Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)At least when it comes to grilling! After months of anxious waiting, I received my "new" 26 inch Weber grill from Amazon a few weeks ago. I say "new" because this is not Weber's first 26 inch grill. They previously had manufactured a 26 inch model that has long since been discontinued.
After having grilled on a 22 inch One Touch Gold and a Performer for years, I was anxious to have more charcoal grilling space. Although I have slobbered over the Ranch Kettle, I always felt that it was a little too much. Of course, I was also never able to convince my wife that I needed one.
The 26 inch kettle took about 20 minutes to assemble. The instructions were written in the international language of "pictures" and are very straightforward. The 26 inch is in all practical purposes a larger 22 inch grill. The wheels, ash catcher, handles, and charcoal baskets are all standard size. The only difference is the larger kettle. When you compare the kettle of a 26 inch to a 22 (see the images above), it might not appear to be that much of a difference. I believe that it is, as the 26 boasts an additional 145 square inches of cooking space. When you are trying to grill multiple things at the same time, that difference means not having to fire up a second grill.
The size of the 26 allows for more range in temperature zones for direct grilling. Internally, like on the 22, there is 5 inches between the main grate and the charcoal grate. The lid holder nicely holds the lid out of the way. My old Performer did not do that very well. I am thankful this model does. I do wish there was a hook to hang the main grate from. You can invert the grate and use the handles to hang it over the lip of the kettle, but I would prefer an actual hook.
I have cooked both direct and indirect on this new beast and I am happy with the results. The one learning curve I am tackling is charcoal usage. Figure about one and a half times more charcoal than you would typically use on the 22. In fact, if you can fit everything on the 26 versus firing up two 22 inch kettles, you are using less charcoal overall. Nice.
If you do a lot of grilling for a lot of people or you grill a lot of different things for a few people, this is a great grill. If you are only an occasional griller, I would recommend the 22. However, if you understand how precious grill real estate when you craft your evening's dinner, the 26 will not let you down. It's a Weber, what more can I say? Happy Grilling!
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Cooking System:Heavy-duty plated steel hinged cooking grateAvailable in an 18.5", 22.5" or 26.7" diameter cooking area Weber cookbookLimited warrantyAvailable colors: black for 18.5" and 26.75" model, black, dark blue and green for 22.5" modelConstruction:Factory assembled stainless steel One-Touch cleaning systemNo-rust aluminum ventPorcelain-enameled bowl and lid3 Glass-reinforced nylon handlesRemovable, high capacity ash catcherCrack-proof all-weather wheelsDimensions for 18.5" kettle:Height: 35" Width R-L: 25" Depth: 18.5"268 sq. inch cooking area Dimensions for 22.5" kettle:Height: 38.5" Width R-L: 27" Depth: 22.5"397 sq. inch cooking area Dimensions for 26.75" kettle:Height: 42.3" Width R-L: 32" Depth: 24.4"562 sq. inch cooking area
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