Which grill to buy for grilling/smoking?


 
GGross said:
I need to go see one of the 26.5 Kettle cuz the cost is twice as the 22.5 OTG, I use the 22.5 it is cramped if I try to cook to chickens or 3 racks of ribs for quantity smaller it's perfect and you can do 1 butt.
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If that's the case I will probably stick to 22.5 then. I don't think I will be cooking 3 racks of ribs any time soon. I can see myself cooking 2 racks though. According to my math, the 3 sizes each has the following cooking area:
18.5 - 270
22.5 - 415
26.5 - 551
Looks like each size up increases cooking area by approx. 140.
 
You can grill and smoke just about anything on a 22.5" kettle. If you find yourself doing a lot of smoking, add a Cajun Bandit or Smoke E-Z converter. I use my Performer (deluxe kettle) and Smoke E-Z most of the time. I hardly ever use my gasser or WSM (blasphemy, I know) anymore.
 
MarcusWilliams said:
Thank you all for the warm welcome and helpful tips. I really appreciate it. It seems the OTG 22.5 is the runaway favorite of this board. I will likely get that, while also considering the 26.5. Space isn't a problem, but what about fuel consumption? Since it's bigger, would it use much more charcoal or take longer time to heat up? I'm expecting to just grill some burgers, hotdogs and veggies for my immediate family of 4-6 people most of the time. Don't want to get something that will waste fuel or be overkill, although I can definitely see the benefit of larger cooking area for smoking. For smoking, is it easier to maintain consistent temp with a smaller or bigger unit?
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Marcus i get between 10-12 cooks with one 20lb bag of KBB using one weber charcoal basket on my 26er.
 
Can't go wrong with a kettle of any size. Theirs nothing you can't achieve on them. Every person who has caught the BBQ bug has started on a kettle at one point. Once you master the kettle and see it's potential, Your style and needs of cooking will dictate were you go from here. If you feel the need for more room. You can get little gadgets like this.

IMAG1665_zps6a33cbfe.jpg


Or go to the next level and get a true smoker/griller like this.

40lbs_on_the_smoker_zps0ed42331.jpg
 
I had a performer and loved it, will have another some day. I use my WSM to grill by putting the charcoal ring on the middle rack and it works great.
 
MarcusWilliams said:
I'd like to get started on grilling/smoking this summer. Personally, I prefer meat cooked low n' slow, but the kids may want burgers and hot dogs, so I'd like to get a grill that can reasonably perform both tasks. I expect to cook for 4-6 people, and entertaining large group is not a consideration. My top consideration now is the Weber One-touch Gold or Silver, either 18.5 or 22.5. Not having used a charcoal grill before, I have a few concerns:
- how much higher is fuel cost?
- how hard/time consuming is it to maintain temp for a long cookout (4-7 hours)?
- is the 18.5 big enough for 4-6 people or should I get 22.5? I prefer the smallest that can meet my needs.
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A Performer would be my first choice for the side table and propane assist start. One Touch Gold 22.5 would be my next choice vs the Silver for the ash catcher feature alone. 18.5 IMHO too small for an indirect setup so if you're hopping to do some low and slow you'll need the added space of the 22.5.

Yes charcoal cooks will cost more in the long run than gas. But so will driving a nice sports car vs. a Prius......which would you rather drive :cool:? But if you want authentic smokey BBQ, you'll pay a bit more vs. the outdoor propane ovens a.k.a. grills.

Once you learn some tricks and temp management keeping coals hot for 4-7 is easy.
 
MarcusWilliams said:
Thank you all for the warm welcome and helpful tips. I really appreciate it. It seems the OTG 22.5 is the runaway favorite of this board. I will likely get that, while also considering the 26.5. Space isn't a problem, but what about fuel consumption? Since it's bigger, would it use much more charcoal or take longer time to heat up? I'm expecting to just grill some burgers, hotdogs and veggies for my immediate family of 4-6 people most of the time. Don't want to get something that will waste fuel or be overkill, although I can definitely see the benefit of larger cooking area for smoking. For smoking, is it easier to maintain consistent temp with a smaller or bigger unit?
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I only use one chimney starter in my ranch and it works great. 26.5" will allow you to cook the entire meal on the grill over direct and indirect heat. If you can afford it go big to start. You won't be sorry
 
If you really get into grilling your family of grills will grow! I love the 18.5 WSM I have for smoking and the 26.75 Kettle for everything else. I also have a Smoky Joe Platinum (18.5" short leg kettle) for camping, and my wife loves her Weber Gas Genesis! I use the WSM for long smokes such as Pork Butts and Beef Briskets, and use the 26.75" Kettle for grilling steaks, burgers, and brats, as well as shorter smokes such as ribs and chicken. Right now I have a chuck roast on the 26.75" Kettle doing a smoke for pulled beef. It's an experiment for me as I haven't done smoked beef on the kettle before. For the most versatile grill I'd go with the 26.75" Kettle, it is big enough to have both direct heat and indirect heat cooking areas and as has already been stated, it has enough room to prepare a whole meal. The smaller grills run out of room in a hurry unless you use accessory racks to stack cooking areas.
 
Marcus,
I am pretty new as well. I've dabbled for a few seasons but with work and a 1 year old, time is scarce, so slow and low opportunities are rare. I don't know if there are budget concerns but if you want to keep costs down as you are beginning, definitely check Craigslist. There are lots of people who buy kettles, decide its not for them and they sell them for pennies on the dollar. I just got a $100 OTS for $8!. Even with a few new parts i still saved over $70. I cleaned it up and she looks decent and cooks really well.

If i ever decide i don't want it anymore, or i want to upgrade to something else like a WSM or a performer, i can throw it on craigslist and get back what i paid for it or more.

Temperature control will take a little time to master, i know because i haven't yet. I'm still working on it and i am trying a few methods. I posted a similar question here:
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?52556-Information-Overload-Craigslist-OTS-Kettle-Slow-n-Low-Set-up-1st-smoke-debrief&highlight=CHICKEN+KETTLE
 
I just moved into new house today, walked into the garage and there was a 18.5 Kingsford grill! I was all set to get the Weber 22.5, but hey, you can't get better than free, especially when just starting. There were even two 20 lb bags of charcoal.

I think when smoking big rack of ribs, I will need to cut it in half and use a rack to hold it up. Any recommendation for a good rack that's going to fit in a 18.5?
 
Use the freebie for a while and then step up to the real thing. You can't go wrong that way.
 
Marcus,

IMO it is hard to beat the 22.5 kettle (I have the OTG). It is extremely versatile and can be configured for various types of cooking. I have used mine for grilling, smoking (very low temp, low temp, and high temp), and rotisserie. A pretty common pattern around here is that a person starts with one Weber and before they know it they have four or five... In any case you can not go wrong - buy one to get started and watch CL for deals on other models to supplement your equipment.

Regards,

John
 
MarcusWilliams said:
I just moved into new house today, walked into the garage and there was a 18.5 Kingsford grill! I was all set to get the Weber 22.5, but hey, you can't get better than free, especially when just starting. There were even two 20 lb bags of charcoal.

I think when smoking big rack of ribs, I will need to cut it in half and use a rack to hold it up. Any recommendation for a good rack that's going to fit in a 18.5?
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If you don't want to buy a rack you can roll them and run a skewer thru to hold them together, works like a charm.
 
The 22.5 kettle works real good for me for grilling and smoking. You can find them cheap on CL or even free like the one I got. :cool:
 
i have a brinkmann rack from home depot that works fine. You can roll them with a skewer like Bear said, quick search here or google will show how.

You might be able to cut rack in 1/2 or 1/3's and fit flat on rack but that might be pushing it on an 18 inch if you are going indirect.
 
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