Santa Monica Grillfella Loaner?

[Jed.cook]

Update: Had a couple members here try their best to help out, but nothing really worked out. (Big thanks to all who tried though.)

We arrived in LA last night, and the Air B&B house is amazing, but has no grill at all. No gasser, no kettle, nuthin’. The wives basically just decided everything would be indoor-cooked this week. :_(

So after having no luck on the local CL, I turned to OfferUp & LetGo. Found a pretty nice Weber Spirit for only $60.  I contacted the seller to ask if it included a tank, and when he said it didn’t, I thanked him, told him I’d pass, and explained my situation of just needing something cheap for about a week. He replied that his neighbor just put a Weber kettle on the curb. Kettle Karma!

Picked her up this morning! As has been said about many an ex-girlfriend of mine, “She ain’t perdy, but she’ll get the job done.” Mismatched wood/plastic handles, legs installed 120 degrees off, missing two of the three bottom vents & the ash pan, and there’s no way that top vent’s gonna’ seal. I won’t be slow smoking any briskets, but a fajita flank steak, chicken thighs, or just some burgers should do fine.

Spent about 30 min. scrubbing her down & hosing her off. (The grill, not the wife.) I’m thinking a new $7 replacement grate from Walmart & we’re ready to burn. That part’s so rusted, thin, and nasty, even I wouldn’t touch it, and that’s sayin’ somethin’! (See my previous girlfriend reference.)



-Jed

[CatskillSmoker]

She's a cooker for sure but it's better then nothing.
Kettle Karma on your side brother. Enjoy the trip.

[addicted-to-smoke]

What’s next for this rescue? Recycle at week’s end, leave it as-is at the place and hope the next user doesn’t hate “Webers” because it has no air control? Or option #3, skip vacation time and fix the vents?

[Jed.cook]

Ha! Well, option #3 is out. I’m not putting any more $$ or time into this one. I’m thinking just leave it & hope for the best. Godspeed, little kettle. Hell, she’ll have a new grill grate. What more could you want? (Working vents, I suppose.)


-Jed

[addicted-to-smoke]

Maybe leave a note a note for the next person, “Consider using foil stuffed into the bottom intake holes if heat control is desired.”

[Jed.cook]

Damn, that’s a good idea. How come after years of grilling, I’d never thought of that? That should be a new thread- “Ways to make a shitty grill less shitty.”


-Jed

[addicted-to-smoke]

A good friend of mine ... pro cook, mind you, but not grillfella, grilled something once on his old OTS while I was there. With foil stuffed into the vents for heat control. When he mentioned his son was getting into grilling I bought a new set of sweeps and had Amazon mail it to his SON.

I *think* the new sweeps got installed.

[Jed.cook]

Ha! We’d all love a new set of sweeps, but the old school foil approach sounds kinda’ badass.

Giving her a hot burn now...



-Jed

[Jed.cook]

Gettin’ there...


-Jed

[putoluto]

Glad to hear you found a work-around Jed!

[Mike in Roseville]

Love it, Jed!

An old watch repairman once told me a proverb from his homeland:

“If you give a basket of fruit at the river, you’ll get it back in the desert.”

Glad it all worked out for you. Maybe the new grate will serve someone else. Who knows, they may just join here down the road?


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[Jed.cook]

Last night’s peppers, onions, & flank steaks for fajitas. $8 worth of replacement parts from Walmart. (Sorry I forgot to grab a pic of the veggies on the grill.) Everything came out pretty good. The ol’ girl can cook!


-Jed

[Jed.cook]

Thought we might do some chicken thighs tonight, but we ended up going out for dinner. (I really wanted to try doing the “poorest of texes” and fashion a vortex out of heavy duty aluminum foil, but that little experiment will have to wait for another trip, I guess.)

I’m leaving this kettle for the next Air B&B renter with plenty of charcoal & wood chips.

Anyone coming to vacation in Northern Colorado anytime, feel free to hit me up for a loaner or three.


-Jed

[varekai]

@Jed.cook , glad you found a grill... THAT is karma.

[Grillagin]

I'm glad it all worked out so easy.