The "Duchess Cooker" - An All aluminum kettle made by maker of PK Grills


 
I stalked this thread last year and decided to join up and get in on the fun after picking up an old Duchess (minus the stand) from the woods behind my deer camp earlier this week.
Now you have me looking to find replacement vents for the bottom as well as charcoal and grilling grates.
 
Hey Keanon,
On the vents, if you join the PK user group on Facebook, you can look up Johnny Joseph. He makes really nice stainless replacement vents for the Duchess and some other old PK grills. I bought two for the bottom of mine from him. Very happy with them. He does very nice work and will treat you right.

On the charcoal grate, you can see the conversation above. My purchase of a cast iron MEDIUM size grate worked perfect for me. Seems to be some discrepancy in size noted above, but mine fit perfectly.

On the grilling grate, I have been working with Mark Baron of KillaGrilla for him to develop a Duchess stainless grate. There are some technical challenges regard the flip-up side that he is working to resolve. His workmanship is top drawer. When Mark finalizes an answer some of us are hoping to make a group order to get the per unit price down. Stay tuned on this part.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Hey Keanon,
On the vents, if you join the PK user group on Facebook, you can look up Johnny Joseph. He makes really nice stainless replacement vents for the Duchess and some other old PK grills. I bought two for the bottom of mine from him. Very happy with them. He does very nice work and will treat you right.

On the charcoal grate, you can see the conversation above. My purchase of a cast iron MEDIUM size grate worked perfect for me. Seems to be some discrepancy in size noted above, but mine fit perfectly.

On the grilling grate, I have been working with Mark Baron of KillaGrilla for him to develop a Duchess stainless grate. There are some technical challenges regard the flip-up side that he is working to resolve. His workmanship is top drawer. When Mark finalizes an answer some of us are hoping to make a group order to get the per unit price down. Stay tuned on this part.
Click to expand...

I’m definitely keeping an eye on here for the KillaGrilla grates for the Dutchess. The same day I brought the Dutchess home from the woods, I also drug an original PK single top vent and a Weber Kettle from under my parents shed. Looks like I’ll be project grill poor for a while.
 
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Mark Baron already has the grate for the One Vent on his custom list. I tried to get a group order on that but didn't get any real response. So, I paid the full price and got one from Mark. It fits perfectly, but with so many old PK models you need to measure yours carefully before committing to purchase.

New SS Grate Flip Up Open.jpeg
 
KellyCaudle said:
oh my God! that was a successful find(s)!!!! The one of the Dutchess looks like mine when I found mine in the woods as well. see below.


View attachment 26521
Click to expand...

I've been eyeballing the PK and Dutchess for a while not, but just finally took the time to dig them out on Monday.
The Duchess was once used for grilling burgers and dogs at our camp on work days and such.
Now we have a Weber Kettle sitting on the porch that handles those duties for us.
I'm really not sure what I'll end up doing with the Duchess yet. I'm debating on leaving it at my parents once I get it fixed up in case I want to grill something while I'm there.
The PK was actually the grill that my parents had when I was growing up so there is some sentimental value to bringing it back to life. One thing I have considered going with it is building some sort of wooden grilling table/cart to hold it and house my charcoal and grilling utensils.
The Weber kettle, I had no idea was even there. I'm going to attempt to pressure was and clean the grates to see if they are still serviceable. The grill itself has been slightly bent, but I think I can fix that up without too much trouble. The kettle will probably either come home with me and replace the cheapo Wally World kettle I've been using the past 3 years or end up at my grandma's place to replace the old rusted up low profile grill that has been there for the past 10-15 years.
 
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Kyle in Woodstock said:
Very cool!
Did you literally find these at a junk yard?
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Not exactly, but you could just about call it that.
The Dutchess has been in the edge of the woods behind our deer camp for quite a few years and the PK was under the back edge of my parents shed along with a couple of old (1985 and 1986) Big Red 3 wheelers and some of my old bicycles.
The Weber was actually under the enclosed portion of the shed (pier and beam construction) and I had no idea it was there. I don't ever remember my parents having it or grilling on it. My dad didn't remember it either.
Once they retired the PK, the only grill I remember them having was just a little small cheap grill that sat on the back porch and was used very sparingly.
 
KeanonReep said:
I've been eyeballing the PK and Dutchess for a while not, but just finally took the time to dig them out on Monday.
The Duchess was once used for grilling burgers and dogs at our camp on work days and such.
Now we have a Weber Kettle sitting on the porch that handles those duties for us.
I'm really not sure what I'll end up doing with the Duchess yet. I'm debating on leaving it at my parents once I get it fixed up in case I want to grill something while I'm there.
The PK was actually the grill that my parents had when I was growing up so there is some sentimental value to bringing it back to life. One thing I have considered going with it is building some sort of wooden grilling table/cart to hold it and house my charcoal and grilling utensils.
The Weber kettle, I had no idea was even there. I'm going to attempt to pressure was and clean the grates to see if they are still serviceable. The grill itself has been slightly bent, but I think I can fix that up without too much trouble. The kettle will probably either come home with me and replace the cheapo Wally World kettle I've been using the past 3 years or end up at my grandma's place to replace the old rusted up low profile grill that has been there for the past 10-15 years.
Click to expand...
Keanon, check your private msg
 
Jon Tofte said:
Mark Baron already has the grate for the One Vent on his custom list. I tried to get a group order on that but didn't get any real response. So, I paid the full price and got one from Mark. It fits perfectly, but with so many old PK models you need to measure yours carefully before committing to purchase.

View attachment 26515
Click to expand...
Do you have the measurements for your one vent grill?
 
The grate for my one vent is 17 3/4" long (side to side) X 14 1/8 to 1/4" deep (front to back). I believe the PK Original that the "new" PK company sells is the same front to back depth (give or take 1/16") but the side to side width is 21 1/2" or almost four inches longer.

www.pkgrills.com

Stainless Steel Cooking Grid for Original PK

Stainless steel makes this is the upgrade replacement hinged cooking grid and charcoal grate for the Original PK Grill and Smoker by PK Grills.
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killagrilla.square.site

14.13 x 17.87" Stainless steel cook grate-for PK grills ( Prior to 1997) grills | Bellex, Inc/KillaGrilla

A great new grill grate!. 14.13 x17.87" Stainless steel cook grate-for " PK single vent small Original" grill manufactured prior to 1997.New, hand crafted, custom made heavy duty stainless steel cooking grate is made with 0.25'' thick 304 stainless steel wire.This 304 stainless steel BBQ grates...
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I measured mine today.
Am I right in thinking the grate that PK sells now will fit my grill?
 

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Keanon,

It certainly LOOKS like yours is the right size for the current grate. Do you know how old your PK is? The one issue I see might be that the current version may have corners that are not as rounded as yours, but I honestly don't know for sure.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Keanon,

It certainly LOOKS like yours is the right size for the current grate. Do you know how old your PK is? The one issue I see might be that the current version may have corners that are not as rounded as yours, but I honestly don't know for sure.
Click to expand...
I honestly have no idea how old the grill is. My mom grilled on it as far back as I can remember (very early 80’s) and my dad doesn’t remember who or where they got the grill from.
I’ve also yet to see another cart quite like the one I have.
I looked at a new PK original at a retailer yesterday and I agree that my grill may be a little more rounded. The charcoal grate from the new models looks like it will still work but I’m not so sure about the grill grate.
 
Quick take on it. I myself have kind of backed off for now. I spoke with Mark Baron about this. His concern is that he can't make the fold-up side and be confident the grate won't fall through due to the very small tabs on the Duchess that hold up the grate. He suggested a solid grate, but I told him that I thought that would be a non-starter, even though less expensive. He was going to look into making a two piece grate set instead, but I haven't followed up with him since my tax season ended.

I can understand his reservations about doing a lot of set-up, etc. only to find that the grate won't work. I don't fully understand it, but it has to do with the thickness of metal Mark uses and I guess how that impacts the round ring.

When I can get an opportunity, I will give Mark a call and see where he is at. I offered to send him my original grate, but that didn't seem to make a difference to him. I will bring that up.

Just an additional note: Mark did make a BEAUTIFUL grate for my smaller size, "one-vent" PK original style grill. Excellent workmanship as always and what a huge leap over the original grate!


New SS Grate Full View.jpeg

New SS Grate Flip Up Open.jpeg
 
Jon Tofte said:
Quick take on it. I myself have kind of backed off for now. I spoke with Mark Baron about this. His concern is that he can't make the fold-up side and be confident the grate won't fall through due to the very small tabs on the Duchess that hold up the grate. He suggested a solid grate, but I told him that I thought that would be a non-starter, even though less expensive. He was going to look into making a two piece grate set instead, but I haven't followed up with him since my tax season ended.

I can understand his reservations about doing a lot of set-up, etc. only to find that the grate won't work. I don't fully understand it, but it has to do with the thickness of metal Mark uses and I guess how that impacts the round ring.

When I can get an opportunity, I will give Mark a call and see where he is at. I offered to send him my original grate, but that didn't seem to make a difference to him. I will bring that up.

Just an additional note: Mark did make a BEAUTIFUL grate for my smaller size, "one-vent" PK original style grill. Excellent workmanship as always and what a huge leap over the original grate!


View attachment 31250

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Click to expand...
Yes, he does make a quality product. I understand that a fold-up grate would have some play and for that reason it might fall through. However, the two piece version would work. Or one with less play? Anyway, thanks for the follow up and we'll get there!
 
Finally Finished Restoring My PK "One-Vent" Grill

I am happy to say that I finally got the time - and the last materials - to give my 50 year old PK One Vent grill a new lease on life. This PK looks like the "Original" but it is a little bit smaller. That required a custom made stainless replacement grate. See above regarding the excellent workmanship that Mark Baron of KillaGrilla did for me.

I also have started working with a local business who does sand blasting and powder coating. I have used him to sand blast a number of Weber gas grills, but this was my first try with powder coating. He used high heat silver - like it was originally - and he even bettered my wire-brushed inside by sand blasting that. I would say that my cool, old PK is ready for another 50 year run!

BEFORE (pictures by the guy who sold it):

BEFORE PK One Vent.jpeg

BEFORE PK One Vent TOP OF LID with Vent.jpeg

AFTER

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IMG_7098.JPEG

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