I’m not usually one to recommend specific brand products, nor do I like to push expensive grilling equipment. The truth is, you can make a great grilled meal using an old grill grid propped up by a few bricks on either side. It’s the technique that matters, not the equipment. All that said, however, I have to admit to a great fondness for the Weber Ranch Kettle. Basically a giant—over three feet in diameter—version of their standard kettle grill, it will set you back close to $1,000. But it is an awesome tool for the serious griller.
My friend and co-author Chris Schlesinger got one several years ago, and since then has put together consortia to buy them for all his friends on appropriate celebratory occasions. Some of the recipients are merely deeply appreciative; others claim it has literally changed their lives. What it is pretty much guaranteed to do is change your grilling. With this guy, your options are extreme. You can build a small fire off to the side if you want to cook just a couple of fish fillets or a few pieces of chicken. Or you can build a large fire and cook eight chickens or a leg of lamb. Or you can cook steaks over a hot section of the fire while cooking asparagus over a lower-temperature section. You can cook with logs, you can barbecue, hot smoke, smoke-roast, or basically do any kind of cooking that involves live fire. So if you’ve got the space and the budget, I would go for this baby. After all, it’s still cheaper than a medium-high-end gas grill.
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