Kettle 26 Accessories "must have"

[MSU Spartans]

Thinking of buying the kettle 26. Lets say I enjoy smoking and making pizza and grillin' steak. What accessories do you think are a must for this grill? Also do you think the "smoke" profile is better on this than the PBC? I have enjoyed this site more than anything and any responses would be much appreciated.

[Shane Rakow]

Kettle 26 you are referring to a Weber 26"? SnS for that kettle would be hard to beat! I don't own a PBC yet, but from what I hear, it is also fantastic at what it can do.

[Gunderich_1]

MSU Spartans I agree with Shane. The SnS is the way to go. I have one for one of my 22 inch Weber's and intend to get more. It'd work like you won't believe. Also, if you are going to do big cooks check out the Smoke EZ. You can google it and they sell it on the Firecraft website. It increases your capacity for smoking ten fold for a Weber.

[JeffJ]

Slow n Sear is a must. I'm using mine as I am typing this (smoking a couple of butts). David Parrish also has a larger Slow n Sear specifically designed for the 26. Although I have found that the original SnS works equally well in my 22 and my 26.

I also have the Kettle Pizza attachment. You don't really "need" it for pizza on the grill, but i think it's worth it. You just can't hit the really high temps (it raises the grate allowing for a split log to go on top of the charcoal) for good pizza stone cooking without it. I think they have one for the 26 but I would definitely check to make sure. I absolutely love mine and if you don't mind spending the dough you'll love the results. I'll post a couple of pics below.

I have a rotisserie ring for my 22 and it's fun to use but i use it maybe once every other year.

[MSU Spartans]

That looks amazing!

[BradFlood]

Hey MSU Spartan, this IOWA Hawkeye (in CT) has a Weber 26 and I absolutely LOVE IT and highly recommend it to my B1G Brother. I'm glad I clicked on this thread though, as I have never seen, or heard of, the SnS accessory. I clicked on the links for it and WOW, my Christmas gift list just got added to!

Then Ole JeffJ here starts talkin' about his Kettle Pizza attachment and I just checked the Kettle Pizza website and in the Accessories section, they sell an extension plate to expand the 22" Kettle Pizza to a 26" for $29.95. I just realized I might have to get another piece of paper for that Christmas gift list!

Anyway, I use my Weber 26 for everything, and without all the fancy accessories and have never been disappointed with anything that comes off it. Go for it Spartan, you'll not regret the purchase at all!

Happy grillin' B1G Brother

[JeffJ]

Lots of B1G on this thread. I am a huge U of M fan. Congrats to BradFlood for his team pulling off the big upset last weekend.

[MSU Spartans]

Thanks for the input my BIG10 brother, and also thank you for beating Michigan last week lol

[BradFlood]

Yeah, we did take down ole UM last week (you know what they say, "Muck Fichigan"), but we tried real hard to lose it. I did my grad work at UI and coached on the Men's Swimming staff from '88-'92. Loved living in Iowa, truly God's Country....and some mighty fine meat, both pork & beef, there too!

[Spinaker]

The SNS is something every kettle owner should have, no question.

I think the flavors between the SNS and the PBC are different. And I would say the PBC flavor is a bit more complex, because you have the drippings from the meat vaporizing on the coals. But the Webber/SNS combo is a must if you already have a kettle. (I have got at least 5 friends and family that have bought the SNS after I told them its a must for the kettle)

The PBC is great because it makes awesome food with little fiddling with the unit. It also has the upper hand in capacity. Dollar for Dollar, I think its the best smoker on the market. Even though I have quite a few other rigs to use, I really love using mine.

[Craigar]

Along with the SnS I recently purchased the 26.76" Smoke E-Z. Think of it as a HUGE WSM. Since I have only been able to do one cook on it, I can say I was able to maintain 275 pretty easily for 7 hours. Once I buy a second grate for this grain silo of a WSM, I will have well over 1,000 sq. in. of cooking space.

[JeffJ]

You have a Smoke E-Z for your 26? That thing must be absolutely enormous.

[Craigar]

JeffJ I will try to post a pic. The thing is a small grain silo.

[Craigar]

JeffJ The top of the handle is just under 5 feet off the ground.

[JeffJ]

That's awesome. Now, what we really need is a Smoke E-Z for the Ranch Kettle.

[Huskee]

Hydraulic lid lift for that awkward angle??

[Craigar]

Huskee not a bad idea. Since I am somewhat vertically challenged, I set it up by the steps to the deck.

[Breadhead]

I would agree on the SnS but buy the XL. I'll also recommend that you get a BBQ Dragon. When doing the reverse sear on steaks it's best to light just a few briquettes to keep your cooking temperature down to 225° until your meat reaches about 115°.

Then if you have a BBQ Dragon you can get ALL of your briquettes to Warp 10 heat in less than 2 minutes for the searing process.

You also might want to consider getting another grate the Hovergrill to add addition cooking space.

[JeffJ]

Hovergrill is a good call. I rarely use it but when I do I find it to be invaluable.