My first cook on the Weber Ranch Kettle

[JoeSousa]

I have been wanting a Weber Ranch Kettle for a couple years now. After a lot of searching and a lot of patience I finally came across a good deal on FB Marketplace. $500 for one that was in good shape with somewhat new grates and some upgraded wheels:





After a couple weeks out of town after I bought it I finally got a chance to fire it up over the weekend. Did a 2x2 snake on each side of the kettle with the meat in the middle. Cooked 4 racks of ribs with various rubs and sauces and 9 pounds of pork belly:



Overall I was very pleased with how well this thing held a steady temperature. It took a while fighting through some wind and rain to get up to temp (~240) but once it got there it stayed very steady for the whole cook. I pretty much kept the vents wide open the whole time and didn't have to do too much fiddling. With the top vent right in the middle I think it makes sense to have the heat on each side of the grill and then pull up through the middle. I want to test just running the heat on one side and see how even the temp is across the grate sometime as well.

Can't wait to load this thing up again and try it out. Anyone else have experience with the Ranch? What are your tips and tricks?

BTW, the ribs and belly weren't anything to write home about at the end of the day. Definitely edible and I was only feeding the in-laws so they didn't need to be great. For some reason spare ribs are the toughest cut for me to nail.

[jfmorris]

Awesome capacity on that Ranch Kettle! Congrats on finding a good deal on one. I think you may be right about needing heat on both sides if the vent is in the center of the dome, versus offset like with a 22" or 26" kettle.

[Nate]

That’s a heck of a Cooker!

[DWCowles]

Dang! It's a monster compared to the Weber 22".

[JeffJ]

The last time a Ranch Kettle newbie posted he commented that to maximize internal temps you don't want the vents open all of the way. Apparently, it lets in more cold air than oxygen due to the size of the cooking chamber. So, I recommend experimenting with the vents a bit.

[Steve R.]

I think that other newbie might have been me (see below). Mine struggled to get up to temp until I dialed the top vent down to about halfway, then it was fine. I also learned not to use the lid holder, and instead just pick the whole thing up and set it down flat on the concrete driveway to preserve some of the hot air. Congratulations on that find! I don't use mine all that often, but it is hands down the best tool I have for brisket, or if I need to cook a lot of anything at once.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...er-ranch/page3

[Mr. Bones]

Great Score on that Ranch, brother!
Looks like ya broke it in, in style!

[radshop]

So jealous! Thanks for posting.

[JoeSousa]

I think that other newbie might have been me (see below). Mine struggled to get up to temp until I dialed the top vent down to about halfway, then it was fine. I also learned not to use the lid holder, and instead just pick the whole thing up and set it down flat on the concrete driveway to preserve some of the hot air. Congratulations on that find! I don't use mine all that often, but it is hands down the best tool I have for brisket, or if I need to cook a lot of anything at once.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...er-ranch/page3

I will definitely play around with the vents. Since it hit the temp I was shooting for I didn't want to mess with it too much. But one of these weekends I will just load up some charcoal and play around.

Overall I don't see myself using the Ranch more than a handful of times a year. But when I need it I will be glad I have it.

[Steve R.]

Yep. As with many things, YMMV, and that's just what works for mine. I also had the coals only on one side, so that may be a factor as well.