Many people are familiar with the classic Weber kettle grill. It has been a staple of backyard cooking for over 50 years. What many people may not know is that, with just a little customization, that Weber kettle can be used not only as a grill, but also as an excellent smoker.
To make a BBQ smoker out of your Weber, you have a few options. You can do the standard setup for long, slow smoking, which involves building zones of hot fire and a cool zone and placing the vent over the meat (which is over the cool zone) to pull the smoke around the meat and out the vent. This works fine. You will have to watch the temperature very closely and make sure it doesn’t get too hot (tough, dry meat) or too cold (hours of extra cooking time), and you will have to add charcoal as needed to maintain an even temp of around 135. However, there’s now another easy-to-use option.
The Smokenator 1000 is a simple piece of metal that is custom made to fit into your 22” Weber kettle to turn it into a BBQ Smoker. This item is available at many online stores for around $65 or $70. The way it works is that the Smokenator sits inside the kettle, under the level of the top grill, and it holds the charcoal over on one side. This bunching up of the charcoal with limited oxygen intake allows your charcoal to burn low and long, much longer than using the two zone method. The Smokenator even has a water pan that keeps the air inside your Weber humid and allows for excellent smoke penetration (nice smoke ring) and juicy meat. I bought a Smokenator for my kettle grill this summer and I love it. It’s a truly simple but excellent invention, and it allows you to use your Weber as a grill or as a smoker, so I recommend it highly.
The other option for a BBQ Smoker that I highly recommend is the Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. It is a traditional bullet shaped smoker that has been around for a while, and the reason these things have lasted so long is clear—they simply WORK. The WSM is great for maintaining a low and even temperature (even better than the Smokenator), and if you have to cook for a crowd, the Smokey Mountain cooker can’t be beat. You could cook a whole turkey and a whole ham in this thing at the same time if you wanted! The original version is 18.5 inches, but Weber recently introduced a super size version that is 22.5 inches. The bullet smoker features multiple levels, so it’s like having your own miniature smokehouse. It does its job so well that many professional BBQ cookers use the Weber Smokey Mountain to cook their meat at Barbeque competitions! I personally bought the 18.5 inch smoker for those times that I need to cook for a crowd, and I have to say it’s one of my favorite things. I love when things just do what they’re supposed to, and do it well. I can’t imagine that anybody would need the 22.5 inch smoker, but if you think you’re up for it, that’s the king of backyard smokers. The thing churns out excellently smoked ribs for beginners and advanced barbecue enthusiasts alike, and it will last forever, so you really can’t go wrong. Grab your ribs and your favorite margarita recipe and have fun!
