The Weber Bullet has three major sections:

• The Lid
• The Center Ring
• The Charcoal Bowl

The three sections fit together snugly, making the unit quite airtight--one of the secrets of the WSM's ability to regulate and maintain temperature easily. The sections come apart for easy cleaning and transportation. 

The lid is constructed of heavy-gauge steel with a porcelain enamel finish inside and out. It is fitted with a handle and one adjustable air vent.

The handle is made of gray, heat-resistant nylon plastic and has the Weber logo stenciled on it.

The adjustable damper exhausts smoke and heat from the cooker, allowing them to pass over your food for that great barbecue taste. Most WSM users leave this vent completely open at all times during the cooking process, since inadequate ventilation can cause an off taste in foods. It may be partially closed if the cooker is running much hotter than desired, and should be completely closed at the end of a cooking session to extinguish the coals.

The damper is made of rust-resistant aluminum and is fastened to the lid with a 1/4" aluminum tubular rivet. The two tabs are used to grasp the damper to adjust it, and each damper hole has a stop tab that limits the open/close motion of the damper. There is also a date of manufacture code stamped into the damper.

Picture 4 shows a view looking into the lid.

The center ring is constructed of heavy-gauge steel with a porcelain enamel finish inside and out. It holds two grates where all the cooking action takes place, plus the water pan and the access door through which fuel, smoke wood, and water is added during the cooking process.

The water pan and cooking grates rest on four grill straps that are fastened to the inside of this section. Picture 2 shows two of the holes used to attach a grill strap.

The charcoal bowl is constructed of heavy-gauge steel with a porcelain enamel finish inside and out. It contains the charcoal grate and charcoal chamber in which the fuel and smoke wood are placed. The bowl sits on three sturdy aluminum legs that provide a stable base for the cooker.

There are three dampers in the charcoal bowl. These vents are identical to the one in the lid. Each vent is adjusted independently throughout the cooking process to control air flow into the charcoal bowl. By increasing or decreasing air flow, fuel combustion is increased or decreased, thus raising or lowering the cooker temperature. Each vent may be fully open or fully closed or somewhere in-between depending on the need to control cooker temperature.

Closing these three vents and the lid vent at the end of a cooking session will extinguish the coals.

Picture 2 shows a view looking into the bowl at one of the vents.

The Weber Bullet has two nickel-plated cooking grates with a combined surface area of approximately 468 square inches. The grates are supported by four grill straps fastened to the inside the center ring.

The top grate has two handles and is situated near the top of the center ring. It is the same grate used in all Weber 18-1/2" charcoal grills.

The bottom grate is slightly smaller in diameter than the top grate. It has no handles and is situated 7-1/2" below the top grate. The smaller diameter is necessary to provide clearance between the grate and the grill straps.

The water pan is constructed of heavy-gauge steel with a porcelain enamel finish. The water moderates the temperature of the cooker, provides a moist cooking environment, and catches any drippings, preventing them from flaring-up on the hot charcoal below.

The pan is supported by the same grill straps that support the two cooking grates.

This grate rests in the bottom of the charcoal bowl on the three screws that attach the legs to the bowl. It holds the charcoal chamber into which the fuel and smoke wood are placed. Ashes fall through the grate to the bottom of the charcoal bowl.

The charcoal chamber is constructed of heavy-gauge steel with a porcelain enamel finish. It is placed on top of the charcoal grate and keeps the fuel centered on the grate and prevents the dampers in the charcoal bowl from becoming blocked. The perforations provide airflow to the burning coals and smoke wood.

The WSM hardware pack consists of a small cardboard box containing these parts:

• Legs
• Grill Straps
• Fasteners
• Access Door Assembly
• Owner's Manual

Three rust-resistant aluminum legs are attached to the charcoal bowl using two screws, two nuts, and two steel washers per leg.

Four grill straps are attached to the inside of the center ring using two screws, two nuts, and two fiber washers per strap.

These fasteners are used to attach the legs and grill straps:

• 1/4-20 x 5/8 Inch Screws (14) - Part #87401
• 1/4-20 Nuts (14) - Part #87503
• Fiber Washers (8) - Part #877301
• 1/4" Steel Washers (6) - Part #87605

Access Door Assembly
Part #75500
8-1/8" x 11-5/8"
1-3/4" diameter knob

The access door has an offset along the bottom edge that engages the opening in the center ring. The knob turns a latch on the inside of the door (Picture 2) to secure it to the center ring.

The door is made of rust-resistant aluminum. Some doors are stamped with a pebbled finish, while others are stamped with a diamond pattern.

The knob is made of a hard, black, heat-resistant plastic.

Owner's Manual
Part #63230
5-1/2" x 8-1/2", 28 pages, black & white, diagrams and clipart

The owner's manual contains assembly and operating instructions, cooking tips, smoker care information, helpful hints, and recipes. A product registration card is also included.

Weber includes a full-length, premium-quality vinyl cover with the WSM. It has small elastic strips at the bottom that provide some closure around the charcoal bowl. The Weber logo is printed on the cover.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker comes with the following warranty (current as of July, 2008):

• Cooking grates/charcoal grate: 2 years

• Bowl and lid against rust/burn-through: 10 years

• Nylon handle: 10 years

• All remaining parts: 2 years

The warranty takes effect on the date of purchase.

Good temperature control is one of the keys to making consistently great barbecue. Unfortunately, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker doesn't come with a built-in thermometer, so you'll have to add one yourself. See Measuring Temperature In The Weber Bullet to explore your options.