Shawn White
Sous Chef
I'm going to turf the walmart cheapo kettle clone this year ... it was a dirt cheap year end clearance I bought a few years back to see if I would enjoy charcoal grilling before spending the bucks.
Of course I loved it, so the plan was to buy a Rancher when it died. Then the plan became a 26" kettle. Now I'm considering an Egg, a Primo a kettle or this incredible Napoleon charcoal grill.
I call it a 6 speed manual because the charcoal tray inside which is the same size as the grill drops about 12" from it's top setting in about 2" height decrements (operated by the shifter handle on the right hand side).
It has damper control, the damper slides a sheet of metal across the thin front underside near the top to expose 4 evenly spaced vents.
Love the hanging charcoal basket (instead of ceramic infrared) idea. I was geeking out. No idea how well it works. I've been pondering how I would get lit charcoal in that thing ... I'm thinking to load it with unlit, stand it up and light the bottom like a chimney. Your thoughts?
The other thing I'm wondering about is 'porcelainized cast iron grates'. Will they hold up well? Will the porcelain stay on or should I just sand blast them to start with and be done with it, keep them seasoned?
Napoleon Product Info Here (something isn't quite right, the link to the manual leads to one of their charcoal trays for gassers, but the brochure link is correct)
Love to hear your thoughts on this product.
Of course I loved it, so the plan was to buy a Rancher when it died. Then the plan became a 26" kettle. Now I'm considering an Egg, a Primo a kettle or this incredible Napoleon charcoal grill.
I call it a 6 speed manual because the charcoal tray inside which is the same size as the grill drops about 12" from it's top setting in about 2" height decrements (operated by the shifter handle on the right hand side).
It has damper control, the damper slides a sheet of metal across the thin front underside near the top to expose 4 evenly spaced vents.
Love the hanging charcoal basket (instead of ceramic infrared) idea. I was geeking out. No idea how well it works. I've been pondering how I would get lit charcoal in that thing ... I'm thinking to load it with unlit, stand it up and light the bottom like a chimney. Your thoughts?
The other thing I'm wondering about is 'porcelainized cast iron grates'. Will they hold up well? Will the porcelain stay on or should I just sand blast them to start with and be done with it, keep them seasoned?
Napoleon Product Info Here (something isn't quite right, the link to the manual leads to one of their charcoal trays for gassers, but the brochure link is correct)
Love to hear your thoughts on this product.