I know this product is not for a WSM but I figure a lot of you probably also own a weber kettle like I do. I first saw this on ebay and thought I would check it out.

http://www.smokenator.com/

What do you think? I don't think it will ever replace the WSM but might be a viable option when you need a little extra room and don't want to buy a second or third WSM.

Enjoy,
Dan
3 Dogs BBQ

It looks interesting to me since right now I'm using my kettle for smoking (she who must be obeyed says we can't afford a WSM at this time).

I do something similar without technology, basically pile my coals on one side, put a water pan over it, and cook on the other side.

My only question is how to you mix up your coals (which I have to do when the ash gets to be too much for maintaining heat). With my current setup, when I need to knock some ash off I reach between the grill grates with my long fork and give the coals a little stir.

Dan,
I guess you could make a little 1/2" by 1/2" hogwire basket and stir it up if it needs it.
I don't worry too much about it when I use the Smokenator. If a coal falls through the grate, I just eventually add more coals. I have found that (if you use Kingsford at least ) that when the unburned mass of charcoal gets to around 225 grams or so, that the burn rate just falls off. So this might be what you are seeing.

I wanted to post an update on the Smokenator Site. If you go to www.smokenator.com I have posted in the instruction section a file:

Using the Weber Kettle as a Smoker.

This document will outline for any Weber user how to set the Weber kettle up to get you near to the 220 to 240 kettle Dome temperature. The temperature at the food support grill is usually 10 to 20 degrees F less.

I have found through experimentation that the Weber Kettle can be easily controlled. Once one dials in the vent settings one can relax a bit more and still produce great food.

Regards,

Don

The smokenator looks like a "improved" version of the BBQ baffle. I might have to give one a try.

Bob,

In my opinion the Weber Kettle is basically a "fat" WSM, If you do the math on the WSM there are three lower vent controls and the upper Dome has only one control. Each controller has three holes that are about 11/16" diameter.

Doing the calculations each controller has an open area of 1.11 square inches.
The lower three have a combined area of 3.33 square inches
The upper vent controller has 1.11 square inch of open vent area.

In the 22" Weber which is constructed to provide two functions; grill and oven, hence the above venting ratios are a bit different.
Lower vents are about 4 square inches to about 2.4 square inches. You can see right away what has to be done. Upper vents have to be closed way down to avoid too much draft.
The lower vents on the Kettle are a bit more problematic, since they are not circle vents like the WSM, but are comprised of three slots. I solved this problem by actually measureing a gap on the lower vent and worked from there.
If one has a one touch system where there is the ash catcher bucket, one can mark the settings for the lower vent and then a person has a calibrated Weber kettle where its easy to get into low and slow temp.
The bottom line is that once these two vents are calibrated one can slow cook with relative ease.

It's my observation that the difference in temperature between the dome temperature (1.5" below dome surface) and the temperatrue on the food surface grill is between 15 to 20 degrees F, it is dependant upon whether the fire is in heating mode i.e. increasing temp, steady state, or the ash is accumulating and heat output is slowing. I have read where the ofset smokers without modification can have up to 75 degrees difference between grill temperature and top temperature (where the mfg usually puts the temperature gage)

In my opinion the Weber Kettle with or without modifications is a cool smoker.

Don

Dan; I agree with you about the kettle being a fat WSM. I have been cooking on kettles since 1958 and they work great for about anything that I want to cook.

Hmmmmm, fat WSM... Visualising a kettle bottom, mid-section a la WSM, with the top on. Man, if I could only weld.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob H.:
Dan; I agree with you about the kettle being a fat WSM. I have been cooking on kettles since 1958 and they work great for about anything that I want to cook.

Dan,
Speaking pumping up the volume in the ol' Fatty, I found out that a 55 gallon drum specs show that it's about 22.5" diameter. In the San Franciscio Bay area a new steel drum costs about $76.00. I wish there were other people in the area that would split a barrel three ways, this would give a 10 or 11" collar. HE HE HE..
With capacity like that...

Whew, I didn't realize the Kettle went back to '58. I was 9 years old then. We used to have one of those round grills with a canopy on it where you could run a motorized spit and do turkey and chicken.
I don't remember the chicken too much but remember listening to the off balance chicken load up the motor on each revolution then at 180 degrees it would coast.. it was working....

Don

Since the wife just let me buy the WSM I'm kind of grilled-out for a while.

I'll keep the oil drum in mind though. I do have a friend that's pretty handy with a welder. Maybe next year if she lets me compete....

I didn't know they went back to '58 either. I just know we've always had one around the house. Have they always been in Palatine, Illinois? I live pretty close to there so maybe having one decades ago was a regional thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Thompson:
Dan,
Speaking pumping up the volume in the ol' Fatty, I found out that a 55 gallon drum specs show that it's about 22.5" diameter. In the San Franciscio Bay area a new steel drum costs about $76.00. I wish there were other people in the area that would split a barrel three ways, this would give a 10 or 11" collar. HE HE HE..
With capacity like that...

Whew, I didn't realize the Kettle went back to '58. I was 9 years old then. We used to have one of those round grills with a canopy on it where you could run a motorized spit and do turkey and chicken.
I don't remember the chicken too much but remember listening to the off balance chicken load up the motor on each revolution then at 180 degrees it would coast.. it was working....

Don

You can order just the spacer section of the rotisserie from weber. This would also give you a nice porcelain finish to match your kettle.

Ken...
You can order just the spacer section of the rotisserie from weber. This would also give you a nice porcelain finish to match your kettle.

I wish I had known that!... I bought the whole unit. Wasn't too interested in the motor and spit. but what the heck. Thanks for posting that, it will help other to save a buck.

Don

How tall is that spacer section? Any rough idea of what it cost by itself?

I guess what is being referred to is the ring from the rotis accessory. I bought one many years ago from Weber for $60, I think. I'll measure, but my guess is 6 to 8 inches or so.

Paul

PS:
Probably closer to 6 inches

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Paul G.,

New to the forum, I got the smokenator and its a joke. To bad it was not my idea there a sucker born every minute

Hi Greg,

Can you give more detail about what you don't like about it? I won't be buying one because I finally got a WSM. Before that I bought a 2 pack of a little fence setup (I remember it being a Weber accessory but there's nothing on their website about them). The fences clip onto the charcoal rack and off you go. I kind of like these better because you can clip them pretty much any distance from the sides to adjust how much charcoal you load. The set was only a few bucks. It cost me more to get the hinged rack.


... Ah ha, I was right, they are a Weber accessory.

quote:

Originally posted by Gregg Howington:
New to the forum, I got the smokenator and its a joke. To bad it was not my idea there a sucker born every minute

Hey Dan it burns alot of fuel because of the water pan right on top of the coals, it is on one side of the grill so you have to turn your meat or it will burn on one side, the fill holes are small and you spend alot of time stiring coals.I like simple and its to much work it invades on my beer and fishin time. The baskets are so much better they have them on the weber site go to the SUPPORT icon and it has all the parts for old and new webers.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Thompson:
I wanted to post an update on the Smokenator Site. If you go to [BROKEN LINK] I have posted in the instruction section a file ...

Regards,

Don

Don,

Nice bit of free advertising you are getting here. How about donating a product for the TVWB Fall 2006 Contest?

Jim

If you have a 22.5" weber and a couple of clean (used, food grade) 55 gal drums, you can make a weber MAGNUM

Jim,
I will gladly do that. I have been busy as hell with the ring and other bs, How do I donate a Smokenator to the contest? If not this one, for sure the next. It's only fair.

Don