Heresy, I know, but I'm considering replacing my 22" Weber with something non-Weber. I have always had a kettle of some sort, and currently have both a 22" kettle and an 18" WSM, with a stacker. However, a couple of things have aways bugged me about the Weber that I could resolve with some other grills:

1. I would like to be able to change the height of the cooking grid relative to the charcoal, which can't be done on the Weber; and

2. I would really like to have cast iron grates for cooking on (I have never understood why Weber gives you such wimpy grates).

That said, I'm reluctant to buy anything I don't know, so I'm wondering if any of you have "experimented" with a non-Weber grill and your impressions . . . I like the features of the Char-Grill Outlaw . . . and for $198 with 1000 square inches of cooking space, a it's nice value.

Comments? Suggestions? Advice?

Thanks,
Bill

1) just go with and direct/indirect area. "Edit just looked up Char-Grill Outlaw and well it looks like a good grill but i still think i can do what i want on the 22 kettle. if not then im using my wsm."

2) http://www.cast-iron-grate.com/

I have never seen one in person but I really like the design of the Hasty Bake.

http://www.hastybake.com/

a char griller might be what yer lookin for. has a big following. i have one. hardly use it as its easier for me to use the kettle. my cg now is my main rottiserie machine. big following and info here,
http://www.barbecuebible.com/

I had a Char-griller for about 6 months and sold it off.

You might see if you can find one of the $299 closeout Bubba Kegs at HD. It's just a great all around tool to have.. has your CI grate and it's adjustable. I wouldn't spend the $500 or so the newer versions are going for but for that $299 and a 10% coupon you get a really nice grill.

Besides my kettle, I have a Bar-B-Chef grill with crank adjustable charcoal grate. I occasionally use it when grilling large amounts of wings, for instance. Even at that I find I use my kettle far more frequently than the B-B-C.

www.biggreenegg.com

You can cook high or low in the dome. The versatility is wonderful. They aren't cheap, but the company supports them as good as Weber.

Have you ALL lost your MINDS??!!
This forum has the name WEBER in it...
NOT Char-Grill Outlaw ...
NOT Hasty Bake ...(reminds me of my little sister's 1965 toy kitchen oven, EZ Bake oven )
NOT Bar-B-Chef ...
NOT BGE ...
ONLY WEBER! ONLY WEBER!!!
Live AND Breath WEBER! Nothing ELSE!




jiminy crickets.... what's this world comin' to?

Calm down Jim, were just tryingto hook another brother up with some craigslist weber action after he unloads his stuff in favor of other stuff.

even thinking of buying something other than WEBER is like kissing your sister... it just ain't right!

haha, I love it. It's ok to buy non weber if you keep the webers. I have other brands, but webers are my first love.

I hear 'ya, Jim. I was really struggling with even thinking about leaving the Weber family . . . and it made me realize, that I'm not going "replace" my Weber . . . I'm simply "supplementing" my Weber

Anyway, I decided to bite the bullet and bought a Master Forge grill from Lowe's yesterday. It was only $149 on sale, so if it sucks, then no big deal. Master Forge Dually

I liked the size (almost 600 square inches of grid space), the porcelain enameled cast iron grates, and the ability to raise and lower the coals. We'll see how I like cooking on it. I think it will be really nice when cooking for a crowd.

So now my roster looks this: 22" kettle; 18.5" WSM; and the Master Forge!! WooHooooo!!!

Bill

I know it's too late (you already bought the Master Forge, right?), but the reason for being able to raise and lower the coals is temperature control. The Weber controls temps by regulating air flow. I can control heat better on my kettle than I could on my old cheap grill with adjustable grates.

One thing about these types of grills is that they are strictly for grilling. They're great for doing Santa Maria style cooks.
Like my Bar-B-Chef there are air leaks everywhere, but there's nothing wrong with that for these types of grills. You control temp by either raising or lowering the charcoal grate, or by zoning, placing charcoal to just one side and creating indirect zones.
Like I mentioned in my previous post these grills are great if grilling for a large party.....but if I had to do it over again I would have gotten the 26" OTG instead.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Lampe:
Have you ALL lost your MINDS??!!
This forum has the name WEBER in it...
NOT Char-Grill Outlaw ...
NOT Hasty Bake ...(reminds me of my little sister's 1965 toy kitchen oven, EZ Bake oven )
NOT Bar-B-Chef ...
NOT BGE ...
ONLY WEBER! ONLY WEBER!!!
Live AND Breath WEBER! Nothing ELSE!




jiminy crickets.... what's this world comin' to?

Whoa Up Jimbo,
Easy there Big Fella,
Calm down, now take a deep breath.
Grab a HL and relax a bit. We're all friends here.
If you look at the signatures on some of the members, my self included until just recently, you'll notice that there's a good bunch of non Weber products listed.
OK now, just for the record I have bought grills other than Weber's. But they were Gassers, and I was not thinking with a clear mind. Also, I'm planning on buying a used ECB off CL just to rob it of some parts to Mod my WSM. But I would never, and I mean NEVER REPLACE any of my Weber's with anything but another Weber.