Which one??


 
R

RobK

TVWBB Member
Want to buy a new kettle, never owned one before but I do have a 22.5 WSM and large Vermont Castings gas grill.

So is it a 18.5 or the 22.5? Most cooking is for 2-4 people. Does the 22.5 take a lot more fuel?? And i think there are more accessories for the 22.5

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
Weber performer with gas ignition. You won't be sorry. Best charcoal grill I ever owned.

BTW I bought mine off of Craigslist for $150. Only used 5 times. Cleaned it up and it was like new, only less money.
 
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The 18.5" is fine for burgers, dogs a few steaks or chops, but the 22.5" gives you much more room and you can easily smoke/grill a turkey.
I prefer the OTG over the OTS cause I owned both, and then you can move up to bigger and better things if you like.

Tim
 
22.5" - Performer if it's in the cards and budget. My ONLY concern with the 18.5" and this is from my experience would be grill space when cooking indirect. When I'm set up for a long "low & slow" cook, the available grill space for my turkey, pork shoulders, cast iron pan.....whatever is limited. That would only be worse with the 18.5" IMHO so again - 22.5" would be my choice. When I look at WSM I might look at the 18.5" as it has 2 grills and no space is really lost to create heat zones as is the case with a kettle. Best of luck.
 
G Savrnoch said:
22.5" - Performer if it's in the cards and budget. My ONLY concern with the 18.5" and this is from my experience would be grill space when cooking indirect. When I'm set up for a long "low & slow" cook, the available grill space for my turkey, pork shoulders, cast iron pan.....whatever is limited. That would only be worse with the 18.5" IMHO so again - 22.5" would be my choice. When I look at WSM I might look at the 18.5" as it has 2 grills and no space is really lost to create heat zones as is the case with a kettle. Best of luck.
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Good thought! Thanks everyone
 
We gave our son and daughter in law a Weber Performer for x-mas a few years ago, they love it and from what I can tell it works great. If our gas grill ever wears out we'll be getting a performer to replace it!
 
The 22 is a great choice. It's just a matter of what model of the 22 you want. This size likely has the most accessories available and is very versatile. The 26.75 seems to be very popular too but a lot more expensive. Check out the Performer with the gas assist for lighting.
 
Check CL you can usually pick up a 22 1/2 ots for about $ 50, seems to be more of them than 18 1/2.
 
RobK said:
Ya its amazing how much a 26 jumps in price. It must have more features.
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It's larger (obvious), basically has the same ash removal system, but with stainless sweeper blades that tend to hold up better than the regular steel ones on the smaller grill. It does include a thermometer, lid holder, and stainless steel grate, none of which are on the 22.5 inch version.

Whether all this is worth the $149 premium over the 22.5" OTG is a personal call.
 
With a 22.5 you have just the right amount of room for 90% of your cooks for 2 to 8 people, you can adjust the amount of coal you need to use for big or small cooks, so it is not wasteful. with the OTG you have better clean up of ash. It is a small package with big performance features. Move up to a performer, or a one touch platinum, and you get the side tables and life is good.
 
I don't think you get anything extra with the 26.75" other than more space. But I enjoy the extra space and didn't mind the extra money. If I was on a stricter budget then that I am on now I would have gotten the 22" because I use the WSM 99% of the time anyway.
 
Don W (Houston) said:
I don't think you get anything extra with the 26.75" other than more space...
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Not exactly. As W. Tyler mentioned above, the 22.5" OTG doesn't come with a temp gauge, lid holder, or stainless cooking grate. Heck, my Performer didn't even come with a stainless grate. Also comes with a pair of the charcoal baskets, and the larger wheels make it easier to roll from one surface to another. Something else I like about my 26.75" is how they've reinforced the charcoal grate in the middle.
 
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