I'd haveta agree with some th previous advice given; go with a 26" Weber kettle, an SnS XL, an work on dialin in yer technique...at that point, ya'll most likely have a better ideal where ya wanna go, an still have $$ in yer wallet...
Currently own:
Weber 22 and 26 Kettle.
Regular gasser with rotisserie.
Custom built horizontal stick burner.
Custom built duel fuel "whole hog" cooker.
​​​Many other tools of the trade.
I'll add another vote for the Weber with a SnS. I cooked on one for several years, and was able to cook just about anything on it. The only downside in my opinion is giving up some capacity that you would get from a dedicated smoker.
Somewhere up above in this thread, you mentioned a 22" kettle vs a 26" kettle and asked that "other than size" were there any advantages to one size vs the other. I did not see where anyone addressed that. Ok, the 26" with SNS XL will definitely take care of what you say you want. So will the 22" but could get tight if cooking for more than 3 or perhaps 4 people.
The biggest difference "other than size" would be that there are many additional add on accessories available for the 22". I know you said you do not want to have to buy add ons and you don't have to have them, but you might just change your mind later. Suggest you compare options for the 22" vs the 26." If you don't want any of the additional add ons then the 26" is my choice. One additional add on you might want for the 22" is the half upper grill (I cannot remember its name), but it sits on top of the regular grill and gives you a second story of half a side.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!
I ended up buying the Weber 26" (glen-blue, partly because I was so eager and the black was sold out) with the SnS XL. The kettle arrives today and I'm staring out the window in anticipation
Congrats! I am sure that you are going to make some excellent food on that, like my compadre Mr. Bones mentioned, be sure to post up some pics of the cooker (never seen the glen blue) and especially the cooks!
It will do everything you said you wanted. I do suggest you do add an inexpensive gasket made for the purpose of sealing the lid to the kettle to keep air from leaking there where the lid and kettle join. A leaky lid makes it impossible to control temps for lower temp smoking. Google and find various brands made for that purpose.
Chriskempton7 I've currently got 4 outdoor cookers - an offset smoker, a large 4 burner Weber Genesis II gas grill, a Weber Performer Deluxe charcoal grill, and a 6 burner Camp Chef flat top (griddle). I've toyed with another dedicated smoker, or a pellet cooker, but its hard to justify with all that I already have.
If I only had room for one cooker, the one grill I would keep would be my Weber Performer Deluxe. Here are the reasons:
1. Charcoal just gives more flavor and flexibility when cooking than gas does.
2. No electricity required - good if you want to go off-grid, or don't want to run an extension cord out to your cooking area.
3. The large side table on the Performer Deluxe make it an effective portable outdoor kitchen, without me having to build a dedicated one. It's hard to explain how having a large prep table and working area to set spices, pans, trays, meat, etc, makes your outdoor cooking experience so much more enjoyable.
4. Built in charcoal storage. I dump 20 pound bags of charcoal into the storage bin, and it lives outdoors in Alabama. Humidity and moisture have never been an issue, even when that charcoal has been in the storage bin for months.
5. Propane ignition. I love the propane ignition on the Performer. May not seem like a big deal, but its a huge convenience and time saver. I've got a hose that lets me hook up a 20# tank, but right now, I've been using the same throw away 1# propane cylinder since May.
6. Flexibility. You can dump a roaring chimney of charcoal into a Slow 'N Sear, and sear at 1000F for a true steak house sear. Or you can smoke low and slow at 225 for those long overnight cooks. There are SO many accessories available. I've got the full set of stuff from snsgrills.com - an Easyspin stainless steel grate, the Drip 'N Griddle, and the Slow 'N Sear, and a Hover grill for an upper level of cooking. These really do make for a ton of cooking flexibility. I've got a full set of Grillgrates, from grillgrate.com. I have a Weber rotisserie, which makes the best chicken I've ever had. There are pizza ovens, and all sorts of other things you can buy.
As far as capacity on a Weber 22" kettle like my Performer, I've done the following cooks:
- 20 pound turkey, spatchcocked (I had to wrap the tips of the legs in foil, as they were close to the fire in the Slow 'N Sear)
- 2 to 3 spatchcocked chickens
- 4 split chickens
- 5 pounds of chicken wings
- 18 pound brisket (done this a lot of times)
- 2 Boston butts (8-10 pounds each)
- 5 racks of baby back or spare ribs, using a Weber rib rack to stand them on edge
- Burgers, brats, chops, etc. Most of the direct cooking I use the Grillgrates so that I get full access to the full 384 square inch cooking grate. Smashburgers are awesome on the flat side of those grates.
- Deep frying by putting a cast iron dutch oven over the Slow 'N Sear, moving it more or less over the fire for temp control.
- Wood fired pizza, using the SNS, a hover grill, and a Lodge cast iron pizza pan as my pizza stone.
- Big mess of shrimp scampi using the Drip 'N Griddle as a griddle, while cooking fish on the grate.
For smoking, I found that I can get 10-12 hours on a single load of charcoal (7-8 pounds) in the SNS, so I sleep easy at night when doing butts or brisket overnight. With my offset I had to stay up all night, messing with the fire every 30-45 minutes.
So.... with a Weber kettle, you can bake, grill, smoke, fry, sear all on one cooker. You can use any charcoal and variety of wood chunks you want. No AC power required. While the 26" kettle is attractive for space, you can fit a lot more than you think on a 22" kettle - I've fed dinner party's of 18-20 many times just from the kettle. There are many more accessories for the 22" size than the 26" size. And I cannot stress how nice the table, charcoal storage and propane ignition are on the Performer Deluxe model.
Now, all that said, right now, based on the cookers I have, my ideal setup for a built in outdoor kitchen would consist of a 22" Kettle and a griddle (flat top).
Last edited by jfmorris; October 29, 2020, 10:42 AM.
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