When you started grilling….


 
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I don't remember what kind of grill my Dad used, but it was something el cheapo. I don't remember him grilling much at home, it was more likely done at the beach or park on one of those commercial park grills. I remember one of my grandfathers grilling on some kind of cast aluminum charcoal grill and my other grandfather grilling on the kind of brazier shown in JSaus's post.

I didn't start grilling until college, on my roommate's Smokey Joe. Later, I bought a Go-Anywhere charcoal grill and eventually stepped up to a Genesis 2. In 1997 I got hooked on the WSM (that story is well documented here). In 2002, I passed the Genesis 2 to my father and self-birthday-gifted a Summit 450. In 2016 I acquired a Summit Charcoal Grilling Center. There have been many other Webers in addition to these...I had a 26" kettle and a couple of 22" kettles for a while, and so many WSMs I can't even count. In fact, right now I have one WSM on the patio and five in the garage!
 
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Pretty much the same story for me. In the Late 50s I started helping my dad do burgers and hot dogs on our old tin grill, It did have a hood though which was perfect for shoving the smoke in your face. Lighter fluid was the norm for us for starting the coals. After I got married I had an assortment of lava rock wonders and Hibachi's.
After I went through my divorce and met Barb and got married we had a few more two year and replace grills. Then I saw an ad in 1989 for a sale at our local True Value on Weber's. I bought a green 1000 LX and the rest is history. Barb and I have been married for almost 40 years and we still grill on that Weber 1000 that's now converted to a long frame 2000. 32 years of perfect service It was our only grill for at least 25 years..
With my health problems and the ban every summer on charcoal use our daily driver is our E320 Ng and the Camp Chef pellet grill. I still have my gas assist performer for those times I can use charcoal.
 
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John K BBQ said:
Other than Weber Grills, I also get nostalgic about heavy walled offset smokers, and also this crazy grill, which I think was a "Big Boy" brand. My wife's uncle Larry owns and operates one like this unit I'm showing below. When these guys hit about 50 years old, the post that the grill grate mounts to is no longer "plumb" and the grate gets a little wonky, it's hard to turn the crank to adjust the grill height above the charcoal bed, and there are no air vents for the charcoal to draw air from, but other than that it's fun to use ;) . I'm looking forward to seeing Uncle Larry and his vintage 1960's charcoal grill again in a few weeks. I'll see if I can get some real pics of it in action to share.
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The Big Boy people also had a nifty little book that went through a few editions:

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I bought a cheap portable charcoal grill after we were first married and living in an apartment (mid 90’s), It was poorly designed and hard to keep enough airflow to keep coals hot. A couple years later I got a Thermos brand gasser and used it a lot, after replacing parts a couple times in just 2-3 years, I got a Silver A. It was my only grill for a long long time and had it 18-20 years. After I got into smoking, then I went nuts and can’t even count all the grills and smokers I’ve had since. 11 pellet grills alone.
 
ChuckH said:
I had one of those Magma Marine Kettles on my boat. Hated that thing from the day I mounted it on my boat. It had only two levels, off, and crematorium. It now, (in my best Sicilian accent) swims with the fishes.
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I have a little more adjustment than you describe.. but not much. What is, is.. it works.
 
This is the best thread! I’ve been looking for one similar...glad I’m not the only one that started with fluid!

I’m younger than most that have posted so far (born ‘83). Growing up, my stepdad used an 18” Weber kettle and I watched him use it countless times. Around ‘96/‘97, my dad bought a Genesis 1000, the same redhead I have now. In 2005, my mom and stepdad got me a Smokey Joe and I figured the way the cook was dump charcoal, lighter fluid (more if you were in a hurry), light and throw on meat. Didn’t know about ashing over. Or timing. I couldn’t figure out why people loved charcoal so much and abandoned it.

Fast forward to 2017, tax returns from a new job and I wanted a grill. Part of me wanted to learn charcoal and get a 22”, but I figured I had the extra money then and a $700 gas would make sense now, as a kettle was $1-200 or so. Having been around Weber’s most all my life, it was a no brainer...wasn’t about to spend a grand or more on one so got my Spirit E330 which did me great. I got the itch for charcoal and hopped online and found I needed a chimney to start, so pulled the Smokey Joe out, went and bought the chimney starter and cubes and gave her hell. It’s been a slippery slope ever since....my Red LE followed in ‘18, then my Summit charcoal in ‘19, another Smokey Joe, my Glen Blue 26, and Spring Green 22. I’ve bought an avocado Sequoia that I need to go get, 2800 mile drive round trip
 
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