Would it be weird to add another charcoal grill?

[jasonwilliams14]

Hey folks.
Subject says it all.
After my recent post in the Kamado section about Primo and Kamado:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/charcoal-kamados/primo/1613773-looking-at-the-primo-xl-my-next-cooker

My wife ended that real quick when we started to look at cost for the time being ( 3 boys, 1 about to go to college.....expenses....you get the idea)

Since my BBQ journey started about a year ago, I have discovered so many things I like that I never thought of before. It has opened my eyes quite a bit.
One thing I like to grill are kebabs (chicken, veggie, steak) I am fond of chicken kebabs with all the different combinations of marinades. I did some this past weekend on my weber and they turned out fantastic. Moist, juicy and lots of flavor.

I mention that because, I would like to have some more real estate to work with on my grill. The weber 22" is great and I love it, but I want something bigger, maybe even a rectangle shape. I could still do two zone cooking quite easily.

The other interesting item I wanted to explore related to kebabs was the length of the skewers resting on the outer edges of the grill, where the grates go in. This would allow me to remove the grates entirely, cook over direct heat, the move to the cool zone to finish of indirect. I think it gives me different ways to try how to grill. (I hope I explained that well).

Lastly, the ability to raise and lower the charcoal is very valuable. When I cooked those kebabs, as I was cooking them, I thought "It would be great if I could change the level at which the charcoal was...either raise or lower it."

So here I go again, looking for another grill. hehe

I was curious if anyone had any ideas of charcoal grills to look at and consider.

A quick browse I found a few

HastyBake (seems awesome...might be pricey ATM).
Oklahoma Joe Judge

I know dyna-glo and CharGriller have a few, but no idea on quality control.

That is my latest.
I owe some pictures for my cooks. I am just about to start of a string of cooks as summer gets going and my plan is to share what I have been making (Made smashburgers for first time Sunday...they were amazing!)

As always, really appreciate the help!

[STEbbq]

Well, I think the answer is pretty easy.

http://gabbysgrills.com/product/gabbys-grill-attachment/

https://a.co/d/0abI0xGr

https://theburnshopwf.com/product/weber-santa-maria-grill/

[jasonwilliams14]

Hmm....this is very interesting. I have seen these before but did not know enough about them. Is there any significant difference between the ones above?
The cooking looks interesting. I need to explore this more. TYVM!

[STEbbq]

The difference is usually build quality. You can see comments in the OF reviews pointing out it is cheaply made compared to peers. Gabbys is the original design so the others are copying it.

[RlsRls]

Or a PK Grill! Very rectangular and the Cover/dome/lid comes right off easily! skewers can rest fron to back very easy! Kinda pricey though unless you buy used.

[Thunder77]

First of all, heck no you are not weird for considering another grill! In this club you would be weird if you were NOT thinking about another grill! 😂😂
It’s called MCS, or “more cooker syndrome” It’s a subset of “gear acquisition syndrome” Very common in The Pit.
You are doomed! 🤣🤣

[jasonwilliams14]

That is good to know and that I am in good company.
I have a lot of thoughts and ideas. Every time I do a cook, something new always crosses my mind. MCS is in full affect!

[radshop]

Right? Right! I saw the title and knew the answer without even reading the post.

[mrichie1229]

jasonwilliams14 - I upgraded from a 22 inch to 26 inch Weber Kettle for that same reason. It made a huge difference in how much more food I can cook. I have thought about the Santa Maria insert for it, just haven't pulled the trigger.

[jasonwilliams14]

I have thought about getting the 26". I would love to see it up close and personal so I can see how much cooking space I would gain. I might drive around, see if i can find one to gawk at.

[Bob K]

jasonwilliams14 - 4" doesn't seem like much but it's a significant, surprising (to me, anyway) difference. about 380 sq. in. vs. 530. I don't have a 26, at the time I liked the footprint and cost of the 22" better. but it's a 40% increase in real estate

[IdahoJim]

One thing to keep in mind about the 26er, the lid is heavy. There ways to deal with it, but since I normally cook for a small group, I sold my 26 incher and bought a Performer with the fold down table. I love the table and the stability and ease of moving it around.

[Jessterr]

IDK….rectangular cooking area, ability to raise and lower the charcoal basket….sure sounds like a Hasty Bake is in your future, my friend. Some times it’s better to just bite the bullet and go for it.

[PNWBrandon]

jasonwilliams14 I have a few Hasty Bake’s always happy to answer any questions if you have any.

[jasonwilliams14]

PNWBrandon. THat is great. I have been looking a lot at the Hasty Bake and it looks really really good. I love the accessories that it offers. The handle crank to raise and lower the grate looks very easy to use. I see a ton of value in the HB.
Anything you particular like? Any cons? All the options I am looking at (HB, Judge and 26" Weber) are great options. Just a matter of how much I want to spend.

[PNWBrandon]

jasonwilliams14 it took me a few cooks to get the hang of them.

Pros: Great airflow, easy to dial in once you have a few cooks under your belt, incredibly versatile I prefer using them as a smoker, comes in stainless steel option, easy to clean, full cooking grate useable for “indirect” cooking, great community of users who are always happy to trouble shoot, made in the USA

Cons: uses more charcoal compared to other cookers, vent adjustments don’t help much, pricey, little learning curve

[realdocBBQ]

Santa Maria is what came to my mind.

[LA Pork Butt]

Since you mentioned budgetary concerns, maybe the starting point should be a place where you and your wife agree upon how much could be spent. The budget could guide the choice. While the purchase might not be ideal, it will be realistic. It might mean selling a current grill to help fund the one you really want. Or, it could mean purchasing a cheap one that will last until you get those kids taken care of. Or, maybe it means buying an add on to a current grill. Whatever the decision the peace and wellbeing of the home front is more important.

[Smoker_Boy]

My dad just told me to get a job.
I financed my own way through college.

[HawkerXP]

Don't forget to shop around. I've gotten used Weber products on Facebook Market Place and Craigslist that just needed a good cleaning and maybe a new grate. I have seen other brands for sale as well.

[Mosca]

If I were in your situation: wanting to have some fun learning something new, and wanting to be able to practically apply that new skill directly, but being limited by budget, I would DEFINITELY go with the Santa Maria attachment for the Weber.

Hell, I DON’T want to have fun learning something new, DON’T CARE about applying anything I’ve learned, and I’m NOT limited by budget. And I STILL want one! (The only reason I haven’t gotten one is I don’t know where the hell I’d put it when not in use.)

[jasonwilliams14]

I am going to spend more time on reading up on how to cook on that type of grill. Looks like I can even use wood which is really interesting. A new way to learn how to cook.

[Davek8282]

If you want something specific for Kebabs maybe explore Yakitori grills. While they can be used for other things they are specifically designed for Kebabs and come in a variety of lengths to accommodate more Kebabs. As an added benefit many of these grills can be used table top so guests cook their own or at least enjoy the show.

[jasonwilliams14]

I will definitely check that out and make sure i keep my MCS is full swing.

[IdahoJim]

Heck, a Weber charcoal Go-Anywhere would be great for kabobs...

[Uncle Bob]

There could end up being lots of choices, but you've been fairly specific about a combination of features, so let's work with those. There are, as you've seen, big box offerings that have some of the features you desire, but as you suspicion, they are generally cheaply made which is why they are comparatively inexpensive.

I own, or have owned, a wide variety of cookers, and I have most of what has been suggested so far. I have both the Weber accessory Santa Maria style attachment and a free standing Santa Maria. Since you stated you want more space than the 22" kettle that eliminates the accessory piece as it is approximately the same amount of real estate. The free standing Santa Maria is a fun and useful tool, but lacking a lid it is not as fuel efficient as other alternatives and as a result it also requires more attention to the cooking process for refueling more frequently and adjusting the grate as needed depending on the fire configuration you choose. If you take advantage of it's live fire capabilities you'll also have to deal with wood split storage both for space and access.

The Hasty Bake is a fine device and built to a better standard than the cheapo, big box imitators. It has a somewhat cult following so gives some the comfort of being part of a community of users. That doesn't necessarily mean it's the best, its just popular so gets talked up more.

That brings us to The Judge. It doesn't get a lot of buzz, perhaps because many believe it's not any different than the big box stuff. I'm probably the only person here who has one, or has any experience using it. From a pricing point of view it's a tweener, not the cheapo unit that the less intensely interested outdoor cookers would embrace, and not the more expensive units that appeal to enthusiasts. It is very well built, and heavy. That said, it's not without some minor flaws. The good; it has more grate space that you seek, has a lid that functions well, has adjustable height fire basket, has an access door on the front for easier refueling, and the intake air baffle is at one end, the exhaust stack at the other. That last feature makes it function very well for offset cooking, and aids in functioning like a smoker as well as a grill. I'm a bit of a nut on sealing openings that might let random air sources mess with temperature control so I added heat resistant seals to the lid and front door and also tightened up the intake baffle to eliminate leakage, as well as sealed the seams of the lower box section, but as mods go that's pretty minor stuff.

There are a fair number of other, higher end cookers that would meet your stated desires, but they might be budget busters, even though they're worth their price to the right person.

[jasonwilliams14]

Uncle Bob Thank you. That is very helpful.
I thought of two quick questions as I narrow down my decision.
1.) the charcoal grates. How are they? I find that I am really liking grilling using lump charcoal. I know with my weber, i have two grates stacked (rotated so small pieces do not fall through). Any issues with the Judge?

2.) Any issues with the cast iron grates? I know with iron, they can be prone to rusting if not taken care of.
Much appreciated!

[Uncle Bob]

jasonwilliams14 1) I am also a lump only guy and while the fuel tray works fine as manufactured, I too make it a practice to accommodate the smaller chunks, so I put a sheet of wire mesh over the original rack. 2) The cast iron grates are fine as they really hold heat well so sear beautifully, but like all cast iron cooking surfaces they need to have the seasoning maintained regularly, not as carefree as stainless.

[jfmorris]

jasonwilliams14 I believe Spinaker did a review of the Judge and has cooked on it as well. Maybe, unless my memory is going...

Edit: It was actually Jerod Broussard - here's the review: https://amazingribs.com/ratings-revi...harcoal-grill/

[RonB]

I have two suggestions if ya go with a Santa Maria attachment.

First, get some bricks to set on top of the charcoal grate and then get another charcoal grate to set on the bricks. This will allow you to get the hot coals closer to the cooking grate.

Second, get at least one griddle dome. This will make the cook faster and add a bit more smoke flavor.

Bonus suggestion: Try cooking over wood coals. Using all wood produces a different flavor that I think is much better than charcoal with wood chunks.

[jasonwilliams14]

Cooking with wood definitely caught my attention. I need to read up more on how to cook with it, expand my brain thinking.

[Panhead John]

Jason, normally I’d recommend the LSG Adjustable Charcoal Grill/Smoker, but since budget is a concern, you might want to check this one out. It checks all your boxes and even has 2 side shelves. It seems to have received overall good reviews and won’t break the bank. Hell, even if you only got 4 or 5 years out of it, it’s only $250. Rectangular shape? Yep…Ability to raise and lower charcoal tray? Yep…..It’s even got a warming grate above the cooking grate.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-Heavy-Duty-Extra-Large-Charcoal-Grill-in-Black-DGN576DNC-D/203944113

[Panhead John]

If this was designed as a smoker I’d probably agree with ya Jim. Since the OP wanted a grill, temperature control isn’t as important IMO. When I’m grilling something I never pay attention to the temperature inside because it’s generally a quick cook. Also, even Weber and SNS kettles leak a little bit from the lid when placed on the bowl. The main reason I was recommending this is because of the value equation. It garnered an average of 4.6 stars out of 437 reviews, not bad for $250.

[Panhead John]

I read several of the reviews and don’t recall anyone mentioning a problem with temperature control, although I didn’t read all of them of course.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Just sold my pellet pooper, and ordered the Dyno-Glo X-Large Premium Dual Chamber Charcoal Grill being delivered on July 2nd.On Amazon for $305.
Reviews were pretty good, and good Youtube reviews, and liked what I saw.
Pics after assembly.

[Purc]

https://youtu.be/UDau-T-qszE

Above is an Amazing Ribs video about the Oklahoma Joe Judge grill that Uncle Bob talked about. I have the both the Weber 22" Kettle and the OKJ Bronco.

Hope this helps.

[jasonwilliams14]

Thank you! i will give that a view today!

[Sid P]

Got an email today saying you can save $29 on a scratched/dented unit.

https://ashandemberoutdoors.com/collections/scratch-dent/products/scratch-and-dent-adjustable-kettle-style-grill-attachment-final-sale