I came across the forum over the weekend and, as I was availing myself of all your good advice, thought it only polite to say hello and thanks for the wealth of info you've all collated.
I am firmly in the ranks of enthusiastic amateur when it comes to BBQ-ing and, after the washout of last summer, am looking forwards to making more of an effort this year.
I currently own a Cobb (which I love when I finally get the heat beads up to temperature) and an Outback Charcoal Kettle, which is something of a disappointment to me. It replaced my ancient Revolution (a cheap import from the local garden centre) which had suited me perfectly until the adjustable grill gave up and left everything about 1cm above the coals. Unfortunately, the Outback has a very shallow bowl and the grill has little clearance above the charcoal - fine for searing steaks but not so hot for cooking anything that requires a more subtle technique.
I found the forum whilst researching a replacement and trying to convince myself that a Kamado Joe would be a sensible investment. However, having read around I'm not sure if I would actually make enough use to justify its cost over a better quality kettle (but secretly still hoping to convince myself I would). The forum seems to favour either Webers or Outdoorchef models, although I'm also interested in the Napoleon Pro. I shall continue to read the various review posts with interest.
All that said, I am now at least aware of the idea of stacking the charcoal to provide different cooking areas and so, weather permitting, I'll run a few experiments this coming weekend with indirect heat and see how I get on.
Bet I still end up buying a new gadget though
