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Product Description
Amazon.com
The Ranch is the Weber kettle on steroids. Do you need to feed a really big crowd? Originally designed for caterers and country club chefs, the Ranch Kettle is also perfect for company picnics, church gatherings, and family reunions. Grill multiple turkeys, roasts, chickens, or up to 19 Cornish hens on the Ranch Kettle.
Rugged, yet easy to use, this 37-1/2-inch-diameter grill features a patented tuck-away lid that slides conveniently into its holder. Two weather-resistant thermoplastic handles remain cool to the touch when you move the lid. A hinged cooking grate gives you easy access to coals and a removable ash catcher assures easy cleanup. With the same solid construction of all Weber grills, the Ranch Kettle has locking casters that allow for easy movement and the porcelain-enameled coating to prevent rust.
| Cooking System • Heavy-duty plated steel cooking grate |  |
| Construction • Porcelain-enameled bowl and lid |  |
| Cool Stuff • Weber cookbook |
| Dimensions • Height: 42 inches |
Product Description
The Ranch is the Weber kettle on steroids. Do you need to feed a really big crowd? Originally designed for caterers and country club chefs, the Ranch Kettle is also perfect for company picnics, church gatherings, and family reunions. Grill multiple turkeys, roasts, chickens, or up to 19 Cornish hens on the Ranch Kettle. Rugged, yet easy to use, this 37-1/2-inch-diameter grill features a patented tuck-away lid that slides conveniently into its holder. Two weather-resistant thermoplastic handles remain cool to the touch when you move the lid. A hinged cooking grate gives you easy access to coals and a removable ash catcher assures easy cleanup. With the same solid construction of all Weber grills, the Ranch Kettle has locking casters that allow for easy movement and the porcelain-enameled coating to prevent rust.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful
By "gglasscock"
I have a family of 7 with a few extra around a lot of the time. Grilling used to be a step by step process which usually meant I ate after everyone else because I was still cooking when most were eating. We like to do meat and vegetables on the grill and with this grill I can do it all at once and sit down with the family and enjoy! You can build your fire off center and spin the grate to move one item off and another item over the flame. You can also build small fires on two sides and put meat in the middle and smoke anything. Easy to control vents allow you to regulate the heat and burn time of the coals. Also it doesn't use a bag of cahrcoal at a time as you might think. You can use one Weber Chimney Starter (which I also recommend)full to cook most items. The grate is TOP quality. I used to go through a grate a year on my old Weber Kettle. This grate is beefy and I think must be finished better. No rust at all after two years. The only thing that keeps me from rating this 5 stars is dealing with ashes. You have to remove both grates (and the cooking grate is a handful)and shovel ashes out. The bottom has three vents that are not made for ash removal. At least you can cook a ton before ashes become a problem. It is expensive and a load but I would do it again in a heartbeat if a tornado came and blew it away. That is about the only thing I can think of that would keep this thing from lasting for 20 years or more.
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By Palsgraf
Amazon Verified Purchase
I recently purchased the Weber Ranch Kettle after several years of using Brinkmann charcoal grills. I cook on a charcoal grill A LOT; I use my grill several times per week in the spring and summer and I cook my Thanksgiving turkey and a big Christmas meal every year on my grill (we usually have about 12-20 people over for each holiday). I've never considered a gas grill because food cooked over wood or coals tastes so much better, and I've got a gas stove in my kitchen, so what's the point of cooking with gas in my backyard?. In the past 6 years I've worn out 2 Brinkmanns, which each lasted 3 years before the heat of cooking severely warped some of the key parts of each grill. I went to my local home improvement store to replace my latest grill, and I was dismayed to observe that the new Brinkmanns seem to be made of a lower grade of steel. There's no way the new Brinkmanns would stand up to really heavy usage. So I decided to treat myself to the Ranch Kettle, which costs about five times as much as my last grill. Overall, I'm pleased with the Ranch Kettle, but it's not for everyone.
PROS:
Performance
I've prepared two meals on the Ranch Kettle, one for my family of three and one for a party we hosted for fifteen people, and it performed admirably. I've cooked 2 large tenderloins, a variety of vegetables, and a couple of steaks, and everything came out perfectly. And I mean PERFECTLY! Even the large tenderloins cooked evenly, with a slight pleasing char and beautiful grill marks. The heat is easy to control by manipulating the amount of fuel or moving the food in relation to the coals. The hinged cooking grate folds up easily in 2 places, so adding coals during cooking is simple. However, sometimes it's difficult to manipulate the hot hinged portions of the grate to return to a completely flat position. Even so, the huge cooking area makes it possible to cook several items at once. From that perspective it's by far the best grill I've ever used. I'm looking forward to using the Ranch Kettle for slow-cooking ribs or brisket; I'm confident that this grill will do a good job with these difficult dishes.
Construction
I've only has the grill for a short time, but it seems very solid. Assembly took about an hour, with clear instructions provided. During cooking, the system for holding the heavy lid on the side of the grill is very sturdy (though you have to use 2 hands with thick oven mitts to protect yourself from the heat). I keep my grill on a brick patio, and the four plastic wheels (two large, two small; the small wheels lock) rotate freely over the uneven surface, making it easy to move the grill even while it's in use. I am a little concerned about the lower grate, which supports the coals under the cooking grate. The lower grate has already warped slightly under the intense heat necessary for preparing a large meal. I suppose I'll be able to replace the charcoal grate, but it's a little soon to see it warp like that.
CONS:
No shelf
I'm used to having shelves on the side of my grill. These come in handy for tools and keeping sauces and other items nearby. The Ranch Kettle is huge, but I have to use a separate table to keep these things close at hand. The grill has several hooks for keeping tools, but I'd prefer a shelf on the side, especially one that folds down when not in use.
Cleaning
The Ranch Kettle is a bitch to clean. The removable cooking grates from my old Brinkmann would fit in the dishwasher, or in my kitchen sink for soaking. The large round cooking grate on the Ranch Kettle has to be cleaned without these conveniences. I use a sturdy wire brush with a metal scraper on the tip, which is effective at removing chunky food residue, but it isn't sufficient to get all the grease and residue off the grate and get it truly clean. I may invest in a Grill Daddy, but the grill has to be heated for that to work properly, which is a lot more convenient for a gas grill than for one which uses wood or coals for fuel. I may buy a big tub to soak the grate, but that's another hassle. I won't use any of the commercially available chemical grill cleaning solvents because it would be difficult to wash off the chemical residue, since I can't fit the grate in the sink or dishwasher.
Also, the large amount of charcoal necessary for the Ranch Kettle produces a prodigious amount of ash. I'm accustomed to dumping grill ash in an unused corner of my yard, but the Ranch Kettle makes so much ash I'm going to need a large ash can to dispose of it. The ash has to be scooped out of the lower portion of the kettle; the large ash catcher beneath the kettle is effective at keeping hot ash from blowing around, but most of the ash remains in the lower portion of the kettle.
Vertical clearance
As I indicated earlier, I grill my Thanksgiving turkey over coals and wood each year. However, I'm concerned that, for all it's size, the Ranch Kettle's lid doesn't seem to provide enough vertical clearance for a good-sized bird to fit underneath. I measured about 10 inches from the top of the middle of the lid down to the cooking surface; that's probably not going to be enough. The Ranch Kettle is unsurpassed for cooking most foods, but cooking something tall like a turkey may pose a problem.
Cost
As I indicated, this thing costs as much a five Brinkmanns. It also uses a huge amount of fuel. During our recent party, I tore through 1 1/2 large bags of regular charcoal, plus a full bag of mesquite wood chunks. Furthermore, I need to buy an ash can and some unique cleaning implements to service this large grill. And now that I've spent more than $1000 on this thing, I need a big waterproof cover to protect my investment. I suppose no grill comes with it's own cover, but the Ranch Kettle is a costly specialty item and I naively hoped Weber would provide one. I've ordered a round outdoor table cover, which I hope is sufficient to protect the grill from the elements. So there's a lot of stuff to buy even after you've plunked down a grand and change for the Ranch Kettle.
Despite these shortcomings, the Ranch Kettle is a pleasure to use and produces spectacular results no other grill can match. It's pricey, but it performs. Just know what you're getting into before you buy.
UPDATE 9/19/2010:
I've been using the Ranch Kettle all summer and it has lived up to it's excellent early performance. Yesterday, I cooked TWO 14-pound turkeys in about 2 hours. The results were spectacular. The 2 birds fit, albeit snugly, under the lid without touching it. I've spent the summer cooking all kinds of food and I've yet to make a bad meal on the Ranch Kettle. I've slow-cooked both beef and pork ribs using indirect heat, and I've grilled enough steaks on it to feed a platoon. The early warping of the coal grate I experienced has not worsened, though I periodically flip the grate to prevent any further damage. The outdoor table cover I purchased separately has been sufficient to protect the grill from the elements, though I plan to store it indoors over the winter. I've managed to keep the cooking grate clean with a heavy-duty scouring pad and hot water, in addition to the standard wire grill brush, after each use. Yes, this is a chore, but I haven't found a decent alternative. Just be sure to dry the grate with an old towel after cleaning to avoid rust. The only new complaint I have is that one of the small plastic wheels recently fell apart. I was able to snap it back together, but they are too flimsy for such a big (and expensive) grill.
PROS:
Performance
I've prepared two meals on the Ranch Kettle, one for my family of three and one for a party we hosted for fifteen people, and it performed admirably. I've cooked 2 large tenderloins, a variety of vegetables, and a couple of steaks, and everything came out perfectly. And I mean PERFECTLY! Even the large tenderloins cooked evenly, with a slight pleasing char and beautiful grill marks. The heat is easy to control by manipulating the amount of fuel or moving the food in relation to the coals. The hinged cooking grate folds up easily in 2 places, so adding coals during cooking is simple. However, sometimes it's difficult to manipulate the hot hinged portions of the grate to return to a completely flat position. Even so, the huge cooking area makes it possible to cook several items at once. From that perspective it's by far the best grill I've ever used. I'm looking forward to using the Ranch Kettle for slow-cooking ribs or brisket; I'm confident that this grill will do a good job with these difficult dishes.
Construction
I've only has the grill for a short time, but it seems very solid. Assembly took about an hour, with clear instructions provided. During cooking, the system for holding the heavy lid on the side of the grill is very sturdy (though you have to use 2 hands with thick oven mitts to protect yourself from the heat). I keep my grill on a brick patio, and the four plastic wheels (two large, two small; the small wheels lock) rotate freely over the uneven surface, making it easy to move the grill even while it's in use. I am a little concerned about the lower grate, which supports the coals under the cooking grate. The lower grate has already warped slightly under the intense heat necessary for preparing a large meal. I suppose I'll be able to replace the charcoal grate, but it's a little soon to see it warp like that.
CONS:
No shelf
I'm used to having shelves on the side of my grill. These come in handy for tools and keeping sauces and other items nearby. The Ranch Kettle is huge, but I have to use a separate table to keep these things close at hand. The grill has several hooks for keeping tools, but I'd prefer a shelf on the side, especially one that folds down when not in use.
Cleaning
The Ranch Kettle is a bitch to clean. The removable cooking grates from my old Brinkmann would fit in the dishwasher, or in my kitchen sink for soaking. The large round cooking grate on the Ranch Kettle has to be cleaned without these conveniences. I use a sturdy wire brush with a metal scraper on the tip, which is effective at removing chunky food residue, but it isn't sufficient to get all the grease and residue off the grate and get it truly clean. I may invest in a Grill Daddy, but the grill has to be heated for that to work properly, which is a lot more convenient for a gas grill than for one which uses wood or coals for fuel. I may buy a big tub to soak the grate, but that's another hassle. I won't use any of the commercially available chemical grill cleaning solvents because it would be difficult to wash off the chemical residue, since I can't fit the grate in the sink or dishwasher.
Also, the large amount of charcoal necessary for the Ranch Kettle produces a prodigious amount of ash. I'm accustomed to dumping grill ash in an unused corner of my yard, but the Ranch Kettle makes so much ash I'm going to need a large ash can to dispose of it. The ash has to be scooped out of the lower portion of the kettle; the large ash catcher beneath the kettle is effective at keeping hot ash from blowing around, but most of the ash remains in the lower portion of the kettle.
Vertical clearance
As I indicated earlier, I grill my Thanksgiving turkey over coals and wood each year. However, I'm concerned that, for all it's size, the Ranch Kettle's lid doesn't seem to provide enough vertical clearance for a good-sized bird to fit underneath. I measured about 10 inches from the top of the middle of the lid down to the cooking surface; that's probably not going to be enough. The Ranch Kettle is unsurpassed for cooking most foods, but cooking something tall like a turkey may pose a problem.
Cost
As I indicated, this thing costs as much a five Brinkmanns. It also uses a huge amount of fuel. During our recent party, I tore through 1 1/2 large bags of regular charcoal, plus a full bag of mesquite wood chunks. Furthermore, I need to buy an ash can and some unique cleaning implements to service this large grill. And now that I've spent more than $1000 on this thing, I need a big waterproof cover to protect my investment. I suppose no grill comes with it's own cover, but the Ranch Kettle is a costly specialty item and I naively hoped Weber would provide one. I've ordered a round outdoor table cover, which I hope is sufficient to protect the grill from the elements. So there's a lot of stuff to buy even after you've plunked down a grand and change for the Ranch Kettle.
Despite these shortcomings, the Ranch Kettle is a pleasure to use and produces spectacular results no other grill can match. It's pricey, but it performs. Just know what you're getting into before you buy.
UPDATE 9/19/2010:
I've been using the Ranch Kettle all summer and it has lived up to it's excellent early performance. Yesterday, I cooked TWO 14-pound turkeys in about 2 hours. The results were spectacular. The 2 birds fit, albeit snugly, under the lid without touching it. I've spent the summer cooking all kinds of food and I've yet to make a bad meal on the Ranch Kettle. I've slow-cooked both beef and pork ribs using indirect heat, and I've grilled enough steaks on it to feed a platoon. The early warping of the coal grate I experienced has not worsened, though I periodically flip the grate to prevent any further damage. The outdoor table cover I purchased separately has been sufficient to protect the grill from the elements, though I plan to store it indoors over the winter. I've managed to keep the cooking grate clean with a heavy-duty scouring pad and hot water, in addition to the standard wire grill brush, after each use. Yes, this is a chore, but I haven't found a decent alternative. Just be sure to dry the grate with an old towel after cleaning to avoid rust. The only new complaint I have is that one of the small plastic wheels recently fell apart. I was able to snap it back together, but they are too flimsy for such a big (and expensive) grill.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Dillon
If you like the 22" or 26" Webers you will love the Ranch Kettle. Cooks just like its smaller kin but with the "Grande Meals" in mind. Plenty of room on the grill to move things around from direct to indirect heat. Weber says you can put 27 game hens at once on it. Heck with the little birds, to give you an idea of the cooking surface - I filled the grill with 20 chicken halves. A great investment!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clayton02
This Weber grill was one of the best charcoal grills on the market. It was very easy to grill a large variety of meats for a large party of 30 or more. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Karlyn
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best barbecues ever made
It's a classic and it's huge. It will stand up to years of hard use cooking thousands of pounds of meat. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Konrad Haskins
5.0 out of 5 stars
This kettle flat cooks! You are going to LOVE it,
I have held off giving my review of this product until I had a chance to use it several times and really test it out. Read more
Published 20 months ago by David W Bishop
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now the fun starts
I recently purchased the Weber Ranch Kettle 60020 about 2 months ago off the web, after a long debate for couple of years (needs and wants) I went for it. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Allen Bock
4.0 out of 5 stars
just cool
is it necessary? prob. not. but does look pretty cool in your yard. This was a gift for my husband, one of those who thinks he's a "grill master", he loves it. Read more
Published on November 23, 2010 by DaniFifi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
I have had this product for over 2 years now and I love it. I have read other response about how difficult it is to clean. Read more
Published on January 17, 2009 by John Sorrick
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little disappointed
It was packaged in such a way to almost guarantee the dent in the lid caused by a charcoal vent. There's no one-touch cleaning, making the three vents inadequate for cleaning. Read more
Published on December 16, 2008 by Snoopy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charcoal guys and gals rejoice!
If you are a true charcoal kind of guy/gal, you owe it to yourself to get this grill. Go ahead, reward yourself. Read more
Published on May 5, 2008 by D. Siewert
4.0 out of 5 stars
Whatta grill!
I was in the hardware store today and I saw the regular Weber 22 inch kettle. How did I ever cook anything on that tiny little thing? Read more
Published on June 3, 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
L"Let the flames begin"
This is the title of Chris Schlesinger's new book. This book also has been an inspiration and recommedation for me to purchase this grill. I can cook anything on this baby. Read more
Published on September 16, 2002 by "spinosa5"
