Advice for a Relative Newbie, Please

M

Mass. Wine Guy

Knows what a fatty is.
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Hi folks. I am new to this forum, but have been a longtime bbq person. For years I've gotten by with an ever more rusting Weber dome, but now I need to replace it. I really don't want to give more money to Weber so I can watch their grill fall apart in a few years. I'd love to buy a Grill Dome, but money is tight right now.

Are there any middle of the road options avaialble? I only burn charwood, so I don't need gas. I've never owned a round, drum style smoker, but I 'd be open to one.

Thanks very much.
 
If you are interested in a drum smoker the above link is without a doubt the way to go for a novice on a budget, or just about anybody else!

Just a note about Weber Grills; I have owned several over about 40 years of outdoor cooking, in fact I own 4 Weber Grills right now. I can promise that if you take care of a Weber, it will take care of you. Metal is not designed to be left outdoors in moist elements, uncovered. Because of the renderings while cooking meat (fat drippings) and ashes, they need to be cleaned regularly. I cannot begin to imagine the conditions which has caused your Weber to "fall apart" in a few years. I can only repeat what my dad told me, "If you don't maintain your equipment, who will?"

Good Luck!
 
I still have my Weber Kettle of 15 years now, no cover, stays outside. No problems. Of course, when i am done using it I close the vents so rain doesn't get inside. I guess that's the secret. I suspect that grill has another 15 years left in it at least.
 
I join the others in saying you will be hard pressed to find any grill that will stand up better or have better customer service than Weber.

That being said, for a mid-priced smoker most of us on here wouldn't hesitate recommending a Weber Smoky Mountain to you if you don't feel you want to build a UDS.

You may also find a Grill Dome on Craigslist if you are patient. There was one at a good price in New Hampshire several months ago for example.
 
Thanks. I'll definitely look into the UDS and Weber Smoky Mountain. But surely you're not telling me that I can't sand blast my Weber after each use and then douse it well with a hose.
 
bigabyte said:
I still have my Weber Kettle of 15 years now, no cover, stays outside. No problems. Of course, when i am done using it I close the vents so rain doesn't get inside. I guess that's the secret. I suspect that grill has another 15 years left in it at least.
Click to expand...

Wet ashes are pretty caustic, and will eat through anything given enough time. I'm not sure if there's a difference between briquette ashes or lump ashes in this regard.

I've seen more than my share of grills head to an early grave because they were left out in the elements. A $20 grill cover will pay for itself pretty quickly.
 
I have 9 Weber cookers at the Yacht Club, 5 WSMs and 4 grills. One WSM is from 1980, one kettle is from 1974-ish. I have retired the 1980 WSM (collectors item, though still useable) but still use the '74-ish kettle. Most sit covered outside. All of them get a thorough cleaning acouple of time a year, Greased Lightning and a green Scotch-Brite pad works for me.
If a UDS is not in your future, I would heartily recommend the WSM. As they say on the Weber Bullet site "Buy the best, only cry once."
 
I'm considering this from Target (even though this ad is from WalMart). I've seen it in person at the store. Heavy duty iron cooking grates seem very nice.
 
I've been plugging along on one of these for four years now

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10828983

Definitely a low end grill, but it is large enough to actually do a half fast job of smoking small meats and chicken (considering it is usually just me and the missus). I would recommend it to someone on a tight budget.

I bought a smaller grill for it, that once modded covers only half the cooking area, so I can have access to the coals on the other half for slow cooking.

A couple of pics. She's seen better days, but she get the job done considering she's lived outside through 3 or 4 Minnesota winters...

http://www.mos95b.com/New/Grills.jpg

http://www.mos95b.com/New/birdongrill.jpg
 
Craigslist can be like a pawn shop. Grab a kettle off of there, though now isn't the cheapest season. You probably could still find a good deal and buy a cover, $15 at the most.

I love my Weber Kettle and I'm monogamous.
 
just really can't get better than the webers considering the price. as mentioned, craigs list is yer friend. my two 15 year old webers are near new still.
 
hey mass wine guy,

there are a bunch of folks in the state that know how to make Q. i am about 4 billion miles away on the other side of the state (southwick) but am happy to provide any input i can. there is a brethren member who has access to incinerated and sandblasted drums to make a UDS not too far from you... i will let him pipe up. otherwise, i will find out the info for you.

welcome to a whole new level of addiction!

scott
 
Hello to all. Just joined the brethren and from what I have read so far it looks like I have found the right place to increase my limited skills. I just go a char broil silver smoker. Can anyone tell me if I spent my money well. It was the floor model so I got a discount but no cover or instructions (They don't carry this model any more) Just a note did my first pork loin and beef brisket yesterday. The beef took about 15hrs but well worth the wait.
The pork loin about 5hrs moist and juicy but a bit blaw.
 
I have a UDS and I'm currently making two more. I rarely use my other smokers. The lid on the original I got off craigslist for free. I grill on a 1979 Weber red kettle that looks like I bought it yesterday.
 
You can make a uds for 50.00 or less if you have some of the material and are semi handy. It can be done in one day with some forethought. You have a weber lid and I am sure it can be fixed up. Everything can be bolted together if you don't have a welder.

You can smoke or grill on it. I am perplexed as to why your weber did not hold up, I have had some very old ones and although beat up a little and well used still performed well.

Just remember uds stands for Ugly Drum Smoker so it don't need to be nice looking, kinda like an ugly child, it has a face only a mother could love.
Dave
 
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