Newbie Decision Paralysis ;)

[barelfly]

Welcome from the Land of Enchantment! And that Weber will work excellent for what you mention you are interested in!

have fun!!

[Elton's BBQ]

Welcome to the Pit!
Cheers from Norway

[Dan Deter]

Welcome from NC! You've already gotten the advice I'd give...

[FireMan]

Simple & short, SnS or PBS, easy peasy!


Ferget the cheapy gas grill & cook on yer stove.
If ya git a gas grill ya need to get a rill good one!

[Huskee]

PBS is brought to you in part by viewers like you

[Panhead John]

PBS makes great cookers! 🥸

[FireMan]

Got carried away with them esses, yessir. PBC, PBC, PBC

[fzxdoc]

Welcome! You've received some great advice in previous posts. Just take a deep breath, make a choice, buy the cooker, and begin to enjoy grilling and smoking. Outdoor cooking is the best, and this is the best place to come to up your game in it.

Kathryn

[Alan Brice]

Welcome from Cincy Ohio! You already have the best advice. Try to keep a diary/Log. Familiarity breeds confidence and you can write what you wanted to do but didn't. Above everything have fun and enjoy the experience.

[Mosca]

Yeah, the Weber Performer. It’s incredibly versatile. Get the one with the gas assisted ignition; you’ll never miss the $$ compared to every single time you use it you smile to yourself about how easy it is to light.

[swartzster]

Welcome from the Pacific Northwest. I agree with the others that have recommended the Weber

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Welcome!

[RichieB]

Welcome from Western Massachusetts and yes on the Weber Performer Deluxe. A barrel is really not suited for grilling burgers and such.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Welcome to the Pit from Manassas.

You have listed some good options to consider

Suggest thinking about what you like to cook as part and what you might want to try to cook in the future....very different answers if you are sticking with burgers or if you are considering smoking a turkey or brisket....

[IdahoJim]

Since you sound like you are not sure what you want, you could look for a used Weber kettle on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. There's usually a bunch out there cheap or even free. It'll cook as well as a new Performer, just without the table or gas ignition. You may need to buy a new cooking grate. Those are available at Lowes, Home Depot, Ace hardware etc. The Slow n Sear is nice, but you can just bank coals for 2 zones and use the snake method for smoking. That way you can get a feel for if you like cooking on a kettle without spending $600.

[IdahoJim]

Oh, you can probably find a deal on a used Performer too. One big difference between the old Performers and the latest, with the metal table, is the the lid bale on the latest lets the lid sit more vertically and out of the way.

[Santamarina]

Welcome from California! The Weber performer was my main cooker for years, and it’s where I got my start smoking meats. Easily fed my family of four. Only reason I moved away from it was because I needed more capacity to cook for a bigger crowd.

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia! You have already gotten some great advice here in this thread.

[Rob Johnston]

Welcome to the Pit!