I felt kind of silly spending over $50 (including shipping) for a piece of sheet metal, but I do not regret it after using this. The Smokenator Man obviously did his home work because it maintains a consistent 230 degree temperature inside my Weber kettle--perfect for lovely smoky pulled pork goodness! The time he spent in researching the settings, and writing the instruction manual makes this a worthwhile purchase. The construction is top notch a nice sturdy piece of stainless steel that conforms perfectly to the interior of the grill.
One caveat--The instructions are written for the "modern" Weber 22 ½' grills the types with the one touch ash removal system. I have a caveman model, old school grill (circa 1997) that has the 3 round vents similar to the vent on the kettle lid. The extensive tables in the manual and a little high school geometry allowed me to find the temperature "sweet spot" for my grill.
I have also used my Smokenator with the ring that came with my Weber rotisserie (see my review for that device.) This allows for a much larger cooking chamber -perfect when smoking a lot of food for a crowd.
3 reasons to buy this:
1. Cheaper than buying a new smoker
2. Saves room on my patio--Made my Weber Kettle even more of a multi tasker.
3. Easier to tend than Brinkman barrel smoker or Weber Smoky Mountain, as the fueling and food handling are done at waist level--no bending over or crawling around on the ground.
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I've owned this product for about 4 years and have cooked just about every smokeable meat countless times; every cut of pork, sausages, brisket, salmon, chicken, Thanksgiving turkeys, and so on. I've only now just gotten around to writing a review. There's so much to write. I don't even know where to begin. Oh muses of smoke and fire, I invoke you now.
Some people look at it and think, "I just paid $70 for some sheet metal? Lame." Yes, you're paying for some sheet metal, but what you're really paying for with the Smokenator is American ingenuity. This isn't an elaborate design created by a rocket scientist; this is an ordinary person's great idea to solve a common problem. Don Thompson, rest his soul, looked at a big dead-ass turkey and thought, "There's gotta be a way I can cook this thing on my Weber without drying it out." Necessity is the mother of invention. It's rare when a product does exactly what it is designed to do and offers so much versatility with such a small learning curve. Don's instructions are so detailed and thorough that they basically taught me the principles of heat control, not just for the Smokenator, but for all barbecue cooking methods.
Everything I've made on the Smokenator has turned out amazing, but it particularly excels with pork butts and poultry. My Christmas turkey in 2010 is still the stuff of legend. One thing that I really like about the Smokenator is that once you learn how to control the temperature well enough, you can basically create any range of heat you want/need--from the ulta low 'n slow 180-200 range to 350 for poultry and higher. Temps can be controlled in three ways: bottom vent, top vent, and removing/leaving the water pan. Once you've used it as much as I have, you learn which method is appropriate for your situation.
Now, with that all said, there really is one thing that could be improved about the design: the water pan is simply too small. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a way to get around this, and I'll get to that soon, but what I really want to do is share a collection of tricks that, when combined, get you the most out of your Smokenator. Here's what I've learned after using it for 4 years:
1. Get the flip top grate. This is imperative. It will allow you to quickly and easily add fuel and wood chunks to the cavity. If you don't have one or can't afford it, use a hacksaw to saw off the bars over the cavity.
2. The water pan is primarily a heat-sink. The steam it creates is certainly nice, but first and foremost it is there to regulate temperature. To do this, it does not need to be in the cavity with the charcoal. It can simply sit on top of the grate over the hole. This allows you to get MUCH more fuel into the fuel cavity, so much that you can get close to 8-9 hours with a single load. That is astounding.
3. I knew the water pan was a pre-made thing that must come in different sizes. I tried for years to figure out what it was called so I could buy a bigger one. After searching in bread pan sections of kitchen stores for years, I finally stumbled across what I was looking for. It's called an "anti-jam steam table pan," and yes, you can buy them on Amazon:Excellante Quarter Size 4-Inch Deep 24 Gauge Anti Jam Pans. With this pan, you'll be able to increase your water capacity from 1-2 hours to 4-6. That means more uninterrupted smoking time.
4. Use hardwood briquettes. I've found Trader Joe's briquettes to be outstanding. They last twice as long as Kingsford and cost the same amount of money. That said, Kingsford briquettes are a solid product that always give you consistent and quality results. Kingsford competition briquettes are the best fuel source I've ever used, but they're hard to find and more expensive. However, if you can find them, go for it!
With this set-up, once you get your desired temps dialed in, you'll be able to leave your Weber unattended for up to 4 hours. That's enough to go play a round of golf or take the kids to the pool. The Smokenator is one of my all-time favorite purchases. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. RIP Don Thompson.
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If you believe in reviews, this is a no-brainer, folks. This thing was a gift and as a master BBQ-er and smoker (IMHO ) I was really skeptical. A skeptic no more.
Want super-stable low smoking temperatures out of your Weber? Want to never have to worry about scorched or dry edges? Want people to tell you that, "This is the best xxxxx I've ever tasted!" ?
Then, this is your secret weapon. I've used mine so much that the stainless steel is black.
Believe me (and all the other reviewers,) you will wonder where this gizmo has been all your life.
Honest reviews on Smokenator 1000 - Transform Your 22" Weber Kettle Into Efficient
Why didn't I think of this.......I've used a Weber for many years and this has to be the best thing for someone who loves a Weber kettle to cook on! I've kept a constant temp of about 240-250 for well over 6 hours without having to touch the kettle. Why wouldn't you want one??
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Don, the man who makes and sells this product knows customer service. I ordered this on a Monday evening, and I had it in Fridays' mail. Also, I had one question, which I emailed him on a Sunday night, and he answered the same night.
Now, about the product. This item is well built, and is pretty dummy proof. I did not know it, but the thermometer that I had recently installed from a major home improvement store was flaky. At times it reads 100 degrees higher than actual. Even so, following the directions and setting the vent as per the manual gave me great results. I have a bullet style water smoker already, and the smokenator is giving me better results. The results are also superior to just stacking up coals on the left and the right with a pan seperating them. For just a few bucks, you can get this with the hovergrill. The hovergrill really gives you a lot more space if you ever smoke more than a couple of items at once.
I recommend this to anyone. But it would be especially usesful if you can't afford, or have no desire to buy a dedicated smoker. Over all, I recommend this over any bullet smoker.
