Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5 Inch Smoker

For the last couple of decades the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker (WSM) has revolutionized backyard barbecue by making the smoking of meats and pretty much anything easier and more reliable. While relying on a real fire and good smoke production, this smoker has been one of the most popular of its type, generating fan sites on the internet and barbecue groups dedicated to its use. Simply put, this is the best charcoal powered vertical water smoker on the market.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker has been a mainstay of barbecue since it was introduced. Easy to use, able to maintain temperatures for many, many hours, and capable of producing great barbecue the Weber Smokey Mountain has been a regular on the barbecue competition circuit and so popular it has fan pages on the internet. Weber's slight modifications to this unit in no way affect how it cooks, but gives you the features most requested. The lid mounted thermometer, larger, more intuitive front door handle and bottom heat shield make this a better WSM for the same price (lists for $349 but can be found for $299).

One of the things that makes this a great smoker is the durability of the construction. I know people who travel the competition circuit with these smokers and unload, smoke and pack them up once or twice a week and you wouldn't think they had seen any more action than sitting covered on your patio. The porcelain-enamel coating on these units is highly durable and prevents rusting of the heavy gauge steel. This is one smoker that you will use because it is so easy to use and will last because it is so well built.

On the one down side, the front access door is a little flimsy so you should be careful not to bend it out of shape. The upside of this is that you can "custom" fit it so that it holds in the smoke better.

Need something larger? Try the Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5 Inch Smoker