Introduction
The Weber Smokey Joe, for such a simple grill you sure can do a lot with it. This grill is small yet mighty and very easy to get to grips with. In this article we are going to offer some practical advice, give you a few tips on how to use a Weber Smokey Joe grill and talk about some techniques to ensure you get the very best out of this fantastic grill.
What is the Weber Smokey Joe?
The Weber Smokey Joe is a kettle-style barbecue, specifically designed to be lightweight and portable. It makes the ideal grill for road trips and hikes. It relies on burning solid fuel to cook. The main body of the barbecue is constructed from enamelled porcelain, the cooking grate is made from plated steel and the charcoal grate is made from slightly thicker heavy gauge steel.
Assembling the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill
Out of the box, assembly is surprisingly easy. You will be able to get it assembled and ready to grill in around 10 minutes. There are remarkably few steps. You will need a couple of screwdrivers, however (both flathead and Phillips). Here’s all that you have to do: –
- Attach the plastic handle cover (1 screw).
- Screw the legs to their central pivot on the ash catcher (1 screw bolt).
- Attach the Kettle body to the legs (3 screw bolts).
- Seat the charcoal grate and the cooking grate.
That’s it. Easy!
Which Fuel to use on the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill?
The Weber Smokey Joe is essentially a conventional Barbecue. You can use whatever fuel suits your style of cooking. Weber recommends hardwood charcoal briquettes. They are relatively slow-burning which is exactly what you want in a kettle barbecue. They also tend to burn quite evenly, this allows you to more accurately control the temperature as it doesn’t fluctuate as much as fierce burning lump wood charcoal.
How to Light a Weber Smokey Joe
Well, this is the fun part of grilling using charcoal. Ask 20 people how to light a barbecue and they will tell you 20 different ways and swear that their way “really works”. The truth is that there are numerous options available.
Generally, we are against using fluids to get a barbecue going. First, they can be time-consuming, and second, in kettle barbecues, you can often find that fumes and droplets accumulate in the bottom of the barbecue, this can present a little bit of a dangerous scenario.
As a final point by using fluids you may also find that you get a slight chemical taste imparted on your food. Not good.
Perhaps the best advice when considering how to light a Weber Smokey Joe is to utilise a charcoal chimney. These are perfect for ensuring an even, controlled burn and they get your fuel up to temperature quickly.
A charcoal chimney is a small diameter tube in which you can pile your charcoal. You light a firelighter underneath in the grill’s charcoal grate and place the chimney above it. By exposing the coals to a heat source in a more direct manner they ignite quicker. Once they are burning well you just tip them into the charcoal grate and you are ready to go.
Do I Need to Season My Weber Smokey Joe?
The answer is no. Seasoning is a technique that is necessary for cast iron grills. They tend to rust quickly and rely on a protective layer of ash and grease to stop them degrading. As you will have seen above, the Weber Smokey Joe has a plated steel cooking grate, these generally tend not to rust, and are fairly non-stick anyway. A wash with warm and soapy water before use will be the maximum effort you’ll need to put in before you use it in anger for the first time.
How to Use a Weber Smokey Joe
Create Different Cooking Zones on Your Grill
You’ll be amazed at how many ways there are to cook on the Weber Smokey Joe. One great method is to create different zones. This is very easily achieved, let’s show you how.
Essentially all you need to do is pile your charcoal on one side of the grills substantial charcoal grate. The area directly above the coals is the ‘hot’ zone. This area is perfect for searing and getting those signature barbecue stripes all over the food.
The ‘cold’ zone is the area bereft of coal. If you have the lid on then you will still actually be cooking food as the grill is effectively behaving like an ‘oven’. Without the lid, you will find the food will perhaps get a little heat, but not enough to cause it to cook quickly.
It doesn’t have to be this black and white, however… By creating a gradually sloping gradient of coals from one side of the grill to the other you can create a multi-layered zone. Going from really hot to cold, and somewhere in the middle.
Control the Temperature
Aside from creating zones, there is another way that you can control the temperature. One word… Airflow.
You’ll notice that the Weber Smokey Joe doesn’t have the option to control the height of either the coals or the cooking grill. But you are still going to need to regulate the temperature.
The best way to do this is by regulating airflow. The Weber Smokey Joe has two air sources. On the lid, there is a rotating grate, and there is also a similar inlet at the base of the kettle.
By leaving both wide open you are allowing cool fresh air to be drawn in through the base, and the warm air can be vented overboard through the lid. Close the bottom grate and fresh air can not make its way in, and the temperature will rise. Close the top grate and the hot air can’t escape, again causing a temperature rise. By managing the cooler air coming in, and the hot air leaving the grill you can tweak the heat setting depending on how you like to cook.
Direct and Indirect Grilling
We might just get a little scientific, but bear with us, it will be worth it. Let’s talk about heat radiation and convection…
Direct grilling is a consequence of heat radiation.You know when you’ve got cold hands and you put them up to a fire. You are using the direct heat radiated from the flames to warm them. This effect is replicated when you cook over coals with the lid off. You are using the heat radiated directly from the coals to grill your steak.
Indirect grilling is caused by heat convection. This where the air is heated by the coals. This air then goes on to circulate around the food and cook it. Indirect grilling can only happen when the lid of the grill is in place. No lid, no hot air circulating, no indirect cooking.
So now that’s the science covered let’s put it in plain terms. Essentially indirect grilling can be thought of as roasting, whilst direct grilling is, well, grilling.
Reverse Searing
A recipe where you might use both indirect and direct grilling is when reverse searing a steak.
You would slowly cook the steak by indirect grilling, keeping the lid on and altering the airflow in your Weber Smokey Joe to keep the temperature inside the grill relatively cool. Once the steak was cooked through to your liking you could remove the lid, move your steak to the hot side and char it on the outside, getting all of those delicious flavours and lines.
Low and Slow Smoking
We said that there are lots of ways to use a Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill. And we weren’t kidding. If you want to see something truly beautiful then check out this video. It will show you how to make a low and slow smoked brisket on a Weber Smokey Joe… Provided you have got the time and patience, you will be able to make something just as remarkable.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Well, it’s that time again. The grill has been picked clean… Except you are now going to have to clean it.
Fortunately, it should be fairly easy. The ash pan is directly beneath the body of the barbecue, so the vast majority of burned deposits should have already made their way there.
Even if you’ve got quite a lot of ash deposits, the circular shape of the kettle means that there are no annoying corners to catch grease and grime. Enamelled porcelain is really easy to wipe clean and is relatively non-stick. A cloth and some soapy water are easily sufficient, we would avoid using harsh scourers or you might damage the finish.
For the cooking grate, again hot soapy water is sufficient, but here is a top grill cleaning tip. A scrunched-up ball of Aluminium foil is soft enough to avoid damaging your grill’s finish but strong and flexible enough to get in and around any ‘tricky’ bits. No more ruined black sponges!
Conclusion
The Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill is designed to be easy to use and is very practical. That said with the right know-how and a little patience, you can use it to cook using some advanced techniques! Don’t worry that it isn’t all fancy, ultimately, grilling is getting back to basics, cooking over an open flame to create magic in even the simplest of foods. Ever cooked low and slow over coal, got any other tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments.