Oil heat and use. Use use use. I don't clean mine after cooking. I wait until the next cook. I get them hot and brush them off before starting.
A good grill brush is not a lot of money.
Building and employing the snake method takes some practice. But with the snake method, I no longer use either smoker I own. Especially now that I have the Weber kettle 26". Even a large turkey is easy enough.
I do use the charcoal baskets at times and I also use bricks.
The key to a successful...
No. You can use the top or bottom grate if you want too. Weber sells grates if you ever need another one.
Using the bottom grate is much easier as when they are ready you can just dump them out. If you use top grate, you must remove it to dump the coals.
I never have to add coals to long...
The bottom (charcoal) grate is where you place the chimney. Not on the ground.
Something I have learned is a few drops of used cooking oil on the paper really speeds it up.
Also, I save Amazon and other packing paper for lighting the chimney. We don't get a newspaper anymore and the packing...