Gourmet ranch forum
An investment and profit earner for clubs and caterers.” To visualize the size of the Ranch, it is best to compare it to some of Weber’s other kettles: In its 1992 catalog, Weber calls the Ranch “The largest barbecue kettle in the world.
With a 37 ½” kettle diameter and a 36 ½” cooking grate, the Ranch was designed to provide ample grilling space for large cooks. As you can see by the picture, one of the features of the early Ranch Kettle was a center cutout of the grilling surface to allow the use of a warming rack, perhaps a precursor to the current Gourmet Grate system? Because of the size of the kettle’s lid and the placement of the two handles necessary to lift it, the top vent was made larger and was placed directly in the center of the lid. The bowl of the kettle had 3 vents that allowed airflow to be controlled using vent wheels. The 1953 Weber Ranch sat low to the ground on 3 legs and had a “flat top” lid. Circular design and large grill area invite everyone to circle ’round and join the fun.” “Model RB-600 RANCH BAR-B-Q: Incomparable outdoor cooking at its very best. Here is an excerpt from an ad in the the JCorpus Christi Times: This makes the Ranch and the 22″ kettle Weber’s longest running models. The Weber Ranch Kettle was first introduced in 1953, one year after George Stephen’s famous “Buoy Kettle”. Weber Ranch History: One of Weber’s oldest: However, despite its lower sales volume, the Ranch Kettle is a very important model in Weber’s history. Due to its size and cost, the Ranch kettle is not a mainstream offering and information about this important kettle is somewhat difficult to come by. When you are cooking for a crowd, there are few options better than Weber’s largest charcoal grill offering, the Ranch Kettle.