Weber Kettle BBQ Smoker Conversion Kit 57cm Review

If you’ve got a 22 inch, 57cm kettle BBQ sitting in the backyard, you’re already holding a seriously capable smoker. The only reason most people never get proper low and slow results out of a kettle is the setup. They try to wing it with a pile of coals, throw the meat on, and wonder why temps swing all over the place or why the bark never sets.

That’s exactly where the SNS Weber Kettle BBQ Smoker Conversion Kit comes in. It turns a standard kettle into a true 2-zone smoker setup, heat on one side, protein on the other, with airflow controlled so your kettle creates an amazing amount of smoke, substantially impacting your cook.

What This Conversion Kit Actually Does

At its core, smoking is simple. You want steady heat, clean airflow, and indirect cooking. The problem with a kettle is that without the right internals, the air coming through the bottom vent can travel straight across the grill and hit your meat, which creates inconsistent temperatures and dries the surface faster than it needs to.

This kit solves that by creating a proper offset style layout inside your kettle. You get a dedicated charcoal zone with better fuel capacity and a dedicated indirect zone that stays stable for long cooks like ribs, brisket, pulled pork, or a full roast. Read below exactly how it works…

What’s In The Kit

The SNS Weber Kettle BBQ Smoker Conversion Kit includes 2 components that work as a team.

Slow N Sear Deluxe Kettle Charcoal Basket

This is the engine room. It’s a curved stainless charcoal basket that hugs the inside of your kettle, giving you more fuel capacity and better burn control than a standard Weber basket.

The removable water reservoir is the real hero feature. When you’re smoking, it acts as a thermal buffer and heat shield, helping keep the indirect side consistent. If you want to crank up the heat for a bigger sear zone, you simply remove it and gain more charcoal space and more direct heat area.

Drip N Griddle Pan

This is the piece most people don’t realise they need until they use it. It sits alongside the Slow N Sear and does 2 key jobs.

First, it catches drippings and fat so your cleanup is easier and your kettle stays cleaner during long cooks.

Second, and more importantly for smoking, it acts like a baffle plate. It blocks that cold air coming in from the bottom vent from travelling straight to the protein. Instead, it forces the airflow into the charcoal side first, then guides it through the fire and across the cooker the way you want it to move. That’s what helps create a more consistent temperature across the cook and reduces those annoying spikes and dips that ruin low and slow sessions.

Why This Setup Works Better Than Most DIY Methods

There are heaps of ways people try to convert a kettle into a smoker. Foil snakes, charcoal baskets shoved to the side, makeshift heat deflectors, you name it. Some of them can work, but they usually involve more fiddling, more refuelling, and more temperature chasing than most backyard cooks want to deal with.

This kit is purpose-built, which means it removes the guesswork and makes the results repeatable. The Slow N Sear holds a solid amount of fuel for long cooks, and the airflow management from the Drip N Griddle Pan helps lock the kettle into a steadier operating rhythm.

That’s why it’s such a good option if you want proper smoking results without committing to a full-size offset smoker.

The Real World Benefits For BBQ Lovers

Here’s what this conversion kit delivers when you actually put it to work.

Longer Burns With Less Refuelling

The larger charcoal holding capacity means you can hold low temps for extended cooks without constantly topping up fuel. For anyone who has tried doing ribs overnight in a kettle and ended up refilling at 2 am, you’ll appreciate that straight away.

True Two-Zone Control

This kit creates a proper two-zone cooking chamber inside the kettle. One side is dedicated to heat, the other stays indirect and stable, which is exactly what you want for smoking.

More Consistent Temperatures

Between the water reservoir acting as a buffer and the drip pan acting as a baffle for airflow, you get a steadier environment. That means less chasing vents and more time actually enjoying the cook.

Cleaner Cooks And Easier Cleanup

The drip pan catches the mess, making cleanup quicker and reducing flare-ups from fat dripping onto coals where it shouldn’t.

Versatility When You Want To Grill

This isn’t a one-trick pony. Remove the water reservoir, load up the basket, and you’ve got a bigger, more powerful sear zone for steaks, chops, and hot and fast grilling.

Who This Kit Is Best For

This kit makes the most sense for kettle owners who want to step up into smoking without buying a whole new smoker.

If you’re the kind of backyard cook who loves the simplicity of a kettle but wants brisket, ribs, pulled pork, or smoked chooks that taste like they came off a serious pit, this setup gets you there faster, with less stuffing around.

It’s also ideal if you’re tight on space and want one cooker that can do low and slow, indirect roasting, and hot searing all in the same kettle.

How To Set It Up For Your First Low And Slow Cook

You don’t need anything fancy. Keep it simple.

1. Place the Slow N Sear Deluxe basket on one side of the charcoal grate and fill it with charcoal.
    
2. Add water (or experiment with other liquids if you dare)  to the water reservoir.
    
3. Place the Drip N Griddle Pan next to the basket so it sits flush and forms the baffle zone.
    
4. Put your protein on the indirect side.
    
5. Control temps using your vents and let the airflow work through the charcoal side first.
    

Once you’ve done it once, you’ll find it becomes a repeatable process, which is exactly what you want when you’re cooking for mates or family and you don’t want surprises.

Ready To Smoke Properly In Your Kettle

If you’ve been looking at offset smokers but you’re not ready for the size, the cost, or the extra maintenance, this conversion kit is the smart middle ground. Your kettle can absolutely produce award-winning style results you just need the right internal setup to make it behave like a smoker.

The SNS Weber Kettle BBQ Smoker Conversion Kit 57cm is built to do exactly that, giving you true two-zone cooking, better airflow control, and the ability to run long, steady low and slow cooks without constantly refuelling or fighting temperature swings.

by: Sasha Halabi