Weber Smokey Joe Grill Review

Better Grills is supported by our readers. I sometimes earn a small fee when you click on the affiliate links.
Weber Smokey Joe grill review

The Weber Smokey Joe charcoal grill review shows that it has been around for many years and is still very popular and one of the best Weber grill deals.

There are two versions of this portable Go-Anywhere Weber charcoal grill available and we will look at both of them in this Weber smokey Joe grill review to help you decide if you need the Gold or the Silver Weber smokey Joe.

You can first read our summary of the two, or go to the full Smokey Joe grill review by scrolling down or reading my opinion at the bottom.

Weber Smokey Joe grill review – Silver and Gold Summary

If you look at the Weber smokey Joe silver versus gold there are a few differences but let’s have a better look at it.
Both have some things in common like:

  • 14 inch.
  • Glass-enforced nylon handle
  • Grates are nickel plated
  • Triple legs
  • Porcelain-enameled lids
  • Aluminum dampers
  • Weber Quality
Weber smokey Joe silver

The Smokey Joe silver version of this Weber portable charcoal grill is very popular and the opinions are a little divided on this grill.
Some people like the ash catcher underneath the grill and other people think it is just blowing the ashes all over the place while cooking. The holes are also used as the damper and a few users mentioned that the holes got clogged up with pieces of charcoal and this prevented the air from going in at the bottom. Read the full review further down the page.

Weber Smokey Joe Gold

The Smokey Joe gold version of this Portable Weber grill is different. It has no ash catcher and the air holes are on the side of the grill.
Some people wondered if this would prevent the grill from getting hot, but I could just find a few people complaining about that.
The handle on this grill that secures the lid during transporting and can be used to store the lid and at the same time use it as a wind catcher got some good remarks. Read the full review here more down the road.


Smokey Joe Silver Review

Weber smokey Joe silver review

The price of the Weber 10020 Smokey Joe does in my opinion not reflect the quality. You will get a very well-produced grill for a very affordable price.

I have found over 850 people who took the time to write about their experience with this grill and they gave it 4.7 stars out of 5. Great result!!.
The most mentioned pros I found in these writings were about:
Durability. Someone mentioned he had the same grill for over 15 years.
Heats up fast with the vents on the bottom.
Cheap on the use of charcoal. Read this several times.!!
Acts like a smoker with the lid closed. It can be used to cook a whole chicken with liquid smoke or wood chips.

The most mentioned Cons I found were about:
Size limits the use and you can cook not too much on it.
Handle to secure the lid would be a nice feature.
Ashes sometimes fly around and clog up the vent holes
For the rest, I was not able to find too many cons for the silver version of the Weber smokey


Smokey Joe Gold Review

Weber Smokey Joe gold review

Just like the Silver version you get a lot of value for a small price.
The Gold version of the Smokey Joe got a little lower rating with 4.5 stars out of 5 from over 280 users that took the time to share their experiences with the readers.

Most of the pros I found were:

  • The locked lid is great for transportation and secures very well.
  • The closed base prevents ashes and hot pieces of charcoal from falling on your deck.
  • Indirect cooking is doable with the vents on the meat side closed and on the charcoal side open.

The most mentioned con I found is:

  • Air holes are too high.

This came back several times as a con to control the airflow over the coals and not getting too hot because of that. On the other hand, many wrote that they did not have any problem with keeping this grill getting really hot


Weber Smokey Joe Grill Review – My Opinion

You buy a nice portable charcoal grill that you can use in your RV or camping trips and even in your own yard, patio, or deck.

If you do not like to mess with charcoal this is not your grill. Then you can have a look at the portable propane gas grill I reviewed.

If you travel a lot and need a grill that is easy to transport the Gold version is a good option because of the lid that can be locked in place.

An extra nice feature of this lid is the fact that you can use it as a wind Catcher and protect the grill in this way from too many temperature fluctuations.

There were a few remarks that the holes on the side had a negative effect on the option to regulate the airflow.

Some even mentioned the fire going out after putting the lid on the grill. Others mentioned that they had no problem with it.
It might have to do with where the wind is coming from.

If you use it at home or stay on a campground and do not travel every day the Silver might be a better option since there is no handle to lock the lid in place.

The holes at the bottom in combination with the fact that they also regulate the airflow from underneath the coals, like any other Weber is a good feature.

If you look for a grill that is more for home use you can have a look at the Weber original kettle 18-inch review I did.

The ashes falling out while cooking can be annoying and stain your deck or blow in the wind.

It is hard to tell you what type to choose from but I guess I can narrow it down to this.

  • Travel a lot and need to pack up fast. Take the Weber Smoky Joe Gold.
  • Stay home more and not run around too much? Take the Weber Smokey Joe Silver.

Click here to find the price for the Weber Smokey Joe Silver

Click here to find the price for the Weber Smokey Joe Gold

Products I recommend for the Weber Smokey Joe Grills

I like to add some recommended products in this Smokey Joe grill review that I found that people like to use with this grill.

Like I read in some of the remarks people made during our Smokey Joe grill review, it is good to use a grill mat if you use this portable grill at home on your deck.
The one recommended was the following:

Grill pad for the Weber smokey Joe to protect your deck

grill pad for under Weber Smokey Joe

This will take care of anything you spill in, under, and around your grill.
Click here to ==>: Click here to see the price.
Comes in four colors: Black, Brick, Brown, and Grey to match your deck or patio.

Related Read: https://bettergrills.com/fireproof-mat-for-deck/

Weber Smokey Joe carry bag

This bag is very easy to use when you like to take your smokey Joe with you.
==>: Click here to see the price.

Charcoal starter for the Smokey Joe

best charcoal starter

The question of how to light the Weber smokey Joe brings me to the second recommendation and that is the Weber Charcoal starter. I have this one myself and used it for at least 5 years now with no problem.
I tried the cheaper no brands first, but that was a disaster.
==>: Click here to see the price.

Related Read: https://bettergrills.com/how-to-use-weber-chimney-starters/

Weber Smokey Joe Recipes

There are no special recipes for this Weber BBQ Smokey Joe grill. You can basically grill or even smoke any recipe on this very easy-to-use grill.

Weber Smokey Joe – My Opinion

Here is my opinion about the Weber smokey joe based on my practical knowledge.

The only limitation is the size. With 14 inches in diameter, you can still use the Weber smokey Joe for indirect cooking but it will limit the size of your meat. For more options and a larger grill, you can have a look at the Weber 22 inch kettle grill here.

I believe that this grill is a great size and quality for people who begin cooking on a grill.

It is easy to use and even portable. Because of its size, it will not use a lot of charcoal and still gives you a lot of options to use.

Thank you for taking the time to read this Smokey Joe review and if you have something to add feel free to leave it in the comment box or send us an email.

Eddie van Aken

Eddie van Aken has years of experience in running his full-service restaurant and with this came working with using and dealing with all types of kitchen equipment. With his experience, he can find all the pros and cons of grills and add them to the grill reviews he is doing. You can read more on the about page for Eddie van Aken

Scroll to Top