Last Saturday, I was cooking (just burgers, nothing special) on my hand me down 18" kettle (EE vent code). As I chatted with friends and family, I demonstrated why I wanted a larger grill and a work table (size, place for seasonings, beer etc.). I've always really liked the stainless performers, so I recently have been scouring yard sales, estate sales and Craigslist.
After everyone left on Saturday, we cleaned up and I sat down to read the news, scores, etc. I find a CL ad for a "weber charcoal grill." I clicked to see a red ss performer, in what appeared to be decent shape. Figuring I had missed the boat, I shot off a "Hail Mary" email and turned in for the night. I get the anticipated response "someone's coming to get it in the morning, I'll let you know if they don't." By this point, I've moved on, mad that I missed it.
A few hours later I get an email...."other guy said it's too far..." I'm in, I get the address and head out to collect my bounty. I show up to find a good condition performer (EZ vent code). I can see that the propane tank will be an issue, and that I'll have to replace the ash catcher, but otherwise decent shape. Also, after just a few hours, I see that the ash catcher will be problematic. By Friday, I had accepted that I would be retrofitting the newer style ash catcher /sweep to work on this kettle.
Today I stumbled across an estate sale on the way home from church. It's the second day, so everything is 50% off. I dart straight for the patio / garage area to find an EI vent code 22" kettle, with the ash sweeper and catcher in tact! It's a great find on its own, but puts me way ahead in getting the performer ready.
So, after a little work today to remove the sweeper without breaking off the thumbscrew, here it is on the performer.
I intentionally left this part until the end...I paid $25 for the performer and $15 for the kettle!
I still am working on getting the 1 gallon propane tank recertified and/or replaced, but I'm using a 5 gallon tank for now. The kettle is in decent shape, has a few scars and dings, but this won't be a show piece, it'll be my daily driver. I'll dig through my bike parts bin and replace at least two of the star nuts on the bottom rails, as they probably don't have much life left. Also, with the kettle from the estate sale, I'll be using bits and pieces for my next project, which will be building an ugly drum smoker.
Topic: Thrill of the hunt (Read 3852 times)
