Weber's Lil Smokey Joe Grill Does a Big Ole Job

There is nothing like smelling those charcoals turning to coals of perfection as they anxiously await those mouth watering steaks to be tossed on the grill.

No matter if it is on the lake, at the park, your backyard, or on your little apartment patio, Weber’s Smokey Joe Grill, provides that outdoor cooking pleasure for you, and smokes it's little coals out for you.

Due to the recent very hot weather, and current monsoon season (just about to end here in Arizona :-), I haven't used my little Smokey Joe very much. We had a break in the hot weather over this weekend, and I took a break from indoor cooking by using this convenient cooker right outside my patio door.

The Smokey Joe Grill is one of Weber’s Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grills.

The name, Go-Anywhere grill, of course describes the portability of this small, yet very capable little cooker. Size was a definite factor in choosing a grill when I moved to my Townhome several years ago. I had previously admired a larger Weber Kettle Cooker that a friend of mine owned, and thought I had remembered it coming in a smaller size, so I purchased the Smokey Joe Grill for my patio.

Before I decided on the smaller Smokey Joe, I considered the number of people I would be cooking for on it, the amount of food I would be preparing, and how often I would be using it. I didn’t want a tiny little hibachi that didn’t hardly smoke; I wanted a real live charcoal cooker. I also wanted a grill small enough to accommodate cooking for one and big enough to work for three. The Smokey Joe Grill has a 14 ½” diameter cooking grate that holds two huge steaks and two giant potatoes quite nicely, with room to spare for the vegetables on the side.

I also took into consideration that I wanted something portable for those Sunday picnics on Mt. Lemmon. It packs easily into your car for transport and is very easy for clean up afterwards. If you wanted to spend a few more dollars, the Smokey Joe Tuck-N-Carry Grill is the premium version of the Smokey Joe Grill. It features a lid lock that secures the top in place for carrying. It also provides a wind shield. But, the classic Smokey Joe Grill is what I settled on since I would be using it primarily on my patio.

Since the Smokey Joe Grill is so small, it provides complete portability in providing me the option of moving it around. The Smokey Joe is very lightweight so it can be moved very easily to it’s storage spot once you are finished cooking. You can cook outdoors pretty much the whole year around in Tucson, but during the summer monsoons, I store the Smokey Joe in my outdoor laundry room when I’m not using it, and it certainly doesn’t take up much space tucked up on the shelf over my washer and dryer.

The Smokey Joe Grill lets you have control over the amount of heat and flame you want produced for your barbecue. You are able to control the air flow on the top and the bottom of the grill. There is an adjustable vent both in the lid above the cooking surface and in the charcoal pit. The Smokey Joe does just what it’s name says….it smokes, and it works wonderful for adding that just right savory taste to your food.

The Smokey Joe Grill retails for $27.99. I remember purchasing it on sale for $19.99 at a Target store. I assembled it, so I will vouch that is very easy to put together, as I am not mechanically inclined to assembly jobs. It comes with a Ten-Year Warranty and a little Weber cookbook. The Smokey Joe Grill worked great for my son and I while he still lived at home. So, even now that he has grown up and moved out, the little Smokey Joe Grill is just right for me, and has added pleasure to each one of my outdoor cooking adventures!