Which new Kettle to buy

[Craig Wallace]

Hi everybody, I,m in the Market for a new grill. I,m debating between the performer or the 26 inch kettle. I like the Performer because of the prep space on the side but the extra grilling space is great on the 26.


So really the question remains is the proformer worth the extra money?

Thanks

Hello Zach:

I have the Performer, 4 years and still holding up well. I did replace my coal cleaning fins, it's a cheap fix. I also have a silver Joe. Both my kettles have Craycort cast iron grills. My only thought about the 26" is if you want to get it hot, 400F plus, you'll need to use two chimney's of briquettes. Even with my Performer, it takes a stuffed chimney to get it real hot. I like cooking my steaks as hot as possible. One and a quarter inch thick steaks, four minutes on each side at 400 F and they're medium rare every time. I don't think I could do the same with a 26" unless I raised the bottom grate closer to the top grate. My Joe gets super hot and a couple steaks on it sear real nice.

That said, if you have a big family and like to cook foods that take a lot of surface area then the 26" might be a better option.

CraigW

 

[George Santos]

Hi everybody, I,m in the Market for a new grill. I,m debating between the performer or the 26 inch kettle. I like the Performer because of the prep space on the side but the extra grilling space is great on the 26.


So really the question remains is the proformer worth the extra money?

Thanks

I will say the 26 incher. The performer is a 22 with a table; on the other hand if what all do is grilling and you don't care for indirect then Performer is an option.

Better yet, one of each!!

+ =

 

[Craig Wallace]

I will say the 26 incher. The performer is a 22 with a table; on the other hand if what all do is grilling and you don't care for indirect then Performer is an option.

Better yet, one of each!!

+ =

Plenty of room on the 22.5 to do indirect, enough room for 3 chuck steaks, 3 birds or two whole pork tenderloins. The 22.5 is hard to get up much past 400F without adding lump coal after dumping a chimney of briquettes for some serious searing of steaks. I could not imagine a 26 getting that hot without two full chimneys. I've never cooked on a 26, so I could be totally off. I do know the heat difference between my Joe and the Performer. I can get the Joe super hot for a couple new yorks and/or ribeyes.

CraigW

 

[Robert McGee]

Plenty of room on the 22.5 to do indirect, enough room for 3 chuck steaks, 3 birds or two whole pork tenderloins. The 22.5 is hard to get up much past 400F without adding lump coal after dumping a chimney of briquettes for some serious searing of steaks. I could not imagine a 26 getting that hot without two full chimneys. I've never cooked on a 26, so I could be totally off. I do know the heat difference between my Joe and the Performer. I can get the Joe super hot for a couple new yorks and/or ribeyes.

CraigW

If you use a couple of fire bricks across the charcoal grate and dump a whole chimney behind the bricks this, in effect, raises the hot coals up towards the food grate greatly increasing the heat. In practice this goes from "medium" (when the chimney of lit is spread evenly over the whole charcoal grate) to "Hot" when the same amount of lit coals are dumped behind the bricks in half (or even one third) the area:



Just a thought or two...

Keep on smokin',
Dale53

 

[Craig Wallace]

Robert:

The bricks look like a real nice alternative to the basket. Cooking indirect on a 22.5 has more than enough room. Thanks for the photo. Appreciate your thoughts, the bricks are a good idea.

CraigW

 

[George Santos]

Plenty of room on the 22.5 to do indirect, enough room for 3 chuck steaks, 3 birds or two whole pork tenderloins. The 22.5 is hard to get up much past 400F without adding lump coal after dumping a chimney of briquettes for some serious searing of steaks. I could not imagine a 26 getting that hot without two full chimneys. I've never cooked on a 26, so I could be totally off. I do know the heat difference between my Joe and the Performer. I can get the Joe super hot for a couple new yorks and/or ribeyes.

CraigW

I did not meant the 22 has not enough room. It is my believe that while the 22.5 fits most our needs, the 26 will definitely be a breeze to use comparatively. Luckily we have both choices.

 

[Craig H]

26" Kettle is worth the extra real estate. Hands down!

 

[Greg-S]

everybody needs a 26.