# Would this weber kettle mod be possible?



## newbiesmoker1 (Feb 21, 2014)

I own a Weber Kettle 22.5" grill that is used exclusively for smoking meats.

I was wandering if the following mod has ever been attempted.

Take a smaller grill, like the Weber Smokey Joe, and use it as a firebox for the 22.5" kettle.

Use aluminum venting to carry the heat and smoke from the grill used as firebox to the bottom of the Weber 22.5" kettle.

Would something like that work? Has any body tried it?


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## wade (Feb 21, 2014)

I don't know about the heat however I have seen similar arrangements used for cold smoking.


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## cliffcarter (Feb 21, 2014)

You're already smoking on the 22.5" so why would you want to do this mod? IMHO it does not make sense.


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## newbiesmoker1 (Feb 21, 2014)

cliffcarter said:


> You're already smoking on the 22.5" so why would you want to do this mod? IMHO it does not make sense.


I did not include this in my original post. But the results, so far, have been hit or miss in the Weber 22.5" kettle. Mostly misses. The issue seems to be temperature control.

According to, Food Network's Alton Brown's video, kettle grills are not well suited for smoking. Here is the video 

My personal experience verifies Brown's conclusions, however I am not prepared to buy that device featured in the video just yet.

That is why I am looking for alternatives.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 21, 2014)

Well, if I was going to buy a smokey joe, I'd go ahead and buy a tamale steamer and build me another Mini-WSM! Best darn little smoker around! Efficient, easy to control. Check out the Mini-WSM build forum.


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## mdboatbum (Feb 21, 2014)

+1 on what Case said. Save the kettle for grilling. OR---you could get one of the adapters to turn the kettle into a smoker. I think they're available still. Cajun bandit or something like that is the name of the company.


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## cliffcarter (Feb 21, 2014)

newbiesmoker1 said:


> I did not include this in my original post. But the results, so far, have been hit or miss in the Weber 22.5" kettle. Mostly misses. The issue seems to be temperature control.
> 
> According to, Food Network's Alton Brown's video, kettle grills are not well suited for smoking. Here is the video
> 
> ...



Unfortunately for Young Mr. Brown's reputation he is dead wrong on this one. I and many others use our Weber kettles all the time without temp controllers and create succulent BBQ. I have cooked butts, shoulders, turkeys, ribs, chicken etc. on my kettle with great success. Forget the youtube commercials, search smoking on a Weber kettle on this site, you'll be better served.


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## mneeley490 (Feb 21, 2014)

As much as I like Alton Brown, and he IS very entertaining, I have found many of his conclusions to be wrong. Especially when it comes to BBQ.


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## dwsmith43 (Feb 21, 2014)

I have a 22.5 webber and love it. I picked a gadget called smokenator 1000. Its abent piece of stainless that has holes for airflow and  center section for a water pan.  Check it out on web. I bought mine. But after got it I thought, shoot I could have made this.i love it. Goes about 2 hours hands free. Then add more wood chunks or briquettes.


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## newbiesmoker1 (Feb 22, 2014)

Thank you all who replied. You gave me much to think about.


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## bama bbq (Feb 22, 2014)

You might look into this as well: http://www.smokettle.com/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## cliffcarter (Feb 22, 2014)

Since we've begun making suggestions, here's mine and you don't have to shell out $s(the foil pan set me back 50 cents)

You can see the wood buried in the charcoal ring, the fully lit coal gets added to one end, as shown in the second photo.

I have had this fuel set up last for 11 hours plus at 250° and 8 hours plus at 300°. I use about half a bag of Stubbs briquettes in the ring and always have unlit coals

left at the end of the cook. BTW since I took these I have begun using about 1/2 chimney of fully lit lump charcoal, it burns hotter and the ring of briquettes starts more quickly.













Easter PP (1).JPG



__ cliffcarter
__ Aug 21, 2012


















July42012 (2).JPG



__ cliffcarter
__ Jul 20, 2012






Here's what it looks like with a butt in place-













LaborDay butt (8a).jpg



__ cliffcarter
__ Jun 30, 2012


















butthf (3).JPG



__ cliffcarter
__ Jan 26, 2014


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## bigjay282 (Feb 22, 2014)

newbiesmoker1 said:


> I did not include this in my original post. But the results, so far, have been hit or miss in the Weber 22.5" kettle. Mostly misses. The issue seems to be temperature control.
> 
> According to, Food Network's Alton Brown's video, kettle grills are not well suited for smoking. Here is the video
> 
> ...



I have to disagree with Altons assessment of the kettle being no good for smoking.I smoke on my kettles all the time,they work so good that i have put off buying a dedicated smoker for some time now. the pitmaster Iq works great,either the 110 or the 120,makes life a lot easier


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## wade (Feb 22, 2014)

I have to agree with bigjay. I used to use my kettle a lot for smoking too and it was very successful. It is easier with the larger kettles though.


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## redwood carlos (Feb 22, 2014)

I smoked for many years on a kettle, turned out some darned good Q. Matter of fact I still like it better for cooking beer can chicken. The setup you describe would be awesome for smoking fish and cheeses though.


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## mchar69 (Feb 22, 2014)

The only reason to do this is then

you would be able to cold smoke with the WSJ 'firebox' off to the side -

but I'm not sure the existing vents at the bottom of the kettle would allow enough

heat and or smoke inside.  I think you'd have to cut a 3" or 4" hole with no damper,

keep the 3 bottom dampers closed and the one at the top open.

Then regulate the heat with the dampers from the WSJ.

Now - how you gonna affix the 3" or 4" tube to the kettle?

And then how to close that hole when you merely want to grill?


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## newbiesmoker1 (Feb 22, 2014)

cliffcarter said:


> Unfortunately for Young Mr. Brown's reputation he is dead wrong on this one. I and many others use our Weber kettles all the time without temp controllers and create succulent BBQ. I have cooked butts, shoulders, turkeys, ribs, chicken etc. on my kettle with great success. Forget the youtube commercials, search smoking on a Weber kettle on this site, you'll be better served.


Ok based on the encouragement here I will try again this Monday.

How often do you check the kettle to make sure the temps are around 225?

Do you ever base your meat with a mop?

I found that if the Weber kettles's lid is removed then temps spike up after the lid is placed back on the kettle.


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## bigjay282 (Feb 22, 2014)

newbiesmoker1 said:


> Ok based on the encouragement here I will try again this Monday.
> 
> How often do you check the kettle to make sure the temps are around 225?
> 
> ...


treat yourself to a wireless thermometer so you can walk away from the kettle after you have set your vents and let it smoke,dont open the lid unless its to replenish the fire with wood chunks or briquettes.you can mop if you please and any smoker or grill will experience a spike when ever the lid is open,you cant lose with the kettle,its great and versitile,good luck and keep us all posted with your experiences smoking on the kettle


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## JckDanls 07 (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm going to echo everybody else....  Brown is wrong on this one...  the kettle holds a rock solid temp... do the minion method like Cliff shows and you can't go wrong...  yes temps will spike if you open the lid... so don't open it...  as mentioned..  get the wireless temp probes and your all set....


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## newbiesmoker1 (Feb 22, 2014)

bigjay282 said:


> treat yourself to a wireless thermometer so you can walk away from the kettle after you have set your vents and let it smoke,dont open the lid unless its to replenish the fire with wood chunks or briquettes.you can mop if you please and any smoker or grill will experience a spike when ever the lid is open,you cant lose with the kettle,its great and versitile,good luck and keep us all posted with your experiences smoking on the kettle


Okay does brand of charcoal make a difference? I dont like using Royal Oak lump because the bits and pieces fall through the grate unless measures are taken to stop it. I normally use the Walmart brand briquettes because their cheaper than Kingsford.


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## bigjay282 (Feb 23, 2014)

newbiesmoker1 said:


> Okay does brand of charcoal make a difference? I dont like using Royal Oak lump because the bits and pieces fall through the grate unless measures are taken to stop it. I normally use the Walmart brand briquettes because their cheaper than Kingsford.


when it comes to charcoal brand it is my opinion that it does make a difference and the only way to know is to experiment with the many different brands of briquettes and lump until you see what your preference will be. my go to brands are kingsford blue and cowboy lump,now i just got back from walmart and picked up a few bags of royal oak lump and stubs briquettes to try it out. one thing for sure with BBQ is you are always gonna try different brands and types of fuel.


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## wade (Feb 23, 2014)

newbiesmoker1 said:


> Okay does brand of charcoal make a difference? I dont like using Royal Oak lump because the bits and pieces fall through the grate unless measures are taken to stop it. I normally use the Walmart brand briquettes because their cheaper than Kingsford.


Yes, the brand of charcoal does make a difference - especially when using it minion.

When using briquettes, generally the cheap briquettes you find in the supermarket are designed for quick grilling and the origin, mix and quality of the wood in the charcoal that is used to make them can be somewhat suspect. You really should be buying good quality kettle BBQ briquettes for long slow smokes. The difference between the two is that the kettle briquettes are pressed to a much higher density and are usually made with predominantly hardwood charcoal. When you open the bag of kettle briquettes you should not see any significant briquette dust in the bottom of the pack. Drop one of each type of briquette on concrete and the cheap briquette will normally shatter whereas the kettle briquette will normally bounce.

OK so there are physical differences - but what is the difference when cooking? The lower density of the cheap grilling briquettes means that they usually light quicker but they also burn a faster too. This does not help when you are trying to get a constant temperature over an extended period of time. The cheaper briquettes commonly produce significant black sweet (sickly) smelling smoke as they initially catch. This is usually due to the source and makeup of the wood that is used to produce them. When grilling this is not usually a problem as the smell goes as the briquettes reach temperature however when smoking using the minion method you are effectively continually lighting new briquettes over an extended period of time which will mean your meat is being continually exposed to the initial burn flavours of the briquettes.

Of course the cheaper briquettes do vary in quality and the Walmart brand may be fine. To see how good they are though, splash out on one bag of good quality kettle briquettes and a bag of your economy briquettes and light a chimney of each. Note the differences in smell and smoke density of each as each of the chimneys catch. I think you may be surprised at the difference.


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## newbiesmoker1 (Feb 23, 2014)

Wade said:


> Yes, the brand of charcoal does make a difference - especially when using it minion.
> 
> When using briquettes, generally the cheap briquettes you find in the supermarket are designed for quick grilling and the origin, mix and quality of the wood in the charcoal that is used to make them can be somewhat suspect. You really should be buying good quality kettle BBQ briquettes for long slow smokes. The difference between the two is that the kettle briquettes are pressed to a much higher density and are usually made with predominantly hardwood charcoal. When you open the bag of kettle briquettes you should not see any significant briquette dust in the bottom of the pack. Drop one of each type of briquette on concrete and the cheap briquette will normally shatter whereas the kettle briquette will normally bounce.
> 
> ...


Recommend a brand of kettle briquettes?


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## wade (Feb 23, 2014)

In the UK I either use "Aussie Heat Beads" or Weber kettle briquettes.


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## JckDanls 07 (Feb 23, 2014)

what most of us do..  when the BBQ'n holidays (ie. memorial, July 4th ) roll around..  lowes and homedepot will have a sale on the 2-20lb pack of the Kingsford blue for like $10...  STOCK UP...  I usually pick up around 6-10 twin packs and store them in a cool dry place... I haven't bought charcoal for about a year now...  but of coarse i use the Mini WSM.. so that thing is very fuel efficient  ...  just keep an eye out when the BBQ'n holidays roll around...  plus everybody on here will mention it as well....


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## timberjet (Feb 23, 2014)

I vote Kingsford. I used to buy lump but found that it burns quite a bit faster and hotter. Now I still keep some around for doing poultry as you don't have to keep the heat quite so low. Weber sells these little half moon shaped coal baskets and I have them. I must say I use half as much charcoal these days with the chimney and the coal baskets.


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## cliffcarter (Feb 23, 2014)

newbiesmoker1 said:


> Recommend a brand of kettle briquettes?


Stubbs is all I will use, no added "mineral carbon" AKA coal- as in Kingsford blue bag.


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## worktogthr (Jul 31, 2014)

cliffcarter said:


> Since we've begun making suggestions, here's mine and you don't have to shell out $s(the foil pan set me back 50 cents)
> You can see the wood buried in the charcoal ring, the fully lit coal gets added to one end, as shown in the second photo.
> I have had this fuel set up last for 11 hours plus at 250° and 8 hours plus at 300°. I use about half a bag of Stubbs briquettes in the ring and always have unlit coals
> left at the end of the cook. BTW since I took these I have begun using about 1/2 chimney of fully lit lump charcoal, it burns hotter and the ring of briquettes starts more quickly.
> ...



I know this is an old thread but I was just wondering if you put water in the pan or is it just a drip pan?  Couldn't tell from the pics.  Trying a butt on the kettle for the first  time tomorrow.  Used your posts for this set up with ribs and never used water in the pan and they came out great but just wanted to check.

Thanks,

Chris


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## addertooth (Jul 31, 2014)

On most smokers, the water is not really needed.  It largely acts as a temperature moderator.  The pan in the picture is to prevent hot coals from moving underneath the pork; Indirect heating is the goal on long slow smokes.


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## wade (Aug 1, 2014)

Addertooth said:


> On most smokers, the water is not really needed.  It largely acts as a temperature moderator.  The pan in the picture is to prevent hot coals from moving underneath the pork; Indirect heating is the goal on long slow smokes.


The water works well as temperature moderator and I always use a pan of water when I an cooking a slab of meat as in the photo. It also helps to stop the foil pan from melting and getting a hole - which can easily happen when hot coals rest directly against an empty foil pan. I also usually use the Weber clip in charcoal retainers to stop the coals from getting too close to the tray.


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## cliffcarter (Aug 1, 2014)

worktogthr said:


> I know this is an old thread but I was just wondering if you put water in the pan or is it just a drip pan? Couldn't tell from the pics. Trying a butt on the kettle for the first time tomorrow. Used your posts for this set up with ribs and never used water in the pan and they came out great but just wanted to check.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Chris


I boil about a quart of water and pour it in the pan when I add the lit coals to start the fire, it keeps a bit of moisture in the kettle. Since I cook butts at 300°+, I think adding a bit of moisture at the start helps keep the bark from getting too crisp.

I don't use water when I cook ribs on the kettle, either.


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