Yes, it's September but I don't care; I've cooked outside in January before and don't often let the weather put me off.
But I am thinking about some end-of-summer shopping to update my hardware. My Weber kettle is at least 15 years old and the rust is beginning to look serious. I have wondered about building a brick one but I think I'd prefer something with a little more control and some more cooking options than just grilling.
One thing is certain: it will be charcoal. I have all the gas I need in the kitchen and that's not what cooking outside is about. But I have been wondering about an offset smoker, which has a separate firebox next to the elongated main compartment, and would allow me to slow-smoke a shoulder of pork or a rack of ribs, or to grill directly (burgers) or indirectly (chicken).
A bit of googling shows some gorgeously old-school American things that look like the work of Richard Trevithick, but the choice here at modest prices - presumably without the sheer mass of the American models - seems to be between two German makers, Landmann and Tepro. I have little experience of either, beyond a very small Landmann grill we had 20 years ago, but has anyone here used one, or got any other ideas I should consider?
(And yes, of course I want a ceramic Kamado grill, but it won't happen just yet.)
|
