I've said it many times......if I was restricted to only having one kettle, I would keep the 26er. I probably only fire it up once or twice a month due to convenience of the gas assist I have on my 22" grills, but when I need the space, you can't beat the 26er. I also tend to use it for short smoking cooks like ribs instead of hauling out my big 22" WSM.
... To me, the ideal grill would be a Ranch Kettle with a one touch control system and ...
... One advantage (for me) with the old style 26s is that the cooking grate sits lower but if I want to raise it I use a ring of expanded metal to bring it up away from the heat or in other words to "modern 26" grate height. ...
Quote from: Craig on May 27, 2015, 09:50:50 AM... One advantage (for me) with the old style 26s is that the cooking grate sits lower but if I want to raise it I use a ring of expanded metal to bring it up away from the heat or in other words to "modern 26" grate height. ...@Craig so, expanded steel in a circle, kinda like a charcoal ring, except it just sits on the upper tabs and supports a modern cook grate? If you have any design dimensions or pix I'd appreciate it. I don't often cook a lot of "tall" foods and would like the ability to use a modern 26er's cook grate on my '90s machine I'm about to meet next week!