Help me decide please. 22" or 26" kettle

[DurhamBuckeye]

I'm looking to add another cooker & I've narrowed it down to a Weber kettle. I've never owned a kettle before, though I've cooked on many, and have used non-kettle charcoal grills as well.

I'd like some advice from you kettle owners about whether or not a 26" is worth the extra cost over a 22".

For a little context, we're a family of 4, though I cook for 8-15 people fairly regularly. I have a pretty large gas grill for cooking quick weeknight meals, a pit barrel cooker for smoking lots of meat, and a gas cabinet smoker which I almost never use now that I have a PBC. I probably wouldn't use the kettle much for low & slow (though I am planning to buy sns whichever I get).

I see 22" premium kettles pop up on Craig's list regularly for less than $100, but rarely see the 26" anywhere for less than retail, $330 or so.

I also know that there are far more accessories specifically for the 22 than the 26. But the extra cooking space for the 26 is appealing to me.

I'd love to hear from you current and former kettle owners about your thoughts.

[Steve B]

My only input will be. You can never have enough space. If you don't have and need it you're well...…
btw I have a 22 kettle and a performer. I don't need the larger 26 because of my other cookers. But would I like to have one just to have.

[DurhamBuckeye]

Thanks, that's the thing with me, too. I have two other cookers to support large cooks, and if I had a 22, I could always fire up the gasser if u need the space.

But the convenience of using just one cooker....

[Below Zero Smoker]

Grasshopper share Chinese proverb: "You can cook small in a big wok, but you can't cook big in a small wok!"

[Nate]

Do you plan on buying AND using the toys available for the 22? If not then I would go for more real estate. Like you said you can almost always find a deal on a 22.

BTW I have a 22 and it is just my wife and I and there have been times I wish I had more space when I’m trying to grill steaks, onions, and asparagus all at once or chops and corn on the cob etc...

[DurhamBuckeye]

And I should also say The gourmet cooking system that Weber offers does not appeal to me on the 22.

[Nate]

DurhamBuckeye , there is actually a really simple solution to this... Buy them BOTH... just ask Mr. Bones , he will tell you that you can't have too many soldiers in your kettle army and that you can't spare enough of them from an untimely demise. The man truly is legend when it comes to weber kettle preservation.

[DurhamBuckeye]

Nate, I like your solution. But I'm not sure I've stored up enough "wifey points" to come home with two cookers.

[Troutman]

I own both and prefer the 26” for the real estate it affords. As you mentioned the 26” doesn’t have as many accessories. They recently discontinued the XL SNS for that model due to sagging sales. That said the smaller SNS might still work. Both are about the same to clean. The 22” seems easier to hold steady temps then my 26”.

All in all I’d still lean toward the larger model.

[DurhamBuckeye]

Thanks for this. It's good to hear from someone who owns both.

[Richard Chrz]

I do not have a 26, but I do have 2 22 Kettles with ash catchers. and you are right, you can pick them up on the cheap if you are patient. If i were to only own 1 cooker for all, I would go with the 26 for the size, and with that size would come more versatility. Since I own a weber 22 smoker as well. I am a bigger fan of the 22 for my needs. Less coal to operate, more accessories will be available, if you like add on toys. just generally smaller, so grill tables are smaller, etc.. I say that as a positive on smaller. I don't think you can go wrong with either though. I might own a 26 as well someday, but, it will have to be a fantastic used deal, and I would then get rid of one of 22's and it still would sit in my garage only to be brought out when I need a lot more space.

[klflowers]

I have a 22, and it is just the wife and I, but I think I would like to have the 26. You can always improvise the SNS/DNG set up. I find myself wanting the extra space from time to time when I want to do more than the 22 will handle.

[jfmorris]

While there are times I wish I had the 26”, I really love my 22” Performer Deluxe. The side table, charcoal bin, and propane ignition of the charcoal take it over the top for me.

I smoke a lot on my kettle, and while I did this in the past with techniques like the charcoal snake, the Slow N Sear is a great thing for helping with indirect 2 zone cooking in the kettle. The other thing I find indispensable for direct cooking and using the entire cooking surface is a set of Grillgrates. I cook most of my chicken, burgers, chops and veggies direct using them. The Grillgrates prevent flare ups and hot spots. Before that the only way I could cook over charcoal was a 2 zone setup, meaning only half the grill was direct, and I was constantly shuffling burgers from the flames to the cool side of the grill. I liked them so much on the kettle that both my gas grills now have a full replacement set of Grillgrates.

Since you have a PBC for smoking, I am going to buck the trend and suggest that a 22” kettle opens you up to more accessories - things like rotisserie’s first example. I got a rotisserie for my 4 burner Genesis II on Father’s Day, and now wish I had gotten the one for my kettle instead. The spit rod is just too close to the burners on the gasser, but on the kettle it’s got a lot of vertical space. With the other grills and cookers I think it will be big enough, and even if you decide to slow cook on it, it will hold a good bit more than you think. And if you have a ton of food to direct grill, you can always have it and the gasser going at the same time. I’ve done that plenty of times, or cooked in batches for things like burgers.

on my 22’’ I can cook:

- 1 15-16 pound max brisket
- 2 8 pound Boston butts
- 4 5 pound chickens, split
- 5 rack of baby backs in a rib rack
- maybe a dozen pork chops at once
- probably 18 burgers at once
- 5 to 6 pounds of chicken wings at once

the direct grilled stuff in that list is cooked using the grill grates, the indirect using the SNS.

[Craigar]

Petewinter I might have to add the rotisserie to my Santa wish list. .

[Hammo]

When cooking on the Grillgrates; do you burn the charcoal in the SNS and simply set the Grillgrates on top of regular grate? Or do you remove SNS and mound up charcoal in the middle?
I like the idea of having 100% of cooking area for some meals.
Thanks, Hammo

[jfmorris]

Hammo I do not use the SnS when grilling with the full set of Grillgrates. I just dump the charcoal on the main charcoal grate. Usually a full heaping chimney, if it’s a cook longer than an hour I may add another half chimney of unlit, then spread it out a couple of coals deep, then put on the Weber grate, then the Grillgrates.

Grillgrates are for direct cooking, and not useful for indirect on a kettle. You can put one panel over the SnS for searing, but that doesn’t hold a lot.

[HawkerXP]

Keep an eye on your area craiglist. This is the time of year to find reduced pricing on cookers at Home Depot and such...I found a new Performer last year for $180.

[HawkerXP]

Dang you Buckeye! I just bought another 22" Performer on Craiglist looking for a 26"!

Mr. Bones

[Mudkat]

[DurhamBuckeye]

HawkerXP sounds like this thread was good for us both!

[Mr. Bones]

I have a few Webers...view as of this mornin, minus 9 not pic'd

These are my thoughts:

1> Were I to haveta choose jus one kettle, Desrt Island scenario, why, I'd go with a 26.75"...

2> Never really have found myself wishin I'da boughtta smaller cooker...

>3 Th regular SnS works jus fine in th 26.75"

>4 Find yerself one on CL, or FBM, save a couple hunnert dollars... Be patient.

[ScottyC13]

Hello. My name is Mr Bones and I am a Grill-a-holic.

[Mr. Bones]

ScottyC13

Hello. My name is Mr Bones and I am a Grill-a-holic.

True dat, Brother!

But, I can quit, anytime lol

Unprecedented fact is, I jus actually un-arsed/sold a Weber, this week, but only cause it was a close, long-time friend, who had never had a smoker...he was all a lookin at a Brinkmann water smoker, an I decided to take one fer th team...

More on that, elsewhere...

[Dr. Pepper]

Mr. Bones I showed your collection of grills to my wife, hoping she would understand that it is normal to possess these meat cooking apparati. Her response: 'Yeah, there's a lot of crazy people like you out there.'

[jgreen]

I would definitely go with the 26 with the size of your group. I have both, and the 22 is small for a big group.

[RustyHaines]

People who know me on this forum can predict what I am about to write . . . . . . 26 inch Performer . . .come on Weber make the dang thing and get it to market !

I currently have a Performer with SNS, a regular 22 with the original Smokenator, and a PBC. But I would still buy a 26 inch Performer if they made one.

And I am sure Mr. Bones is correct, a regular SNS works just dandy in a 26. Man speaks Weber. I think his house was built by Weber :-)

[Nate]

Many people wish that but I think we lost all hope of that with the release of the WSCG...

[Mr. Bones]

And I am sure Mr. Bones is correct, a regular SNS works just dandy in a 26. Man speaks Weber. I think his house was built by Weber :-)

Whether or not that is so....

It's a Dang Good Story, which I will use, with yer permission...

Thanks fer enrichenin my late mornin, Brother!!!

[DurhamBuckeye]

I could see the appeal of a 26" performer if there was such a thing. I just laid a paver patio specifically for my cookers, & I have plenty of workspace on a table I'm putting there. So a performer probably isn't right for me.

But it sounds like your vote is for a 26. Thanks.

[LA Pork Butt]

I'm looking to add another cooker & I've narrowed it down to a Weber kettle. I've never owned a kettle before, though I've cooked on many, and have used non-kettle charcoal grills as well.

I'd like some advice from you kettle owners about whether or not a 26" is worth the extra cost over a 22".

For a little context, we're a family of 4, though I cook for 8-15 people fairly regularly. I have a pretty large gas grill for cooking quick weeknight meals, a pit barrel cooker for smoking lots of meat, and a gas cabinet smoker which I almost never use now that I have a PBC. I probably wouldn't use the kettle much for low & slow (though I am planning to buy sns whichever I get).

I see 22" premium kettles pop up on Craig's list regularly for less than $100, but rarely see the 26" anywhere for less than retail, $330 or so.

I also know that there are far more accessories specifically for the 22 than the 26. But the extra cooking space for the 26 is appealing to me.

I'd love to hear from you current and former kettle owners about your thoughts.

I think one of the questions you need to settle is would you use the cooker frequently for the 8-15 you mention or would it be primarily for your family of 4. The 22” should be adequate for the family of 4.

[DurhamBuckeye]

Thats a great question. I guess I would say I don't need the 26 to cook for more people, because I do that just fine now. But i'm sure if I had a kettle large enough, I would use it at least sometimes for that many.

[bardsleyque]

I have both, my 26 is an old one and when I bought my SNS I didn't read the fine print. The early 26 works better with the regular SNS, so I'm sure it would be fine in the new ones.
My 22 was a street urchin,left on a Seattle sidewalk with a "free"card on it!
I have only used it twice as I like the big one just a bit more,it's been with me almost 30 years,I guess I'm kinda used to it.
I would go with the bigger kettle as I don't think you can have too much real estate!

[LA Pork Butt]

Let us know your decision.

[DurhamBuckeye]

Will do. I'm still a bit on the fence, but leaning toward the 26. I have never once said "I wish this cooker was smaller"

[JoeSousa]

I have a number of 22s, a 26, and a ranch. The 26 by far gets the most use. For long cooks like brisket or pork butt I think the extra room in there makes for a cleaner burn. And for stuff like burgers I love the extra room so there is plenty of cool space to move burgers if they are getting too hot or if there are flare ups.

I guess my advice is check Craigslist and FB marketplace often for a used 26. They don't come up often but if one does get it quick. In the meantime a decent used 22 for $50 is a great way to get going.