CyndiA's Full Review: Weber-Stephen Products 721001 Charcoal Smoker
The Smokey Mountain Bullet by Weber is one of my favorite of the outdoor smokers, and I have a Barbecue Master blog and a Yes You Can Grill Site. So, I see a lot of outdoor cookers of various types.
First, the charcoal smoker by Weber is a smoker and not a grill. That means you cook low and slow versus over hot and high heat. So, if you're looking at barbecue smokers, you'll want to think about barbecue ribs and shoulders and other meats and foods that benefit from being cooked by circulating heat and smoke instead of direct fire which you want for foods like steak and burgers.
You can buy a cheaper barbecue smoker, but you get what you pay for in this case. Pay a little more for a Weber SMB and have a smoker that is easy to use and control compared to low end priced smokers which you have to babysit (and sometimes all night).
On the flip side, you can pay much more for a barbecue smoker, and you're not really getting anything extra other than maybe space that would knock the Weber Bullet down as the first choice and in the mid price range.
To use the Weber charcoal smoker, you just fire it up in the bottom like a charcoal grill. Using a chimney starter which is very inexpensive is the best bet on that. You want the coals gray hot and not flaring, and a chimney starter gets you there fast.
There's a center part which provides the buffer between the grate with the meat (or other foods) and the direct heat. That section also includes the water pan which adds moisture during the smoking process. Don't want jerky in most cases - of course not.
The top looks like a grill with the grate, and you place the meats there or can use a rib rack to get more on if smoking ribs.
Top it off with the Weber lid which is domed meaning more room for food and also good heat flow.
The vents - top and bottom - control the heat. You can play around with those or can Google "virtual bullet" for a great discussion board listing exact vent openings and times for cooking various foods on the Smokey Mountain Bullet. The web page is not sponsored by Weber, but it does include some big time Weber fans who are always glad to help out.
The only complaints I've heard on the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet is that it does not have a thermometer and that the side door for adding water to the pan is lightweight. I don't see any issues with the door, and extra weight would make it more likely to fall off during the cooking which could mess up a smoke. I don't find that most built in thermometers are very accurate anyway, so I don't miss one. You can, however, upgrade to the bigger SMB and get a thermometer in the lid if you want and also more smoking space. That bigger Smokey Mountain Bullet just came out this year and is a nice unit, but you probably want to smoke a lot of meat if you fire up a bigger model smoker.
The Weber Smokey Mountain is my favorite of the smokers I own. It's not fancy, but it works great. Also, it does not cost near as much as some smokers. I really don't see how you could go wrong with a SMB. We get great smoked meat off the Bullet, and it's really not hard to do but does take some time to do it right. You don't, however, have to sit there and watch. Just check it every couple of hours and bank good at night. You'll be amazed at the results.
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