A big thank you goes out to Mr.
@LightningBoldtz for the tip on this little beauty. Cheers Jeff!
Original PostI ended up having a great conversation with the original owner Chuck and his wife Annie. Both fantastic people and very friendly right from the get go even though I was a crazy person calling from across the continent
I first spoke with Annie but the kids were demanding her attention so she passed the phone off to Chuck - I knew it was going to be a great conversation when he literally answered the phone by saying "SO... do you want to know the story behind this little grill?" Of course I said "Absolutely!!"
He went on to tell me that that the grill was actually purchased brand new in
Japan! in 91-92'! At the time he lived in a small apartment but was craving good old fashion BBQ from back home so he tracked down the SJ. Firing up a chimney in Japan apparently drew quite a bit of attention and he got all sorts of looks from the neighbours who thought he was crazy grilling on this little red kettle. It then returned home with him to Michigan a year or so later then travelled to Houston where he met and cooked for Annie while they dated! Next it followed Annie to Philadelphia, and then finally once they were married it returned back to Detroit! Chuck put it best when he said that this little grill has travelled more than most people!
Anyways - we had a great chat and it was really nice meeting some new people from across the map!
This little Joe and the way it all went down is a great example of why I love this hobby so much...
and to Annie & Chuck - If you ever happen to read this thanks again for everything! The original legs and pan were shot so I replaced them and then just did the usual clean up: