Need a second daily driver

[CHNeal]

Good evening everyone. I am looking for some thoughts on my ideas for a second daily driver grill. I am a Weber Kettle guy. Never owned or used anything else nor have I ever wanted to.
Anyway I own now 4 and am looking to just keep my 3 new basic kettles set aside for those real big ( 6 butts or 3 briskets) or multi item cooks as I have really fallen for the 26 as my main grill.
My dilemma is I use 2 grills a lot as I tend to grill several items for any given meal and they always seem to need different temps or one with and one without smoke…And lately Ive enlisted my daughters master touch to ride shotgun and am starting to like it and am thinking maybe I need the neon green one to match my favorite coffee cup! Then the MCS kicks in and…

So I have never owned a grill accessory that didnt come with a grill other then the first charcoal baskets I bought years ago when they were first released and a couple of Weber rib racks that I use a lot and of course grate brushes.
Yep you read that right, Ive never owned a temp probe or a controller of any kind. I did buy my kiddo a thermo-pen One for school and I have used it a couple of times, and I of course own an old school dial pocket thermometer that i use for chicken.
I’m real old school and cook almost everything by sight , touch and time and like the simplicity of it all. However as I get older the more and more set it and forget it sounds better and better. When I do ribs and briskets its 16 hours from midnight to 4 pm I am up every 2 hours to tend the fire and smoke. Sucks but the truth is Ive enjoyed it for the better part of my life.

Sorry I am rambling….I think I would like to trick out a grill with automation and accessories and have fun with that kind stuff for a change. So do I trick out a new 22” or buy another 26 hotrod it up or…and this maybe the way to go, buy a E6 and have my 26 ride shotgun?

Pretend the costs don’t matter ( they do but lets pretend) and share your thoughts on my new grill to take me into the future.



TL/DR

Trying to decide between
1. Master Touch to be my secondary / backup
2. Second 26 tricked out
3. E6

[texastweeter]

Bigger is better to me.

[HawkerXP]

Sorry. too much to read. You have a Weber kettle. I assume you can hold a steady temp in this. You need a Slo n Sear. If you are tired of not sleeping.... get a PBC for those long cooks. Brisket and wibs are all doable in the day you want to eat them if you can get up a little early.

[HawkerXP]

Read some more. Get a ThermoWorks DOT or 2 or 3. Buy a bunch of POPs as well. I give them out to new folks to cooking.

[RonB]

I've never heard anyone complain that their grill was to big. But if ya get a 26 incher, you will use more charcoal. And automation will free you up. Being able to monitor temps without going to the grill is great, and to be able to change settings without going to the grill is also great.

[rickgregory]

1. Master Touch to be my secondary / backup
2. Second 26 tricked out
3. E6

Yes.

OK to be serious - in your shoes I'd get the 26 and add a fan and controller and a slow and sear. You should be able to get most of 12 hours out of that setup with a good charcoal like B&B.

Alternatively, you could look at a Bronco or PBC which would address your capacity issues.

[jfmorris]

Even without automation, I can get 8-12 hours of hands off operation with the SNS in my 22" kettle, if I use the right charcoal. What automation does is just ensure the temp doesn't drift by stoking the fire with a fan.

I would get a SNS as it really does make fire management easier on both the 22 and 26 inch kettle when smoking, and even if you don't get a temp controller, get a thermometer that lets you monitor the temp and set both high and low alarms. Then you only wake up if the alarm says the grill is getting too hot or too cold.

[Richard Chrz]

Weber 24msummit kamado with table, FireBoard, 2, pit viper fan and adapter. Or a 26 kettle, then Get yourself firebricks nd you can build the zone of heat to smaller or larger then what baskets or an SNS allows for. This is in the idea of don’t consider cost, just go big.

[rlozinak]

If you truly want set it and forget it I would go with a Pellet smoker. I have a Traeger and soon will have a LSG

[rickgregory]

True, but it's a lighter smoke profile for someone who likes the results of charcoal.

[CHNeal]

I get right at 8 hours of cook on a banked 22 before adding more coal but that’s with a bit of tending to get smoke and tempos just right throughout the night. Actually Ive been doing it so long its clock work that I add charcoal at 8 am…
I would love to see that go to12 hours with less tending for the temp and smoke. However I am just not ready to take myself out of the equation. I enjoy the work and process just interested in smoothing it out some.

[Rod]

I have a Performer, 26 and an E6. All of which are equipped with a Pit Viper fan. I also have 2 Fireboards. I would suggest an E6. Though the 26 obviously has more grate space. If using the SNS, baskets or just banking coals for 2 zone then you've consumed about 1/3 of that space. With an E6 in kamado mode you have all 24". With the right amount and type of charcoal you should be able to run 16hrs without having to reload. My only complaint is when I want to add wood chunks it's a PITA to remove everything while it's screaming hot and this thing can get crazy hot with minimal effort.

Also, if you want to add a fan, the hole is already there on the E6.