Getting Ready!

[smittyp83]

Hi!

I recently ordered my Smokenator and it's expected to arrive in time for the Labor Day weekend.  I'm pretty excited!  I've been researching gas, charcoal & electric smokers for several months and even looked into building a home-made one.  Since I have the Weber, I figured I'd go with this!

My Weber 22.5" kettle has seen better days - it's 22 years old, has some dings and the kettle is just slightly out of round.  Thanks to the info on this site, I'm prepared for that with some binder clips.  I just cleaned it out, replaced the grates, put new caps on the wheels (since there were none!) and changed out the rusty old bolts on the vents so they can actually open and close. 

I'm looking forward to this new learning adventure and some great food!!!

[ncsmoker]

Welcome and enjoy. I also have an older Weber out of round kettle lid. It even went bouncing down the highway as we were moving from our rental house to our rebuilt house after it was restored after burning down. I use the 1 1/2 clips and 6 of them and easily maintain 130-140 degrees in the Weber. Over the last few months since getting the SN have done ribs, butts, brisket, chicken salmon and just about anything else you can smoke. Getting ready to smoke some bacon this fall. Will lower the temp down by using fewer starter coals as recommended by Chris.

[aussiekev]

Hi There and greetings from Australia. (My first post on any forum) I always wondered what the 'H' letter stamped on the top vent of my Weber was for. Researched and found my baby was made in 1986! I use it every week or so and also used it as a demo machine while working as a Demonstrator for Weber Australia. Amazing! Have used the Smokenator for over a year and it's a great add-on with a couple of notes. Make sure the kettle is clean, old ash and that carbon build up can taint the meat. Always use a plate thermometer next to the meat as well as the candy thermometer or lid gauge - this ensures you know the exact temp in the cooking zone. Don't over smoke with hickory - can give a bitter taste - I only use pure hardwood charcoal (North Queensland Red Gum down here). Bottom vent fully open, top open only a fraction. Use beer or other tasty liquid (white wine) to spray the meat for the first hour. For a moist inside and dryer outside put the meat in the gasser for the last 30 minutes at normal cooking temp but always check internal temperature. Cheers!