Lets Beat a Dead Horse...charcoal grill options...PK360????`

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gtsum

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So, I want a new grill...what do you all think?

This will be for strictly grilling...I have w workhorse 1975 pit on order...plan to do all ribs, butts, brisket, whole and spatched chickens on this...most likely all reverse sear steaks as well as I got the cowboy option

I currently haver a M Grills M1 and love it as its my do everything cooker (smoking and grilling) but there are limitations on it ( cooking space, firebox size, ability to control lower temps)... and I also have a camp chef flat top grill for smash burgers and stir fry etc. I have been down the pellet road with Yoder and Memphis also...

I also have a weber performer at the lake with a Slow N Sear that I like..cant beat the wings on it, but it has limitations as to the high heat needed to sear IMO as well as real estate when using the SLow N Sear...I have also owned primo oval xl for several years and have various weber smokey joes and akorn Jr's for the camper....

SO, does it make sense to pick up a PK 360 to satisfy my quick grilling needs for the house? I have never used a PK360 before....seems like there isnt much room between the coals and grate, but then again, I dont think my weber 22 is all that for searing either ( I lOVE the thought of aluminum and minimal maintenance on the PK though), but is performance as a griller truly any better than a weber? And as much as I am NOT a Weber Fan Boy, the ash cleanout, etc is truly better than anything out there...although their grates suck something terrible IMO...

So, bottom line, get another weber (26 likely as family of 4), or a PK360 or other that I am not thinking of for grilling duties?
 
I think I am one of the few that got a kettle and wasn't crazy about it. I also got a PKTX and it was a different story. I have been cooking on that rascal non stop since I bought it. Liked it so much I have considered getting the 360 even though I don't need the extra space. PK's are solid units that will last a lifetime. Don't foresee myself being without a PK now.
 
PK Grills are awesome. I have a PKTX Kinda wish I had the 360 for easier air flow adjustments, but I have 3 other smoker grills so I will stick with what I have.
 
How big of a grill ya looking for? Check out Hellrazr out of Canadia. Just launched, adding distributors weekly. Looks like a kick ass little grill. Their chimeny starter looks bad ass too. Both on the expensive side for the size. But looks like a steak cooking machine.

https://hellrazroutdoorcooking.com/
 
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Is your M1 big enough for you when doing indirect grilling? Keep in mind that the PK 360 will be over 100 sq” smaller. That is the only thing that has kept me from buying a PK... the size. The moment I see a PK 500+ released, my credit card will be out of my pocket lickity split. I’ve mentioned it before, but my favorite charcoal grill to date has been the Weber 26 w/ SnS.
 
LYU370 said:
How big of a grill ya looking for? Check out Hellrazr out of Canadia. Just launched, adding distributors weekly. Looks like a kick ass little grill. Their chimeny starter looks bad ass too. Both on the expensive side for the size. But looks like a steak cooking machine.

https://hellrazroutdoorcooking.com/
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Hmm...can’t read French!


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NoCoPk360 said:
Love mine works better without a charcoal basket if you decide to get one.
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Thanks! I have read the pk basket might hinder airflow

drunkenmeatfist said:
I think I am one of the few that got a kettle and wasn't crazy about it. I also got a PKTX and it was a different story. I have been cooking on that rascal non stop since I bought it. Liked it so much I have considered getting the 360 even though I don't need the extra space. PK's are solid units that will last a lifetime. Don't foresee myself being without a PK now.
Click to expand...


I’m kind of with you. I haven’t been crazy about my weber performer although I love the wings it produces with the vortex. I have never ever thought it Sears as well as my old kamados did

rwalters said:
Is your M1 big enough for you when doing indirect grilling? Keep in mind that the PK 360 will be over 100 sq” smaller. That is the only thing that has kept me from buying a PK... the size. The moment I see a PK 500+ released, my credit card will be out of my pocket lickity split. I’ve mentioned it before, but my favorite charcoal grill to date has been the Weber 26 w/ SnS.
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You sir have hit the nail on the head! Cooking indirect the M1 is about the right size for us. The pk360 might be a little cramped?? I agree, if there was a pk500, this wouldn’t be a discussion...I would of likely already ordered one:). One thing the M1 has challenges with is tight temp control...once temps get up there it’s hard to reign them in as even choking it down has limited effect. I cooked sausage tonight over lump on my akorn kamado and had much much better temp control compared to the m1 (deck was stained today so limited options on it today)

Raider18 said:
PK Grills are awesome. I have a PKTX Kinda wish I had the 360 for easier air flow adjustments, but I have 3 other smoker grills so I will stick with what I have.
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Thanks for sharing. I think I’m enamored with the aluminum of the PK[emoji3]




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gtsum said:
Also, why can’t they make a 26” performer?!?!?! :(


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A few people here have made their own. Seems like you have the resources to get one made as well ( = I want to get one made, but since it's almost always just the two of us, it doesn't seem necessary.
 
TravelingJ said:
A few people here have made their own. Seems like you have the resources to get one made as well ( = I want to get one made, but since it's almost always just the two of us, it doesn't seem necessary.
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Maybe a local metal worker/welder?

I could also wait until the new summit kamado comes out. 24” splits the difference between a kettle and the 26, is larger than the PK360, is deeper than the kettles (which I like for grilling) and seems like it would be sturdy. Should be out soon I think?


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gtsum said:
Maybe a local metal worker/welder?

I could also wait until the new summit kamado comes out. 24” splits the difference between a kettle and the 26, is larger than the PK360, is deeper than the kettles (which I like for grilling) and seems like it would be sturdy. Should be out soon I think?


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I think the new WSCG would be a fantastic choice for what you’re looking for... 24” is plenty big for most family/friends type cooking. Either that or ask Santa for a modest 500 sq” Kalamazoo... :)

https://kalamazoogourmet.com/products/k500-freestanding-hybrid-fire-grill/
 
What version of the M1 do you have? Mine is the 2019 version and is very responsive to vent changes to bring up or down the temps.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gtsum View Post
Also, why can’t they make a 26” performer?!?!?! :(


TravelingJ said:
A few people here have made their own. Seems like you have the resources to get one made as well ( = I want to get one made, but since it's almost always just the two of us, it doesn't seem necessary.
Click to expand...

The performance of my Weber 26 kettle convinced me it was worth the effort to fabricate my own table for it. Now it’s probably the worlds most expensive weber kettle, lol. But honestly, with the spindly legs out of the equation, this thing should last a very long time.




Regarding the question of making enough heat to sear...this thing can turn meat into pure carbon in minutes if you wanted it to. But you have to have enough charcoal going to do that. I have a charcoal basket that gets filled to the brim whenever I need to sear. The benefit to a weber for searing, like a good kamodo, is that once you are done searing, you can shut it off and save 90 percent of the charcoal for next time. This is the basket I use to keep my wood lump from falling through the grates.



After the sear, it goes on the cool side for a few minutes of indirect.

As a side note, I personally would wonder if it’s safe to take the PK grill to extreme temps. I would worry the bare aluminum would start to get soft and start gassing out. Im sure “normal” searing temps are fine, but it’s the super hot fires I worry about.


The charcoal basket works perfectly for indirect cooking as well. A full basket is more than capable of running for 10 hours at 325-350, almost hands off once you get the vents dialed in

host images
 
I bought a pk360 a few months ago and also own a weber kettle. I love the PK its a great grill. Its a serious steak cooking machine.

I'm keeping the kettle for vortex chicken, the Santa Maria attachment and rotisserie.
 
McSpazatron said:
Quote:

Originally Posted by gtsum View Post

Also, why can’t they make a 26” performer?!?!?! :(









The performance of my Weber 26 kettle convinced me it was worth the effort to fabricate my own table for it. Now it’s probably the worlds most expensive weber kettle, lol. But honestly, with the spindly legs out of the equation, this thing should last a very long time.









Regarding the question of making enough heat to sear...this thing can turn meat into pure carbon in minutes if you wanted it to. But you have to have enough charcoal going to do that. I have a charcoal basket that gets filled to the brim whenever I need to sear. The benefit to a weber for searing, like a good kamodo, is that once you are done searing, you can shut it off and save 90 percent of the charcoal for next time. This is the basket I use to keep my wood lump from falling through the grates.







After the sear, it goes on the cool side for a few minutes of indirect.



As a side note, I personally would wonder if it’s safe to take the PK grill to extreme temps. I would worry the bare aluminum would start to get soft and start gassing out. Im sure “normal” searing temps are fine, but it’s the super hot fires I worry about.





The charcoal basket works perfectly for indirect cooking as well. A full basket is more than capable of running for 10 hours at 325-350, almost hands off once you get the vents dialed in



host images
Click to expand...



Sharp looking table! I have built some rudimentary tables for my kamados I’m the past but nothing that looks as good as that. Very nice and thanks for sharing!


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