Smoking on the Kettle


 
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Barry LaZar

TVWBB Member
More often than not, I cook small things. That means firing up the WSM is overkill. What I do is use my OTP to smoke dinner. Tonight, was one of those nights. I put fire brick on the charcoal grate to hold the charcoal, just under 1/2 the surface and the rest I cover with aluminum foil.

To make my point, I smoked some thick cut pork chops tonight. I kept the temperature at 240 degrees indicated on the lid thermometer and used 2 small hickory chunks. It took an hour and a half. I put a medium yam over the burning charcoal. So, we had smoked pork chops and shared the yam. The whole exercise took 2 hours and that included loading the OTP with extra charcoal, loading up the chimney with used/leftover charcoal from a previous cook on the kettle, firing up the chimney, heating the OTP, and finally actually cooking. The WSM is marvelous, but don't forget one of the most flexible cookers around, the one touch series. A suggestion, try smoking some fish filets.
 
Sounds like you're using the kettle to its full potential Barry. I've done turkey, prime rib, chicken, ribs, pork steak etc all with great results on the kettle. Let us check out your cooks by way of photos if you have a camera and photo sharing site. Cheers!
 
I just to do all my smoking and grilling on my weber kettle. I use my WSM and do a bunch of food but will vacumm deal for future dinners or lunches.
 
Before I bought my WSM last month I smoked a lot on my kettle. Longest smoke was 5 racks of ribs on the 26er for six hours at 220. One scoop of lit on top of 1 unlit with the bottom and top closed up and the lid cocked just a bit.
 
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I have a 22 wsm, a performer and a mastertouch. I do butts and ribs all the in the performer if. Am hime during the cook. If I am going to be away from the cook i will use the wsm. I have more confidence in the temp control of the wsm especially if I use my temperature control. You can smoke a lot longer in wsm due to the charcoal ring.
 
I have both my 22.5 and my ranch kettles set up for smoking. If it's just the wife and I use the 22.5, but come party time " The Mothership " gets loaded. To date 12 racks of baby backs at once for
8 couples.... ô¿ô
 
I don't have a wsm so my 26" is my smoker, the snake method is the way to go, on a really long cook like pork butt I can move the grate as the charcoal burns.
 
My 26er just arrived last night so I am looking forward to testing its limits of flexibility. I have cooked exclusively on my 22" kettle for a while now. I love the WSM too but for smaller cooks the kettle is the perfect cooking machine.
 
I do all my low/slow on the kettle as I do not have a WSM and can't really justify the $400 to get one. Used is rather unlikely as Weber's are not too easy to come by up here. That being said however, there is gobs of info to help use the kettle and get spectacular results.
 
Mike Cosgrove said:
I don't have a wsm so my 26" is my smoker, the snake method is the way to go, on a really long cook like pork butt I can move the grate as the charcoal burns.
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Mike, I finally tried the snake method in my 22" kettle and it worked great! I was able to keep temps in the 250F range for the first time ever.
 
I have a 26" which I have customized but kettle features for the 22 are similar. Based on what I have learned since modifying the 26 I would add Nomex to the 22 for LNS. I would calibrate the bottom vent to 4 positions and I would make pre-set stops for the lid vent. The kettles are awesome. You just have to work with them to really appreciate the design. Oh yes and anything cast iron really improves their efficiency as does foiling the unfired portion of the charcoal grate.
 
Gary S said:
Oh yes and anything cast iron really improves their efficiency as does foiling the unfired portion of the charcoal grate.
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Gary, I am intreged by the cast iron/foil on the unlit portion. How does this make more efficient? Less air more temp control? Very curious about this. I may have a WSM but I slow cook more on the 26 than any of my Q's. thanks
 
Dustin Flavell said:
Gary, I am intreged by the cast iron/foil on the unlit portion. How does this make more efficient? Less air more temp control? Very curious about this. I may have a WSM but I slow cook more on the 26 than any of my Q's. thanks
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I went to the expense of buying an 18" BGE CI cooking grate but I use it in my kettle as a charcoal grate. The heat retention difference is night and day. I generally bank coals using two fire brick. The remaining portion of the charcoal grill is covered with tinfoil to block the air from coming up through. The foil also reflects the heat back up. Using this method you have better air control for your coals and greater heat retention due to the thermal mass of the what's in the kettle.
I set my drip pan or whatever over the foil but the foil it always there. This method reduces fuel consumption as well. Oh yes and Nomex around the underside of the lid.

I have not used the snake method but once. I would do pretty much the same thing without the fire brick. I have laid coals around the outside of the wsm charcoal ring and covered the inside of the ring with foil. Then lit one end. I have not tried an overnight smoke but I'm confident using this method it would work just as well as the wsm.
 
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