lid for a WSMC (18.5 or 22.5) and it'll work as a substitute.

 

[jima]

I is a moose,

I have been a citizen of Weber Nation for years.  I bought a Weber 1-Touch Gold, 22.5", about 6 years ago.  The pot-style ash container is what sold me on that model.  At the same time I also purchased their rotisserie adapter which I use quite often.  I don't know if they still sell that adapter or not as I haven't seen it advertised since.  In a pinch I can use just the 6" high collar to raise the lid, if needed.  As far as functionality, durability and affordability Weber can't be be beat!  I recently looked at several models of The Big Green Egg.  They are "pricey" to be sure but, I was told that they have a number of accessories that, if they work, could make grilling or smoking a lot less of a chore.  Do you or any of your friends have a "take" on The Egg?

Have a great weekend and I hope to type atcha again, soon

JP

 

[capntrip]

I agree the Weber kettle I have had the 221/2 on my patio for over 30 years

 

[nwdave]

I joined the Weber nation a couple years ago, first with a 22.5 OTG, with Rotisserie adapter, of course (btw, they're still available all over the internet, great addition) then the WSM 22.5 Smoker.  Shared components between the two (grates for example) and the Rotisserrie fits the WSM for a lot of other possiblilities.  Highly recommended.  Weber has come a long ways since the old red kettles.

 

[yankee in ua]

I'm kinda partial to the Char Broil grills.

I had a Sante Fe model that I left behind when I moved back to Maine from CT.  I got a CB 30" in Maine and have enjoyed grilling on that very much.  Easy hand crank height adj. for the charcoal tray, easy clean out door, cast iron cooking grates (3 of them in the CB).  You can drop a full 12 lb bag of Kingsford in there (including the bag) and light it off to cook up a storm for a big crowd for hours.

If you're looking for a shiny grill you won't like em, but both models are great grills and big enough for indirect heating for smoking too.

http://www.charbroil.com/grills/charcoal-grills.html

 

[nwdave]

I think we can all agree that Charcoal rules the smoke.  And lump rules briquettes (in my humble opinion, anyway).  Find what works for you and be it's master and the hungry masses will flock to your doorstep.  (I gotta get off this poetic bent I've been on lately).

Now Yankee in UA, I like the looks of the grill you've mentioned.  I've been considering adding another grill to the collection and this one looks like a winner.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I'm assuming that you have an automatic pellet burner.....
......have you tried charcoal pellets?

http://store.bbqrsdelight.com/pd-charcoal----20-lb-bag.cfm

Just a thought.....



~Martin

 

[berninga87]

You could also try craigslist or garage sales, but definitely go for a weber kettle if you want to do mostly grilling. You can smoke on it too if you want, it really is the best out there. I bought a cheap $50 off brand kettle a year a couple years ago, and I junked it earlier this year because it was just so gone with rust and wear that it could hardly even stand anymore. Around the same time I found an older version of the weber "performer" 22" kettle with the attached table and wheels and all. Picked that up for $80 and it well out performs my old one, and will last much longer(it's 5 years old already). Also it cooks evenly, something my old grill would only do if all the food was in the middle, where the heat was. I could throw a chimney of coals in it, and the coals in the center would burn up while the ones outside of the middle would go out. Enough of my blabbering, I vote Weber Kettle. Money well spent!