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Weber Smokey Mountain cookers have now been available for considerable time and their designs have seen a few enhancements over the years, in a nutshell the Smokey Mountain allows you to infuse meat, fish and vegetables with the smoky flavors of charcoal or wood, the smoker also includes a water pan so that chicken and meat turns out succulent after going through the cooking process.

If you’ve always wanted a smoker but don’t like the idea of using wood bisquettes for cooking, the Smokey Mountain is a great choice since you’re not limited to one type of fuel.  While your food is cooking in the smoker it requires very little maintenance so you don’t have to spend a lot of time standing over it, here’s are run down of the most popular Weber Smokey Mountain cookers.

Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5 Inch 721001

This is the New version of the original Smokey Mountain cooker with the first enhancement being that it has more air vents, the smokers wider door makes the job of loading fuel much easier than it was before and the doors latch is now spring loaded.  Although the original Smokey Mountain is still a great smoker it also had no thermometer, with the new Smokey Mountain Weber have addressed this oversight as you can now determine its temperature while you’re cooking.

Check the latest price on the Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5 Inch 721001

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Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5 Inch 731001

This is the largest Smokey Mountain cooker currently available and it includes all of the same enhancements as its little brother, the smoker has a significantly larger cooking area than its 18.5 inch counterpart.  Due to the smokers larger size you can cook a lot more at once and because of this you draw more value from your fuel.

If you like to cook your food in bulk then this is the smoker for getting the job done, if any chicken or lamb escapes being eaten on the day of cooking you can store it in your freezer and it will still taste great.

Check the latest price on the Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5 Inch 731001

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Weber Smokey Mountain 2820

Here’s the Weber smoker that started it all, the 2820 has the capacity to smoke a whole turkey and more at the same time.  The Smokey Mountain has two cooking grates that have a triple nickel plated coating, you have control over the airflow while you’re cooking as the smoker has air vents positioned in its bowl.  The majority of the smoker is made from premium grade steel while its doors and vents are made from aluminium; the smoker also has glass reinforced plastic handles so you can comfortably lift its lid while you’re cooking.

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The Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain cooker is the successor to the Weber Smokey Mountain 2820 and has a number of subtle improvements, you can use the smoker to cook turkey, ham, fish or vegetables with the use of either charcoal or wood.  In truth there was never a great deal to improve as the 2820 is still a great smoker, if you need to replace your Smokey Mountain or have never tried one of the Smokers then the new model is the best choice due to the new features.

If you ever cook ribs in the Smokey Mountain you’ll never want to go back to making them using traditional means as it gives results just as good as a grill restaurant, after your ribs are cooked you can make out a pink smoke ring in the meat and they taste absolutely fantastic.

The first improvement in the new model of the Weber smoker is its fuel door that is wider than the one found on its predecessor, you can load charcoal and wood into the smoker much more easily due to the size of the door and the door-knob used on the previous model has been replaced with a more practical spring loaded latch.

The addition of a thermometer is also a significant improvement not found on the old smoker so you can determine its temperature much more easily, the previous Smokey Mountain also had no catch pan for the ash from fuel so you had to take more care while emptying it.

That pretty much covers the improvements found in the Smoker and in terms of performance they are virtually the same, like the old model the smokers lid and water pan are porcelain enamelled, the thermometer is placed conveniently in the center of the lid.  The Smokey Mountain has the capacity to accommodate a reasonable amount of food so if you need to cook two whole chickens at once you’ll have no problems.

If you enjoy slow cooking and smoking your likely to enjoy experimenting with the Smokey Mountain due to its simple design and the fact that you can cook with it using a variety of fuels, keeping the door closed while you’re cooking with the smoker brings the best results and flavor so try to avoid the temptation of opening it.  If you like marinating your meat then the Smokey Mountain is the smoker to cook it in, if you’re not an expert at smoking food you can use a Smokey Mountain, a bit of practice and a few recipes to become proficient in next to no time.

Check the latest price on the Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5 Inch New Version

The Weber Smokey Mountain 22 ½ inch enables you to cook your food with the use of either hot or cold smoke and is the largest smoker in the series, if you want to smoke multiple slabs of ribs, whole chickens or hams the Smokey Mountain will bring you some great results.

The 731001 Weber Smokey Mountain cooker has no restrictions on the type of wood or charcoal you use with it so you can truly experiment with flavor.

The 22-½ inch Smokey Mountain is significantly larger than the standard version of the smoker and provides 726 square inches of space for cooking, the smoker comes with two porcelain enamelled cooking grates that separate the cooking area nicely into three sections.  The capacity of the smoker is very impressive and since the cooking grates are 21 inches across you’re less likely to have to make compromises on the size of the joints you cook.

If you like cooking your smoked food in bulk you will find the Weber smoker to be an ideal piece of hardware, it makes sense to get as much value from the wood and charcoal you use for cooking and smoked food will often taste great even after it’s been frozen.

Ribs that have been cooked in the smoker take on a pink smoke ring around the edge and their flavor is nothing less than amazing, you can also use the smoker to make pulled pork, beef brisket and dozens of other recipes, each time you cook a different dish you can experiment with the flavor by using different types of seasoning or wood.

Getting the smoker to operate at the right temperature is a straightforward process made easier with its four built in aluminum vents, the smoker also has a rust resistant aluminum door with a spring loaded catch that enables you to add charcoal or wood with no hassle.

The smokers lid, water pan and bowl are porcelain enamelled and its handles rarely get too hot as they are made from glass reinforced nylon, the Smokey Mountain includes a cover to protect it from the elements; you can also have the smoker ready to cook in as little as 15 minutes by using it in conjunction with the rapid fire chimney starter.

Check the latest price on the Weber Smokey Mountain 22 ½ Inch Smoker

The Weber Smokey Mountain 2820 is the old version of the Smoker that has been replaced by an enhanced model that being the 721001, the smoker allows you to infuse foods such as meat, fish and vegetables with smoky flavors from wood or charcoal.  If wood bisquettes are not to your liking and you want total control of what fuel is used to smoke your food, you will find the Smokey Mountain to be ideal.

The type of fuel you decide to use with the Smokey Mountain is completely under your control, if you want to cook with charcoal then you can do it, if you want to cook with just wood then you can, if you want to use a combination of the fuels it’s not a problem.

The smoker allows you to take slow cooking to the limit and when set up properly you don’t need to continually check on the food in order for it to be cooked at its best, the smokers internal capacity is more than adequate for cooking whole chickens or turkeys.

Chickens and turkeys turn out considerably well after being cooked in the smoker and you will find them tender, flavorsome and juicy on the inside due to the cooking process, if you ever decide to break with tradition and use the smoker to cook turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving then you’re likely to want to do so again and again, left over turkey will be a thing of the past.

The outer casing of the smoker is made from premium grade steel and inside you will find two 18.5 inch cooking grates that are nickel plated, you can’t control the flow of air as you can with the new version as the 2820 doesn’t have individual vents on its lid,  adjusting the vents has an impact on the tenderness of meat and the amount of time your charcoal and wood will last.

The bowl and lid for the smoker have a porcelain enamelled finish that prevents the build up of rust, the handles for the smoker are made of glass re-enforced nylon that is both tough to corrode and comfortable to take hold of even when the smoker is hot.

You can use the smoker in conjunction with the Weber rapid fire chimney starter and this enables you to have hot coals ready within 15 minutes, the chimney starter works without the need of lighter fuel and it enables you to get the smoker going with nothing other than a naked flame and some crumpled paper.

The design of the Weber smoker is sturdy and if you have enjoyed using similar smokers in the past you’re likely to cook thousands of dishes in it before it needs to be replaced.

Check the latest price on the Weber Smokey Mountain 2820