Got a Ranch Kettle


 
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Lawrence M.

TVWBB Super Fan
Hello,

Thanks to a hot tip from the trading post I got a Ranch Kettle! My fiancee has always been bugging me about getting one but we couldn't swallow the $1300 price tag. She has always wanted to do a whole pig on one. Anyways, I picked it up from Ebay for $125, but it was in IL near my parents house: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WEBER-...&hash=item1e6e046580

I was flying to IL for work this week anyway, so I Bought-It-Now and had a friend pick it up for me. Once I had it at home, I saw it was in perfect shape. Some surface rust on the grate, but otherwise looks like it was only used a few times like the seller said. He even cleaned it up for me! I am really glad I don't have to replace anything as the grate for the Kettle is $200.

The Kettle is actually SMALLER than I remember it. We used to have one at my fraternity house, but none of use knew what we were doing! I have a few parties in IL to use it for in the upcoming weeks.

The quality on it is awesome. I always hated the weber legs, but the frame on this is rock solid. The lid holder is also pretty slick since it has the second handle at the edge.

I'll try and bring it back to SF later this year. It's too big for normal shipping. It wouldd have to go freight. I think that I can actually get it as checked baggage on the plane in multiple boxes. I'll update this thread in a few months in case anyone is interested in how to transport this giant grill.

I'll make sure to post pics when I can upload them.
 
yeah, Brian why didn't you get. its a heal of a deal.
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Lawrence, Great Score!!! let us know if you do manage to get this check in on the plane.

Vincent.
 
Great score man! I have been hunting one of these down for fricken 2 years and JUST missed one here in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago for 125$ I even offered him 150 and would have paid more but someone beat me to it! One day maybe...........one day!

Enjoy!
 
Check with catering supply rental companies.. They clean out inventory after the season.

I pick up 2 Ranch Kettles for $250 a couple of years back.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Vincent On:
yeah, Brian why didn't you get. its a heal of a deal.
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Vincent. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


I'm dumb!

Brian
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Brian O'Neal:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Vincent On:
yeah, Brian why didn't you get. its a heal of a deal.
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Vincent. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


I'm dumb!

Brian </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
Hey Brian,
You're not dumb. Do you really need a ranch kettle? You have a 26er, a double 22 set up, plus who knows how many other 22's.
Parts for a Ranch are expensive.
I don't even like the way the new ones look.
I would want an oldie one..
Of course you could have bought it for $150 and sold it for at least $450.. And then bought a brand new 26er or a bunch of steaks or a sweet hammock..
OK, my bad, you were DUMB!
Maybe Lawrence would trade you for like 100 handles?
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Yeah, Parts are soooo expensive for this thing. $200 grill grate. Yikes!

I agree that the frame makes the Kettle look weird. Definitely not classic looking. However, I do like the rigidity it offers. I can't brush the grate on my OTG without feeling like I am bending the legs. The modern Ranch does not have that issue. It's just as rigid as a SS performer.

Ed told me that the Ranch Kettles are spun, not stamped like today's Kettles. This makes sense because the pressure needed to stamp it would be exorbitant. The lid also has a double rolled edge for structure, unlike the smaller kettle which don't have a rolled edge. If you look closely at the Ranch Kettle surface you can see the concentric steps where the metal was spun incrementally. I thought it looked weird when I first saw it and that someone had gotten lazy when they machined the mold. It may also explain why the vent is at the center and not offset like the smaller kettles.

Brian, I am serious if you ever want to borrow the Kettle. Email me anytime.
 
That's a great story. I have to admit that had I seen it, I probably would have pulled the trigger. Realistically, my 26 is big enough to expand my horizons. But it would be cool for the club picnic in the fall.

In any case, should you decided it is too expensive to ship back home, put me on the list!
 
Long post here, please bear with me! How big is the Ranch Kettle? This is my brother, he is about 4.5 feet tall.

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I was able to transport it in the hatch of my Yukon Denali. It JUST fits without the lid on. I'll upload a pic later.

The Ranch Kettle is awesome if you need to cook alot of food on it. You have a whole 22" worth of direct, and another 22" kettle worth of space to use as indirect, with space to spare.

I love the SS Grate on it. It is sooo heavy to pick up, but the rods are super thick and it sears like a beast! Unlike the smaller kettles, the grill grate sits on a lip circumference. You can actually turn the grate while cooking using a spatula or tongs, making it super simple to go from direct to indirect if the other half is open.

I also really like the lid holder. It's easy to flip the lid up with one hand and you dont have to worry about where to put it. It's WAY better than the side holder on the performer. The second handle is also super useful to pic up the heavy lid.

The downsides of this grill is that it is HEAVY. It gives your forearms a workout just rolling it around on two wheels. The 3 bottom vents are also REALLY tiny. They are barely bigger than 3 top vents on the 22" Actually, I think its the smaller diameter vent holes from the older ones. Thus, the ash is really inconvenient to clean. The only way to get the ash out is to scoop it, not a fun task with there is 1-2 bags worth of ash in the bowl.

Aside from the minor gripes, its a blast to use.
I had a BBQ for about 40 people last weekend. I was able to cook 50 pork skewers, 10 lbs of wings, a dozen corn on the cobs, and steak without a sweat. It was nice being able to grill all at once for the most part and have the chance to hang out more instead. I'll let the pics speak for themselves

BBQ setup for the night
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Who needs a warming rack?
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The Kettle is so large its very easy to singe your arm hair if you put food in the middle. This is my buddy with burnt hair on the arm.
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Corn and wings indirect. One Chimney of charcoal in a half moon on the right.
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Gratuitous use of the RK for warming up stuff.
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The next day I tried to cook 2 rack of Ribs on the RK. Soooo much space on the deck for 2 StL racks, trimmings, and the water bowl. I put the charcoal in a "C" shape underneath to coil through the cook. I didn't use enough charcoal unfortunately so the Ribs took forever to cook. (I didn't have access to a thermometer) So I finished them in the oven and the flavor was still good!

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Charcoal snake. The ash isn't really an issue since the bowl is so big.
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The top vent is so big you can peek in to check on the meat.
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All done!
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That's awesome, man. I don't think it's possible to be more proud, or to get a better deal.

Invite the members over next time!
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