Weber 14-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker, Charcoal Smoker

This is the first smoker I've used/owned. I chose Weber because of my years of experience with their charcoal and propane grills. I decided to get into the realm of smoking after cooking chicken low-and-slow on my Weber kettle with fantastic results. I chose the WSM after reading so many wonderful reviews from novices and experienced users. I honestly didn't compare any other brands so take this review how you will but so far I think this thing is fantastic. I chose the smaller WSM after comparing it to the larger WSM after reading that I can smoke a whole turkey AND a ham on the 18 ½" smoker. Also it's quite a bit less expensive. The WSM arrived intact and in perfect condition. The instructions are simple and assembly a breeze. After reading about the different methods for starting the coals, different recipes, meat prep/trimming etc. (check The Virtual Weber Bullet site) I decided to give the smoker a try by fileting 3 whole chickens. They turned out ok but I was really just testing temperature control and didn't brine my chicken or use wood chunks. The chicken was quite tasty but not what I was after but I felt confident going to my next try, pork butt (shoulder). For this I used an Alton Brown recipe for the brine and rub and it turned out excellent. I didn't add any wood chunks and experienced smokers are probably rolling their eyes at me but it really did turn out great. I wanted to do things in steps so that I could familiarize myself with the temperature control. This pork butt took 11 hours for 2-8 lb butts at around 210 degrees. Amazing how long the charcoal briquettes last in this thing and how steady the temperature runs. For the record I used Kingsford Competition Briquettes (Costco). My third try with the WSM was this past weekend where I did 3 racks of baby back ribs. I used a rib rack and it worked pretty well where nearly all rib parts were exposed to the heat/smoke. I decided to skip the brining and just added a dry rub only and then added bbq sauce and honey mixture during the last hour and smoked them a total of 4 hours. This time I used wood chunks; I didn't have any fruit trees so I grabbed a bag of apple wood chunks packaged by Weber and they definitely helped make a fantastic smoke flavor. After removing the ribs and letting them cool I coated them with another round of sauce/honey glaze and seared them on my Genesis until the glaze bubbled. They turned out very good although I think next time I'll brine them; not that they were dry but I think it might let me smoke them longer. I didn't go for fall-off-the-bone as I kind of prefer to have a little pull left in my rib but let's just say I look forward to experimenting with this terrific smoker all summer long. I couldn't be more pleased with this product after just 3 tries I'm feeling much more confident and have plans to do another double pork butt for a buddy's birthday this weekend. Also I tested the lid's thermometer last night by dipping the end of it (using tongs) in boiling water and it was pretty much spot on at 212F. That's good to know as it gives me some reassurance that the cooking temperature is pretty accurate at least at the lid. Weber got this right. I don't know what I'd do differently on this but I may get lazy later on and invest in a remote thermometer so I can track the kettle and meat temps from inside.

I have probably a dozen cooks on this smoker so far and all have turned out well. I like the small size of this smoker...perfect for smoking 2 slabs of pork spare ribs on the top grill with room on the bottom grill for more. I'm using this smoker with a Maverick digital thermometer I bought from Amazon too...the type of thermometer that shows pit temps and has a probe for food. My advice, buy the Maverick thermometer and forget about using the thermometer that comes in the lid. You want to measure the temp at the food grate where you are cooking and not the temp in the top of the lid, and the Maverick Thermometer has both a transmitter and a receiver so you can view pit and food temps up to 200' away from the smoker. I often use the smoker while I'm inside while it's hot outside, and by having a receiver thermometer, you can keep an eye on your cook w/o standing over it FWIW I also have the 18.5" WSM and I bought a pit blower for it. The pit blower is a fun gadget to use but not really necessary so I don't use the pit blower on my 14.5" WSM. As stated...it just isn't needed. You can keep a fire going at a steady rate (temperature) in this pit without the blower, and by using the Minnion Method of charcoal keeping, you can read about elsewhere, and speaking of which, there is a great online community for the Weber Smokey Mountain smokers (Virtual Weber Bullet). In fact, that forum links to Amazon's website to purchase this pit and other Weber accessories for this smoker I have absolutely no complaints using this smoker, and I felt I did a lot of research before buying it. If you've ever used a Weber grill, then you will realize this smoker will reflect Weber's high quality standards found in their other products. Seriously, if you are looking for an easy to use smoker, then look no further, and buy and use Kingsford charcoal with it (in the blue bag). There's quite a bit of information about what type of charcoal to use and not to use on the Virtual Weber Bullet Forum By adding chunks of specific wood for smoking, you can achieve true wood smoking on this charcoal smoker. I had a horizontal wood fired smoker 14 years ago which was lost through a move, and I wanted to replace it with another smoker of the same type, but I'm glad I bought this smoker instead as it is simpler to use, smaller, less expensive and you can still get the same great wood smoke taste with this one, and use less wood, and the fire is way easier to keep at a constant temperature I'll say this...if you want to smoke packer briskets, you'll need to use the larger Weber Smokey Mountain smokers, and is why I bought the 18.5 WSM smoker, which easily accommodated a 15 lb. packer brisket, after trimming. You could smoke a brisket flat on this 14.5" WSM but if you want to smoke a packer (point and flat) then you'll need the either the 18.5" or the 22" WSM. I think I have the best of both worlds owning two of these (one 14.5" and one 18.5")

Anyone that has ever owned a Weber product knows the quality that is designed into each of their products, this smoker is no different. The 22.5" Smokey Mountain Cooker is built very sturdy and extremely easy to assemble. I was able to un-pack and assemble by myself in about 30 minutes. The most time consuming part of assembling this cooker was unpacking the items from the box, my cooker arrived complete with no damage what-so-ever. Be prepared to spend a little time to adjust the door, I had about 20 minutes tweaking the fit of the door to achieve an air tight seal. Adjusting the door was not difficult and very worth the effort. The instructions that came with the cooker suggest the use of water in the pan, but after my first smoke I decided that the cleanup was too time consuming to continue using the water. I applied a layer of aluminum foil to the water pan and inserted a clay pot base that I also foiled. The clay pot acts as a heat sink, the same purpose as the water. I covered the entire pan and saucer with foil; which I change out after every cook, making sure no drippings have entered the clay pot base or the dry water pan below. I do recommend seasoning the cooker before you first real cook. Creating the buildup on the inside of the cooker helps to seal any small air gaps that might exist. When I seasoned my smoker I dumped about 6 pounds of charcoal into the ring and added about 30 lit pieces of charcoal, dropped a few pieces of smoke wood on, assembled the cooker, put a gallon of water in the pan, opened the top vent and one bottom vent and let it do its work. I left the cooker alone until the fire was out and the smoker was cool, about 14 hours. Seasoning the cooker is extremely important to future cooks to help maintain consistent temperatures. I highly recommend using the water during the seasoning process to help the smoke stick to the inside of the cooker and get into all of the nooks and crannies. I have smoked two briskets, some pork butts, and lots of ribs with successful cooks every time. The temperature for the brisket and butt cooks (three different cooks) were rock steady for 14 hours+. It is nice to be able to sleep through the night while cooking a large chunk of meat and not having to worry about it like I did when I was trying to smoke on my kettle grill. If you enjoy low and slow barbecue without all of the fuss of constantly feeding the cooker charcoal and logs; the Smokey Mountain Cooker is perfect. If you don't like peaceful sleep and consistent temperatures, there are many other cookers out that will suit your needs; but please don't give our beloved Bullet friend a bad name! P.S. - if you are not an Amazon Prime customer, you may want to consider it for this item. I ordered my smoker 2 days before Memorial Day hoping to use it for the holiday party we had planned. I signed up for Amazon Prime, and paid the additional few dollars for next day shipping and the smoker (76 pound shipping weight) arrived the next day! The cost to expedite ship this item was very high, but by using Amazon Prime I reduced the shipping by 60% or more and got free two day shipping on most items for a year and instant movies on my TV. Prime was well worth the cost even for just this one item!

WOW! Used mine for the very first time today. After years of use with cheap smokers and combo units, I decided not to replace my prior smoker with another cheapo unit. The price was right, pulled the trigger and choked up the $$$. I'm very glad I did. I'm not going to go into all the technical aspects of this smoker, but I will say this -- set up (excluding the silicone temp probe grommet) took me about 30 minutes. The silicone grommet took far longer. The trick -- use some silicone spray around the opening. Fold the one edge over the through the hole, starting the lip on both sides. While holding the grommet, work your way around from one side, while holding the grommet steady on the back side. A tricky maneuver, but that is the only way to get it in. Don't worry, you will not tear it! Started today with Mesquite Lump Coal (El Diablo brand). After picking through the logs, I had enough to fill the ring and chimney starter. Poured the burning coals on the bottom pot and I was off and running. Setting temp is super easy. Other smokers require constant watching, not this one. Load it up, set the dampers and watch the temp fro afar. In the past 1.5 hours, my temp varied only 4 degrees and that was due to the wind changing direction. The water bowl is a problem. It sticks down way too far into the bottom of the fire pit. Like others, I will get a 14½" pizza pan and stick it in as a heat deflector. Then I will have better access to my fire box to place more charcoal in, when needed. In 2 hours of use, the coals look like they barely burned down. Overall, I have never used a smoker that has been so easy to operate and maintain. I should have purchased this one years ago and foregone the frustration and pain of less expensive smokers. It has brought the joy's of BBQing back to me once again. Looking forward to having Beef Ribs in a few hours. ******* 06/21/2016 - Update Two more months have gone by. More cooks with lump and briquette charcoal. Each cook makes me appreciate the easy of BBQing with this smoker. The joy has definitely returned! I'm happier with my purchase today than I was two months ago. If you are on the fence, jump over and buy this smoker -- you will not be sorry! ******* 01/14/2017 - Update The cooks continue. I'm blessed living in Las Vegas, NV since I can cook BBQ year round, not having the extremes in wind and cold unlike Michigan. I continue to do just that. Brisket, Tri-Tip (a favorite here in the west), Ribs and cured Pork Loins have all been done since I bought this smoker. All turned out great and with far less effort on my part than with cheapo smokers or combo units. One cook was with my son who flew into town for a long weekend. I gave him basic operating instructions and turned him lose to BBQ a 12 lb packer brisket. A second load of charcoal was needed, but in the end, we had excellent results. He is now sold on purchasing this model smoker. Paint still looks great. I have to clean the smoke off the dome this spring when it warms back up. Other than that, not much else has been done. My recommendation still stands. You will not have buyers remorse with this smoker!

After 6 years of making delicious bbq on a WSM 18", it was time to step up to the big boy. I'm a Prime member, and my new WSM was in my driveway less than 48 hours after ordering. Assembly is a piece of cake and all of the materials are of high quality (a cover is included in the package as well). I'll ditto the concern over the thin access door, but despite its thinness, my experience with the smaller model shows me that it will hold up very well over time. I have to say that in my experience so far, the 22.5" smoker is incredible, and has a few slight advantages to the smaller model. First, I have found it even easier to control the temperature and keep a steady burn in the 225-250 range on the larger model. Not going to try to get scientific in my review, I just know what I have observed. I used the 18" model a lot over 6 years, and for me the bigger model is just a bit easier to control. Second advantage is the grate size. I like to bbq large briskets (12-13 lbs) and big racks of ribs as well as 25 lb turkeys. On the smaller model, some of the meats I was using simply would not fit without being either cut or bent/curled. With the 22.5" WSM, I can lay my big brisket flat and it fits completely. I can fit about 8 chickens on this bad boy! It's a great smoker. One suggestion I have for those that may be having a difficult time keeping the temps low and steady, line your water pan with foil and then fill it about 1/2 way or so with play sand. Cover the sand with another layer of foil so it doesn't get all messy from the drippings. The sand will help keep those temps down, and will also provide protection for whatever is on the lower rack. Trying to add water into the pan on a long cook is annoying, the sand takes away that hastle. I love this smoker and would recommend it to anyone that is interested in making some delicious bbq. You DO NOT need to be a bbq pro to reap the benefits of this beauty. A great site to get started with is [...]. Great site for anyone, but particularly useful for those that are just getting started with a WSM. The minion method of firing the WSM has worked flawlessly for me many times. Get yourself a charcoal chimney, a nice hunk of meat, a little spice and a cold beer and enjoy many years of deliciousness with a WSM 22.5!

Overall a good smoker. I would say the only problem was my metal door where the coals go does not completely seal. That makes it more difficult with controlling the fire. It is relatively easy to use and makes great food. It’s sturdy and functions well other than that door. Would recommend but maybe not for beginners.

I was curious about smoking so bought a Brinkman Gourmet to try it. Not temp controllable, too hot but it did let me learn that I wanted to do it enough to invest in it. I then decided against the ceramic grills with the heavy lid and bought the "bullet" 18.5" diameter wsm smoker. Fifteen minutes to assemble it and the next day I put one nine pound bag of mesquite charcoal in the ring, started it with the Minion method, threw a few soaked applewood chunks on it, put 200 ounces of water in the HUGE water pan along with two Dos XX beers (32 oz?)then put the mustard and dry rub with spices five pound pork butt on the lower grill and used the bottles to put two whole chickens on the top grill, closed the three bottom vents to 1/4 open each, let the top vent fully open and put the lid on. Easily could have doubled the amount of meat I did or tripled the pork butt part. I checked the temp from the outside (didn't open the lid but did open the big door a couple times to check the coals) every hour but the chickens were 170 in four hours at about 200 F. constant cooking temp. The wood chunks lasted forever smoking and did not oversmoke and burn the wood too quickly which made the smoke effect on the meat more uniform. Late in the afternoon I added a couple more to revive the smoke a little. No briquettes added from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and it held 200 F the whole time. A Big Green Egg neighbor came over and admired it and he's the expert in these parts...he was impressed and said it looked great. I ended up giving him one of the bottle chickens later for their dinner which they ate with rice and declared: "spectacular." I pulled the other chicken and several hours later, 9 hours at 200 F. on the pork butt and took it off. Still holding 200 F and it had rained on the whole thing along the way in there! No problems with the rain at all. I took the pork in and since it was 170 not 190 F. (meat temp) I sliced it instead of pulling it (190 works better to pull but I was starving), added the pulled chicken and barbecue sauce, mixed it up, ate a meal's worth and froze the rest for later. The pork had this nice rosy hue in about 3/16" from the infusion of the smoke, rub and a marinade I put on the last hour...tariyaki, honey and a little white wine vinegar. I'd declare the WSM (commonly called the Bullet) absolutely well designed at considerably less than the Komada type ceramics in cost and without the risk of a flash on when opening the lid on the Egg types. the Bullet need not hold it's head down to the Eggs on any basis whatsoever when smoking. I am really well pleased. In a couple weeks I want to do a turkey and a brisket or two at the next time and try the lump charcoal in the garage. Have rib racks as well though I like the rolled ribs vertically that I've seen to. St. Louis Cut Pork I think next time I do ribs...may invite some friends for a July fest at my house with free beer, dessert, salad and lots of paper towels. The Bullet can handle it all. Summary: one of the best products for its intended purposes I've ever bought. Parts all fit very well in addition and the top handle is good. Steel coated with enamel is all so much more substantial than the Brinkman. Sort of like going from a Plymouth to a really nice Buick Park Avenue in older terms. I like the Bullet!

For 6000 ft., I needed more airflow to get my temps up. At first, I was only able to get to 200 degrees with plenty of charcoal and cooking the chicken over 2 hours. All my vents are open. The next time I took the handle assembly off the door (not the lid) to the smoker, leaving just the hole in the smoker door. This will allow the door to lay tight against the smoker. Then I bought (for $1) a keyhole fastener at lowes. The package has 2 in it. I checked a weber screw at lowes (temporarily removing one) to make sure it would fit through the keyhole fastener middle hole. I also purchased (for $5) a 10.25 inch metal spring. I took off the lower screws on the left and right of the smoker door, and then put the screws back through the large middle hole of the keyhole fastener. Before putting the fastener on the smoker, I bent the end of the fastener out slightly so it would be easier to attach the spring. The fastener has 2 small holes for screws, with a larger hole in the middle. After that, it was simple to attach the spring so it was across the smoker door. I put a piece of wood at the bottom of the smoker door to hold the door up and let air in. Works great, and only takes a few minutes. No big deal of drilling new holes. You can slide the door up or down to let in different amounts of air just by changing the size of the wood. Now I am easily at 250 degrees. I also use 2 charcoal electric starters to really get the charcoal going. I like not having to mess with matches and newspaper. I have a chimney, but I won't be using it anymore. I don't like dumping hot coals into the smoker. It's kind of awkward. With the electric starters, I can easily place them with some charcoal underneath, and some on the top. After about 10 minutes, I just pull them out of the smoker door. My water bowl and grates are already in place before my coals are hot. Sounds a little safer to me. Great smoker. I am very happy with it. My applewood and apple juice/7 up soda can chicken was awesome. One bit of advise: After you bring your food in, dump a pile of cold water into the water pan with a good splat of dish soap. Don't get soap on the grates. Or you can put the cold water and soap in a watering can and pour it into the pan through the smoker door. The cold water should help to bring the temp down, and save some of the coals for next time. You don't want to discover that you have a dried, stuck-on mess in the pan the next day without any water. The soap will of course make the grease clean-up easier. Also my thermometer was perfect with a reading of 201 degrees for boiling water. Exactly right for 6000 ft altitude. We also made a place to put the lid when it is removed. Two metal brackets hang off my deck next to the smoker, with a 22" grate atttached on top. Now I have a convenient spot to put the lid when I remove it.