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!
First of all, I'm a loyal Weber fan and have owned numerous models over the better part of 40 years. I consider them the best of the backyard BBQ grills, so no hate mail please. But let's be realistic, for the same amount of money you can get two Gold One Touch 22.5" grills and have more combined cooking space, not to mention the flexibility of setting one up for indirect and another for direct grilling, OR set up one as a smoker and another as a straight grill, OR set up one for steaks and the other for chicken (or fish) etc.
The design flaws in this larger model are obvious and well documented by other reviewers; leg assy and supports designed and manufactured for the smaller kettle and the single handle grip (which is now the heat seeking plastic material) allows the much heavier lid to swing and arc during removal, not the safest choice Weber could have made. If you really have to have a "bigger one" than Mr. Jones next door, fine, but how often are you really going to need that extra space? My experience is that a 22.5" Weber grill does family duty and can handle the weekend party needs of 6 to 8 people without a problem. The 26.75" (based upon the grilling surface available) might add 2 more people to the party. But two 22.5" grills give you the flexibility to cook for 12 to 16. Now look at the pricing of an 18.5" Gold grill vs. the 22.5"; a reasonable $25 more (at the time of this writing), but the 26.75" Gold is TWICE the price of the 22.5" Gold. It just doesn't pencil out either in a monetary sense or a safety one (remember how that support leg always threatens to fall out when you're moving the grill loaded with hot coals out of the way?)*.
If you really need to turn your backyard into a small forest fire, save up for "The Ranch" which, while huge and expensive, at least is properly designed and manufactured to safely feed a crowd.
* My only criticism of all the Weber kettles is what I consider to be a design flaw with respect the third leg. The legs are aluminum and the kettle/leg mount assys are steel. Steel and aluminum expand under heat at different rates, hence under certain conditions the third leg can fall out of it's assy when lifted leaving the owner w/o a tripod design to rest the kettle. Worse, he/she can trip over the just fallen out leg and lose control of the kettle with disastrous results. I'm not a safety nut, but this danger is so obvious and has such an easy fix that I mention it here on the off chance it hadn't occurred to other owners. Drill a hole thru the dia. of the leg and leg mount assy when they're in place. Slip a small dia. bolt thru the holes in both the leg and mount and secure with a locking nut/washer and you have a safe simple fix.
Buy Weber 781001 Gold One-Touch 26-1/2-Inch Kettle Grill, Black Now
This new model is a must have for serious grillers who feel cramped on their old 22.5" like I did. I never had quite enough room for proper indirect cooking or for creating the necessary heat zones. Many times I was forced to use my 6 burner Gas Weber Summit for larger BBQ parties. On the 26" I cooked chicken for 15 last week with room to spare. Problem solved. Don't bother buying the smaller model if you are serious.
Pros:
1. Lots of grill space for cooking tons of food.
2. Room for proper indirect cooking with larger items like Roasts or a whole Turkey
3. Better thermometer than my old 22.5" One-Touch Gold
4. Plastic handle on the lid vent so it can be adjusted when hot.
5. Reinforced grate to hold up the coals. Much better design
6. Stainless Steel cooking grill is much easier to clean and will last much longer than the chrome plated grill on smaller models
7. Looks impressive :¬)
Cons:
1. Lid is large diameter and heavy, Be careful slinging it around like the smaller model. Burned my forearm the first day, learned my lesson.
2. Legs are flimsy like smaller model, but this grill is much heavier. I wonder how long they will last. Appear to made of the same thin aluminum.
3. Natural wood charcoal unburned "bits" small enough to fall through the grill, but large enough to lodge in the vents will prevent adjustment, cleaning or closure until they burn or are removed. Forcing will damage the cleaning blades. I am trying different brands of charcoal. I may also add another coal grill at 90° to see if it helps. I am not a big fan of molded briquets which don't have this problem.
4. Does not fit in a passenger car like the 22.5 or smaller could. Now I have an excuse not to loan it to friends for their parties :¬)
5. Wish they made a 26" Performer Model with Propane for lighting coals and the built in work table.
6. No rotisserie option (yet)
Read Best Reviews of Weber 781001 Gold One-Touch 26-1/2-Inch Kettle Grill, Black Here
My new 26.75" one-touch arrived last Thursday. The front leg was bent in shipping and after speaking with Weber, they agreed to overnight a new leg. Since I had them on the phone, I then inspected the grill and noticed five different small areas (each no bigger than a dime) in the bottom of the kettle where it was not covered by the enamel. There were some slight ripples in the enamel as well. Weber Cust. Svc said it should not be like that and sent out a whole new kettle! The front leg arrived on Saturday and the new bowl and some parts for it(did not need them) arrived on Monday. This new kettle too had exposed areas in the bowl! These are deep swirly gouges right on the inside of the bowl where the handle is on the opposite, outside of the bowl. I sent pics and so guess what, they are sending me another bowl, this time I asked that it be inspected! The service is great, but what is it with the QA process there? They stated that it probably happened in shipping where the enamel broke off but if the kettle was manufactured correctly, shipping should not cause enamel to chip off like that. I could use one of the bowls I have for Easter but I don't want to take it apart yet again, that in itself wears the parts out.
Of course this still be a great grill once it comes together. The one little thing I don't like is that the legs are very light (hopefully strong enough) for a much heavier grill than the 22.5" version. The lid, bowl, and grates are all much heavier duty and it seems the legs could have followed suit. If they don't last long because of the weight, I will sure to be calling Weber! Looking forward to some great roasting, smoking and grilling, some day. :-)
***** 12/17/2010 Addenddum
Love this grill!! Have only used it for indirect cooking I cannot say enough good things about it.
Want Weber 781001 Gold One-Touch 26-1/2-Inch Kettle Grill, Black Discount?
I am very happy with my 26.75 one touch gold. It can accommodate grilling lots of food or a large food item.
1. Out of the box: It was easy to assemble overall. I don't consider myself handy with tools or assembling things, so that's saying something. The toughest part for me was getting those legs all the way in. Just be patient, make sure one hand is on the wheel, grip firmly and push steadily. Also try slightly changing the angle of the direction of force if its still not going in. Eventually it goes right in and stays there. Don't settle for half-way in, or that could be a disaster--the grill will be lopsided and also the legs will come off easily when you move the grill only slightly. Before getting my 26.75 inch one-touch, I've had a 18.5 inch one-touch silver which was left in the home that I bought. It had a leg that wasn't all the way in, and it was both lopsided and tended to collapse when attempting to move the grill. Eventually I fixed it, but that was only after I put together the 26.75 and learned that the leg had to go all the way in. so i turned over the 18.5 and pushed that problem leg in, and now its no longer lopsided and no longer collapses when moved! hurrah!
2. Fitting food under the lid: The space inside the lid is ample. Grilling full-sized spareribs on a rib rack, or beer-can chicken, no problem. In my 18.5 I had problems fitting those things. On my 26.75, I could probably grill a turkey on that thing. Still, I like having a second grill handy in case I need to keep the 26.75's lid down for long periods of time and I need to cook something else at the same time, like burgers. I keep my 18.5 one-touch as a supplement right next to my 26.75.
3. Fuel management: Those charcoal holder baskets that come with the grill are very handy for easily moving the fire around and changing the configuration when needed. for instance, you may have to switch from indirect heat to direct heat, and you might want to have different configurations for each. However the baskets are are tiny compared the the space inside the kettle under the cooking rack. You need alot of charcoals to get a fire that is hot, and those holder baskets won't hold enough to make a hot fire. I like using those baskets so much that I got another pair. The space under the cooking rack can accommodate four holder baskets no problem, and still leave plenty of room for indirect grilling. Also, I like to use both my 26.75 and my 18.5 at the same time. I use one or two of the baskets for the 18.5 while I have something cooking on the 26.75. Then later when both fires are dwindling and I no longer need a fire in my 18.5, I use the tongs and carefully transport the two baskets from the 18.5 into the 26.75. That brings the heat up in the larger kettle without having to add charcoals. Also with the baskets, cleaning is much easier and quicker.
4. Useful accessories. Chimney starter is a must for starting the fire. Don't bother getting those fire starting packets or those special long matches designed for barbecue. Instead just rely on newspaper for the chimney starter and regular bbq lighter, or any regular lighter or matches. no lighter fluid! Have a good, durable grillbrush that can clean between the rack lines (or whatever they're called). Have a grillmat to place your kettle on, but make sure it can be used for charcoal or gas, not just for gas. As I said above, consider getting an extra pair of charcoal holder baskets. For cooking, you'll need a long-handled barbecue spatula and tongs but you won't need a barbecue fork. Don't fork the meat or the juices will spill out. You might want a long-handled basting brush-they're rather hard to find in Home Depot, though. I recommend an apron with front pockets to stash the grill mitts when not wearing them. Oh yes, you'll need grill mitts, preferably with fingers separated (thus, grill gloves rather than grill "mitts"). I recommend getting a rib rack and a chicken roaster (in lieu of using a beer can for beer can chicken and the like). I've had a grill wok, with a foldable handle, but I've found myself using it less and less. I used to use it for grilling veggies, but you won't need a wok if you cook the veggies in large pieces rather than small pieces. b/c the wok has perforated holes, it doesn't leave attractive grill mark lines. As for attachments for the grill, you might want tool hooks, but make sure they don't obstruct the lid from fully shutting. I'd like there to be a worktable that attaches to the 26.75, but the weber worktable for kettle grills is only designed for the 22 or for the 18.5 (the gray plastic side table that hooks to the kettle rim, and with two legs on the opposite side for standing) However, I already have a worktable for my 18.5. I keep both kettles side by side and use them simultaneously, so the worktable is there for me to use even if its not attached to the 26.75. The workable has tool hooks, fortunately. If you're thinking of getting the rotisserie addition, maybe that's your thing, but I like doing my chicken beer-can style, with the bird standing upright. If you plan on storing the kettle outdoors, you should get the grill cover. Weber has one that fits the 26.75 and it seems durable and sturdy. (You won't need a cover for an 18.5 inch kettle--use a contractor's size garbage bag instead, it fits.)
5. What's missing? I like having a hook nearby where I can hang the cooking rack when needed, such as during the fire-starting process and later during clean-up. Luckily, I happen to have such hooks nearby b/c I have my kettles on a covered deck, and the hooks are evenly spread about the roof frame to hang lights or wind chimes. Also, I'd like to have a larger workspace, like a rolling garden rack or a table like the one that comes with the Weber Performer. I rely on my side table for my 18.5 as mentioned above and also a small coffee table that I happen to keep near my grills but there's never too much counterspace/workspace.
6. Miscellaneous thoughts. I like starting fires using regular briquettes. then once those fires are in the holder baskets, as I add charcoal to keep the fire going or to make it hotter, I like to add hardwood lump, which adds a smoky flavor and wouldn't give off any toxic fumes before turning ash-white. i've been using smoking hardwood chunks in addition, but i'm wondering whether i'm over-smoking b/c the lump should add sufficient smokiness. also the chunks i've used are hickory which might be too powerful. plus the chunks tend to flare up, no matter how long i pre-soak them, and my food might get charred before I have the chance to put the lid down to put out the flare.
When I was shopping for a grill I was torn between getting the Performer and the 26.75. I opted for the 26.75 b/c I already have a chimney starter and I am used to making fires that way. I don't feel I would benefit from having the Performer's gas-and-charcoal fusion when most of the time I'm grilling. starting the fire is just a small part of the whole experience and the chimney starter gets a fire going quickly enough for me. due to the large capacity under the lid and under the rack, i find the 26.75 as versatile as i could hope for within my budget.
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Could not get along without this brass bristle brush which is great for cleaning between the ribs of the grate. Wonderful shape. Handle length is perfect. Also have a wide Brushtech brush but I use this one more. Even with a large grill, it just takes seconds to clean the grill.
