Customer Reviews

Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch Smoker

5 star:		(169)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My BBQ team Slap Yo Daddy BBQ from Diamond Bar, California, has been competing using two of these smokers which I bought off Amazon with free Prime shipping. They work flawlessly and are easy to use and clean up. Our WSMs regularly allow us to win Grand Championships even when we go up against other smokers costing over $15,000.

The key step once your smoker arrives is to ensure you season it properly. New WSMs will tend to overheat until you are able to get grease and gunk on the inside and around the rim where the lid sits to ensure an air tight seal. The fastest way to season is to do the following: Phase One - cover the water pan completely with aluminum foil and run a full load of lit Kingsford briquettes and let it run as hot as it can with no water in the pan (over 350 degrees) to burn off any manufacturing residue. Clean out the ash and proceed to phase two.

Phase Two - fill the charcoal basket 1/2 full of unlit briquettes. Then put in a 1/2 chimney of lit Kingsford briquettes in the middle. This will allow a slow burn for 3-5 hours at 72 degrees outside temperature. Adjust the vents to get 275 degrees on the dome thermometer. Put bacon strips, chicken parts, pork fat, or any other scrap meat you don't plan to eat. The key is to get fatty meats to generate lots of grease. Toss in a couple of tennis-sized wood chunks to generate smoke. Repeat Phase Two at least twice before you cook meat that you want to eat.

Phase Three - When you cook meat you plan to eat, take a tip from me and don't use any water in the pan. When I cook, I just cover the water pan with foil top and bottom. I foil it twice so I can remove the second layer after the cook and refoil it. That way, I don't have to clean my pan. It works just as well, AFTER YOU SEASON YOUR WSM, when you cook without water in the pan. Dry heat allows the crust to form faster on the meat (called the bark). Once the crust forms on the meat, you can introduce moisture. I just spray water with a regular spray bottle to encourage bark formation after the initial crusting (Maillard reaction) has begun. To test for properly formed bark, use your finger nail and scrape the meat surface. If the crust has formed, it will not come off when you gently scrape it with your fingernail. If the crust comes off, the bark has not set (still wet) so don't spray until it sets. Let it cook longer and check back in 15 mins. You'll get much better results this way. We've won many awards with this technique.

When it comes to cleaning your WSM, never wash the insides. Get a good grill brush and scrape down the insides and dome. You need the "aroma" which takes several years to build up. I NEVER mix my meat WSMs from my seafood and hotdog WSMs. Nothing destroys the aroma faster than cooking fish/seafood/hotdogs in a WSM used to cook chicken, ribs, pork, brisket, and tri tip. That's why you should buy a pair if you plan to cook seafood/fish/hotdogs. Better yet, get a Weber Kettle for those meats. Remember to always empty the ash from the bottom and grease on the foiled water pan to avoid fires and any rancid old oil smell before you cook. When you need to clean the grates, put the grates in a big plastic trash bag, put on gloves, and spray oven cleaner on the grates while in the bag and let sit for 1/2 hour. Hose off the grates. It's as easy as that. To clean the outsides, I use Simple Green spray.

Enjoy your WSMs. They are awesome and built to last.

As a fan of the earlier Smokey Mountain Cooker, I'm surprised and gratified with the changes they made to the smoker.

The previous smoker was an easy 5 stars in my book. I guess I'd have to give this one 6 stars, because it's better!

After using my old smoker for some time, I began finding ways to improve it. It seems that Weber thought so too, and their changes include all of mine plus a few more.

Here are some important improvements:

Wider door for adding charcoal & such. This is NOT a small detail but rather a much appreciated design change. The older model's smaller door made it more difficult to place wood chunks or new charcoal where I wanted them and once upon a time I knocked the water pan down into the coals trying to put a wood chunk toward the back of the smoker.

The door latch is spring loaded and features a lever type handle. The previous door latch is not spring loaded and had a featureless round knob. It was less secure and not always easy to tell if the latch was fully closed. Now it's obvious -- for those of us who need things to be obvious. :)

Built-in thermometer! To think I paid more than Amazon's current price on the smoker and then another $50 on a thermometer. Mine is even in the same place on the lid. Great minds think alike, I guess... and Weber added this useful feature while keeping the price under control.

Bottom ash catch pan. I never thought of that one but then again I have a concrete pad set up and it was never a big deal to sweep up a few stray ashes.

Overall, the smoker performs as well as the older model but is much easier to use. With the thermometer, it will be much easier to maintain temperature and smoke up some great grub right out of the box.

I am by no means an expert, but here are a few quick tips for using this smoker.

0. If you are interested in instant gratification, get a gas grill or go out for dinner. It takes some work, time and patience to use and maintain this smoker.
1. Keep the temperature as stable as you can.
2. Don't lift the lid any more than you have to (for mopping, adding charcoal, etc.
3. Use briquets, at least at first. It's much easier to work with compared to lump charcoal. If you do choose to use lump charcoal, don't add any extra wood chips or would chunks! You'll oversmoke the food and that's bad!
4. Start early. Give the charcoal time to start up, and the liquid in the water pan to get up to temperature before you put on the food.
5. Line the water pan with aluminum foil. Trust me; it will be much easier to clean later if you do!
6. Make small changes to the vents when you need to adjust the temperature. Give it some time to work.
7. Get a good book on smoking. I think we all know a good place to look for one...
8. The internet is your friend. Check out Weber's site, some of the bbq forums and most definitely Virtual Weber Bullet.

I bought this smoker after extensive research. I have always been the "grill master" in my family, but never invested in a smoker. After using the Weber website and a few other websites dedicated to smoker cooking, I was able to successfully smoke 2 whole chickens the first time! The chickens were moist and had the most delicious, delicate, smoky favor!

I was so confident in my skills that a few weeks later ( and after much research) I had a BBQ at my house and smoked 15 lbs of chicken, 4 slabs of ribs, and 2 pork shoulders! I had to stay awake most of the night before (off & on), but the thermometer and the ease of use in adding charcoal made it very easy... I received rave reviews for my meat at the BBQ the next day!

If you're in the market for a smoker- this is it! It's great for everyone- experienced or newbie- it's worth the money 2x over!!!

P.S.- I didn't bother with a lot of the extras but the following items were invaluable. I used paraffin cubes that worked wonders!!! (non-toxic/no taste- found at Lowes) Also, If you're planning on ribs- invest $15 in a standing rib rack- you can stand 4 slabs up at a time- conserving space while not compromising on taste...
Happy Smoking!

Having been a Weber user since 1975, I figured that this was going to be a great little smoker. I had never smoked a thing in my life (Not entirely true, I grew up in the 60's).

It took about 15 minutes to assemble. A snap. And since it was in 3 major pieces, it was easy to get from the assembly area, the living room, to the smoking area outside. I poured in enough briquets to fill the briquet containment ring. Heck, I didn't know what was too much or not enough. Turned out it was a good amount.

I lit it up just like the Weber kettle I have and got the coals all toasty. Put on the middle stage, got the hose and filled the water bowl, put on the top grate, threw on a 6 pound pork roast that I had put a dry rub on (about.com, dry rub recipes, Kansas city style). Put on the lid and began smoking, the meat that is.

I fiddled with it for about an hour just getting a feel for the air adjustments. It didn't take much to get a temp set perfect.

I added briquets, 10-15, every 90-120 min or so and rustled the others around to keep the ash off of them. A long pair of cheesy, dollar store tongs was helpful for doing this. I also added a stick of well-seasoned plum wood at the same time. Nummy nummy!

8 hours later I had a smoked pork roast that was GONE after being done as all of the neighbors wanted to try some. Needless to say it was a hit with me and a crowd.

Next day I fired it up, put a brined whole chicken on it with NO rub or sauce. 3.5 hours later I had chicken to die for.

My wife told me I could NOT smoke our Westy.

Buy this thing. Painless, fiddleless, fool proof. Nuff said. Straight up. (Did I mention how well made and heavy duty it is?)

Y'all gotta smoke with this think.

Purchased this smoker to replace the previous Weber version (model 2820), which I enjoyed for several years. Used the new one on arrival to smoke the Christmas turkey, and it worked like a champion. Two major improvements I noticed were increased water pan capacity, and the new, larger door, which makes adding charcoal and water easier. I recommend this smoker.

Let me start by saying there are reviews on Weber having the wrong size grates in the box, I just ordered this about 2 weeks ago, recieved it and found everything to be exactly as it was supposed to be, no wrong size grates, missing parts, etc. Everything was perfect.

Now, I initially bought an electric smoker from Amazon about a year ago, I bought the Masterbuilt Electric smoker Masterbuilt 20070106 30-Inch Electric Smokehouse Smoker, Black after deciding to get into smoking meats. I choose electric because of the convience of being able to set the temp and let it run without having to touch it until the meat was done. Well, it worked fairly well....for a year... Then the smoker died and I found heating elements were not availalbe for the unit and the main control unit was not working. Technology and grills/smokers don't seem to mix very well...

So, I needed a new smoker and after contemplating on getting a $75 brinkmann smoker from the local hardware store I decided to pay the premium for the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker and let me tell you this thing makes perfect smoked foood! My first attempt at smoking with this smoker was pork butt. My wife wanted to take the pulled pork to work with her the next day so my first smoke experience was an overnight. I was worried about temp fluctuations so I set my alarm to wake me up every 90 minutes to check on the temp and make adjustments as needed. I never had to make one adjustment! I started the charcoal using the minion method (fill charcoal ring with unlit coals, then take a chimney of about 10 coals and put them on top, mix in a few pieces of apple wood and set vents about 1/4 open on bottom and leave top vent on top open) The cooker got to about 225 degrees and stayed at that mark for 12+ hours without me having to add more coal, open or close the vents or any other maintenance. I was upset after waking up every 90 minutes I actually didn't do anything, but at the same time I was so impressed this thing worked so well out of the box without any tweaking like is needed on cheaper units. Fyi, I smoked the butt at 225 degrees for about 13 hours with 2 foil packs filled with apple wood chips, I was going to use apple wood chunks but couldn't find any and I found the foil packs of apple wood chips work perfectly!

My second smoke was a turkey as the plan is to use the smoker for our thanksgiving turkey this year and rather then try my first turkey on thanksgiving I figured we'd do a practice turkey. I got the smoker up to approx 225 degrees again using the minon method listed above and put the turkey on the smoker, it sat for about 10 hours (12lb bird) and when the internal temp reached 165 degrees I took it off and let it rest. The bird was juicy and so good. Once again used apple wood chip foil packets.

This smoker is fantastic. Is it more difficult then electric? No, both require cleanup but the scientific properties of smoke from charcoal are definitly different then smoke from electric smokers, somehow it infuses into the food much more efficiently and you can tell by the visible smoke rings on the meat. The weber smokey mountain cooker really is as easy as it gets and the reason is the design and construction. You could get cheaper units but the modifications you would need for proper air-flow, plus the thickness of the smoker is important and Weber uses high grade steel. You really get a premium product when you choose the smokey mountain. The only gripe I have is the door on the side to add more coals or wood chips or refill the water pan. The door is sort of flimsy however there are sites where you can find replacement after market doors for approx $20 that are very strong. Maybe one day I'll upgrade but for now the included door works well, just a little thin.

If you want a smoker I highly recommend this unit. It will easily cook a turkey and a ham or pork butt at the same time. I've seen pictures of people cooking a total of 50lbs of pork shoulder perfectly. This smoker rocks and will last a long time, after all it's metal and comes with a 10 year limited warranty. My old electric smoker that lasted approx a year before it died had a 90 day warranty and was poor quality at nearly the same cost! Stick with American made, high quality and get yourself the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, you won't regret it!! Well...maybe you'll regret not getting it sooner! :)

Maintains very consistent temperature for smoking and is very easy to use. Makes very flavorful BBQ without a lot of babysitting even for long cooks, using the Minion Method. Great product and highly recommended.

I just started grilling with charcoal this spring and enjoyed it. I figured I'd take it to the next level and get a smoker. I was tempted to buy a cheap one from a box store, but bought a Weber. I'm glad I did.

I have used this smoker twice with good results. I did two whole chickens on Saturday and a Boston butt on Sunday. Both had a pretty decent smoke ring. I was able to maintain temperature pretty easily. However, I'm not sure that the thermometer in the lid is all that accurate. I think I may be cooking a little high.

Clean up is pretty easy. I'm still working out a modified version of the Minion Method so I don't have to keep adding coals. The Boston butt was on for 7 hours and I never opened the side door. However, the fuel was pretty much spent at the end. I'd like to get a 10-12 hour cook on a brisket and I'm going to have to figure something out to maintain heat for that long.

I would buy this smoker again. [...]

I did a lot of homework before purchasing this product. My biggest fear was that I would regret purchasing the 18 instead of the 22. That has not happened. The two racks in the 18 are more than adequate for my needs. I was able to smoke a 12 lb turkey for Thanksgiving and have one rack entirely unused. I could have fit a significantly larger bird. I had been seriously considering the Big Green Egg as well. The reason I went with the Weber was not just expense. The BGE is big, heavy, and well made. The Weber is small, light and well made. I already own a Weber gas grill which is over 10 years old and still performing perfectly. The BGE duplicates a number of the functions of my gas Weber, so when it got down to, I really didn't need to spend the extra cash on the egg. The benefit of the egg over the Weber is it is hyper insulated by comparison, which means I would use less charcoal. Charcoal simply isn't that expensive. There was one other thing that I found disturbing about the BGE, and that was it's tendency to perform something called a "flashover". If you google "Big Green Egg flashover" you can see videos of it happening. It is a flash of fire that results when you open the egg and air rushes in. I could just see my son lifting the lid on the egg and having flames rush out into his face. That was a risk I was not willing to take. I've made a number of meals on the Weber Smokey Mountain, and all have turned out well. The website [...] is a wonderful resource. In short, my WSM works well, can be moved easily, is durable, easy to use, has a great user community and has great capacity for someone who entertains occasionally, but primarily cooks for family. I am quite happy with my purchase.

The modular construction and heavy gage, coated steel make this water smoker superior to the first Brinkman water smokers that hit the market around 30 years ago. Also, 30 years of water smoker usage has spawned web sites such as [...] that are full of tips on using this smoker. The end product is as smokey, tender, and juicy as one with smoker experience would expect. However, there are 2 issues with this smoker ... 1) The thermometer in the lid on mine is grossly inaccurate. I checked it with a TruTemp digital thermometer which has been validated for accuracy. I put the probe through the lid's vent hole. When the Weber thermometer read 200 degrees, the TruTemp read 240 degrees. When the weber read 240, the TruTemp read 305. The higher the temperature, the more inaccurate the Weber thermometer. 2) The deep water bowl blocks the view of the coals opposite the door. A flashlight is helpful. I plan to fabricate a fire tool with a broad hook to rake the coals on the far side. Since frequent stoking is required to keep the temperature up, good fire tools and a flashlight are essential. Using a leave-in meat thermometer, I followed the Weber instructions for brisket and it turned out great. Overall a great smoker.