Component Parts – 2009-2013 WSM 22.5″

In this topic:

Three Major Sections
Lid
Thermometer
Middle Cooking Section
Charcoal Bowl
Cooking Grates
Water Pan
Charcoal Grate
Charcoal Chamber
Access Door Assembly
Heat Shield
Hardware Pack
Lid Handles
Legs
Grill Straps
Fasteners
Owner’s Manual
Vinyl Cover
Warranty
Disclosure
Related Articles

Here are photos and detailed descriptions of all the parts that make up the 22.5″ Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker for model years 2009-2013.

For part numbers and a diagram showing the relationship between parts, visit the Parts Schematics For Weber Smokers page. To see how a WSM is put together, visit the WSM Assembly page.

Three Major Sections

Assembled height: 48.5″
Assembled width: 23″
Assembled weight: 52 pounds

The Weber Bullet has three major sections:

The Lid
The Middle Cooking Section
The Charcoal Bowl

When these three sections are fitted together, they achieve a fairly good seal—not airtight, but a good seal. This is one of the secrets of the WSM’s ability to regulate and maintain temperature easily. The sections come apart for easy cleaning and transportation.

Lid

22.5″ OD x 14.3125″ (including handle)
4.25″ damper (1), 0.75″ holes (4 per damper)
11.8125″ between inside top of lid and top cooking grate
Includes thermometer and thermometer bezel.

The lid is constructed of heavy-gauge steel with a porcelain enamel finish inside and out. It is fitted with two handles, an adjustable vent damper, and a thermometer.

The vent damper exhausts smoke and heat from the cooker, allowing them to pass over your food for that great barbecue taste. Most WSM owners 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 0.25″ 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 two-character date of manufacture code stamped into the damper.

This photo shows an interior view of the lid.

Thermometer

100-350°F range, 5°F increments
2.25″ diameter face, 1.5″ stem
0.375″ hole in lid

The thermometer is positioned opposite from the vent damper. It is housed in a plastic bezel and is fastened to the lid using a wing nut.

Middle Cooking Section

22.875″ OD / 21.75″ ID x 21.5″
12.75″ x 13.875″ access opening, 7.25″ between screw holes

The middle cooking section 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 are 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. This photo shows two of the holes used to attach a grill strap.

Note that sometime in 2010, Weber changed the shape of the access opening on the 22.5″ WSM, making the top corners round instead of square. The round shape helps maintain the structural integrity of the curved shape of the middle cooking section when it is rolled during production.

Charcoal Bowl

22.625″ OD x 12″ (without legs), 14.25″ (with legs)
4.25″ dampers (3), 0.75″ holes (4 per damper)

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 adjustable vent dampers in the charcoal bowl. These dampers are identical to the one in the lid. Each vent damper 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 damper may be fully open or fully closed or somewhere in-between depending on the need to control cooker temperature.

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

These photos show an interior view of the bowl.

Cooking Grates

Top: 21.5″ diameter, 363 square-inch surface
Bottom: 20.75″ diameter, 338 square-inch surface
9″ between top and bottom grates

The 22.5″ Weber Bullet has two nickel-plated cooking grates with a combined surface area of approximately 701 square inches. The grates are supported by four grill straps fastened to the inside the middle cooking section.

The top grate has two handles and is situated near the top of the middle cooking section. It is the same grate used in all Weber 22.5″ charcoal grills.

The bottom grate is slightly smaller in diameter, has no handles, and is situated 9″ below the top grate. The smaller diameter is necessary to provide clearance between the grate and the grill straps.

Water Pan

18.75″ OD x 4.25″
12.5″ between bottom of pan and charcoal grate
0.5″ between top of pan and bottom cooking grate
3 gallon capacity

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.

Charcoal Grate

18.25″ diameter
5.25″ between grate and bottom of charcoal bowl

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.

Charcoal Chamber

17″ OD x 4.75″

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.

Access Door Assembly

14″ x 16.25″
3″ x 1.25″ knob

The access door has an offset section along the bottom edge that engages the opening in the middle cooking section. Tabs at the bottom of the door allow it to hang down in the open position from the middle cooking section.

The knob turns a latch on the inside of the door that secures it to the middle cooking section.

The door is made of rust-resistant aluminum and is stamped with a pebbled finish.

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

Heat Shield

15″ OD x 2.75″

The heat shield is held in place by tabs on the three legs. Sitting just below and not touching the bottom of the charcoal bowl, the heat shield and the air gap it creates help protect your deck or patio from the heat generated by the cooker. It also has the added benefit of reflecting heat back into the cooker, making it operate more efficiently.

The shield is made from rust-resistant aluminum and has a hole in the center to allow rainwater to weep out.

Hardware Pack

A small cardboard box containing these parts:

Plastic Handle Kit
Legs
Grill Straps
Fasteners
Owner’s Manual

Lid Handles

5.875″ x 1.125″ (2)

The plastic handle kit consists of two pieces that fit around the metal lid handle, and is fastened using one screw. It is made of heat-resistant nylon plastic and has the Weber logo stenciled on it.

Legs

13.25″ x 2″ (3)

Three rust-resistant aluminum legs are attached to the charcoal bowl using two screws, two nuts, and two steel washers per leg. The tabs projecting from the short side of each leg are used to hold the heat shield in place.

Grill Straps

11.375″ x 0.75″ (4)
7.25″ between screw holes

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

Fasteners

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

1/4-20 x 5/8 Inch Screws (14)
1/4-20 Nuts (14)
Fiber Washers (8)
1/4″ Steel Washers (6)

Owner’s Manual

8.5″ x 11″, 32 pages, black & white, schematic diagrams

The owner’s manual contains assembly and operating instructions, cooking tips, smoker care information, helpful hints, and recipes.

Vinyl Cover

41″ long

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

Warranty

The 2009-2013 22.5″ Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker came with the following warranty:

Cooking grates/charcoal grate: 2 years
Bowl and lid against rust/burn-through: 10 years
Nylon handles: 10 years
All remaining parts: 2 years

The warranty takes effect on the date of purchase.

Disclosure

The 22.5″ Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker shown in this article was provided compliments of Weber-Stephen Products Co. I was neither obligated to post a review of the product nor was I paid to write this article. The comments and opinions expressed are my own and have not been reviewed or approved by Weber.

Photo of rounded access door opening: 2011 by Sheila Cochran

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