Weber Grill Smoking In Your Charcoal Kettle Grill

Get your Weber grill smoking chicken, ribs or brisket by using this easy method. It can be done using no special equipment, however there's one item that makes smoking in your Weber a lot easier -  the charcoal baskets.

They come as a pair, and are designed to contain the charcoal into two separate piles, one on each side of your Weber kettle grill. I often use just one of them when I want to cook down around 225 degrees Fahrenheit. When using the pair, the temperature runs higher.

For best results add hot burning briquettes to the basket each hour. Five to eight per hour is typical, but you may need more depending on the outdoors temperature.

Weber Grill Smoking - The Method, Step by Step

The main points to remember when smoking in a Weber kettle grill are

• Monitor the temperature through the lid vent
  
  
• Keep the charcoal positioned at the edges of the charcoal grate
  
  
• Position the lid vent opposite the charcoal when using one basket, or centered when using two
  
  
• Mix wood with unburned charcoal, then top off with hot, burning briquettes
  
  
• Plan to replenish the charcoal hourly
  
  
•  Be ready to enjoy great grill smoked foods!

Here's everything you'll need to smoke in your Weber...the grill, a single charcoal basket (two can be used for hotter barbecuing), drip pans (not 100% necessary), smoker wood, charcoal, newspaper, and a charcoal lighting chimney.

Put 'em all together, and you're ready for smoking. See how the hot charcoal briquettes have been place atop a mix of unburned charcoal and smoker wood? The fire will burn downward, slowly providing even heat and smoke for whatever type of food you're cooking.

Gorgeous Grill Smoked Chicken Breasts, Nice and Juicy!

And it looks like whole chicken breasts are what's cooking today! In this picture you can see that the even though chicken has been cooking for a good long hour, not much juice has dripped out.

That's due to a combination of brining the chicken, allowing it to surface-dry before placing it on the grill, and cooking at a low smoking temperature.

When smoking in your Weber kettle grill, be sure to monitor the temperature of the chicken breasts and the cooking chamber regularly.

It's a good idea to keep the probe of a remote cooking thermometer in one of the breasts so you can be sure that the chicken doesn't overcook.

One that I use and like a lot is the ThermoWorks Smoke dual-probe smoker thermometer. With its dual probes you can monitor the temperature of the chicken breasts and the grill... from the comfort of your living room easy chair!