Which side of the grill?

[lagerchugger]

Greetings,

I have a Weber One-touch Silver 22.5" grill. It is recommended by Weber to place the leg without the wheel pointing into the wind (windward side) and the vent on the cover to be on the leeward side to promote the best convection inside the grill.  With this is mind, which side of the grill should the smokenator baffle be placed? I've read the instructions, searched threads here, and watched videos. Nothing is mentioned in the instructions and the only thing I find here is that the cover vent should be opposite the baffle. On videos I see it in all different places and no one mentions placement relative to the kettle.  Has anyone experimented with the placement of the smokenator in this fashion?

Thanks and happy grillin'! 

[lagerchugger]

So after further searching on this forum I find the consensus is it doesn't matter where the Smokenator is placed. I still feel like experimenting however. Will post my detailed results whenever I finish me experiment and me smokin', eatin', and drinkin' of course.

Slainte!

[ncsmoker]

Hi lagerchugger welcome to the group. I have been smoking with a Weber since the 1980's. I used the baskets for the majority of the times and always placed them opposite of the single leg. When smoking it doesn't make a lot of difference where the wind is coming from as you control the temp by the top vent and the lower vents are set at a pretty standard setting.

With the Smokerator this is absolutely true. Set your bottom vent at full open and the top at 5/8" to start, see page 8 for more detail. I actually have my Weber partially built into a grilling station on my deck with cabinets on both sides of it. Lots of air to it from the bottom and sides and back. Really no need to worry about pointing the leg into the wind with the SN. The main thing is to place the lid vent opposite the SN. If you don't have the grate with the hinged sections spend the money to get it. It will help you add wood and coals.

Hope this helps

[smokehart]

thanks all for this info.  i am BRAND NEW to smoking.  tried the SN only for the 2nd or 3rd time.  i am having a HUGE problem regulating the temp.  the results have been good, but even on my dry runs i have chewed thru charcoal.  i am using an old 22.5 in kettle, and i am looking for the same type of advice on SN placement.  the other issue i believe i have that i just noticed today after a 10 hr smoke yesterday is there are two "rust holes" in the bottom of the kettle near the legs.  they are about half the size of one penny each.  would this be enough to cause issues with setting temp?  i do not seem to have leakage.  the cover fits tight etc.  in the posts the advice seems to be
place the top vent opposite the SN
open bottm vents all the way
open top vent 5/16 ish.
control temp with top vent

is ther any advice on which side to put the SN on?  peg leg side or wheel side?  or is it just important that the upper vent be opposite the SN?

thanks all for the posts and great advice

[ncsmoker]

Your two penny size holes are a definite problem. Maybe a new grill in your future for Valentines Day?LOL For the time being close down the bottom vents nearly all the way and use the two holes as your bottom air source. You will have to experiment on how far to close down the vents 1/4 may be enough or 1/8 or 1/3 or fully closed. Compare the size of the holes to the open vent size and adjust for the 3rd vent hole.

I always place my baskets and now the Smokenator by the handle. I went out and checked this. Then the upper vent opposite it. It is very important that the vent be opposite the SN. This allows the smoke to flow through the grill, not up and straight out.

I feel the SN is a great tool and I have been able to smoke everything from bacon to brisket at temps from 160-250 degrees at the dome. It took a little time to learn it but I took notes on what I did for about 10-15 smokes. Weather conditions, vent openings, charcoal briquettes lit, things I did during the smoke, etc.

[lagerchugger]

Thanks nc,

I ran my first smoke with some trout I caught ice fishing. I placed the leg into the wind, just out of habit lol, and the SN on the leg side. I was wide open on the bottom vents and used the top vents to adjust temp. I have a top vent candy thermometer and a food grate oven thermometer. There seemed to be a pretty big (60 degrees or so) difference between the two. It was a cold and windy day in Montana but it was my only chance for a smoke and I was eager to use it. I started in the morning with dry run and just kept it going all day and played with the vents, adding charcoal, water, and wood until I got it figured out. I think the cold and wind affected my smoke but I was able to keep the temp at the food grate the necessary 190 F for the trout. I used cherry wood sparingly and the results were fantastic. Thanks for the advice. Good luck with your new grill smokehart!

[ncsmoker]

Smoked trout is delicious on the Weber with the SN. Apple and cherry are my two favorites for fish. I am in the Smoky mountains so get a lot of trout also although I don't have to ice fish for them.LOL One thing to remember is not to add any charcoal until the 4 hour point no need to add it every time you stir the coals. Read page 8 of the instructions that came with the SN. Probably the most important things you can do is knock off the white ash from the coals and keep them up against the new coals, then keep the water pan full. I use a loaf pan instead of the pan that came with the SN. Yep just keep adding wood till you get the amount of smoke you like.

Your fluctuations between the two thermometers are probably due to the wind and temperatures. The grill temp will be more accurate than the dome temp and I always use both especially in cold weather in the summer I may just go with the dome.

With a windy day you may need to close down the bottom vents some to get a more consistent burn temp.. What's important is that your trout came out good. Again keep some notes so you can duplicate what you have done in the past.