The 26 + SnS is a great value and versatile as heck. I recommend the standard sized SnS for it - you get more cooking grate space and it works perfectly well in the 26.
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There are so many options and as asked above what type of fuel do you want to use. How much tending or not tending do you want to do? I have a PBC, a Kamado Joe, and a KBQ. I think they all compliment each other really well. For plain versatility I would have agree with Huskie on the kettle. For the best smoke flavor out there the KBQ IMHO is second to none.Comment
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All good questions. Not sure how much tending I would like to do, though ideally I'd like something with a little more ability to cook at different temps than the PBC (though, the BBQGuru or other temp regulators sound like a good solution on the PBC). Knowing your set up helps a lot though - I'll have to check out the KBQ.
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Thank you all for your help, wow! Lots of good suggestions and things to think about. Really appreciate all the advice. I'll certainly start with the BBQGuru or other temp regulator for the PBC, and look into the other options
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a good air flow device as well as being able to seal leaks. not all UDS have sealing rings. mine does and I love it. we seal off the vents we don't use. that gives us total control on the airflow. and THAT puts us in great control of the tempComment
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What the Captain said, New2Cue . The Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center is a heckuva lot of fun--you can be a kamado king(queen for some of us) or a kettle buff equally with it. And adding the SnS/DnG/Large Charcoal baskets makes it even nicer.Originally posted by CaptainMike View Post
I love my PBC, but whenever I see something wonderful done on the kettle (say, for example, Troutman's Vortex Chicken), I've just just the right smoker/grill to try it out on. Bread on the kamado? Ditto.
With my Summit gasser, PBC, and WSCGC, I can pretty effectively fend off incoming large-purchase MCS temptations.
KathrynComment
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Kathryn is a great example of why you just might want to consider a charcoal grill as the addition to your current setup with the PBC and the Weber Genesis. A Weber kettle, or if you have lots of cash to burn, the WSCGC, just adds capacity and versatility you don't have with the PBC and Genesis alone. And the kettles certainly have temperature control that the PBC does not have. -
Between the Summit gasser and the WSCGC, I think you've invested enough... -
Since you've pretty much talked me into getting one to compliment our deck remodel I thought I'd give it a plug as well.
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I have a LBGE, the cheapest TEC gasser and a KBQ (and an Uuni pizza oven). If the price doesn't kill you, the KBQ is worth looking into. All of these things complement each other very well.
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These are all great suggestions, thank you all! Of the items listed, I think the KBQ and the WSCGC look like the two best options. For the KBQ though, I need to think long and hard whether I want to be adding fuel every 30-40 minutes. Otherwise, looks fantastic. A bit hard when I have kids, a never ending list of honey-dos, etc.
The WSCGC looks amazing. When I was first starting out, I had looked at kettles but went with the PBC for ease of use (no water pan, no need to tinker with anything, set and forget it, etc.). Fast forward to today, and after a few years of experience, if I were doing it over, I think the WSCGC would have been my first purchase. The versatility and the various gadgets make it look like a really fun cooker to use. The table set up and wheels are also nice (it's a bit of a pain to lift my PBC and move it outside of the garage to cook on my driveway each time).
If I got the WSCGC, would the PBC become unnecessary? Or is it more that my Weber Genesis gas grill become unnecessary? I like the Genesis to rotisserie chicken using a smoke box of apple chips, and to quickly do things like hot dogs, steaks, etc.
For folks with both the PBC and the WSCGC, are there certain foods you prefer to make on one unit versus the other? Does the PBC just serve as a second cooker when you don't have room on the WSCGC? Just trying to make sense of how these all complement each other. Also, while I have a big garage, I am currently storing the Genesis, PBC, and the Big Chief electric smoker (to smoke fish), so I don't know how I feel about adding a fourth cooker when it comes to space.
Thanks in advance!
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You want to hear from fzxdoc - she's got both the PBC and the WSCGC. As far as the KBQ goes, I can do spares in 5 hours, BBR's in 4, and a chicken in two from lighting to pulling it out. So, those are timeframes I can deal with (as an old man). More generally, for the long cooked items, I combing the KBQ for pre and post smoke with SV for the main cooking. Couple of hours on each end.
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New2Cue Given my own personal MCS journey, were you to add the WSCG to your arsenal my bet is that it would push out your Weber Genesis.
Charcoal simply tastes better.
Also, the PBC has all sorts of accessories now making it an increasingly versatile cooker and the one area where kamado cookers fall a bit short is low/slow, which makes the PBC a better option for ribs/brisket/etc. than the WSCG IMO.Comment
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1 a ceramic cooker will give you much more versatility in terms of temp control . I have used mine for cooks from 90 degrees for cold smoking, all the way up to 7-800plus for pizza and all in between. its very good at holding temps but won't give you the real estate you desire. I would take a look at the Rec-Tec 700 pellet smoker, people rave about them.Comment
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New2Cue , as mentioned previously, I have a big (6+ burner) Summit gasser, the WSCGC and the PBC. I use all three of them every week, almost. My family loves the way the PBC does chicken, and I seldom smoke chicken halves and sausages on anything else.
I like cooking almost anything that needs a grate, like chicken pieces, bacon-covered meatloaf, etc. on the WSCGC. Accessibility to the grate is easier on it than on the PBC.
But more often than not, I have both the PBC and the WSCGC fired up at the same time, especially (for example) when smoking several meatloaves at once (I make a big batch and freeze them for our kids to take home). I ordered extra ambient probes for my Fireboard so I can monitor both cookers at once (I always use 2 ambient probes in any cooker/smoker).
Briskets, Chuckies and Pork Butts are done on both the PBC and on the WSCGC equally, usually alternating smokers from one time to the next. I love both on the PBC, but the WSCGC with or without the SnS also does a great job.
Of course grilling on the WSCGC is so much fun. I had improvised a way to do burgers on the PBC, and it worked, but there's nothing like that big wide kettle real estate on the WSCGC to grill up a bunch of burgers and such.
Following Sous Vide, I almost always sear on the gasser because I have a Grill Grate Griddle on it which gives me a great solid sear with no grillmarks. I use my gasser more like an oven, sometimes. It's great for that. I cook up bacon in big batches on it on a grate set in a rimmed cookie sheet. Set the gasser to 350°F and let it go. Great bacon and no bacon smell in the house. Win win.
The gasser is great for short cooks like shrimp, kebabs, etc. because of its instant on, instant off feature, especially when I'm in a hurry. Meathead says that for short cooks, there's no difference in flavor between cooking over charcoal or over gas, and my taste buds agree.
With the Grill Grate Griddle, breakfasts on the gasser are easy peasy. The side burner on the gasser gets a workout too.
For thick steaks, I like to reverse sear using David Parrish 's cold grate technique on the WSCGC using the Lo-Profile SnS/DnG inserts. Best reverse seared steaks ever. Plus it's fun to use the SnS and accessories for other cooks to get the full enjoyment out of the kettle experience.
Because I have both the WSCGC and the PBC I never worry about big cooks--I don't have to overload the PBC with ribs, I can fire up both cookers and do ribs on both if I want.
All in all, the three types of grills/smokers fit perfectly into the way I like to enjoy outdoor cooking.
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; July 26, 2018, 08:47 AM.Comment
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I agree with all of Kathryn's fzxdoc comments. While I don't have the WSCGC I do have a Genesis gas grill, a Weber Performer Deluxe and an offset smoker. I think you will want to keep your PBC for smokes that don't fit on the WSCGC. The only time these days I use my offset is when I cannot fit the cook on the Performer, or I have two different things to smoke at different temperatures. You will want to keep the Genesis for the times you just need to cook something quick, and don't have an extra 30 minutes to get charcoal ready.
If you don't have the budget for the WSCGC, I highly recommend the Weber Performer Deluxe and a SNS. I love love love my Performer, and even when I am cooking on the offset, I use the Performer's gas ignition to get a chimney of charcoal going for the offset. The biggest reason though that I think I love the Performer, aside from being able to cook on charcoal, is the large prep table makes for a great outdoor kitchen. I tend to uncover the Performer and use its table even when cooking on the Genesis or offset.
Like Kathryn I also use my Genesis for searing meat I cooked with my Anova. Beats smoking up the house and setting off the smoke alarm, haha.Comment
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New2Cue the going price for the Weber Performer Deluxe is $399 on Amazon, with free shipping. I have seen them in like new condition on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. I got mine for $100 used from a friend. It was 8 to 10 years old, but like new, and came with the cover, hose to hook up to a 20lb propane tank, the weber charcoal baskets *AND* a full set of Grillgrates.
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I have the Weber Performer and the 26. If I could only keep 1 it would be the 26.Comment
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Thank you, this is incredibly helpful! The WSCGC not only seems really versatile, but fun too. I don't have to cook for a ton of people (I have 3 little girls but in-laws come over a lot), so some of the bigger cookers may be overkill. The WSCGC looks perfect (though the RKE looks pretty sweet as well).Originally posted by fzxdoc View Post
Geez, never thought about doing breakfast on the grill. Love bacon, but hate the smell in the house afterwards. Is this the Grill Grate Griddle you use? If so, do you need to buy the Grill Grates to use it or can you use it on the standard grates that come with the gasser? Also, the griddle seems to not have a lip on all four sides - does it make a mess of the grill if you are cooking something like bacon?
Thank you!Comment
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New2Cue , I put the bacon on a Clean BBQ Grill Grate topper set into a rimmed cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) lined with aluminum foil. The grease is trapped in the rimmed pan. I save the grease! Once the bacon is removed and the grease drained off, the disposable grate and liner for the pan are wrapped up and tossed. That grate topper is supposed to be for an actual grill grate, but I find it works perfect for a disposable insert into the rimmed cookie sheet (you can trim it to fit) so the bacon is kept away from the grease at the bottom of the pan and is therefore more uniformly cooked.
Here's what the grill topper looks like. I buy them directly from Clean BBQ since I don't like the way that Amazon treats its small business partners.
Regarding the Grill Grate Griddles, you don't have to have Grill Grates to use them. You can put them right on your gasser's grate. You hit their weak spot exactly--the grease drips off if you're frying bacon on them. It's not a problem for me because I have the Grill Grates underneath so there is no flareup. But if you don't have Grill Grates, you'll have to watch the drips. Before I got it, I used an inexpensive cast iron griddle like this one (available at several price points, shop around) on the gasser for breakfast cooking. Worked great but was more of a pain to clean and was heavier, too.
For searing, though, the Grill Grate Griddles are marvelous--easy to use and easy to clean up because they come in sections and are lightweight. I usually sear at 600-700°F and they are still going strong. For the two of us, one is plenty. I bought a second for entertaining.
As we speak I have a (relatively expensive) solution, a Baking Steel Griddle which MBMorgan turned me on to in this post. (read the Comments section for the link).
KathrynComment
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Thank you for this! Very helpful! I might have to look into the Grill Grates - I just read the review of them, and they look pretty neat.Originally posted by fzxdoc View PostNew2Cue , I put the bacon on a Clean BBQ Grill Grate topper set into a rimmed cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) lined with aluminum foil. The grease is trapped in the rimmed pan. I save the grease! Once the bacon is removed and the grease drained off, the disposable grate and liner for the pan are wrapped up and tossed. That grate topper is supposed to be for an actual grill grate, but I find it works perfect for a disposable insert into the rimmed cookie sheet (you can trim it to fit) so the bacon is kept away from the grease at the bottom of the pan and is therefore more uniformly cooked.
Here's what the grill topper looks like. I buy them directly from Clean BBQ since I don't like the way that Amazon treats its small business partners.
Regarding the Grill Grate Griddles, you don't have to have Grill Grates to use them. You can put them right on your gasser's grate. You hit their weak spot exactly--the grease drips off if you're frying bacon on them. It's not a problem for me because I have the Grill Grates underneath so there is no flareup. But if you don't have Grill Grates, you'll have to watch the drips. Before I got it, I used an inexpensive cast iron griddle like this one (available at several price points, shop around) on the gasser for breakfast cooking. Worked great but was more of a pain to clean and was heavier, too.
For searing, though, the Grill Grate Griddles are marvelous--easy to use and easy to clean up because they come in sections and are lightweight. I usually sear at 600-700°F and they are still going strong. For the two of us, one is plenty. I bought a second for entertaining.
As we speak I have a (relatively expensive) solution, a Baking Steel Griddle which MBMorgan turned me on to in this post. (read the Comments section for the link).
Kathryn
I like the Baking Steel Griddle - looks like a winner. Not that I'm a big environmentalist or anything, but I personally would lean towards spending the extra money to avoid using disposable items. This thing looks like it could last a lifetime
My Genesis is a 2014 E-330 model. Apparently Weber stopped making the griddles for them, so they are a bit pricey on Amazon but I can find cheaper ones on eBay:
Looks like this could be another good solution. It seems to have a channel, and would fit my grill exactly.Comment
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