Heads up: $17.99 22.5" kettles- possible super cheap UDS donor

[kyle corn]

A friend just told me about this. KMart has their version of a 22.5" kettle on sale for $17.99. According to the site the deal is online only. Shipping is $12 but the product qualifies for Kmart's Shipvantage program and can ship for free if you sign up ($79 annual, but there is a free 30 day trial).

Not a bad deal for the people that can't find a cheap Weber donor on Craigslist.

Link to the kettle

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_1...1&blockType=G1

[btcg]

Looks like a decent kettle. You might order that, and want to keep the lid for the kettle. Maybe order 2?

[B-More BBQ Junkie]

Just spent $150 Sunday on a 22.5" one-touch gold...

[kyle corn]

Originally Posted by btcg

Looks like a decent kettle. You might order that, and want to keep the lid for the kettle. Maybe order 2?

I think that's what I'm going to do. I don't need a grill, but for that price, why not? If for some reason it's just a terrible grill I'll just have more spare UDS parts. It's an entire kettle for the price of a Weber replacement grate from Home Depot. Sounds OK to me!

[Big Jim BBQ]

My local Sears had these on sale for $29.00 a few weeks ago. I posted a thread on 9/22 asking if these would work for a UDS doner. One responser said they had tried it and it would not work. Too small. I didn't buy it so I don't know for sure.

[kyle corn]

Originally Posted by Big Jim BBQ

My local Sears had these on sale for $29.00 a few weeks ago. I posted a thread on 9/22 asking if these would work for a UDS doner. One responser said they had tried it and it would not work. Too small. I didn't buy it so I don't know for sure.

That's a bummer, but I haven't ordered yet so that's good to know. My buddy already bought one so I'll wait to see when he gets his. He wants to use it for a UDS donor but if it doesn't work he'll be happy to keep it as a grill.

[BobBrisket]

Originally Posted by Big Jim BBQ

My local Sears had these on sale for $29.00 a few weeks ago. I posted a thread on 9/22 asking if these would work for a UDS doner. One responser said they had tried it and it would not work. Too small. I didn't buy it so I don't know for sure.

Truth is, sometimes they fit all perfect like, and other times, you need to take a hammer to em and get creative.(I'm referring to kettle lids, as I have not worked with one of these kettles) A great deal depends on the rim of the drum. Some, like those from a closed drum have thin, flat rims. The ones from a banded drum have a rounded lip on the rim. Some drum builders have been able to just drop the lid on the drum and have it fit perfectly, others, like me, have had to re-invent the drum wheel to either make it fit, or just went the flange route. But, the flange route requires you to sacrifice the coal bowl of the kettle too.
I went the flange route with drum number one, then went the pound and flatten the kettle lid edge and then reweld it to the band from the drum. Both worked, but I had to make em work. Red Neck engineering is requried. In my case, Mex Neck, but it's really the same thing. For that price, it would be a great idea to order a few of em. You could do the free trial offer, then order a few extras and flip em CL brand new in the box a recoup your money if they didn't work. That's a good deal for donor parts.

Bob

[auxierr@bellsouth.net]

Just ordered two for the top and the grate. Hope it works on our two drums we are ready to use next weekend.

[---k---]

Looks like the one Lowes was selling. It doesn't fit my open top drum. If I cut the rim off, I suspect it would fit nicely. I plan to pound mine out, so I can use the drum lid or the grill lid, depending on my mood and food.

[DennD]

I just bought a similar grill on closeout from Meijer for 29.00. Much thinner metal than a Weber and flimsy grates too. Thin sheet metal shouldn't matter much since I will use this one just inside an overhead garage door and keep it in the garage. I had a 22" Weber cooking grate that I used to hang from a tripod for cooking over a campfire. I put that in the kettle since I haven't been camping in years.

It has a hinged lid, which is a plus for me since I won't have to find a place to lay a hot lid down(plus the lid won't cool down as much as if it was entirely removed). I had to slot the holes for the hinge pins so the lid would sit down flush on the kettle, to minimize leakage. The rmovable ash bucket on a grill in that price range is a plus.... and it fits snug, no discernible leaks there, so that's good.

[darthtrader]

Nuts! Looks like they're out of stock now.

[colonel00]

Try to find the ones at Lowe's or Walmart. They are hinged and will work fine. Hopefully you can see in the photo below that I basically just flattened the lid so that it just sits on the lip of the drum. The hinges hold it in place there and even though it doesnt bend down over the lip, it does seal well enough. This is also a new drum so I expect to get some grease buildup that will seal it better. Or, you could get some BGE heat felt or oven gasket.

This isnt the best pic to show what I am talking about and I can grab another one this evening. As you can see, I also installed a latch on the front to hold the lid down tightly and in line.