Weber charcoal baskets for 22" Premium

[yippee]

Hello all. I recently purchased a 22" Premium Kettle to upgrade from my 18" standard kettle. I'll keep the 18" for backup to use for veggies / sides, or extra meat for larger gatherings, etc. When I purchased my 18" about a year ago I purchased the Weber brand charcoal baskets (the ones you can buy pretty much anywhere that sells Weber grills and accessories). They have worked well for me on the 18" kettle so far, but my question is do they still perform well on the larger 22" Kettle?

I have been doing some reading on here trying to find a conclusive answer, but the answers I am finding seem to be about 50/50. One thread will be very pro SNS, and nothing else measures up. Then the next thread I find will say the SNS is superior but the Weber baskets work well for the money.

I will say that I will probably end up with a SNS at some point cause it does sound like it steps up the kettle game, but will the Weber baskets continue to serve me well if I stick with those for a while? I already have them, so they're no additional cost and I have them now so I can use them instantly instead of having to wait on shipping. Worst case would cost me about $15 if I wanted to keep a set for both the 18" and 22".

Honestly, will the Weber baskets perform well, or would I be better off to bump the SNS up the list of priorities? I don't mind spending the money if they're truly that far superior, but at the same time I wouldn't mind holding off if I can get good results from the Weber baskets.

Would I need to increase the number of briquettes I am using to achieve similar temps on the 22" as I am on the 18", or just keep duplicating what has been working on the 18"?

Sorry for all the n00b questions.

[Cellar2ful]

You will need to bump up the amount of briquettes on the 22".   Most folks use way more charcoal than is actually needed.  Here are the recommended amounts of briquettes to use from my 1980's Weber owners manual when cooking indirect.  For a 22" use 25 briquettes per charcoal basket (50 total) and for a 18" use 16 briquettes per charcoal basket (32 total).



I use the indirect method when cooking chicken, fish, pork ribs and sausages or when using the rotisserie.  Food in the middle with charcoal baskets on each side.  When cooking tri tips, thick steaks or pork chops, I use my Slow N' Sear.  Worthwhile investment in my opinion.

I actually made a custom set of charcoal baskets for use in my 18" kettles out of the standard baskets. Using the standard charcoal baskets will work but leaves a very small area to cook on. Here is the thread on them.

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/18'-mini-charcoal-baskets/msg414468/#msg414468

[Kneab]

The other option is Marty's bigger better basket.
It's made out of a pair of Weber baskets reshaped and bolted together.
No water capacity but works very well.
The first picture is with one end lit for a  slow controlled 270-300° cook.
The second is with about 3/4 of a blazing hot chimney of coals for indirect reverse searing style of cook.
The slow and sear is nice, but the bigger better basket is pretty good too.
Plus you have about a hundred dollars left over to spend on meat to practice with.
If you do decide to go the Slow and sear be sure to click on their link on the support the Wkc page.
It helps keep the lights on here.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[blksabbath]

You can always buy a second set of baskets (cheaper right?) Or just overflow coals on the grate where you need constant heat. These grills work very well without the baskets or a SNS.  The baskets and accessories are a convenience, not a necessity.

Cheers and grill on!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HoosierKettle]

You can always buy a second set of baskets (cheaper right?) Or just overflow coals on the grate where you need constant heat. These grills work very well without the baskets or a SNS.  The baskets and accessories are a convenience, not a necessity.

Cheers and grill on!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well said.


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[YardBurner]

Get a couple of sets of charcoal rails.
You can make your fuel bed any size needed.

https://bit.ly/2Y6g1e3

[yippee]

Thank you all for the answers. That chart of recommendations is too cool, I'll have to save that to my computer when I get home. Through trial and error I had gotten pretty close to their recommendation on the 18" kettle, I ended up at 35 briquettes split between the two baskets.

So it definitely sounds like I will be okay without the SnS for the time being. Is it preferable to have one larger basket on one side and the indirect zone on the other side, or two smaller baskets on each side with the indirect zone between the two? Or is it really just personal preference? I might just go buy a set of Weber baskets to get the ball rolling and either use them as is, or possibly take them apart and make a "bigger basket" out of them.

All I know is I'm dying to get off of work and go put the grill together and fire it up for the first time.

[AZ Monsoon]

I use two bricks most of the time on one side of the kettle for 2 zone cooking  instead of baskets, so my vote is 1 large basket. Honestly, you really don't need anything though. You can just bank your coals on one side of the grill if you would like. Have fun

Sent from my VS996 using Weber Kettle Club mobile app