Weber Kettle + Smokenator or ProQ Frontier?

[Chucklehead]

I'm replacing my dearly departed weber this year (fence blew over on to it).

I'm caught between a regular 57cm weber Kettle and a ProQ Frontier Elite.

The issue is that I want to be able to grill and smoke, and I don't think either will excel at both.

The pro q will grill, but once de-stacked will be about 18" off the ground which I think would be really irritating. I'll probably be grilling more than smoking. Not sure.

Is anyone here using the smokenator?

[Scantily]

I don't own one myself, but from reading user reviews the smokenator really isn't worth the money. You don't get a very long burn time, it's difficult to add more coals, and the water reservoir needs topping up very frequently.

If you want to grill and smoke then I think the weber 57cm one touch premium is the best compromise, use the two zone cooking method and manage your fire properly and you'll be able to smoke easily. Smoking on a kettle just requires more management and fiddling to maintain temperature than a dedicated smoker, but still easy to do once you get some practice in.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/2-zone_i...
http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/starting_a...

[Rick101]

Go with the kettle. Plenty easy enough to smoke on the standard setup.