Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/Smoker

Have had this for awhile now and it is one of the best purchases I ever made. Did quite a bit of research before purchasing this one and do not regret it.
Make sure you check that everything fits correctly when you first get it and that it is not out of round. You need a the parts to fit good without too many leaks for good temp control.

Mostly I have been making pulled pork lately, pick up the meat for around 1.70 a pound and it is very economical. The pork just falls apart and is very juicy.

Keep in mind you may have to break it in some before you can get the temps to stay low enough.

I have become very popular with the neighbors and friends now, HA.
Only problem I have at this time is finding the smoke wood, most places just sell hickory, tough to find the big hunks of oak, apple, etc.

I used this in Vietnam, where the local butcher, Hang Kau Pung, asked me to use my gas grille for his yak. After butchering it, we used the grille to smoke it and had a problem when the ribs did not fit on the Weber 3601 Rib Rack. I had 5 Weber Rib Racks so they were useless and we had to put the cooked meat on the fly dirty ground near treated sewer water. I suppose if you are using pig Ribs they fit but be weary of larger meat animals.

I can't add anything new to what has already been said about this product. I've used it only three times so far. This smoker can turn anyone into a star backyard chef. I roasted a chicken this evening in it and I have to say it was probably the best chicken that I ever had. I also smoked a rack of baby back ribs a couple of weeks ago. They came out great! It is pretty hard to mess anything up with this smoker. It is worth the extra expense for this smoker over the similar but inferior made brinkmans. This is one of those cases where you get what you pay for. No regrets what so ever on this purchase. Go to virtualweberbullet site for a lot of great info.

You cannot go wrong with this. It is THE ultimate water smoker. Even someone like me who had absolutely no expertise in smoking became an expert in this venerable art after a few tries on this wondrous device.

This smoker is solidly built. Retains heat very well. The 'controls' (we are not talking about electronic gizmos) are very basic and well designed. Here are the controls: water bowl, charcoal canister, vents (three at the bottom, one at the top), and the lid. With these and a little bit of patience (you will need it to slow cook for 12 to 18 hours), you can control the temperature and moisture inside the cooker to you desire. The only thing missing is a thermometer built into the lid. However, a bit of ingenuity can solve this easily.

The Users Manual is one of the worst I have seen. You might as well toss it and search the net for good information on how to use and customize this smoker. Here is a very good website: [.....].

I waited more than a year to complete this review. Yes, I still think it is that good.

I've only had the chance to use this smoker once since I purchased it. It performed as expected and the ribs were delicious. The smoker seems to be well made and I think it was a good buy. I do wish Weber had put a temperature gauge in the lid. I would have gladly paid a little more for a smoker with the temperature gauge built in instead of having to come up with something myself.

Smoker was what you expect from Weber. Quality, top to bottom. Ease of use, heavy duty, great results. Maintained constant heat easily for 10+ hours. Quick delivery in pristine shape.

Axe of Iron: The Settlers (Axe of Iron)
This Weber Smoker will Smoke or BBQ the best meats and fish that you have ever wrapped your lips around. We love ours and I use it every week, summer and winter. Draft control is so efficient that when you are finished cooking, simply close the drafts and the fire will go out, thereby saving the remaining charcoal for your next use. I recommend that you also purchase the Smoker Thermometer, also available from Amazon, it makes temp. comtrol of the Smoker a snap.

This is a great product. Brine your meat, stack in some hardwood coal and fill it up with meats rubbed down. Use two thermometers - one for internal meat temp and the other for the smoker temp. Use water in your baffle and show up a few hours later with a large appetite.

My smoker was delivered in a timely manner and in perfect condition. I would not hesitate to use this service again.

I used the Brinkman Smoke N Grill for a year prior to taking the plunge into the Weber, and had what I thought were decent results. After constantly babysitting the fire and reading the reviews on the Weber, I decided to go for it and am very glad that I did. I certainly don't want to knock the Brinkman because it is a great value at $35. It served its purpose and showed me that I enjoyed a smoker. It is not uncommon to maintain a constant temperature over 12 hours and doing nothing more than adding water and possibly tweaking an air vent.

The Weber is certainly a champ and if you are debating if it is worth dropping $[...]+ on it, the answer is certainly "YES". It is solidly built of high quality components and Weber customer service is untouchable. Go check out this website dedicated to the WSM and you will learn more than you ever wanted ([...]). It definitely added several years to my smoking knowledge just by browsing it. Amazon has the best price out there and delivery was quick. Good luck on your decision and I can honestly say that you will be happy with this one.

Great temperature control. Have to work hard to get the temperature in the grill too high for good BBQ.

Highly recommended.

I just completed my second summer with my WSM and I LOVE IT!!!
This is the second smoker I've owned and it proves the old saying:
Buy the best first and only cry once... I wish I would've listened.

I have been reading about the WSM for the past year and couldn't decide whether or not to get one. Finally got one and it is even better than I thought. If you are unsure about buying one, do it now. My wife wasn't thrilled about the price, but after some chicken and ribs she is a believer.

I had a Charbroil smoker for 4 years before my wife bought me the Weber smoker. The longest I could go with the Charbroil was about an hour before I had to mess with the coals, open the door, etc and was becoming a hassle to cook things for a long period of time. It is extremely difficult to keep heat regulated in it. That being said I did cook some great food on it. The first time I used my Weber smoker it kept a consistent temperature for 5.5 hours straight. I did turn the vents a couple of times to reduce or increase the heat but now that I know what to do I've gotten better at keeping things steady and letting it go. Turning those vents even a little bit makes the heat rise or fall a lot so be careful! The last time I spent the afternoon swimming for 2.5 hours, came home and it was still fine.

Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/SmokerWeber smoker is one of the finest smokers on the market, I have enjoyed this product and the results are exactly what I expected. Weber quality shows through on the construction and does what it is designed to do.

This smoker was recommended to me by a BBQ Chef who uses this smoker for most of her smoking. This smoker was easy to use, assemble, and clean. Worked great.

I wish I had listened and bought the WSM before I bought my offset smoker. You've heard it before but it truly is set it and forget it. Everyone talks about how hard brisket is but the two times I've done brisket they both were world class. Buy one you won't regret it.

I've been waiting towards the end of summer to buy one of these. I went to a few places to find a Weber SMC/S and the only place I was able to find one available was at Ace Hardware.
The only reason I did not buy from Ace was because of the price. Ace was asking $249.00 + tax.
Amazon has (had) it on sale for $209.99 plus the option for Free Super Saver Shipping. Even if you chose standard shipping the price was still right.
I'm just anxious to use it by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.

Excellent size and easy to use. Able to hold enough fuel for several hours of cooking.

I purchased this item when it was a flash buy it was a good price yet still for me expensive,so i was a little leary. But, This item is great! My husband sings its praises every time he uses it. He was a great bbq chef before this brought him up one more step. Everything cooked on it comes out tender juicy and delicous.

I have looked for a smoker for some time, ruling out the Weber because of its price. Then my wife suprised me with the Weber 2820 for my birthday.

Set up and assemby takes about 5 minutes. The shell of the smoker is a heavy guage enameled steel. The racks are sturdy and heavy guage steel also.

One caveat, I normally use a gas bbq so haven't purchased charcoal for some time. Without much thought I picked up a bag of 'matchlight' type of charcoal. The manual does warn about not using lighter fluid. Well my first batch of smoked ribs had a distinct lighter fluid taste and smell. Go with the regular briquets.

You can really load up the two racks with meat and fish, do use a meat thermometer to insure not over or under cooking.

I didn't get this smoker with the intention of bbq'ing or steaming, so can't comment on that.

But I can tell you that this in a fine little smoker!!!!

I've never smoked before and since getting this 2 weeks ago, have smoked a ham and pork ribs. I watched how to prepare the meats and use the WSM at virtualweberbullet.com. The Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker is just awesome. I was really surprised how it holds the temperature so well. I was able to cook the ribs for 4 hours and have the temp hold around 225 degrees by adjusting the 3 vents at the bottom. Use a little Apple Wood and it will give some great flavor to the meats. I also suggest getting a wireless thermometer like the MAVERICK ET-73 that you can use to measure the meat and the air temp. Amazon shipped both at a great price. There is a larger one coming out in October.

I finally had the chance to use my new WSM cooker this last weekend. I cooked pork spare ribs for about 4-4.5 hours. I was surprised at how good the ribs tasted. I cooked 3 full slabs of ribs and everyone was impressed with the results. I had done quite a bit of research prior to using it for the first time, and it paid off.

One note: When I received my WSM, the packaging was in great shape. However, the first time I put it together I could tell the middle section was out of round (as other reviewers have warned about). Mine was very minor and I was able to gently shape it so it was a snug fit all around. It worked great my first time cooking and I had no problems with the out of round issue after the minor correction.

I would highly recommend this product for a first timer like myself who wants to get into cooking with smoke.

UPDATE - 8/19/08

Ok, as promised, I am amending my review... Weber did send me the new bottom bowl "hand picked" from the assembly line. Incredibly, the ring has a slight marred mark on it along the same lines as the last three! - not bad enough to be out of round, so it fits snug in the middle cylinder, so I am keeping it and moving on... There is CLEARLY a manufacturing issue here!!

Now to the good part... I put the new smoker to the test yesterday. LOADED it with 4 full racks of baby back ribs and 2 4lb shoulders. Ribs took ~5 hours and shoulders ~7 hours. Very, VERY good. I have been smoking on a traditional charcoal grill previously, which is a pain, and I have to say that the Weber is very easy - basically fool proof. I believe it's the design - the shape and tight airflow enable you to load it up with coal/wood and basically just tweak the vents for a very long time. It basically sits at 225-250 degrees by itself.

Ordered three different types of wood tonight on Amazon to experiment with...

Even with the manufacturing/return issue, I am so immpressed with the usability of this smoker, I'll give it a 4.75 ranking.

ORIGINAL POST:

Well, I really would just actually like to have one of these grills, but I'm on my third try to get one that isn't damaged.

I am a Charcoal Grill Nut and have toyed alot with slow smoking meats on my traditional Brinkmann charcoal grill. I've gotten pretty good at it but it's a pain separating the coal to one side, meat to the other, regulating the heat, etc.

...So I did all the research on smokers and decided the Weber SM smoker was the best choice. I am a big Amazon user and fan. So I ordered a few weeks ago.

The smoker arrived in an undamaged package. Opened it up and both the top bowl and the bottom bowl had a very uniform marred/flattened spot on the ring. The rings were too far out of round to use and didn't fit in the middle cylinder correctly.

I returned to Amazon and they immediately sent a new one. As an aside, I have to say from this and other experiences that Amazon is absolutely fantastic on returns.

The new one came in a few days. Opened it up. Top bowl fine. Bottom bowl - same exact flaw. Box was undamaged.

I did not want to go through this again - I was 80% sure a third one from Amazon would be damaged. This is not an Amazon issue that I can tell. Everything I saw tells me this is a manufacturing issue and there is probably an entire mfg lot of the bowls that are flawed.

I instead called Weber directly. They are "hand picking" one off the assembly line and sending it to me. I am current waiting for it.

Once I receive it in good condition and try the smoker I'll revisit my rating on this....

Outstanding for smoking a pork shoulder. It is made to last for a very long time.

Prior to buying the Smokey Mountain smoker, I had owned several water smokers - mostly the two piece Brinkmans - the ones with the separate charcoal pan. I wore them out around every 2 years, but they are relatively cheap, so I would just replace them. This year I decided to get something a little more durable and one that would offer more temperature control. I wanted to buy an egg, but they are a little too expensive. During research, I ran across the Virtual Weber Bullet site, and being a Weber fan, I took a look and decided to get the Weber smoker (not readily available in stores - I had never seen it before). Well, it has turned out to be a beautiful purchase. I have used it to grill steaks and chicken, but the best part is that I used it to smoke some pork butts and a couple of racks of ribs (separate smoking sessions), and it works better than any smoker I have ever owned. The temperature control is great; the smoker itself is a heavy gauge steel and looks like it will hold up well. I would recommend this to any serious bar b que fanatic. A bonus - since buying it, I have noticed that a lot of competition bar b que-ers use it - I catch glimpses of it on all of the competitions shown on various TV networks! I am smoking with the big dogs now!!! The Weber is a little pricey - almost 200 bucks - but seems to be a good buy.

The product is up to Weber's quality. I am pleased with it. It did come with a dent from shipping. It seemd to take a while to get here also. That is why I didn't send it back for exchange. Weber's product = A1; Amazon and/or shipper = not so pleased.

My husband loves this smoker. We have always been a fan of the weber kettle and weber products so the kids and I purchsed the smoker for him for Father's Day and he could not be happier. Among other things he has been most impressed with how it holds the temperature. We saw the instructional video online and also think that is an asset to sell this product.

I've been BBQing for many years and have owned many grills and smokers. The Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker is by far the best. It's very easy to use and requires very little baby sitting. Just get one!

If you are looking for a smoker, spend the money and buy This One! You will be BBQ ing like a pro in NO TIME. REAL Q, really! At least after checking out the <[...]> sight.

I, well, my 13 year old son,bought the Weber Smokey Mountain for his dad for Father's Day. Boy, was dad happy! Shipping was super fast. Warning...if you are purchasing as a gift, be forwarned that this product ships in its original packaging. Thank goodness my husband wasn't home when we received it.

This smoker is incredibly easy to use and produces great results. There are some excellent web sites dedicated to this smoker that provide many good tips and recipes. The first time I used it i was able to keep the tempature constant at 250 degrees for 8 hours with very little effort. My old smokers could never keep a steady tempature even with a huge amount of work.

I would recommend this smoker to a beginner or a pro. I have seen these at many BBQ competitions.

I've had my smoker for a little over a month now and I have to say I'm still learning it. The manual that comes with it is inadequate but there are websites out there that will guide you in the right direction. Once you figure out how much charcoal and then how much smoking wood to put in the flavors are delicious. I cooked a chicken, ribs, and a pork shoulder so far, and all tasted very good. When you put enough charcoal in the smoker holds temperature and is easy to maintain. Have to watch the water pan on extended smokings tho. It needs temperature guages on it but otherwise I'm very pleased.

The Weber Smokey Mountain is the best smoker you can purchase for home use, many people use this product for competition cooking and do very well with it. I'm pleased with the results and the quality of the product. I mounted a thermometer to the lid but I think I could have easily used this smoker with out it as it maintains an excellent smoking temp with almost no adjustment. If you are new to BBQ there are many resources available online that can guide you in learning how to cook almost anything on this unit.

I was thinking about buying a cheaper smoker until I read all the other great reviews of this product. I really am glad I listen and bought the weber. I am very satisfied and I am using it almost every weekend. Great product and the best price was at Amazon.

this is a really good smoker/grill and I have made some fantastic ribs and chicken with it. The temperature is stable although you will need to buy a thermometer as it does not have one built in (which was surprising).

Good points: smokes well, sturdy, comes with a cover for out side storage, good sized smoking area, fair sized grilling area, easy to clean.

Bad points: the seals could of been tighter (although this can be worked round with aluminum foil but I have not needed to), you have to buy a thermometer.

We gave the Weber bullet as a gift to our son for his 38th birthday. When it arrived we checked to see that the parts went together well. It assembled nicely. The smoker was a great hit at the birthday party. The next weekend we were invited over to have slow-cooked ribs. What a wonderful way to cook. Very tasty.

Amazon does a great job. The package arrived promptly and in excellent shape.

The 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/Smoker seems good on paper, but the quality is poor. The finish on mine was chipped upon arrival and chipped further upon use. The center grilling portion does not fit properly. It does come with instructions and hints, but so far, I have not been able to adjust the vents to maintain a constant temperature, and the instructions are not detailed enough to get me there. The fire is either too hot or extinguishing. Worst, the goofy door must have been designed by an accountant to save money. No self respecting engineer would put a pathetically thin and ill fitting door on a heavy cast iron (steel?) smoker.

It requires nearly constant attention, but I have managed to make some pretty good food in it. I am not sure of what to buy, but I don't think this smoker is ready for market.

E.B. Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/Smoker

After using a Brinkman smoker I decided to take out my wallet and get a Weber. The weber is a much better built smoker and easier to use. If your using a Brinkman vertical smoker and thinking about buying a weber just stop thinking and do it. You won't be disappointed.

So I have only used this three times to date. Ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket. I am still learning how to build the charcoal/wood fire and set the air vents so you can get the temp between 180 and 200 degrees and LEAVE it alone fof 2-3 hours. The construction is very sturdy and durable, it does not take up too much space, and is easy to use.

I love the fact there are two levels, just make sure, if you use both levels, put the meat that needs less attention below. It is somewhat of a pain to get the grate off the top level to access the lower level. By the time you are all heat is lost and you have to have a good stable place to rest the top rack while you do what you need to do. It would be best for the smoker to come with a top grill that has the side flip-ups so you can sneak a long brush or mop to do your thing below (I will probably look to buy one).

It definitely keeps the food moist with the water pan, and the side access door is awesome for fire maintenance. The grip on the lid handle is nice and thick, and doesn't get hot. Construction is a snap, and it comes with a nice fitting cover, a key to longevity when storing outdoors.

I've been able to use the WSMC three times since I received shipment of the smoker. It is easy to set up and assemble. All smokes were easy to get going. Maintaining the internal temperature is easy and effecient. This my first time with a smoker. I have a Weber Genises Grill also. It's hard to beat Webers products. If you're considering a "smoker", this is the one to get. There is a web site which is great for "newbies". Lots of help, great recipes, etc. A great buy!

I got my Weber Bullet from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. It arrived quickly and in good condition. Tried it out this past weekend; boy, was I impressed! It held the temperature like a champ and produced a gorgeous, brown, smoky, succulent pork butt. I'm looking forward to more adventures in smoking soon, after we gobble up all the pork. I followed the advice I read on Virtual Weber Bullet and got a high-quality thermometer, which I put in a cork in one of the vent holes, so I was able to monitor temperatures easily. Great product!

Received product quickly. Bottom section was out of round, but was replaced by customer service with a simple phone call. Have not made a bad meal on this smoker and would definately recommend to any new or experienced smoker. Love the web site devoted to this smoker. Great recipes and cooking advise.

I've used the smoker about 5 times now. I am still getting the hang of it. My chicken comes out wonderful, tender with a great smokey flavor. I haven't had much luck with other meats. They have the smokey flavor I am looking for, but they tend to come out dry. I've even use a meat thermometer so that I don't have to open the lid, but the temperature in the cooker fluctuates enough that the meat temp fluctuates. The cooker is very handy in that it can be used as a bbq pit also.

I have several BBQ's and this one tops them all when it comes to control and burn time. A real no brainer when it comes to controling the temp. Long burn times (10-14 hours) with a full load of lump charcoal and wood. All you do is turn down the 3 bottom vents to get the temperture that you want. Great for Briskets and pork butts, okay for ribs (I hate to curl them to make them fit). Only problem no thermometer, but you can fix that pretty quick if your handy with a drill.

When I began looking for a smoker I did a lot of research online and asking friends. I didn't want something that required my constant attention in order to maintain the temperature. For that reason, I almost went with an electric smoker, then I had someone tell me about the WSM. After looking at the reviews, and the [...] website, I decided that this had the temperature control that I needed, and still provided the authentic smoking experience.

I received the WSM last weekend and used it for the first time to cook two slabs of babyback ribs. This thing worked wonderfully. Once I got the temperature to where I wanted it, it required very little monitoring or maintenance. The ribs were beautiful and tasted as good (or better!) than the ones you'd find at a restaurant.

I would recommed picking up the Weber Chimney Starter as well. It makes lighting the coals a LOT easier. You light them in there, give it abouut 10-15 minutes to get them hot, our them onto the grate, then top with a few chunks of wood.

I'd also recommed buying a thermometer at the same time, as the WSM does not come with one, and you're going to need to monitor the temperature of your smoker.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy the WSM as much as I have so far!

This is my first "smoker". I've done my research online and determined this was the best one to run with. A guy at work swears by it. I used it for the first time last weekend and cooked a perfect beer can chicken! The food was great, the construction is simple but solid. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in smoking food! Since this is a popular model, there's all kinds of experienced users online willing to share info with the rookies. Check out [...]

I like the sturdiness of the metal , the size and shape. It needs a temperature gauge on it to help minimize guessing and handles on the mid section for easier removal and adding foods to it while smoking. perhaps designing it so one can have easily base meats on the lower rack will also help. cooks great otherwise.

I am going to the cabin this weekend and thought I would use it for the 1st time and make some jerky and some smoked turkey legs. This thing just does not run out the perfect 225-250 degree heat. Really easy to use for a rookie like me dont get me wrong I am a good cook and have used woodchips on my gas weber but it does not compare to the perfect smoke you get on this.

Really easy to set up and get registered. Easy to fire up and easier to use than a crock pot. I just cant say enough good things about this thing. I know I will have to learn more about smoking woods and brining methods and the best types of meat to smoke. No matter what you are cooking or cooking with this smoker WILL NOT let you down.

I have 2 recomendations for you if you buy this

1) get a thermometer I learned how to mount mine at the weber virtual bullet website.
2) go to the weber virtual bullet website (IT IS AMAZING AND VERY HELPFUL)

So why grill when you can smoke some real BBQ?

My husband recently got rid of his charcoal smoker and bought an electric one. He is so in love with it we haven't gone a single week without some kind of smoked meat. He wanted to protect it from the elements so he asked me to get a cover. I went to Amazon and ordered this one. He is well pleased with it. It's a sturdy product.