Which if these two would you recommend to someone starting out? And why
Which if these two would you recommend to someone starting out? And why
by sasaki804
22 Comments
Illustrious-Bee3426
Probably the barrel type because you can mess around with the coals without having to remove the food from the grill. Otherwise I usually like a lot of surface area and the kettle one looks like it might have more surface area.
No_Refrigerator_1632
First one is a smoker.
While you can still grill on it, you’d have to remove the top half to get a good sear.
2nd is what your want if you’re new to grilling.
GetinBebo
Neither of these are great options for a beginner as they will give you more problems than practical use and won’t last.
Get a Weber kettle. First and last grill you will ever need. Highly recommend finding a used one on Facebook. If you can, get one with the removable ash catcher. You’ll thank yourself when you’re still using it in 10 years.
brentemon
They’re two different things, really. Probably the grill because you’ll likely grill more than smoke if you’re just starting out.
ekquizit23
If you’re new to grilling go for the kettle (red top) as the hot coal will be closer to your food providing direct heat allowing you to cook faster, the smoker is usually designed to provide indirect heat so longer cooks, which you might not have the patience for when starting out. Also consider a chimney starter regardless of which one you pick up.
Sharp-Palpitation-90
Go with a Weber Kettle. If you want to smoke, it’s more than capable. If you love smoking down the road, the WSM could be a great pick as you increase the volume of meat
Markca8688
A Weber Kettle is almost always the best first choice for someone starting out. It’s incredibly versatile and you will learn so much about grilling and smoking and heat management, etc. that you’ll carry forward as you learn and get more into it. If you don’t get more into it you’ll have a solid grill for what you want to do. If you do get more into it you’ll end up buying other grills/smokers, whatever, but still come back to the ol’ Weber Kettle from time to time.
iamthelee
To add to what others are saying; I’ve been smoking all kinds of stuff on my 22 inch Weber kettle for over 6 years now. It gives food amazing bark and does just as good a job as any offset smoker, while being a lot cheaper to run. I’ve looked into upgrading many times, most recently to a pellet grill for the ease of starting a smoke, but it just doesn’t really make sense since I’m getting such good results with what I already own. I also recently bought a vortex for mine and it opens up a whole new world of indirect cooking and searing. The first thing I made with it was a beer can chicken, which turned out to be one of the best chickens I’ve ever had in terms of flavor and juiciness.
Another thing to consider, those Weber knockoffs are typically coated with inferior materials that will cause the steel to rust out in a few years. A properly cared for Weber will last you 10-20 years. Buy once, cry once.
Exciting-Bid6590
Neither. Go on Facebook marketplace and get a Weber kettle. Can probably snag a good one for 30-40 bucks. And for the smoker you might spend a little more for a Weber Smokey mountain but the quality is far superior.
CraigLePaige2
18″ Weber Kettle to get started.
Entire_Researcher_45
The blurry red one (Weber looking)
Exciting-Bid6590
If you can find a master touch Weber kettle cheap on FB marketplace I think you will be all set for anything you want to do. Check out Weber section on Reddit also for some good info.
sythingtackle
The barrel is crap, you need to drill out the charcoal pans to get airflow
JTR9902
I learned to smoke on a Weber smokey mountain and then upgraded to a Oklahoma Joe. You will need to learn on any grill/smoker to dial in your settings. Its about how much time you’re going to dedicate to actually doing something matters.
If not much then I say Weber kettle is the easiest to get up to speed with.
Hottjuicynoob
WEBER KETTLE MASTER RACE
Independent_Blood404
Start with a 55 gallon barrel and a grate over it
Srycomaine
I agree with most on here, set yourself up for extended success. DO NOT buy an el cheapo, rust-thru-in-one-season, no-name brand if you think you might want to become a Grillmaster or BBQ Boss.
I mean, if it’s simply a passing interest and you’re not too confident you’ll stick with it, then buy what you will. But if you are seriously wanting to learn and grow and improve at these styles of cooking, you’ll need a better than average cooking unit. You don’t have to spend student loan style money to get something worthwhile. Check out Meathead Goldwyn’s site amazingribs.com. There you will find ratings on cookers and equipment, recipes, and complete primers on bbq, smoking, grilling, and more. There are other fantastic sites, and countless redditor-approved videos to learn from.
Lastly, don’t forget the massive, brilliant and supportive group you have right here in this sub, and check out other subs that are grilling-adjacent: r/smoking, r/bbq, etc. Final takeaways: there are countless brands of grills/smokers out there with a complete spectrum of quality and pricing. If you get overwhelmed, you virtually can’t go wrong with anything branded “Weber.” Used is *always* a good bet to find sweet prices on good gear.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide to go with!
skavenger0
I have one of those smokers, actually a great smoker but impossibly hard to grill instead with it. Kettle will do both but keeping temps down takes a little more skill and practice. Starting out the kettle is a better choice
DJ-Doughboy
kettle is always where to start imo
Zestyclose_Pride1150
None get a traeger.
jcilomliwfgadtm
Do you want to mainly smoke or grill?
KanedaNLD
Like others said, get a Weber kettle. Maybe find a nice second hand.
22 Comments
Probably the barrel type because you can mess around with the coals without having to remove the food from the grill. Otherwise I usually like a lot of surface area and the kettle one looks like it might have more surface area.
First one is a smoker.
While you can still grill on it, you’d have to remove the top half to get a good sear.
2nd is what your want if you’re new to grilling.
Neither of these are great options for a beginner as they will give you more problems than practical use and won’t last.
Get a Weber kettle. First and last grill you will ever need. Highly recommend finding a used one on Facebook. If you can, get one with the removable ash catcher. You’ll thank yourself when you’re still using it in 10 years.
They’re two different things, really. Probably the grill because you’ll likely grill more than smoke if you’re just starting out.
If you’re new to grilling go for the kettle (red top) as the hot coal will be closer to your food providing direct heat allowing you to cook faster, the smoker is usually designed to provide indirect heat so longer cooks, which you might not have the patience for when starting out. Also consider a chimney starter regardless of which one you pick up.
Go with a Weber Kettle. If you want to smoke, it’s more than capable. If you love smoking down the road, the WSM could be a great pick as you increase the volume of meat
A Weber Kettle is almost always the best first choice for someone starting out. It’s incredibly versatile and you will learn so much about grilling and smoking and heat management, etc. that you’ll carry forward as you learn and get more into it. If you don’t get more into it you’ll have a solid grill for what you want to do. If you do get more into it you’ll end up buying other grills/smokers, whatever, but still come back to the ol’ Weber Kettle from time to time.
To add to what others are saying; I’ve been smoking all kinds of stuff on my 22 inch Weber kettle for over 6 years now. It gives food amazing bark and does just as good a job as any offset smoker, while being a lot cheaper to run. I’ve looked into upgrading many times, most recently to a pellet grill for the ease of starting a smoke, but it just doesn’t really make sense since I’m getting such good results with what I already own. I also recently bought a vortex for mine and it opens up a whole new world of indirect cooking and searing. The first thing I made with it was a beer can chicken, which turned out to be one of the best chickens I’ve ever had in terms of flavor and juiciness.
Another thing to consider, those Weber knockoffs are typically coated with inferior materials that will cause the steel to rust out in a few years. A properly cared for Weber will last you 10-20 years. Buy once, cry once.
Neither. Go on Facebook marketplace and get a Weber kettle. Can probably snag a good one for 30-40 bucks. And for the smoker you might spend a little more for a Weber Smokey mountain but the quality is far superior.
18″ Weber Kettle to get started.
The blurry red one (Weber looking)
If you can find a master touch Weber kettle cheap on FB marketplace I think you will be all set for anything you want to do. Check out Weber section on Reddit also for some good info.
The barrel is crap, you need to drill out the charcoal pans to get airflow
I learned to smoke on a Weber smokey mountain and then upgraded to a Oklahoma Joe. You will need to learn on any grill/smoker to dial in your settings. Its about how much time you’re going to dedicate to actually doing something matters.
If not much then I say Weber kettle is the easiest to get up to speed with.
WEBER KETTLE MASTER RACE
Start with a 55 gallon barrel and a grate over it
I agree with most on here, set yourself up for extended success. DO NOT buy an el cheapo, rust-thru-in-one-season, no-name brand if you think you might want to become a Grillmaster or BBQ Boss.
I mean, if it’s simply a passing interest and you’re not too confident you’ll stick with it, then buy what you will. But if you are seriously wanting to learn and grow and improve at these styles of cooking, you’ll need a better than average cooking unit. You don’t have to spend student loan style money to get something worthwhile. Check out Meathead Goldwyn’s site amazingribs.com. There you will find ratings on cookers and equipment, recipes, and complete primers on bbq, smoking, grilling, and more. There are other fantastic sites, and countless redditor-approved videos to learn from.
Lastly, don’t forget the massive, brilliant and supportive group you have right here in this sub, and check out other subs that are grilling-adjacent: r/smoking, r/bbq, etc. Final takeaways: there are countless brands of grills/smokers out there with a complete spectrum of quality and pricing. If you get overwhelmed, you virtually can’t go wrong with anything branded “Weber.” Used is *always* a good bet to find sweet prices on good gear.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide to go with!
I have one of those smokers, actually a great smoker but impossibly hard to grill instead with it. Kettle will do both but keeping temps down takes a little more skill and practice. Starting out the kettle is a better choice
kettle is always where to start imo
None get a traeger.
Do you want to mainly smoke or grill?
Like others said, get a Weber kettle. Maybe find a nice second hand.