1000 & Hovergrill Kit

Excellent product, I purchased this in the spring, and waited until I put it through its paces to see how well it works before reviewing. I have used it with the basic weber grill setup and the extra rack that comes with this setup. Outstanding results for ribs, chicken, duck, beef and pork roasts and chops. Bacon wrapped beer can burgers were super delicious with the smokey flavor. I also have used the smokenator in conjunction with the weber rotisserie, and the ribolator (another great product, different company). Outstanding results with all uses. I use it with both wood chunks and chips. Add chunks of wood before lighting the smoker and chips after lighting. For longer smoking, I use an additional pan of water or left over marinade to be sure I have enough moisture. This also helps protect against the included water pan running out of water, which may need to be added about every 40 minutes or so. It also helps maintain a good steady low and slow temperature as well as keeping food moist. Very easy to setup and use. Highly recommend.I found I like to use one hand to set the hover grill on the concrete for a couple of minutes while tending the meat on the main grill. This was a problem at first as the folding legs collapsed inwards when I picked it up making it necessary to use both hands to set it down. Both on the concrete and when returning it to the grill. My solution was to carefully weld the legs permanently open. Problem solved. Others may need the legs to fold. What ever works for you is best. Just an idea for those who ran into the same problem I did.

The Smokenator seems to work pretty well in the right conditions. Yes, it's just bent sheet metal, but it's very tough and sturdy sheet metal that has been precision-cut to perfectly fit a weber grill. The instructions for controlling temperatures seem to be way off, though. They recommend putting a candy thermometer through the top vent with the probe near the top of the dome. This doesn't make sense because you really want to know 2 temperatures: inside the meat, and near the outside of the meat. Who cares about the temp 6 inches above the meat? It's hotter at the top of the grill versus the bottom. Best bet: get 2 digital thermometers and run the probe wires up through the bottom vent.It can be difficult to control airflow if you live in a windy area. The wind whips over and under the round kettle and goes right across the vents. On thanksgiving, I had to construct a huge cardboard windbreak out of a refrigerator box I happened to have. The turkey was great, but I never did get the grill up to 325 degrees, only about 250. This resulted in a longer cooking time, and the giblet gravy tasted like ash. I think I should have added burning coals throughout the cook rather than unlit coals. As an amateur though, I place most of the blame on myself.The hovergrill is ok. Flimsy and a pain to clean, but it does double the surface area for ribs. The biggest problem is that you want to switch the ribs (top level to bottom) halfway through the cook so that everything cooks evenly. You have to keep a tray ready to take all the meat off the grill to rearrange it. Maybe this isn't necessary... I read it on amazingribs dotcom and it made sense.

This is the third Smokenator I have had. I don't know what is going on, but after smoking we have to throw the food in the oven for a while. Still it gives great smoke flavor. We cooked two chickens the other day for eight hours and had to toss them in the oven to finish them off. Smoked salmon gets rave reviews. My new Weber stays at a constant 220 degrees and I can't get the temperature up to finish things off. On my old Weber I had to fight to keep the temp right. When I cooked the chicken I went through a whole back of wood blocks. By the way, get a little hatchet because you might have to make the blocks smaller. All-in-all it does a good job. You have to stick around and keep your eyes on it while it is smoking. It works well, but don't think you can start it up and leave it.

After using this several times to smoke ribs on my webber kettle, i went back to cooking indirect method because there is not enough room for wood chunks, especially if you keep the water pan in. Water pan is to small anyway and I prefer to use a cake pan.

It's a compromise and for that price you can get a real smoker

Recently retired, and trying to upgrade by BBQ skills, I came across the smokenator. The reviews were almost too good. Having used it, I can now say that this is the best accessory, ever, for outdoor cooking, gas or charcoal!! Easy to set up, with clear directions; I was up and running within two hours of opening the box. My test run became a cooking run as soon as I saw how simple it was to maintain a target temp. Two hours after the meat hit the grill, a perfectly cooked eye of round, with a good smoke ring, and a great smoke flavor. Using a Maverick dual probe thermometer, most of the cook time was spent puttering around doing other things around the house. I was pleasantly surprised at the short cook time for a roast big enough for 3-4 people.The product design is simple and effective. It does exactly what it claims. What more could you possibly want?