Going big with the Weber 26 inch Grill

I've got a buddy over on the West Coast who has been breaking in his new Weber 26 inch grill.

He has been sending me a stream of pictures that started with this one:

So far he's grilled some leg quarters, cold smoked 10 pounds of cheddar, gone low and slow with four slabs of St Louis spares and made some stuffed pork loins.  Getting to live vicariously through the grilling adventures of others is a pretty sweet gig.

One reason I am excited to watch him work is that I have always wondered if this grill was an exceptional combination of smoker and grill or if it was sub-optimized on both ends.  At the rate he is going I suspect I'll have a definitive answer in a month or so.


This grill costs about $100 less than the 22 inch WSM and appears to be just as functional with a larger capacity.  There has to be something I am missing or else more people would be buying this grill. 

Consider this a work in progress...Grill on, baby! Grill on!!