Hasty bake, Meadow creek or Weber Kettle?

looking to replace my old weber kettle.

i been cooking on a weber all my life. might be time for a change or maybe not. like the indirect / direct cooking on the weber and using the rotisserie on it. most of the time now it's just me and the mrs i am cooking for. would be nice to put alot of hamburgers on it if i had to. i do love cooking tri tip & hamburgers on lump. don't know much about the hasty bake continental or the meadow creek Pr-36. i know theres alot of ppl here using one or the other. would love any feed back on either one. ya know, fathers day is coming. if i plant the seed now. see where i am going (i got 3 kids, 1 grandson and a beautiful wife. 4 of them got jobs, they could chip in together on a grill for the old guy.)......

Based on your indirect / direct love.... and the rotisserie... the new cooker should be a hastybake. The legacy would be enough, but the gourmet is pretty nice. Mine is a model 410 (circa late fifties) - which is now called the suburban. I fell in love with them growing up. My dad had what I believe was an 810... now called a legacy model 131. It lasted almost 30 years as a staple in our backyard. Cooked on 2-3 times a week year in/year out.

I am sure a meadow creek would rock... but I am a big fan of the hasty bake.

Done Q on all sorts of charcoal grills. The MC is the best one i have used. The PR36 with the bottom charcoal/wood slide out has a full length water/drip pan, SS Expanded steel grate, air filled wheel barrow type tires, vents, large reliable temp guage and very well built.

Check out the Big Steel Keg. Can get to 800*, can cook low and slow, indirect, direct, etc. Plus one of the big selling points for me, you can buy a receiver hitch adapter that slides right in so you can bring it with you when you travel. Ours will be going up to the cabin for a week in the end of June and I can't wait.

When you say slide out, what does that mean?

Has a bottom slide out pan for charcoal or wood.


A heat baffle to take heat to the other end or visa versa. This can be taken out.


A full length lift out water/drip pan.


Heavy duty SS grate.


Nice temp guage.

do all the pr-36 have that slide out pan?

sparky said:

do all the pr-36 have that slide out pan?

Click to expand...

no not all of them

big steel keg/bubba kegs are fine if you are looking for an imported egg clone. I have one...I dont use it much but for some is tricky to manage heat. It is thrifty with the charcoal. Nice unit...not in the same league with a meadow creek or hasty bake. I love both of the units you mention and I am sort of responsiblele for them getting known out west...as Nepas will tell you they are pretty popular back east. The weber kettle is one of the great american products.

The Hasty bake has the best indirect/direct situation in the business...as a short run smoker it cooks hot but is good...as a steak machine it is in a class of its own. I like the continental and gourmet because only the front opens so you can manage the temp better.


Meadow Creek. It is a long term smoker, a pig roaster...you can do a direct and inditect cook with the deflector/charcoal/water tray and put the charcoal oin one half. You can cook a pig or smoke about 18 pork butts with the second shelf. You can take the charcoal tray and use it like a country club grill. The meadow creek is built to hand down generations and made by hand in Amish Country and they are trucks

Meadow Creek.

nepas said:

Has a bottom slide out pan for charcoal or wood.

A heat baffle to take heat to the other end or visa versa. This can be taken out.

A full length lift out water/drip pan.

Nice temp guage.

Click to expand...

Nepas, how do you like you ique110? Sorry to get off subject. Looking for that or a guru for my primo.

I have researched all three of these in great detail (and the Tiernan SOB's), so this is just my take:

Weber Kettle: You know I love mine; it's efficient, versatile (direct or indirect cooking) and in my opinion easy to predict & control (if you spend time to learn how). It has a 10 year warranty on the kettle. BUT they don't have the cooking surface for bigger cooks.

Hasty Bake: it's the cat's meow of charcoal cookers; probably the most versatile unit going. They're well made and the price reflects that. There are a few companies that have tried to copy Hasty Bake's design but certainly NOT their quality.

But, if I could have any of them as a father's day gift I believe I'd be asking for the

Meadow Creek: Versatile & roomy. For long smokes, it might take a little longer to heat up, but once there should hold temps like a rock. The pull-out pan & 2nd tier racks can both be ordered as options. Also take a look at NePa's pics and you will see that the hinge runs the full length of lid. They are built to last your lifetime and the next.

When I replace my cheap Chinese made Horizontal offset (which required modifications), it will most likely be with a Meadow Creek.

Again, just my opinion (you know what they say about opinions - lol) .

jmeitz

I like the IQ110. Its all there no extra fans to buy and whatnot. Blows my Guru away.

And ya'll know that BP sells the MC line of grills, pits for home and mobile smokers.

ot and dont use the quotes! thanks Jeremie!

I'm a big fan of both Meadowcreek and Hasty Bake but If you want the do it all cooker, the PR 36 is the one. I borrowed Sterling's PR 36 this weekend and was amazed at the versatility. I cooked Pork on Saturday and I easily had a 10 hr burn at 250 on 1 bag of 10lb charcoal. Sunday I used it like a grill to cook burgers. We cooked Tri tip earlier in the week and they came out perfect. It's great because you can use the charcoal pan as a heat deflector or load it up with charcoal if you want to sear. They are both great cookers but I'd rather buy the PR 36 because it doesn't need to be re loaded with charcoal as often as the Hasty Bake and it's a better smoker. I think they are about the same when it comes to grilling. Buy the 36 Spark!

I'll admit, I wish I bought the PR 36 instead of the Keg. I got swayed by the portability factor which will probably be used once or twice a year. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but that PR 36 is SEXY!

I kicked around this same choice for a couple of months before pulling the trigger on the Hasty Bake. In the end it came down to a decision between the HB and PR36. The thing I kept coming back to was versatility.

I was looking for a great indirect / direct setup and as others have said the HB can't be beat (especially the Gourmet and Continental with the upper shelf). BP is right, the steaks off of it are the best I have ever done. I am still learning the unit but the adjustable firebox is awesome for grilling things like tri tip and chicken, almost like a Santa Maria style grill with a lid. I loved the idea of a rotisserie option and its something I will be purchasing and playing with in the near future.

For smoking there are definitely better units out there, but I have a MAK that I love the results with it, so for me the smoking side is all taken care of. In the end it comes down to what you want to do with it, and you really couldn't go wrong with either. I would love to have Meadow Creek as well, just don't think the wife will go for that right now.........

Like BP says, it's a disease but in a good way.

I'm voting for the Kettle because that's what I did. I enjoy the rottissorie feature every now and then, holds lots if hamburgers when needed and I also cold smoke on it during the winter. Good luck on what ever decision you make.


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Now Im also torn...I kinda had the same dilema as Sparky... I will be buying a Charcoal cooker in the near future also and I thought I was leaning towards the HB... Now im not so sure...The MC is about half the price and seems to be the favorite!! I do want it mainly for grilling! Is the MC as good as the HB in that department or is the advantages more on the smoking side?? I also like the option of the rotisserie with the HB...Tough decision!!

It is a disease...HA

I can chimney some lump and burn 225-240 for about 10 1/4 hours with my IQ blowing across the lump. When i need more i just pull the slide and add it. The PR36 does some great indirect Q and smoking. You can get an optional second rack and i think MC is making a smoker tray that will sit under the pan (but dont quote me on it)

I just use a SS pan with some chips or pellets in it. And if you use comp grade lump or charcoal you dont need chips/pellets.

Yeah i to have a MAK & Traeger and other tools but its fun to play with em all.

I've not tried a Meadow Creek or Weber Cliff... but I really love this Hasty Bake Gourmet!