Grilling with Only an 18" Smokey Mountain...


 
A

Adam E

New member
Hi all!

My situation is that I don't grill over charcoal a lot because we prefer a cast iron pan for steaks and burgers or for true BBQ, our trusty, old 18" Smokey Mountain Cooker.

I don't have a plain old kettle, so when we need one, I use the base of the Smokey Mountain. It works okay, but it's very hot - even with limited coals because there's only about 5" between the charcoal and the grate.. It doable, but I need to use few coals and they burn out pretty quickly.

I really want to try some Picanha or Tri-Tip, Cowboys, etc., but I'm thinking the heat will be too much, too fast without room to move it to indirect.

Aside from general suggestions, I guess my question is, would a 22" Weber Kettle give me the versatility to do this? Or, should I just sear outside with what I have and finish in a hot oven?

Thanks all!
 
Many years ago, I started out with only a charcoal water smoker (not a WSM). After watching some of Steven Raichlen's early TV shows on PBS, where he showed just how versatile the Weber kettle was, I got one. I still do a lot with a charcoal water smoker (now it is a WSM), but I use the kettle more often as it is much better for a number of grilling tasks, and allows much better control than using the bottom of a WSM as a grill. If I could only have one or the other, I would choose the kettle grill (though I would miss the WSM).
 
Randy said:
I have a Weber 22 inch performer and they'll pry it from my dead cold hands as I said. You can do anything on it anything you want they're great.
Click to expand...
Me Too and a Weber Master Touch fitted with a Cajun Bandit Rotisserie Kit;) I also have a 18”WSM “Classic” bought new in the year 2008 and a Weber Smoky Joe for small quick cooks.
 

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Adam E said:
Hi all!

My situation is that I don't grill over charcoal a lot because we prefer a cast iron pan for steaks and burgers or for true BBQ, our trusty, old 18" Smokey Mountain Cooker.

I don't have a plain old kettle, so when we need one, I use the base of the Smokey Mountain. It works okay, but it's very hot - even with limited coals because there's only about 5" between the charcoal and the grate.. It doable, but I need to use few coals and they burn out pretty quickly.

I really want to try some Picanha or Tri-Tip, Cowboys, etc., but I'm thinking the heat will be too much, too fast without room to move it to indirect.

Aside from general suggestions, I guess my question is, would a 22" Weber Kettle give me the versatility to do this? Or, should I just sear outside with what I have and finish in a hot oven?

Thanks all!
Click to expand...
I've made a some killer tri tips on my WSM using reverse sear methods. Fill the charcoal ring on your WSM, take the top layer out, and light it in a chimney, dump lit coals in an even layer on top of the unlit. Put the WSM together like normal, and try to hit around 275 F. When the tri-tip is 95 to 100, put the tri tip on a sheet pan, and let it rest. While it's resting, take the WSM apart, put the grate right over the coals, and wait about 10 or 15 minutes for that charcoal to get ripping hot. Put the tri tip back on the grate, right over coals and flip every 2 minutes or so until you get to about 130 internal temp (or what ever your desired internal temp is). I think tri-tip is best between medium rare and medium myself. This would work on just about any thick cut of steak or chops.
 
Have no clue why you cannot grill effectively on the WSM. Basically a VERY tall 18" kettle. Take the extensions out and use it as a grill. Adjust based on how much coal you use and how you set it up. (direct/indirect)
 
Adam E said:
I guess my question is, would a 22" Weber Kettle give me the versatility to do this? Or, should I just sear outside with what I have and finish in a hot oven?
Click to expand...
I went decades with no kettle. I thought I didn't need a kettle. After I had the BBQ culinary experience, the hook was set, yet I avoided a kettle. I finally added a grilling feature to my 22 WSM after watching the Phil in Florence (RIP) channel. It worked okay; the performance was improved with the addition of a 3/16 inch thick piece of stainless steel plate under the charcoal to improve performance. This reduced the area being heated. Note the charcoal fuel was positioned 5 inches below the cooking grate.

I finally was given a curb find kettle and after refurbishment, I started to learn the versatility and the many things a kettle could do. My kettle is now my most often used cooking tool and with a few additional components the capability has only increased. The kettle capability is only limited by my imagination. If I could only retain one Weber it would likely be the kettle.
 
While I agree with Larry about the ability to use a WSM as a more kettle style unit, it just isn’t that good at it. The kettle is really a more versatile unit, it CAN do lower slower cooks but, that’s not always the best unit for the job either. Having the right tool for specific jobs is better. I have kettles which I seem to use MOST! The WSM for smoking projects and the gasser for its own projects or when under a time crunch.
So, while you CAN do both on any one grill, they each have their strong points.
Get a 22” kettle and you can thank us all later, trust me.
 
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