How many is "too many" kettles for normal cooking use?

[GregS]

Now let me be clear, i'm not picking on namtrag, it's just a common theme we've all heard from people.  It doesn't have to be a wife, it could be a girlfriend, roommate, what have you. 

My wife's already putting the kibosh on buying any more Webers, and all I have is the SS Performer and the SJ.  She says there's no need for another grill.  She's right, but still....lol

i cooked on two kettles this weekend, both 22's.  one had pork loins the other had chicken.  later i made cornbread in a cast iron skillet on one of them but could have easily been going at the same time.

now i'm lucky, my girl understands my insanities.  but i don't think having three kettles for weekly cooking is out of the realm of usable. 


So let me ask the WKC members.

How many kettles do you typically cook on?  and sizes?

How many would you use if you had a party going on?  or a family gathering? 

I can already see that i'll have three going on superbowl sunday, maybe another to be "safe". 


thoughts on the matter?  general discussion, please. 


this thread needs pictures, so post up your multi-action shots! 

[wrehfield]

Well, I have ten Weber's, including an SJ that I will  probably never use again. So far, 've only had one lit off at a time.  There is only two of us. But you can't have too many.

[LightningBoldtz]

I sort of have a limit, however that limit keeps changing.  The first year I bought my first kettle my wife thought I was crazy with the idea that I needed a performer to go along with my OTG because "I needed a table".  Then I started buying, using then selling later.  In 3.5 years I have purchased over 80 grills, gasser and kettles and misc.

So to my limit, I need, 2 - 22' Kettles.  Because I sell grills though my inventory can get large.  At present I own:
1 Kamado
1 Genesis Gold C (for sale, sort of)
1 Genesis Gold B (for sale)
1 Genesis E-310 (sold, pretty much)
2 Q 200 (1 for sale)
2 22" Master-touch
1 18' OTG (I may put this up for sale)
1 Smokey Joe with a mini WSM

Since I make a little money to support the habit.

[demosthenes9]

Well, I have ten Weber's, including an SJ that I will  probably never use again. So far, 've only had one lit off at a time.  There is only two of us. But you can't have too many.

I agree, you CAN'T have too many.   I have a OTS, a Performer, a SJS, a JJ and now a nice vintage redhead.   At this time, I only cook on 1 kettle at a time, but I get to choose which kettle I want to use !! 

[Cookingmama]

I generally use my platinum.....I love the table.  I also use my 22.  if I have some veg overflow, it goes on the 18.   When my boys, 5 and 7, are going to grill...I use the smokey joe or GA.  Small enough for them to grill up some dogs and learn safety and heats etc. 

[weirleigh]

So far I have not used more than two at one time.  There are real advantages to having multiple kettles ready to go as you already stated when you are cooking different items that require different temperatures and cook times it can be a real advantage allowing you to get everything done around the same time.  For those of you with big families or when you are cooking for an event as many of you do, as long as you can manage them I can see reasons to have an entire fleet of kettles rolling out smoke.  I am in a group that sometimes cooks hot dogs and hamburgers for local events, one of our members has a very large pull behind the truck grill, if we didn't have that we could probably do it using 4 or more kettles.

[1911Ron]

I have had three 22's an 18" and my drum smoker going at the same time, each of the 22's had a beercan chicken going, the 18 had country style ribs on it and the drum had ribs on it.

Now i don't agree with having to many (unless i run out of room! Lol)  however i am afraid of my wife selling them for what i told her i paid for them! Lol!!

[namtrag]

Haha, I have the Performer, a SJ I recently acquired from Troy, a crappy Huntington gas grill (which we will be replacing with a Weber next spring if funds allow), and a Weber Q series (not sure which one...about 2007 vintage.

So far have had the Performer going on my own, while wife cooked ABT's on the gas grill.  She is a very impatient person, and says she could never cook on charcoal, although she is admitting now that we have a charcoal grill, the food does taste better. 

I guess she is right about us not needing more grills, because we theoretically could be cooking on 4 already! 

I believe if I could score a blue one fairly cheap, that would be her weakness, as she loves the color blue (she wanted to paint the green performer I just picked up and turn it blue lol).

Interesting topic.  I think as long as you have room (we don't), and funds available (we don't), the number of kettles you collect is pretty much up to you.

[dazzo]

this thread needs pictures, so post up your multi-action shots! 

Only two working this time...

[JDD]

My neighbor recently asked me “how many Weber grills do you need?” I answered “all of them”.

I usually cook on two kettles at a time unless I have guest and then I have used up to 4 or 5.

[1buckie]

this thread needs pictures, so post up your multi-action shots! 

Only two working this time...

I'm on with Cookingmama ( I have some veg overflow, it goes on the 18.  )  & Dazzo.....

Two is really common....22 & 18.........

For instance, if this is going on, where do you put the potatoes?



.....or this.......



...where do you put the zucchini......



i suppose multiple layers is fine...........





But it can be stressful at times & just easier to stretch out to other kettles.....

Where do you put the green beans on this kettle?



...next kettle over....



If you're full up on chicken & corn.....



What about the bean pot ?



...and the fatties?




What about holidays & special occasions?



Sure to do some extra for friends & relatives....



And gawd forbid pork goes on sale.......



And what about dessert?

[AnakiMana]

I now have four 22" kettles and a single SJ and a 22" Smokey Mountain.

We love filling a kettle with potatoes as a side. Then another for the meat. So, usually  two.

But I've had the smoker, a potato load, a hot dog kettle plus a burger kettle going at the same time when throwing a party. If I was really on top of things, I'd have a Dutch oven dump cake going for dessert too!

Oh, and one of my kettles is reserved for my KettlePizza at all times.

[Craig]

My neighbor recently asked me “how many Weber grills do you need?”

Story of my life. My neighbors, my wife, my dad, they all have asked me that.

[landgraftj]

How many do I need? Probably one or two. How many do I have? A few...

[Cookingmama]

How many do I need? Probably one or two. How many do I have? A few...

Exactly!