How to Smoke on a Charcoal Grill (Kettle Setup and Snake Method)

Smoking on charcoal is a matter of doing the opposite of grilling. Instead of a big, hot fire spread under the food, you want a small fire on one side, burning slowly, with the food on the other side cooking in the heat and smoke that drift across. Get the fire small and the airflow low, and a plain kettle holds a smoking temperature for hours.

The USDA’s guidance is to keep the air in the smoker or grill between 225 and 300°F throughout the cook, and to expect 4 to 8 hours for meat and poultry. Weber’s own advice for a kettle is to aim for about 250°F. Everything below is about holding that number with the least effort.

Two ways to set up the coals

Two-zone with a water pan. Weber’s charcoal-grill method is to arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate, leave the other side empty, and fill a pan about three-quarters full with water on the empty side, under where the food will sit. The USDA’s version for a covered grill is similar — about 50 briquettes in two piles with a pan of water between them — and it says to add about 10 briquettes an hour to keep it going. This is the simplest setup and the easiest to top up.

The long-burn setups. Both of these light a few coals and let the fire creep slowly into unlit ones, so a single load lasts much longer.

• Modified Minion (Weber): about 70 to 72 unlit briquettes banked on one side, with about 16 briquettes lit in a chimney and poured on top.
• Snake method (Kingsford): about 100 unlit briquettes laid in two rows around the outer edge of the grill, about three-quarters of the way around, lit at one end with 6 to 8 lit coals. Kingsford gives it as a setup for 225 to 250°F.

For a first smoke, the two-zone setup is easier to understand. For anything longer than a few hours, the snake saves getting up to add coals.

What you need, and what to look for

A grill with a lid and two vents. Airflow is how you control the fire, so a grill with a top and a bottom vent is essential. A 22-inch kettle is the classic choice because there is room for coals on one side and a real cut of meat on the other.

A chimney starter. You only light a handful of coals, and a chimney lights them without lighter fluid. Look for one sized to your grill; a full-size chimney matches a 22-inch kettle.

Wood. Chunks or chips. Weber says there is no need to soak chunks; for chips, its kettle guide soaks two large handfuls for about an hour and adds a handful to the lit coals at a time, and the USDA also says to soak chips.

Two thermometers. The USDA recommends one for the air in the grill and one for the food. A lid dial reads the air up at the lid; a probe at grate level beside the meat tells you what the food is actually cooking in.

How to smoke on a charcoal grill, step by step

1. Arrange the unlit coals. Bank them on one side, or lay the snake around the edge. Put the water pan on the empty side of the charcoal grate.
2. Light a small batch. Light the starter coals in a chimney — about 16 for Weber’s Modified Minion setup, or 6 to 8 to start a snake. Our guide to lighting a charcoal grill covers the chimney method.
3. Pour them on and add wood. Tip the lit coals onto the unlit pile (or the start of the snake) and add a few chunks or a handful of soaked chips on top.
4. Put the food on and close the lid. Set the cooking grate in place and put the food over the water pan, away from the coals.
5. Set the vents. Weber’s kettle guide starts with the bottom vent half closed and the top vent nearly closed. Open them to raise the temperature and close them to lower it, making small changes and waiting to see the effect.
6. Hold the temperature. Aim for about 250°F at the grate; Weber says swings from 225 to 275°F are fine, and the USDA’s range for smoking runs to 300°F.
7. Feed it if you need to. With the two-zone setup, the USDA says to add about 10 briquettes an hour. A snake or Minion setup should need far less attention.
8. Cook to temperature. The USDA safe minimums are 145°F for steaks, chops and roasts with a 3-minute rest, 160°F for ground meats and 165°F for all poultry. Sauce, if you use it, goes on in the last 15 to 30 minutes.

Common problems

Temperature climbing too high. Too much air or too many lit coals. Close the bottom vent a little further, give it time to settle, and resist the urge to keep adjusting.

The fire keeps dying. The vents are too far closed, or ash is choking the bottom vent on a long cook. Open the bottom vent a touch.

Harsh, bitter smoke. Too much wood at once, or the fire smoldering in a starved, smoky way. Add wood a little at a time, and let the fire burn cleanly.

A kettle is not the only charcoal option. If they want a cooker that holds a low temperature with even less fuss, a kamado is the next step up — our kamado vs kettle comparison explains the difference, and best smokers for beginners ranks every route. On gas instead? See how to smoke on a gas grill.