Spider Grills started their business by creating products for the Weber charcoal kettle grill that makes it better and easier to use. They’ve since evolved into creating a much better grill from the ground up, but their Weber accessories are a cheaper way to transform the grill you have.

Their Venom Controller lets you set a temperature for the Weber kettle and it will hold it by adjusting airflow. You can control it with an on-board screen or through an app on your phone. I have an old Weber grill that was a perfect candidate for it, so Spider Grills sent me one to try out.

Summary

The Venom Controller delivers on its promise of making temperature control easier for the Weber kettle. Whether you’re new to grilling and are sick of burning food with wild temperature swings, or you’re a pro that just wants an easier experience, the Venom can help. It takes a little bit of effort to install, but its design looks good and works well.

Features and Specs

• Retail price of $279.99 (check price) for a 22″ Weber kettle and $20 more (check price) for a 26″ model
• Compatible with a variety of Weber kettles but check Spider Grills’ website to verify
• Temp range of 150 degrees F to 550 degrees F for a wide range of cooking options
• Run off a standard plug but a separate battery pack can be purchased to go cordless
• Connects to your phone via WiFi to control it from anywhere

Assembly

The Venom is easy overall to assemble but it takes some effort. Start by emptying the ash out of your Weber, so it doesn’t get everywhere. Then, take everything out of it, and remove the old ash pan assembly by pushing a screwdriver into the metal tabs by the legs.

Once the old ash pan is off, the new Venom goes on the same way that the ash pan came off. There is a fixed tab to align first, then force the other two tabs up into the top of the legs.

It definitely takes some effort and trial and error. I go through what worked for me in the video above, which will be helpful before you start fighting with it.

What’s nice, is no drilling or screws are required. It’s a direct swap for the old ash pan, which is a nice design.

Cooking

To use the controller, you need to start with lit charcoal. Use a charcoal chimney or some fire starters and get the charcoal going. If you’re cooking at a low temp, make sure you don’t go overboard with how much you light the charcoal in the chimney or you’ll have to choke it off in the grill.

You can also have the fan going on the controller while you’re lighting it to speed up the process. It adds lots of airflow, which the fire likes.

Once the charcoal is going and is in the grill, you can set the controller to your desired temperature from 150 degrees F to 550 degrees F. It will use the fan to hold whatever temperature you set it at, and instruct how the top vent of the grill should be positioned.

It comes with a meat probe, and has the ability to use two. If you’re new to using meat probes, they are a cheat code for cooking food to the perfect level of doneness.

Not only does the controller keep temperature, it also will communicate with your phone through the Spider Grills app. I’ve used a bunch of grill apps and I like the layout and capabilities of the one that Spider Grills made.

It’s been reliable for me and it has all the features you want. You can change the temperature of your grill, check the doneness of your food, and get all kinds of alerts.

Through using this controller and the same one on Spider Grills’ Huntsman, I’ve been happy with how well it holds temp. It makes low and slow significantly easier, and you don’t have to be an expert at charcoal layouts or vent control to get great results. Plus, I like how bright and easy to read the screen is on the controller.

Conclusion

At $279.99, the Spider Grills Venom Controller is a cheaper way to feel like you got a new grill. It transforms your Weber kettle into a much more modern cooking device that’s easy to use. Once you get it installed, the hard part is over, and it instantly up-skills your grilling ability.