Which Weber kettle grill?

Like fly rods and boats, no single model does it all. To that end I have the big Weber Performer, over a decade old and still perfect. Also have the Weber Spirit 3 burner gas grill that replaced a budget model that failed early. For the smaller stuff I have the charcoal Smoky Joe and my small gas grill is the dependable Weber Go Anywhere model. This is my oldest model, decades old by now and parts are still available for it. It is also my most used model in winter. No longer camping with a grill I am now using a Blackstone gas griddle that fits nicely in the Casa. It does a lot of good stuff and is easy to clean including burgers, steaks, veges, bacon, eggs, sausage, chicken, hash browns and anything else you can throw on a grill. I like the gas model so much that I bought another electric model to use in the kitchen. It has a non stick ceramic surface that gets to over 500 degrees-good enough to sear sous vide steaks.
 
troutpocket said:
Made a spatchcock chicken last night on my 22” kettle performer. My dad gave me a bucket of hazelnut wood so I tried it for smoke. Setup my grill with a pile of coals on the side and cooked indirect for 1hr 45 min. Marinated the bird in citrus, salt, garlic, olive oil, fresh rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Looking now at the photo, if one were inclined towards anthropomorphism, could add a funny caption, but it was tasty :D
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Used to do a Hoisin based marinade chicken with ginger, garlic, green onions and other stuff I was too lazy to write down. Marinade overnight, air-dry in the fridge til it starts to glaze over. Then slow grill same low-slow approach with salmon, but using cherry wood instead of alder. Then throw in chunks of cherry bark during the process (if you've ever smelled cherry bark burn you know what I'm talking about). I need to reconstruct the Cherry Bark Chicken recipe some time this summer.
 
It’s called patina, and if it was an original old Cheby (or similar) you might be ruining it. Subtle flavors from past sacrifices are coming through.
 
iveofione said:
Bill, contact Tim Lockhart for cleaning suggestions....😁
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I actually rinsed it off last night! I'll check it out when I get home, but it certainly has character and patina! It's been all over MT and WA with me and I've used it to cook for up to 6 people!
 
Stuck with the little Weber until the deck is done. Ran it hot last night to grill a bunch of meat for the week over chunk charcoal and hazelnut wood.

Using any hardwood, chips, or larger chunks with charcoal can be tricky. Balancing against the wood bursting into flame, without generating nasty white smoke - by cutting down the oxygen is the key.

Blue smoke is what you want. That means heat is balanced with oxygen supply, resulting in more complete combustion, and smaller smoke particles (blue vs white smoke).

This takes near constant monitoring, but worth it IMO. I get the charcoal well lit, then throw in the wood chips or chunks and partially close the lid and wait for the the nasty white smoke to turn blue, before putting food on. Nasty being full of tasty aromatic hydrocarbons like acetone and worse:

Incomplete wood combustion

Blue smoke is what you want.

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Whether cooking low and slow (my preferred for salmon, ribs, and a few others) or hot and fast like this:

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Nice table! I’ve had one for 35 years or so.
Weber too, I’ve had a few.
Spread fit for a party (of Lions ;-).
 
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