Kevin Walsh
TVWBB Fan
A few weeks ago, I picked up on E-bay (for $6.57) a 1970's era Bar-B-Q-Kettle - Arlington Heights, ILL, no date code, teak handle w/ two rivets, steel side handles on the bowl, three daisy-wheel bottom vents, and old-style clipless "twist-off" open ash catcher.
This is a beautiful specimen - a little faded, but no significant chips, dents, dings, scratches or rust on either the lid or the bowl. Additionally, the steel legs are heavier-duty than the aluminum legs on my One-touch, and the Bar-B-Q-Kettle just feels more "stable." In defense of modern kettles, however, I should report that I was very surprised to discover that the lid on the 1970's kettle is not perceptibly heavier than the EE lid on my One-Touch. This suggests to me that Weber's kettles (if not their legs) are no less substantial today than they were 30 to 40 years ago.
As many here might imagine, I am very pleased with this new addition to my fleet.
However, and perhaps not surprisingly, the cooking grate that came with this antique has some rust, and I intend to replace it. This brings me to my question.
The cooking grate on the Bar-B-Q-Kettle is of a noticeably heavier gauge than the hinged grate on my One-Touch. I see that the price shown on Weber's website for the 18.5" hinged SS cooking grate is lower than the price of the "non-SS" hinged cooking grate of the same size. I would appreciate the community's guidance re: the respective pros and cons of SS and non-SS grates. As I already have hinged grates on my One-Touch, I would like to get the heaviest gauge grates I can find for the Bar-B-Q-Kettle, but would also like the benefit of your experience . . .
(I did not find a listing for a 22.5" "non-SS" cooking grate - hinged OR conventional).
Thanks for your input.
This is a beautiful specimen - a little faded, but no significant chips, dents, dings, scratches or rust on either the lid or the bowl. Additionally, the steel legs are heavier-duty than the aluminum legs on my One-touch, and the Bar-B-Q-Kettle just feels more "stable." In defense of modern kettles, however, I should report that I was very surprised to discover that the lid on the 1970's kettle is not perceptibly heavier than the EE lid on my One-Touch. This suggests to me that Weber's kettles (if not their legs) are no less substantial today than they were 30 to 40 years ago.
As many here might imagine, I am very pleased with this new addition to my fleet.
However, and perhaps not surprisingly, the cooking grate that came with this antique has some rust, and I intend to replace it. This brings me to my question.
The cooking grate on the Bar-B-Q-Kettle is of a noticeably heavier gauge than the hinged grate on my One-Touch. I see that the price shown on Weber's website for the 18.5" hinged SS cooking grate is lower than the price of the "non-SS" hinged cooking grate of the same size. I would appreciate the community's guidance re: the respective pros and cons of SS and non-SS grates. As I already have hinged grates on my One-Touch, I would like to get the heaviest gauge grates I can find for the Bar-B-Q-Kettle, but would also like the benefit of your experience . . .
(I did not find a listing for a 22.5" "non-SS" cooking grate - hinged OR conventional).
Thanks for your input.