I know I am full of questions and posts today...so thx, I've been fiddling with my weber professional 22.5 kettle to smoke ribs today. I must admit, it seems to hold temps very well simply by moderating the airflow via the bottom vents and not putting too many kingsford brisquets in. I burned very few coals, about 15 or so, and ran temps around 250 lid for 5.5 hours for st. louis spares. I checked it alot, just b/c i wasn't sure what to expect, but the temps held nicely. I ran the ribs down the middle and the coals and hickory on each side, adding a couple of kingsfords as needed, but not often. anyone else try smoking with the kettle with much success?
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Using the Weber 22.5 kettle for smoking?
- Thread starter DavidD
- Start date
Larry Wolfe
Closed Account
Gary Bramley
TVWBB Pro
I only own a 22.5 OTG so when I want to smoke I use the kettle.
Yesterday I smoked a whole 4 lb bird with a tex-mex rub (to use today in enchiladas), 2 half birds with onederful rub and cola bbq sauce, and a few brined boneless/skinless breasts for those who don't like dark meat. I used a single chunk of hickory and apple chips soaked in dr. pepper. Temps ran around 350-375 for a majority of the cook. Near the end of the cook I removed the water pan, removed the lid for a few minutes to get the coals going, and ran the last 20 minutes around 450 to crisp the skin. Very very good.
Since about 9am this morning I've had a pot on the stove simmering with the leftover carcasses, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, etc.... I plan on using the stock in the enchilada recipe. Looking forward to it!
Smoking on a kettle works fairly well with a little bit of care. I've yet to build the confidence to try an overnight with the kettle, but I may try it soon. I've found the more buildup in my kettle from previous smokes, the better the temperature will hold for a fairly long period of time.
Having to check on the kettle temp every 20-30 minutes can become annoying fairly quick, but in the end the product is well worth it.
Here is a great diagram to show the basic setup for the kettle smoking:
http://www.thesmokering.com/HowTo/weberribs/default.jsp
The only differences between the diagram and my setup are the firebricks I place between the coals and the drip pan. Using firebricks, in my opinion, helps level out the heat as well as more indirect room from being able to pile up the coals.
The bottom vent on the OTG is the 3-vent system with only one control.
I've smoked pork butt, ribs, chicken, brisket (high heat/low heat). All have turned out well, in my opinion. Its a learning process, but the best part about the process is I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor along the way.
Another good part about the OTG is when I don't want to spend hours upon hours on a smoke I can grill some great food on the OTG as well. Lately I've been considering getting a smokey joe to be able to grill a small amount while the kettle is being used for smoking.
Here are links for the smokes I have documented:
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...100043535#3100043535
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...630000835#4630000835
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...360005935#6360005935
Yesterday I smoked a whole 4 lb bird with a tex-mex rub (to use today in enchiladas), 2 half birds with onederful rub and cola bbq sauce, and a few brined boneless/skinless breasts for those who don't like dark meat. I used a single chunk of hickory and apple chips soaked in dr. pepper. Temps ran around 350-375 for a majority of the cook. Near the end of the cook I removed the water pan, removed the lid for a few minutes to get the coals going, and ran the last 20 minutes around 450 to crisp the skin. Very very good.
Since about 9am this morning I've had a pot on the stove simmering with the leftover carcasses, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, etc.... I plan on using the stock in the enchilada recipe. Looking forward to it!
Smoking on a kettle works fairly well with a little bit of care. I've yet to build the confidence to try an overnight with the kettle, but I may try it soon. I've found the more buildup in my kettle from previous smokes, the better the temperature will hold for a fairly long period of time.
Having to check on the kettle temp every 20-30 minutes can become annoying fairly quick, but in the end the product is well worth it.
Here is a great diagram to show the basic setup for the kettle smoking:
http://www.thesmokering.com/HowTo/weberribs/default.jsp
The only differences between the diagram and my setup are the firebricks I place between the coals and the drip pan. Using firebricks, in my opinion, helps level out the heat as well as more indirect room from being able to pile up the coals.
The bottom vent on the OTG is the 3-vent system with only one control.
I've smoked pork butt, ribs, chicken, brisket (high heat/low heat). All have turned out well, in my opinion. Its a learning process, but the best part about the process is I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor along the way.
Another good part about the OTG is when I don't want to spend hours upon hours on a smoke I can grill some great food on the OTG as well. Lately I've been considering getting a smokey joe to be able to grill a small amount while the kettle is being used for smoking.
Here are links for the smokes I have documented:
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...100043535#3100043535
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...630000835#4630000835
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...360005935#6360005935
Michael Dubois
New member
You could try the "smokenator" as well. I had some success with it before purchasing a WSM.
http://www.smokenator.com/ for more info
http://www.smokenator.com/ for more info