Webber 26.75 OTG Mods


 
Now that is a very nice grill I love that style front opening that is,and the height is perfect. The size of the side tables is great you can never have to much room, the follow on hangers and lower shelf will just this a even better grill.
Oh yes a paper towel roll holder, then as you say a custom cover. If all else fails a boat cover shop.
Excellant solid design and great job, very beffy, can not wait to see future cooks from this big baby.
 
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Wood over PVC any-day!:)
You should send a pic to Weber and enjoy a feel good moment.
Beautiful job.

Tim
 
Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to doing more to it and more with it. I should have taken some photos cooking dinner tonight but I didn't. Have to say it was like cooking on a football field. I know some of you have the 26 but this is new to me so it's pretty nice to have. I had 4 baked potatoes, 2 squash halves, a 10" skillet of mushrooms and onions plus two good sized rib-eyes. There was still plenty of room left. I think I'm going to make up a warming rack, maybe just use half a 22" grill. I want to see how the lid gunks up. It sits nice and level but the thought of Nomex on the underside of the lid is not beyond something I might do provided everything else seals up tight. It will relieve the metal on metal and with the weight of the lid it should seal it up pretty tight.

Paper towel holder? Hmmm not a bad idea. I was also thinking of a CI trivet mounted into one of the tables not to mention some hangers of course.
Ideas welcome.
 
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Kevin L (NKY) said:
Gary what size tubing are you using and what is the wall thichness ? Now where did you get the tubes bent at a muffer shop? Great project I love your layout and being able to set your height is fanastic. You could even build a second set of side selfves to hold starter, thermometers,or a box for smoke wood.
Keep the photos coming.
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Kevin I missed your post, sorry. I used 1-3/4" steel exhaust pipe. I decided to go with steel so that I could paint it. I'm not sure of the wall thickness but it is just standard pipe. My idea was to be able to bend it at a muffler shop which I did.
 
Don W (Houston) said:
Gary what type of cooks would you do like this. Thanks
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Don I missed this one too sorry. We love turkey at family gatherings so for sure big turkeys. Lots of clearance when cooking them at the charcoal grate level. They cook nice and even with the heat coming up on both sides and reflecting back from the inside of the lid. I'm thinking HH smokes like pork butt and brisket. I can lay in quite a bit of fuel if I need to or do a snake type layout for LNS. I have to make sure I can seal it up pretty tight and I don't see any problem doing that. I will likely do some smoking with it too. It will sort of fill in for a 22 WSM in some ways.

For winter use, the kettle performs much better for me than the WSM so it will be my go to cooker in the cold weather.
 
Gary, very impressive job, looks great! I got my 26 otg, right at the beginning of winter. I used it 3 times and decided to stick with my ceramic grill for cold weather cooking, because the 26 was going through so much fuel. Though, the price of a ceramic will afford you alot of charcoal.
 
Welton, yes I can appreciate your point of view. I was a hair trigger away on a PrimoXL and chickened out at the last moment. Looked at the BGE XL too. I'm not knocking the ceramic cookers at all. I'm just really afraid of them cracking or getting damaged to the point where my value is lost and they are so expensive. I don't know what you have but just recently I have been looking hard at the Vision Grills. Their factory service seems to be awesome from what I have read so I called them, left a voice mail and they called back the same day from MO. Had I seen one of them last Christmas I might not have purchased the 26 but the way I see it, it's just more charcoal. The Vision Grills are a lot less than the big names.
I know the 26 will not be as fuel efficient but it depends on what you are doing. Right now I'm almost three hours into some back ribs and still on my first chimney of lump....working at the LNS technique..yea I know you can probably run for days on that much:) but I am really enjoying the space of the 26.
Thanks for your remarks.

Fast forward.

Welton you were right. The 26 does not do all that well in the cold of winter. The heat loss creates the need for a hotter fire which changes the whole cooking dynamic. I'm parking it during the really cold winter.
 
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Steve, that handle is what was used on the One Touch Platinum. I ordered it as I thought it would work well on the 26. When I got it I turned it upside down to change the angle due to the pre-existing front handle on the 26 and then changed the position of the Weber grip. I also added washers to spread the torque on the fasterns so as not to chip the porcelain. The other option is to order a handle same as what is on top of the lid and mount it. That is what Weber uses on the Ranch from what I can tell. For the front application I don't think you need the heat shield.
 
I have some additional mods going on for the 26. I'm making a SS rotisserie ring. I have added Nomex gasket material to the underside of the lid. I expect this will aid in LNS cooking and also softens the contact between the lid and the body of the kettle. I have seen other kettles chip along the lip of the bowl so I'm hoping this will prevent that from happening.
I have not used this Nomex before. This product is self sticking and it went on like a dream. I got it from Justin at BBQgaskets.com. I have purchased product from him before and the service has been excellent.
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Awesome job on the mods, I have the Big Boy 26" and would love to add a few mods, but that rotisserie ring :cool: , hope you send a pic to WEBER, i've been sending E-mails to get them made for the 26"
 
Thank you John. You know they're not all that difficult to make. In fact I will likely be in the range of a new 22 ring as far as cost goes. In my case I went to a metal supermarket and they sheared the piece I wanted. I have been working on a tight dimension in order to reduce any air space between the ring and the bowl. I opted for Stainless so I would not have to paint it. I am putting 5/16" SS round bar around the top edge so that the lid will sit firmly on top. The spit openings will be no bigger than necessary in the event I want to use it as a smoke ring, block the openings and add an additional grate up top. The size of this kettle makes it a "one stop shop" with the right accessories.
 
Rostisserie ring is now complete. I just have to pick up a complete spit assembly and I think I will go with a Weber...just because...:cool:







The fit on this ring is much tighter than what is made for the 22. I did not have to cut slots for the lid holder nuts. The weight of this ring holds it firmly in place and the tabs keep it level just like Weber intended. This bbq frame will certainly carry any load that I can put in the rotisserie.

I'm thinking of giving it a "spin" for Mothers Day
 
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Gary, the handle for my 26.75 just arrived today, I ordered it after seeing yours, but it was so long ago I can't remember when it was that I did order it. I gave up on actually getting it, just holding it up against my grill shows me that it was worth the wait and is going to be great to have. Thanks for your inspiration! It may be a holiday weekend project installing and testing my new handle!
 
Hey Steve, glad you are pleased with it. I probably said this in a post but turn the handle upside down so it angles up away from the kettle handle and then just change the handle grip by turning it right side up. Also I would suggest you use stainless washers on the outside to stiffen the mount. That lid is much heavier and you do not want the metal to flex and chip the porcelain. Snug the lid bolts in with a real nut, a lock washer and a washer in the inside of the lid. Do not use crushing force but it must be tight.
This is a mod I know you will be happy with. I have also added Nomex gasket material to the underside of the lid and it cooks LNS real steady now. I have at least 10 cooks under my belt now and have yet to use the factory charcoal grate. This kettle is awesome in every respect.
 
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