Advice Please! MT or PD

[pbe gummi bear]

Kettles/smokers are an economical hobby for me as they can be bought used locally for cheap. I enjoy cleaning them up and working on them. I love working on cars but kettles are way cheaper. Haha. There's also a great sense of community both online and locally where I live.  It's nice to have a few for larger cooks, and smaller ones for portability and small cooks. If I were to pick one kettle it would be my stainless performer with my Mastertouch in a close second. In red, of course.

[CharliefromLI]

Welcome! I'm surprised no one has said BOTH! yet.




In all seriousness the performer is great. I would buy one just for the table. The gas assist is cool but a chimney and firestarter work just as well. Chances are you'll be using a chimney either way. Also if the kettle will rarely move you can put a table next to the MT it for the money you save. Good luck!

Yes I place the chimney over the gas assist burner, once the bottom coals are glowing I turn off the gas.

[addicted-to-smoke]

... For me, lighting the chimney while I crack a beer and do some prep work while chatting with my girlfriend is therapeutic. I work hard and am constantly go go go. I never want to be in a rush when I'm cooking because I enjoy food and enjoy the process.  ...

@ shkish there's your money quote above. No one should try to "make" someone else like what they like but I will say that if you let yourself get into some of the more ritualistic aspects of charcoal cooking you'd enjoy everything about it better. Said another way, you'd really have no choice but to put up with getting dirty with char, waiting for it to light, dealing with crusty or rusty grates, waiting for kettle temp to stabilize, dealing with ash afterwards the next day prior to the next hookup possibly.

The same goes for hubby. He might just not want to deal with much of it. No harm, no foul but it is what it is, you know? I'm not saying it's gonna be a pain in the ass but it'll never be as easy to use as a gas grill and if time it tight during the week you'll only use it on weekends.

Give yourself a good hour before you intend to put food on to get everything ready. Longer if you didn't clean up from the previous cook outside or need to deal with ash. Enjoy the process, the creative configurations, the small adjustments ... because it'll produce results like no other!

****************
The biggest revelation for me when grilling is doing it indirect. I rarely cook anything directly over heat unless searing for a couple minutes or if I need to "speed something up" that didn't go as planned. That means your cooking surface is effectually cut in half usually. This is a big reason why "more grills" unless you get something like a "stacker" that turns it into smoker/griller that lets you cook indirect over the entire surface.

We're getting into the weeds with this now but you did ask "why more grills." Bottom line, when talking capacity, if the entire meal isn't cooked outside, ask yourself why that is.

[Jammato]

Sorry I am late to the thread
I love my masters touch, but I can wheel it around real simple like. I live in teh desert and I think you can imagine the difficulty of wheeling a performer would be. Now if I had a huge area that was paved to wheel it about, or did not want to drag it into the smoke cave after use, I would have a performer.
the MT is a performer without the table, and it is a Godsend to us who love the kettles by themselves.

[shkish]

... For me, lighting the chimney while I crack a beer and do some prep work while chatting with my girlfriend is therapeutic. I work hard and am constantly go go go. I never want to be in a rush when I'm cooking because I enjoy food and enjoy the process.  ...

@ shkish there's your money quote above. No one should try to "make" someone else like what they like but I will say that if you let yourself get into some of the more ritualistic aspects of charcoal cooking you'd enjoy everything about it better. Said another way, you'd really have no choice but to put up with getting dirty with char, waiting for it to light, dealing with crusty or rusty grates, waiting for kettle temp to stabilize, dealing with ash afterwards the next day prior to the next hookup possibly.

The same goes for hubby. He might just not want to deal with much of it. No harm, no foul but it is what it is, you know? I'm not saying it's gonna be a pain in the ass but it'll never be as easy to use as a gas grill and if time it tight during the week you'll only use it on weekends.

Give yourself a good hour before you intend to put food on to get everything ready. Longer if you didn't clean up from the previous cook outside or need to deal with ash. Enjoy the process, the creative configurations, the small adjustments ... because it'll produce results like no other!

****************
The biggest revelation for me when grilling is doing it indirect. I rarely cook anything directly over heat unless searing for a couple minutes or if I need to "speed something up" that didn't go as planned. That means your cooking surface is effectually cut in half usually. This is a big reason why "more grills" unless you get something like a "stacker" that turns it into smoker/griller that lets you cook indirect over the entire surface.

We're getting into the weeds with this now but you did ask "why more grills." Bottom line, when talking capacity, if the entire meal isn't cooked outside, ask yourself why that is.

thanks @addicted-to-smoke and @austin87 !  I think y'all are spot on.  Since my hubby has been using a charcoal grill for a couple years now, he's been experimenting more with how to cook on grill- indirect, with wood chips, etc.  I think he's ready to graduate to a kettle!  He isn't bothered by the process and time associated with charcoal, my questions are mostly for my education on the matter. 

Although this gift would be a nice surprise, I totally suck at surprises bc I'm too pragmatic and utilitarian.  I need to know what he really wants to use.  As far as my husband's preference, I asked about colors and his response "Copper looks nice, but anything is okay. Like side table, no need for gas start."  But dang it, if I take the plunge for a Performer, then I'm getting the gas assist!!!  Plus, he fights the wind a lot when trying to light the chimney.  So I figure it would be nice to have the gas assist for that reason only!  Plus, everyone here has made a great case for the gas assist.

My other option is to get a MT and buy this CL $20 performer table find https://mobile.craigslist.org/for/4985895904.html and replace the cracked table with something else.  My big question is, how / could / should I even do this?  I assume it would require some mods to attach to table.  OR convert Performer table to a solid slab top and it sit next to free standing MT grill.  But truly for space saving, I really just want to have an all-in-one Performer.

[1buckie]

You can swap out the plastic table for the newer metal ones....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/metal-performer-table-swap-info/

[addicted-to-smoke]

That table would be neat for your second, older kettle. But I think you're headed for a new Performer. I think there's a Performer without gas assist for $50 less but c'mon ....

[addicted-to-smoke]

Also, the table would work best with a Performer's kettle because those have the mounting tabs. Anything else is kind of a hack.

[ClubChapin]

My other option is to get a MT and buy this CL $20 performer table find https://mobile.craigslist.org/for/4985895904.html and replace the cracked table with something else.  My big question is, how / could / should I even do this?  I assume it would require some mods to attach to table.  OR convert Performer table to a solid slab top and it sit next to free standing MT grill.  But truly for space saving, I really just want to have an all-in-one Performer.

This is starting to sound like you may have stage 1 Weberitis. There's no point in fighting it.

[shkish]

Just wanted to give y'all an update!  @pbe gummi bear @addicted-to-smoke @1buckie @SixZeroFour @Jeep @G$ @Troy @ClubChapin
Thanks to everyone for their candid comments and suggestions.  I actually ended up buying both MT and PD.  First the MT, which I returned immediately once my husband admitted it would probably take him years to build the grill table we talked about.  So a Copper PD it is!  We are LOVING it .  Purchased assembled at a local kitchen and outdoor appliance vendor.  It was their floor model (but only for 1 week) and the only one in stock.  Will post pictures in the "Introduce Yourself" section, since I never did that... ha! 

[pbe gummi bear]

Congratulations! I'm sure it will give you years of service

[SmokenJoe]

@shkish  I should be obvious by now that asking Weber fanatics to choose between a MT or a Perf Delux is hopeless.   In a nut shell, they're both perfect, but I'D opt for the C&B dark Blue Performer Delux.   You'll never look back !!!   SJ

[addicted-to-smoke]

Nice machine! Now let's see some cook-up pix!

[SixZeroFour]

Excellent choice! You really cant go wrong with a performer - especially a sweet new Copper

[ClubChapin]

That's grate. Your gonna love it.