Another AmazingRibs Promotion Slow and sear

[ABCbarbecue]

oh, I wasnt planning to get an offset.   I was just having trouble understanding the main advantage to the slow n sear over snake method or banking coals using firebrick/rails/metal plate.  I know your product offers the searing and the more efficient water reservoir.   Does the slow 'n sear allow better "set it and forget it" ability so you dont have to mess with the vents or add more coals versus the other methods.  That's probably most important to me.  Basically, I want to be able to go overnight without worrying about it.

The charcoal basket collects the charcoal as it burns down and gets smaller.  This helps keep a consistent number of lit charcoal throughout the cook and helps keep temps very stable.  The water reservoir is designed to boil the one quart of water over 5 hours so you get just the right amount of steam for great smoke flavor and it helps keep temps stable.  After 5 hours your meat will be deep into the stall and evaporating a lot of moisture, so you don't really need water in the reservoir after that (but feel freed to add water if you want to).  You can do an overnight cook with the Slow 'N Sear once you get used to cooking with it (mainly getting used to vent settings), but I'd still recommend you keep a digital thermometer by your bed with an alarm just in case the temp gets too high or too low.

Pellet smokers are the gold standard when it comes to "set and forget".  The Slow 'N Sear is not set and forget like a pellet smoker, but it comes close and does so at a much lower price point.  The food tastes as good or better, and you don't have to worry about all the mechanical parts breaking (which they do trust me I know).

Another thing I'd point out is, whether you're smoking, baking, roasting, or searing, the SnS focuses heat just where it's needed.  You'll use less charcoal every cook.

[kexodusc]

eng3,  I can only speak to my experience so far, but I get longer burn times and a bit better temperature consistency using the SnS than the ring/snake method or minion method on a stock Kettle.  I always found on the stock kettle that behavior changed a bit depending on where the lit part was with respect to the vent holes, how densely the briquettes were packed, etc. Also, I can use lump in the SnS without even wilder temp swings, that was a challenge for me with a ring/snake/fuse method or even minion method in the stock kettle.  I got 9 good hours last time out on what chimney worth of KBB.  I topped out around 7 hrs stock, sometimes less.

I wouldn't walk away from the Kettle or leave the home, if that's the kind of set it and forget it you're looking for.

[eng3]

Thanks to you both.  I think that explained it pretty well and I'll go ahead and place an order.

I have a wireless thermometer so I'd monitor it that way.  I would like to be able to leave the house for an hour or two if I need to without worrying about it.

kexodusc, did you get 9hrs using lump?  I typically use lump, but assumed I would need to use briquettes to get enough time.

[ABCbarbecue]

Thanks to you both.  I think that explained it pretty well and I'll go ahead and place an order.

I have a wireless thermometer so I'd monitor it that way.  I would like to be able to leave the house for an hour or two if I need to without worrying about it.

kexodusc, did you get 9hrs using lump?  I typically use lump, but assumed I would need to use briquettes to get enough time.

Awesome!  We leave our kettle by itself for an hour or three all the time. 

Lump or briquets work great with the Slow 'N Sear.  I typically use Kingsford Blue Bag or Ozark Lump.

[Troy]

I've read through this thread.  I'm considering purchasing this item, but the cost is more than my kettle and I could get a separate cheapo (brinkmann) smoker and modify it for the same cost so it makes me pause.  I've never smoked on my kettle before so I have trouble understanding the main advantage to the slow n sear over snake method or firebrick/rails/metal plate to pile up coals on the side (which seems equiv to the smokenator).  I know there's the WR that lets you only use 1Qt of water, but I could just get a larger pan of water.  It has the "sear" ability, but I can easily raise my charcoal grate closer to the cooking grate.  Does the slow 'n sear allow better "set it and forget it" ability so you dont have to mess with the vents or add more coals versus the other methods, that might justify the cost for me?  When I read about the snake method or the pile up on side method, I often see a wide range of comments between people saying they dont need to make any adjustments to people saying they have to mess with the vents every hour.  Or is it equiv to the other techniques in terms of "set it and forget it" and just provide easier setup?

If you've never smoked on your kettle before, you should at least try before investing in any contraptions.
A standard kettle will already hold temps much better than those el cheapo brinkmanns.
Try a standard snake and see what it does. A snake should be able to go 6+ hours without fiddling.  The slow'n'sear isn't going to give you temp control, it just provides a home for a nest of fuel.
If you want to set it and forget it, get a stacker and use a full minion method. With that, you'll get 12+ hours of burn time without any serious fluctuations.

[SmokenJoe]

If cost is a "primary" consideration, then get some cooks on your kettle.  Many cooks in this forum can run a "fuse" for longer than 7 or 8 hours.  What are you cooking    Baby back ribs, 4-5hrs; St Louis ribs, 5-6 hrs; Pork Shoulder (for pulled pork), 9+hrs w/o crunching.  These can all be done on your kettle w/ a fuse.  Brisket is another story, but it's also another story on the SnS.  However, reloading coal on a fuse IS more difficult than a SnS.   At least cook on your kettle a little.

[kexodusc]

eng3, I used briquettes for the 9 hour run.  I've used lump too but for Ribs and steaks and such so far, so it didn't run to empty for a time measurement.  But more importantly, there's some sage advice above from members Troy and SmokeyJoe  - you should cook on the kettle a few times at least.  In fact, if you haven't mastered dialing in temps for extended time on a Kettle, you might even find doing it on a SnS a challenge at first.  Mine is very sensitive to vent adjustments, if I had no experience my first time using it I'm sure I would have been over and undershooting temperature targets.  Maybe you would master it first try, but after smoking on a Kettle you'll be in a better position to decide if the purchase is right for you.

[eng3]

I had already ordered the slow n sear prior to reading the last few messages so I just tried using it to do a pork butt.  I got a 7lb bone-in.  I cut it in half per the instructions.  It wasn't specific so I assumed splitting it down its longest edge to reduce thickness.

I didn't have a drip pan so I just foiled up the whole bottom under the pork.  I figure this will redirect more air toward the charcoal anyways.

I didn't have the starter cubes so I just used a chimney starter and then place the 12 briquettes in.  I then added charcoal and 3 wood chunks.  I couldn't fit an entire fullsize chimney starter, I could only fit about 75 more with the wood.  A full size chimney starter seems to be able to fit about 100 bruquettes.  I guess my kettle is leaky because with all the vents closed, except the top vent cracked open so my temp sensor wires could come out, the temp kept going up settling near 280F.  Using some binder clips, I was able to seal it better and get it down to around 250.  Around this time, I noticed my probe clip had come loose from the grill so who knows what the real temp was.  I had to open it up to fix that.  After that it was still settling around 250.  When the meat go up to around 180, it seemed like it was in the stall so I wrapped it up.  But then it actually went up to 190 and stayed there for quite some time.  Around the late afternoon, there was no longer direct sunlight on the bbq and I noticed the temp dropped about 25F.  After a while, it seemed like the meat temp was starting to drop.  I opened it up to take a look, ended up adding some charcoal and relighting the jack up the temp.  Overall it took about 10hrs, charcoal lasting about 9hrs.  I'm not sure how much cutting it in half really helped.

I think next time should go more smoothly now that I have a better idea of the vents.  I think I can maintain like 250 +/- 25F pretty easily without adjusting too much.  I don't know about 225, maybe if its a cold day or no sun.


Here's a graph of my temps: . 

[Metal Mike]

@eng3 if your grill is new or extra clean it tends to leak easier.
Cheap trick, try burning some chicken skin/fat directly over the coals, the resulting thick smoke will stick to the lid/vent seams & reduce this.
Also maybe starting with fewer coals (8-10) to keep the temp lower.

[kexodusc]

eng3, I'd say you did pretty good for a first spin and with experience you'll get better.  One of my old kettles is fairly leaky as well and I completely close the bottom vent while just opening the top one maybe a quarter or so, If that.  My biggest challenge right now is adjusting to the outdoor conditions.  It doesn't get above 85 F here very often but it has the last few weeks, I've had to tweak my start-up process a bit to not overshoot temps.  Similarly, the few overnighters I've done, temps are in the low 60's or high 50's even, it's taken longer to get things hot enough. Throw in a bit of wind and things get tricky.  I just take notes and making adjustments for next time.

One of the videos the SnS guys published talks about spraying a bit of water on the coals if you need to cool things down, that might be an option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=64&v=l0mDaM1Rza8

And I agree with the above poster - leaks will reduce a bit over time as the stuff sticks and chokes them off a bit. 

What type of charcoal did you use? 

[pommes]

Hi,
i just did my first smoked ribs , ever, and they were amazing.
I was able to maintain the temperature between 225 and 240 for 5 hours easily with only very few vent adjustments.
when i tried to maintain that temperature before i got the SNS, it was not that easy.
I am happy with the SNS, thank you!

[ABCbarbecue]

@eng3 you can potentially have much better results on your next cook.  As some of the other folks have suggested, you had to have had an air leak for your temps to be that erratic.  To maintain 225F your top vent should be at most 1/3 open, and possibly much less.  Your bottom vent should be about 1/4 open.  These settings vary based on a lot of variables (temp, humidity, sun, etc...) but should help get you closer to 225F, then tweak as needed.  When first heating up, start closing your vents down once the temp passes 180F and you'll be much less likely to zoom past 225F.  The binder clips will really help keep temps in check next time and will improve your smoke (reduce airflow is conducive to thin blue smoke).  The water bottle spritzing is good if things get overheated. 

[JDLones]

Finally got the Amazon gift card I was waiting for, so I just placed my order. Hope it's here by next weekend.


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[eng3]

I agree, had some lessons learned so next time should go much better.

I followed the lighting instructions, closing down the vents around 175.  But I guess I needed to close them down more.  I guess it was a hot day and the sun was shining directly on the kettle causing it to be a little hotter.

I forget if I mentioned, but I don't actually have a WEBER kettle, its a generic brand one with the same dimensions, same output vent.  The only difference is there's a ash catcher can at the bottom with two holes and metal sliders on each side for air intake.  The sliders don't give any sort of seal. So maybe too much intake air.  I can figure out a way to improve the seal.  Maybe the weber kettle is made of thicker metal so it isnt affect as much by direct sunlight.  However, I can't tell from comparing at the store.

Regardless of any of this, I average above 225 (around 240) and it lasted me about 8hrs but it took me 9-10hrs to finish a split 7lb shoulder (and it was wrapped mostly through the stall).  It seems like it took longer than usual especially for such small pieces.  Should I bother trying to get the temp down to 225?  or should I perhaps go at a higher temperature.  I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes.  Would lowering or raising the temp affect cook time by much?

[LightningBoldtz]

"I forget if I mentioned, but I don't actually have a WEBER kettle, its a generic brand one with the same dimensions, same output vent"

Um WHAT???