Weber 10020 Smokey Joe Silver Charcoal Grill, Black

I've used this gem for years. My apartments, on the whole, mandated the simplicity and efficiency offered up by the Smokey Joe.

A great feature is the rounded top. This enables better smoking, as air and smoke circulates more fluidly.

The downsides:
The legs aren't as sturdy as they could be. Given time, a bit of bumping around and general abuse, and the screwed on legs might turn askew. If you notice this while the grill is hot, you've a problem. The solution is to keep them tight during non-use.

The air intake at the bottom gets clogged with ashes. A key to good charcoal grilling is the manipulation of air flow. The intake might be open, but stopped up. If you are diligent to clean the ahes, you'll be OK.

Because the grill is so close to the ground, you need to be careful. Unlike most of Weber's grill, this one os also apt to getting kicked over, run into by dogs, cars and children.

I fully recommend Weber's Smokey Joe. Now, I'm hungry. Time to stir the coals and pop on a few brats.

Anthony Trendl


The Perfect Compact Grill!   September 4, 2000
34 out of 37 found this review helpful

If you're short on space, cooking for only 2 people or grill only a couple of times a year, this will be the perfect grill! You'll get the same exceptional cooking results and flavors with Smokey Joe as you would with the larger Weber charcoal grills. This extremely durable grill is an outstanding value, and also makes an ideal "second grill" for those with larger Webers who wish to cook items using "direct-heat" and "indirect-heat" at the same time. Not only does Weber provide great recipes in the owners manual, they also have additional recipes on their Web site at www.weber.com! Love my Weber Smokey Joe and won't part with it or stop using it even though I also now have the "One-Touch Silver".


unfortunately, size DOES matter!   April 28, 2003
Eduardo Nietzsche (Houston)
34 out of 50 found this review helpful

OK, I live in a small apartment, and just cook for 2 people...so this mini-grill should be the logical choice, right? WRONG.

If I had to do it over again, I would've bought the larger 22.5" Weber One Touch grill. Why? Not because I plan to throw huge cookout parties, but because the smaller diameter size also translates into the meat being MUCH CLOSER to the coals! Result? Very easy to have the outside of your meat burned to hell, while the inside is actually UNDERcooked! It's not so bad if you're cooking thin pieces like filets or hamburgers and hotdogs, but use any thicker meat (for example, a chicken breast with skin and bones) and it's just disastrous. After experimenting with different amounts of charcoal, I found the only way of avoiding that would be to cook the meat with the lid on ("the indirect method") but that takes much, much longer and has a very different result.

This is certainly not any design flaw of Weber's or anything, it's just simple geometry and mathematics.

Other features I would've added: two collapsible handles to make carrying this grill without getting your hands totally dirty, some kind of "click" system to let you know when the bottom air vents are completely closed.


Good for small patios, but not so good for travelling.   April 14, 2005
K. Morris (Silicon Valley, CA)
30 out of 32 found this review helpful

I've had one of these little Smokey Joes for probably 15 years now. It definitely has some strong points, but also a few drawbacks.

Pros:
1. Durable. Mine's been outdoors in the weather for 15 years now. When I give it a good cleaning, it looks almost new.
2. Cooks well. I've grilled steaks, burgers, dogs, etc. It does a nice job on them all. And it doesn't use a whole lot of coal to do it. I've got a 22 1/2 weber too, but sometimes when cooking for only 2 of us, I use the smokey joe to save on coals.
3. It's small and does a nice job in a small space like apartment porch or patio.

Cons:
1. It's inconvenient as a Portable grill when traveling. It's got no carry handle or way to seal it up. Also, once you've grilled and need to go, there's nothing to do with the hot coals. You've got to seal all the vents and wait for them to be extinguished. Even then I'd be nervous about dumping them out or putting the grill in my trunk.
2. The legs get bent out of shape easily. I never abused mine, yet somehow they always are bent out of shape. Sure you can bend them back again, but later on its the same story.

If I were buying a small portable grill today, I would go with a rectangular grill like the Weber Go Anywhere grill. The legs fold up and snap over the cover. Then you just pick it up like a tool box by the top handle and go. If you choose a propane version you avoid the problem of dealing with the hot coals afterward.