bbq wrote:
> Paratwa wrote:
>
> > I've never done more than throw few hamburgers and occasionally
steaks
> > on a charcoal Weber grille. I'm interested in smoking and more
> > advanced grilling. Anyway my old Weber is pretty beat up and I'm
> > going to replace it.
> >
> > I thought I'd get pretty much the same thing a 22" platinum
charcoal
> > Weber grille. It appears to have the accessories to help in
smoking,
> > but I wonder if this is a practical approach. Can one of these
> > grilles really be used for indirect grilling?
> >
> > I've got a small family of 3 and we don't do a lot of entertaining.

> >
> > Thanks for any help.
>
>
> This is pretty much a repeat to my reply of a post a few minutes
> earlier. I think the response is just as appropriate.
>
> I would suggest a WSM and a Kettle. Reason being, with the WSM you
can
> load it up with fuel and regulate the temperature much more easily
than
> you can trying to use a kettle as a smoker. Though it does depend on

> how long of a cook you want too.
>
> IME, the kettle simply does not let you maintain a temperature very
> well. If Q'en something, I like to keep the temp around 300 or less.
> Using the WSM, you can use the minion method to get long cook times.
> Depending on weather, you can get as long as 10 hours or more before
> refueling. The kettle, my guess would be about 3 hours.
>
> For easy Q'en, the WSM is the ticket. I own both and think that any
> serious Q'er/griller on a budget should have both. They're each
> designed for different purposes and do them well.
>
> Good Luck.
>
> BBQ

Greetings,

I use a weber 22.5 inch one touch for grilling and smoking. I
have had 10 lb packer cut briskets fit (just barely!) with fire on both
sides of the grill. Using about 30 lit coals, 20 unlit coals and
pre-blackened hardwood I can keep 230 -250 for 3 hours without having
to open the rig. This is with a 40 degree F outdoor temp and no wind.
I have had great success with pork shoulders and brisket, however I
usually pull the brisket after 2 sets of coal and finish in the oven.

A few things I have noticed with the "gold" version. It has an ash
bucket attached under the kettle and it is kind of a pain to put that
on and off. I actually bought a galvanized steel bucket to put under
there to catch ashes. I get three hours of cook time from the coals,
but I am adjusting the vents every 1/2 hour or so.

I have actually spent hours recording temps as a function of time and
vent position (yeah, I am a science geek-I made spreadsheets and graphs
and everything) and I have actually been able to do good bbq here in
Buffalo, NY. The kettle is not adequate for entertaining BBQ, as you
can't put a lot of meat on there. 10 lbs sounds like a lot, but that
is in six hours. I can do 10 lbs of burgers and dogs in about 45
minutes, and 10 lbs of steaks in a little over an hour.

If anyone wants those spreadsheets, I will happily send them to you.
Post an email addy and I'll forward them along.