DIY: Weber Smokey Joe Grill level up to "Premium"

Hi all. Years back I bought an entry level Weber Smokey Joe Grill for a camping trip. At the beginning of covid, I started to use it a ton. I even made a Mini WSM to learn how to smoke meat at home with the family.

Grilling is actually a fun and relaxing way to cook at home during agreeable weather. With this grill model, I did notice a few things:

• Where do I put the lid? I would either run out of table space or awkwardly try to place it against the actual grill.

• This is a portable system. When I placed the unit in the trunk, the lid would slosh around. Eek!

Turns out, this may have been by design. If you check the Weber website out, you will see there is a premium version that has a lid holder and said lid holder will snap into the matching handle, making it a 1 piece totable system.

For an additional $11.01 plus sales tax, I would say it is worth it. I didn't want to buy a whole new grill though, so I shopped for the parts and went to upgrade my current system.

Materials

• Existing Weber Smokey Joe

• Weber Lid holder for 14" inch grill

  • You will only need the actual lid holder rod and 2 washers.

• Weber Handle that has the snap in groove for the lid holder

  • The site I bought them no longer has the part listed, but you can contact Weber as well.

• High Heat Grill Paint

• 220 Grit sand paper or metal file

• Towel

Tools

• Drill

• Drill bits (the size of your lid holder)

• Painter's Tape

Steps

1. Install the lid support.

   1. Remove the bolt on the 1 of the 3 legs and install (see picture)

2. Center the lid holder against the lid support and mark where you want to drill the holes for the lid holder rod.

3. Add some tape to right below the grill lip (2 inches from the top edge of the grill) to the areas you will drill your holes (1 on each side).

4. Drill a pilot hole smaller than the size of the lid holder.

   1. I started at 7/32", then went up until a test fit of the lid holder rod went through with ease.

5. Sand the area carefully and slowly.

6. Clean the area with a towel to remove dust and dirt.

7. Spray paint the area on the inside and outside of the bowl where you drilled. This is to cover any splitting of the enamel of the bowl and hopefully protect against and rust. Use light coats - maybe 1-3 sprays per side is plenty.

8. Remove the tape and let dry as recommended on the can.

9. Add a washer on each side of the lid holder out and install. Note: there will be tension, but stretch it out gently and you'll avoid scratching the grill bowl

10. Remove the 1 screw on your existing handle, and replace it with the new one.

    1. Reminder: the new handle should have a groove on top so that the lid holder can snap in

11. Test fit when the lid holder is snapped in.

12. Test the lid holder by removing the lid and sliding it into place.