Is the Weber still king after 70 years? *Take the poll- How many do you own?*

[reillyranch]

I'm writing a magazine article about the classic Weber kettle and why it's still relevant after 70 years. 

I'd like to hear your thoughts about why the basic Weber kettle still matters after all these years.  It's shape has remained unchanged since George Stephens started producing it in 1952. 

And, does anyone know (or  guess) how many vintage Weber kettles are owned by the all members of the Weber Kettle Club? 

Thanks for any help and/or insights

Ed

[Cellar2ful]

Growing up in California in the 60's, my Dad didn't have a Weber.  He had the "Big Boy" style bbq where the cooking grate is about 2 inches above the hot coals. 



As a young boy it was my job to stand guard with the water bottle to extinguish the flame flare ups whenever he was cooking chicken.  The chicken was always charred, blackened and had a burned flavor.

Fast forward to the early 80's when I purchased my first Weber kettle. It was a basic black, daisy wheel kettle with a dog dish ash pan, purchased from Ace Hardware.  That's when I discovered chicken was not suppose to have the burned, blackened look and taste when barbecued.  A couple of years later I upgraded to a kettle that had ash sweeps.  Then finally in 1999, I upgraded to a red mist Master Touch.  I still own and use that red mist M/T to this day.  Each time I upgraded I would just leave my old kettle at the curb with a free sign on it.

I only owned one Weber kettle at a time until early 2016.  A relative gave me his old MBH Weber and I began searching for information on vintage Weber kettles.  That led me to the WKC and well,  the rest is history.  I would't be surprised if the WKC members own in excess of 1,000 vintage Weber kettles.  That estimate may very well be low................. 

[reillyranch]

Great story! The burnt and charred meat memories are very similar to my first experience around the grill.  Growing up we always had cheap grills that never cooked right, that all changed when I got a Weber.  Thanks Ed

[stillgriller]

We had an old LP grill with grease-soaked lava rocks that would flare up and my Dad would make that same charred chicken you're talking about. In contrast, I can grill much better than that now, unless we have company, where Murphy's Law beats me down every time.

Regarding the 70 year anniversary, while the shape remains the same, I think the innovations Weber incorporated into that shape kept it relevant. The one-touch cleaning system along with the high capacity ash catcher are IMO the biggest contributors to the Weber Kettle's ongoing success.

[bear]

Versatility
Affordability
Reliability
Sex Appeal

Sent from my SM-G996B using Tapatalk

[JEBIV]

I can pull out my 1956 18" Weber and cook a great meal, and the next day I can cook on a modern 1 touch, same method same results, It is a tried and true design !! 1,000's of vintage Weber kettle's here in the club, 100 or so reside in Doraville. @reillyranch can't wait to see the article. Stop by some time and let's talk kettle's .

[reillyranch]

Thanks for the quick responses!  I agree the consistency and the adaptability of the original kettle design keeps it going.  Add in the nostalgia and durability of the product and you got a winner.  I will give credit to any comments that get printed in the article and link the WKC of course. 

Ps. Joe, Is it too soon to start planning the next SE WKC meetup?  What about a coastal location, Weber's on the sea shore sounds fantastic.

[michaelmilitello]

It's really quite difficult to think of other products with such longevity while basically unchanged in it's basic functionality.  It's a great design that's well executed. 

There's even one in the Smithsonian.  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/story-weber-grill-begins-buoy-180960335/

Another example of how impactful this grill is the abundance of bbq professionals who got their start on this grill and honed their craft using it. 

[reillyranch]

You're  absolutely correct about the professional and celebrity chefs who own an Weber kettle.  It just can't be beat!  Weber's old slogan  "The one and Only"  is so true.  Thanks

[JEBIV]

Thanks for the quick responses!  I agree the consistency and the adaptability of the original kettle design keeps it going.  Add in the nostalgia and durability of the product and you got a winner.  I will give credit to any comments that get printed in the article and link the WKC of course. 

Ps. Joe, Is it too soon to start planning the next SE WKC meetup?  What about a coastal location, Weber's on the sea shore sounds fantastic.

We plan on doing another next spring in Doraville due to all things going on. @jebivswife would never argue about any coastal event including a Weber meetup

[reillyranch]

I wonder what the founders think, 10 years after the launch of WKC.  What's so special about the classic Weber kettle that a site literally decided to it can survive and thrive for so long?  And if they have any guesstimate to how many total kettles are owned by WKC members?   Thanks

What say you-
@Troy, @Jeff, @zavod44, @Shaun, @aj.

[502BBQ]

I can tell you that I have 22 in the stable right now, including a WSM.

[502BBQ]

Growing up in California in the 60's, my Dad didn't have a Weber.  He had the "Big Boy" style bbq where the cooking grate is about 2 inches above the hot coals. 



As a young boy it was my job to stand guard with the water bottle to extinguish the flame flare ups whenever he was cooking chicken.  The chicken was always charred, blackened and had a burned flavor.

Fast forward to the early 80's when I purchased my first Weber kettle. It was a basic black, daisy wheel kettle with a dog dish ash pan, purchased from Ace Hardware.  That's when I discovered chicken was not suppose to have the burned, blackened look and taste when barbecued.  A couple of years later I upgraded to a kettle that had ash sweeps.  Then finally in 1999, I upgraded to a red mist Master Touch.  I still own and use that red mist M/T to this day.  Each time I upgraded I would just leave my old kettle at the curb with a free sign on it.

I only owned one Weber kettle at a time until early 2016.  A relative gave me his old MBH Weber and I began searching for information on vintage Weber kettles.  That led me to the WKC and well,  the rest is history.  I would't be surprised if the WKC members own in excess of 1,000 vintage Weber kettles.  That estimate may very well be low.................

I just saw one of these on Marketplace over the weekend!

[reillyranch]

That is a great example of the type of grills that were available before the Weber Kettle. The open brazier was the go to grill for both for price and convenience in 1950's.  George's new invention had a high hill to climb to establish itself as the outdoor cooking champion.  The "covered cooking" method had to be won one backyard at a time.  George didn't invent outdoor cooking, just perfected it with the Weber kettle. 

How many different ways can you use the Weber Kettle? 
Direct
Indirect
Smoking (250 degrees or less)
Cold smoking (150 degrees or less)
Fry
Bake
Griddle
Wok
Kabobs
Satay
Pizza
??

[JEBIV]

Don't forget the rotisserie, can't beat it on a Weber