Weber Smokey Mountain 22 Review: Still the Benchmark?

Updated 2026-08-21 Researched, not tested in person

Quick answer

Buy the Smokey Mountain 22 if you want a charcoal smoker that holds temperature well, has nothing to break and will still be working in twenty years, and you cook for larger groups. Skip it if you mostly cook for two to four, where the 18 inch model is easier to run and cheaper, or if you want a cooker that does not need any attention at all.

A design that has barely changed in decades, because it did not need to.

Best charcoal smoker for most people

Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker, 22 inch Charcoal Smoker

~$550

A porcelain-enamelled bullet smoker with two cooking grates, a water pan, a fuel door and vent-only temperature control.

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Specifications

Design	Vertical bullet smoker with a water pan
Grates	Two cooking grates, allowing two large items at once
Finish	Porcelain-enamelled lid, bowl and centre section
Temperature control	Adjustable dampers on bowl and lid
Fuel access	Large aluminium fuel door, removable
Monitoring	Silicone temperature grommet for a probe

Specifications above come from Weber's published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

The water pan is a thermal buffer, which is why this design holds a temperature so much more easily than a thin offset.
Two full grates give real capacity for a cooker with a small footprint.
There is nothing to fail: no fan, no controller, no firmware, no power cord.
Porcelain enamel resists rust and peeling, and these cookers routinely last decades.
Parts and community knowledge are abundant, so anything that does wear out is replaceable.

Where it falls short

The 22 is harder to run at low temperatures than the 18. More air volume and a bigger charcoal bed means it wants to run hot, and beginners overshoot on it more often.
The dome thermometer reads the lid, not the grate, and the difference is not small. Use the grommet and a probe.
Access to the lower grate means lifting the upper one, which is awkward mid cook with hot food on it.
It is not insulated, so cold and wind change fuel consumption noticeably.
There is no shelf, no cart and no storage. It is a cooking device and nothing else.

What owners report

Owner reports on the Smokey Mountain are remarkable mostly for how little they change over time. The consistent themes are longevity, temperature stability once you learn the vents, and the fact that most people never feel the need to upgrade. The most common regret reported is size, and it runs both ways: people who cook for crowds wish they had bought the 22, and people cooking for four sometimes find the 22 harder to hold at 225F than the 18 would have been. Put your real cooks through the smoker size calculator before choosing between them.

The second theme is the water pan, which is where a lot of confusion lives. It buffers temperature and adds humidity; it does not add moisture to the meat in any direct way. Our water pan versus no water pan comparison explains what it does and does not do, and running dry is a legitimate technique once you can control the fire.

The third is fuel. The minion method, where lit coals are placed on top of unlit ones, is what gives this cooker its long steady burn, and the choice between lump and briquettes changes the burn profile more than it changes the flavour. That is the subject of our lump versus briquettes comparison.

Who it suits

Cooks who want a charcoal smoker that will outlast several pellet grills.
People who regularly smoke for eight or more.
Anyone who wants low running costs and no electronics.

Who should skip it

Cooks who mostly feed two to four, who will find the 18 inch easier to run low and cheaper to buy.
Anyone who wants an unattended overnight cook with app alerts.
People who want a cooker that also grills and sears well, which this does not.

Alternatives worth considering

Right Size for Most

Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker, 18 inch Charcoal Smoker

~$420

Cheaper, easier to hold at low temperatures and still fits a whole turkey and a ham at once. For a household of four this is usually the better buy.

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Small Space Pick

Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker, 14 inch Charcoal Smoker

~$290

The same design scaled down for a balcony or a small patio, and easy to transport. Capacity is genuinely limited, so buy it knowing that.

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Even Simpler

Pit Barrel Cooker Co. Pit Barrel Cooker Premier Series 18.5 inch Drum Smoker

~$460

Hangs meat rather than laying it on a grate, needs almost no vent management, and holds eight racks of ribs. Less controllable, much less fiddly.

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Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Frequently asked questions

Weber Smokey Mountain 22 vs 18: which should I buy?

Buy the 18 unless you regularly cook for more than about eight people. The 22 has more capacity and also more air volume, which makes it harder to hold at low temperatures for a beginner. Most households are better served by the 18.

Is the Weber Smokey Mountain still worth buying?

Yes. It is one of the few cookers where the design has not needed to change, and it does the core job as well as things costing three times as much. What it does not do is run itself, so if that is what you want you are shopping in the wrong category.

Do I need to use the water pan?

No, but it makes the cooker much easier to control, which is why it is there. Running dry raises the temperature and speeds up bark formation, and it is a technique worth learning once you can hold a temperature reliably with water in.

How long will a load of charcoal last?

Using the minion method a full ring routinely runs a long cook without refuelling, though wind, ambient temperature and how often you open the lid change that substantially. Plan the cook rather than the fuel, and keep more charcoal to hand than you expect to need.

Can I trust the lid thermometer?

Treat it as a trend indicator. It reads the dome rather than the grate and the two can differ meaningfully. Run a probe through the silicone grommet at grate level and cook by that number.

How we choose gear: we compare published manufacturer specifications, capacity and temperature ranges, materials, warranty terms and verified owner reviews. We do not test gear in person and we do not publish hands-on claims we cannot support.

Cook times and temperatures are researched guidance, not a food-safety authority. Every figure on this page is an estimate: smokers, ambient weather, humidity and the individual cut all move it. Food is safe when a calibrated instant-read thermometer says so, never when a clock or a chart does. Keep food out of the 40°F to 140°F danger zone, observe the 4 hour rule, and follow current USDA safe minimum internal temperatures. If you are cooking for anyone pregnant, very young, elderly or immunocompromised, cook to the USDA minimums rather than to a preference-based doneness temperature.

Keeping your own cook times, rubs and pit temperatures? The Smoking & Cook Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.