Kettle BBQ

[Petrolhead]

Got £150 to spend on a new BBQ, would like a kettle style and NOT gas

It will be used occasionally depending on the British weather in the North East.

Probably mainly for 4 people max.

Weber seem to be the most popular brand, although a little over priced. I have also seen Outback which look very similar.

What diameter should I go for and what advice can you give me please

[21TonyK]

Biggest Webber you can get. You really cannot go wrong.

[85Carrera]

21TonyK said:

Biggest Webber you can get. You really cannot go wrong.

This. Will last for years.

Buy cheap, buy twice. Might as well buy quality in the first place.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Weber.

The only one.

[Watchman]

I finally took my kettle BBQ to the tip today, 14 years old and was originally £19.99 from B&Q. The legs were wobbly and couldn't be tightened because of corrosion. It has spent every single day of those 14 years outside.

I looked at Webers. I even have a Weber Go Anywhere (small rectangular one for camping) but I couldn't bring myself to pay £120 for the cheapest kettle Weber on Amazon so I ordered another cheapo - £29.99 this time.

It will live outside like the previous one. I probably wouldn't want to subject a Weber to that.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Watchman said:

It will live outside like the previous one. I probably wouldn't want to subject a Weber to that.

Why? Mine has been in 30+ degree heat and under 6" of snow within 3 months this year. Still looks as good as new, that's why you should buy one IMHO.

[sherman]

Weber is the way to go. 57cm. Best money I spent last year.

[Rick101]

Mine lives outside all year. Fantastic bit of kit.

After 6 years noticed a bit of condensation in the thermometer gauge. Weber sent me a replacement.

[FurtiveFreddy]

Weber 57cm obviously, but I'd say go straight for the Master-Touch rather than messing around with the compact.

We had roast chicken and roast potatoes from it tonight. Yum.

[CardinalFang]

Another Weber vote. Have a 57cm one-touch which has sat outside for 8 years, without a cover. No rust, no wobbles, loose handles, creaky legs or jammed vents/wheels. Everything fits & moves exactly as it did when it was first bought. That's what you're paying for. The grill bars get scrubbed down after every use - plain steel brush whilst it's still warm (residue hasn't set & is still sticky). Then it gets a full scrub either at the beginning or end of the summer - if/when I remember/can be @rsed.

They're worth every penny: simple, well made, beautifully designed, but with huge flexibility when you put the effort into learning how the direct/indirect cooking & vents/temperature adjustment can work. Also there's a massive range of upgrades, & third party add-ons, as well as a huge community outside of their own media - website, cookbooks, free magazines etc.

CF

[Watchman]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Watchman said:

It will live outside like the previous one. I probably wouldn't want to subject a Weber to that.

Why? Mine has been in 30+ degree heat and under 6" of snow within 3 months this year. Still looks as good as new, that's why you should buy one IMHO.

Well, mainly because a 30 quid one will do the same.

Look, I'm not against spending where there's an obvious benefit and I *really* wanted another Weber but it just gets set on fire and then forgotten for another 2 days (we're BBQing a lot in this weather) or a few weeks, months, etc... I just thought I'd save the £100 for something else that I really cared about.

[robemcdonald]

Another vote for Weber. Mine was a wedding present and has lived outside without a cover for ten years. Still virtually like new. It it were ever to break it would be replaced with another.

[Tickle]

Out of intetest, what does the one-touch 57 offer over a 'normal' 57? Is it just the cleaning?

Sorry for being lazy and not googling stuff!

[C0ffin D0dger]

Watchman said:

I finally took my kettle BBQ to the tip today, 14 years old and was originally £19.99 from B&Q. The legs were wobbly and couldn't be tightened because of corrosion. It has spent every single day of those 14 years outside.

I looked at Webers. I even have a Weber Go Anywhere (small rectangular one for camping) but I couldn't bring myself to pay £120 for the cheapest kettle Weber on Amazon so I ordered another cheapo - £29.99 this time.

It will live outside like the previous one. I probably wouldn't want to subject a Weber to that.

I'm using my cheapo from Homebase for a few years https://www.homebase.co.uk/jumbuck-57cm-enamel-cha...

It's still functioning fine as a BBQ but the plastic handles have all gone brittle and broke, the bottom vent sometimes needs attention to get it to open or close when it has corroded itself onto the bottom of the BBQ (note to self check this before lighting!), and I'm not sure the charcoal grate is going to last that much longer. I'll be getting a Weber for next season. Has shown me the light as to how great kettle barbecues are though. Nice controlled cooking, no more blackened sausages

[Timmy45]

sherman said:

Weber is the way to go. 57cm. Best money I spent last year.

AND don't forget to buy a starting chimney at the same time. Fantastic invention.

[Petrolhead]

So Weber very much gets the vote especially for the long haul

[CardinalFang]

Tickle said:

Out of intetest, what does the one-touch 57 offer over a 'normal' 57? Is it just the cleaning?

Sorry for being lazy and not googling stuff!

The "original" has the one touch ash sweeper, but the "one touch" has a large catcher which stops ash blowing about "Original"" is also available in a shallow/smaller kettle. 1T also has a tool holder handle thingy: ie the handle end sticks out a bit to loop your manly implements around.

(Not sure if the 1T actually gives you more flexibility with airflow from below, but the fact that you can see how far the vent is open (via marks on the ash catcher) makes it easier to control)

Comparison piccies halfway down this page: https://www.riversidegardencentre.co.uk/blog/weber...

[Tickle]

CardinalFang said:

The "original" has the one touch ash sweeper, but the "one touch" has a large catcher which stops ash blowing about "Original"" is also available in a shallow/smaller kettle. 1T also has a tool holder handle thingy: ie the handle end sticks out a bit to loop your manly implements around.

(Not sure if the 1T actually gives you more flexibility with airflow from below, but the fact that you can see how far the vent is open (via marks on the ash catcher) makes it easier to control)

Comparison piccies halfway down this page: https://www.riversidegardencentre.co.uk/blog/weber...

Cheers for that, appreciated

[omniflow]

Adding the rotisserie to a 57cm Weber is well worth doing.

A whole chicken, or a skin on, bone in loin of pork cooked on a rotisserie over charcoal are just fantastic.

It's not cheap - look for an ex-display one - but I would not be without mine.

[FurtiveFreddy]

The deeper bowl and ash collection on the One Touch are the main benefits, but also you can 'calibrate' your lower vent opening by scratching/drawing your own markings. That's particularly useful if you want to use it as a smoker.

Otherwise, the actual vents are the same on all kettle models I think.

I had the 57" Compact for several years, but the One Touch is much better and worth the extra money especially as I use it as a smoker roughly 1/3 of the time now.