The grill that started my obsession

[michaelmilitello]

A code weathered warrior with nice patina.  Picked this up in October 2017 on Craigslist after finding the WKC site.  I knew I wanted an Mbh kettle! I bought this one from the grandson of the original owner.   I love the kettles with family stories!   I remember reading all the WKC sections of how to clean up a kettle, de rust a triangle and clean legs.  Bought my first of many bags of 0000 steel wool and razor blades.   Refinished the handle.  Gave it some  period correct new wheels.  I am still amazed that something so old, can clean up so well and function exactly as designed 40+ years later.  I had owned other kettles but this was the first “vintage” mbh, so it has a special place in my collection despite its humble looks. 

What was your first kettle that gave you weberitis?




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[bamakettles]

I'll play along....I've had a 22" kettle since 2000, and have always enjoyed cooking on it but never really thought much about the specifics of it or even considered that there were any still around that were older and didn't even know there were different colors and models until 2019 when I discovered this club/forum.  I was looking to fix up my old tired black kettle and stumbled upon the WKC and have been hooked ever since.  I scored a red LE (took it to the beach last week) and then began searching for older grills of color.  I quickly found a 1975 Statesman (Red) that was in excellent shape for $100.  I didn't think much about it being special, just that it was red.  I met the couple halfway to Nashville from here - Huntsville, AL - and was pretty excited about my find.  Needless to say there have been many more.  I'm hovering around 40 now with a dedicated Weber room and luckily my wife doesn't mind at all.  She frequently names the grills I bring home and we enjoy cooking on them together.

I'll attach some pics of this beauty... I hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July!

[smokeyjoe]

I grilled on a regular black 22 my father gave me, after a while I stumbled across WKC and saw all the different colored grills available. This was my first find that started the weberitis.


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[kcsmokinribs]

My first Weber kettle was a lightly used crimson 22” that I bought a few years ago before my Weberitis set in. Still have it but cook on the older ones mostly. Here it is.



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[Chesapeake Weber]

My first grill was a George Forman electric I think my parents gave me for Christmas one year that I could use on my apartment balcony (please don’t ban me for sharing this!). When my wife and I moved to a townhouse, we bought a Kenmore gasser from the sears down the street, Weber was not in the budget.  It lasted about 10 years with a few internal rebuilds. 

When we moved to our current house, my best friend brought me this green Weber and I’ve been hooked since!  So I think this one was my obsession starter.  I replaced the Kenmore with a Weber Gen II a few years ago.  And like I mentioned elsewhere, I’ve recently acquired 5 new to me charcoal Webers.  I love the versatility, what seems to be an endless amount of accessories, and the ability to make modifications. 

This thread actually got me thinking.  I think my first real experience with charcoal was when I was a kid and we visited family in Massachusetts. My great uncle cooked some blue fish he and my dad caught that morning and hot dogs (probably other stuff too).  I can remember the hot dogs were so much better than the ones my parents cooked! 

I guess it took a few years to get back to that flavor, but as y’all know, charcoal is where it’s at!


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[stillgriller]

Grilled on a Weber Genesis Silver B for 20 years. Then I joined this site, and something like two days later, I found this:

[watkinsb87]

Bought my first Weber on April 30th last year as a little one month sobriety gift. I needed a hobby that wasn’t drinking, and then I found this forum a day later and was immediately hooked. I can honestly say that this hobby has helped keep me sober the last 16 or so months. Anytime I wanted a drink (especially early on) I would hop on this forum, get some inspiration and go cook something or mod my kettle.


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[michaelmilitello]

Bought my first Weber on April 30th last year as a little one month sobriety gift. I needed a hobby that wasn’t drinking, and then I found this forum a day later and was immediately hooked. I can honestly say that this hobby has helped keep me sober the last 16 or so months. Anytime I wanted a drink (especially early on) I would hop on this forum, get some inspiration and go cook something or mod my kettle.


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That’s awesome!  Congrats.   My story is so similar.   Got sober in March 2017 and found this place in October.  The rest is history.  I needed a hobby and found it here.  Five years sober last March. 


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[watkinsb87]

Bought my first Weber on April 30th last year as a little one month sobriety gift. I needed a hobby that wasn’t drinking, and then I found this forum a day later and was immediately hooked. I can honestly say that this hobby has helped keep me sober the last 16 or so months. Anytime I wanted a drink (especially early on) I would hop on this forum, get some inspiration and go cook something or mod my kettle.


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That’s awesome!  Congrats.   My story is so similar.   Got sober in March 2017 and found this place in October.  The rest is history.  I needed a hobby and found it here.  Five years sober last March. 


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Congrats man. That’s awesome. My wife and the little ones are especially thankful for a sober dad that  loves to cook.


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[watkinsb87]

I grilled on a regular black 22 my father gave me, after a while I stumbled across WKC and saw all the different colored grills available. This was my first find that started the weberitis.


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I need to come by and check out your collection, maybe bring some cash with me…


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[AS in SA]

Got my first Weber (22 one-touch silver/black) as a gift and cooked on it for 6 or 7 years - not obsessed, but a fan for sure.  Always wished it had a bit more space though and around the same time (early 2000's) joined the "Virtual Weber Bullet" boards/forums.  Discovered that Weber had previously made (and discontinued) a 26 kettle and the search was on - this was quite a few years before the 26 would be re-introduced in 2008 or so.  Took about 5 years, but finally got a J code 26 in black (Fleetwood).  Think I became hooked on the search/quest though and the collection continued to grow.  Thinned out the heard a few years back, but still have the 26 fleetwood and cook on it regularly.  Wound up picking up the glen blue 26 (still in box) and a pretty sweet Aristocrat earlier this year and have thought I should pass the fleetwood on (don't really need 3 26'rs), but haven't been able to pull the trigger.