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Lou Pederi

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Hello all i am new to the forum. I have been grilling for a long time and now starting to bbq for the last year or so. I am trying to convince my wife to let me get the smoker but we just built a deck and she says no to the 200.00 right now. We will see how good of a sales person i am. I have a old 18.5 kettle weber and also a gas grill (sorry). When i get the smoker there will be nothing i cant make. Right now looking for recomendations for the kettle and how much charcol to get the 225 i used half full starter and it is about 275 consistant but i just dusted this off and want to use it more than my gas grille. This sight is amazing just what i have been looking for. Also how do ribs turn out since it does not have a big cooking rack. I dont think i am going to go bigger on the kettle because once i get the smoker i will use it for my indirect cooking.
 
Lou, welcome to the forum.

Do you think you could sell the Minister of Finance for a $20 gadget? If so, I would search your local Craigslist for Weber 22" grills. They are often available for $20 or less. The extra real estate will make a world of difference, and you could even put your 18" up for sale on Craiglist and then you make break even or only pay out $5. I'm sure you could sell her on that.

Then see this thread on how to set up a 22" inch kettle for smoking. You can definitely smoke most of the things we do on a 22" kettle if you know how to set it up the right way.
 
There is a different Craigslist page for different locations, so see if your hometown is listed on the list of cities on the right hand side of the above link.
 
Hey Lou,

I was in your position for a long time (circa 2000) and was using my kettle as a "barbeque". It works, but like you said there isn't much cooking capacity with an 18.5'' unit. But, if you're stuck with it, I'd recommend putting maybe 20 UNLIT coals in one of the baskets (or banking them way off to the side, if you don't have baskets) and maybe putting 5-6 lit coals on top, then some wood chunks on top of those. Then, put whatever you want to Q on the other side. Keep all the vents shut (except the top one) and monitor your temps somehow (polder remote etc.). It'll be kind of a pain, but try to adjust the dampers to mainting your desired cooking range. If you had enough room, you might even consider putting an Aluminum pan full of cold water in there if it stays too hot...it'd act like a heat sink.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the info. I did a test run today to see what temp my small kettle would hold. A half chimney full of charcol was 250 for 3 hours today. I think my wife is going to let me get a 22 incher beacause she saw one on the food channel along with the smoker sitting right next to it. She thought it was cool. So i am going to keep looking and try and get one at a steal but their are none on the craiglist in Akron Ohio. I want one asap. That would give me my gas grill, my kettle and a smoker (which i cant wait to get!!!!!) If anyone see's a smoker or 22 inch kettle let me know i will pay shipping if it is the right price.
 
Used WSM's are hard to come by. Mostly because people love them so much, they don't want to see them go.

I was a kettle smoker (I have a patio Classic) for quite some time, and managed to make some good BBQ on it, in fact I still use it for ribs & high heat cooking. If you are able to keep your kettle in the 250 range for 3 hours, sounds like you are ready to start Q'ing. I'd also take Phil R's advise, that's pretty much what I did before I had the WSM.
 
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