Another AmazingRibs Promotion Slow and sear

[Metal Mike]

@Hogsy, As skeptic, I question everything & my results (very similar setup to your picture, thanks, btw)
were identical to banking coals to one side, basic sheet metal barrier & EM back didn't deflect much heat & side of kettle was still high heat of banked coals hence "null result" but the solid sheet (mine tapered) results much cooler bowl

As I re-bend my test piece for an 18, I will double over the barrier wall & use the EM I had to bottom like you did there.

+ I see bolts, secured to grate, you had any benefit from that?

I also like the idea of not having to pre-setup a fuse method (as I've done nights & mornings) I'll try this for a while...

[ABCbarbecue]

Im just interested to know the reasoning behind having the water trough

The water reservoir (WR) does a couple of things.

Wet or dry the WR insulates against radiant heat and keeps it on one side of the grill, creating a hot zone for searing and a warm zone for smoking/convection cooking.

The patent pending shape of the water reservoir is designed to actually boil the water... slowly.  A single quart of water provides steam for 5+ hours.  This extra humidity in the cooker helps keep temperatures steady and helps smoke adhere to meat.

[Hogsy]

Cool thanks for the explanation. Does it still hold a steady temp using the technique you recommend on your website without water in the reservoir?
Also does the CMF (cold meat factor) have any effect on temps when using the SnS as recommended?

[ABCbarbecue]

Cool thanks for the explanation. Does it still hold a steady temp using the technique you recommend on your website without water in the reservoir?
Also does the CMF (cold meat factor) have any effect on temps when using the SnS as recommended?

Even without water in the water reservoir (WR) it's been our experience the SnS holds temps very well.  Just wanted to get that out of the way.  Let's assume you're using water though and it's run out after 5 hours.  At the 5 hour point most hunks of meat will be deep into the stall, which means it's sweating moisture.  This moisture evaporates off the surface, cooling the meat but at the same time this process adds humidity to the pit.  This humidity will help stabilize the temp and takes the place of the water that has now boiled away in the WR.  Even after you get through the stall and there is less moisture evaporating from the meat, there's still a little, and it's sufficient to help keep temps stable.  There's nothing wrong with adding water to the WR later into the cook, you just don't need to.

Cold meat is a factor in every pit, but some handle it better than others.  You'll find no problem maintaining anywhere from 225F to 325F using the SnS, even with 17 pounds of pork shoulder smoking.

[Metal Mike]

Got notice mine just delivered.

@ All, I see their discounted ~$7 shipping promo is over 8/8

-Higher shipping & less versatile made me opt from a flimsy Vortex

[pommes]

Hi,
i just bought my first Weber kettle a week ago , so i started to read in the internet how to smoke a lamb leg, which finally brought me here.
after reading all the reviews about the slow n sear i immediately bought it, i think it will be delivered this week.
Yesterday i grilled on my kettle the very first time. i used the two charcoil baskets and an empty drip pan to do slow indirect smoking of the leg of lamb, i had a constant temperature of 220-260 , after 4.5 hours the meat was 145 degrees, the taste and texture was amazing. Now my question:
Why do i even need the slow n sear? i had perfect results just with the two charcoil baskets on the sides of the grill without any water or stones to block the heat.
My 2nd question:
If i do reverse searing with the slow n sear, i would cook the meat very slow, then at the end i would crank up the temperature to sear the meat on direct heat. but what about the water in the slow n sear?
Thank you very much
Pommes

[LightningBoldtz]

Hi,
i just bought my first Weber kettle a week ago , so i started to read in the internet how to smoke a lamb leg, which finally brought me here.
after reading all the reviews about the slow n sear i immediately bought it, i think it will be delivered this week.
Yesterday i grilled on my kettle the very first time. i used the two charcoil baskets and an empty drip pan to do slow indirect smoking of the leg of lamb, i had a constant temperature of 220-260 , after 4.5 hours the meat was 145 degrees, the taste and texture was amazing. Now my question:
Why do i even need the slow n sear? i had perfect results just with the two charcoil baskets on the sides of the grill without any water or stones to block the heat.
My 2nd question:
If i do reverse searing with the slow n sear, i would cook the meat very slow, then at the end i would crank up the temperature to sear the meat on direct heat. but what about the water in the slow n sear?
Thank you very much
Pommes

Welcome to the board, congrats on the new kettle.

I am curious as to why you would purchase a tool like the slow and sear without knowing why you you would need it.  Not trying to get on your case it just is hard to follow.

That said, I purchased the SnS primarily because I like the design, I like the construction and it fits what I need after 5 years of kettle cooking.

There are many opinions and many options to choose from with regards to grilling and smoking on a kettle, SnS is one of the many, some like the snake, some like firebrick, some like the baskets.

[1buckie]

@pommes  you may not need it "exactly" for what you were aiming for first off, but I'm sure it will be a useful tool.....the deal is well-made & I can see several ways it will work grate !!!

If you're going to high heat, just let the water run out or do whatever it's going to.....at that point you're almost done anyway.....

[pommes]

Thanks for the replys,
i thought i would need the SNS to keep the temperature steady and not dry out the meat, but with the baskets on the side worked really well.
Well, lets see, maybe it will even be better and juicier with the SNS...and i guess it will be easier to keep the temperature steady with the tool, without fiddling the vents every 10 minutes.
i will post a review once i tried using the SNS, looking forward to using it...

[SmokenJoe]

@pommes   Welcome to WKC, keep reading the posts in this form - lot's of great tips and ideas !!!   You chose an accessory for your G&B (Grilling & BBQ), that I'm thinking is going to serve you well as you're interests in menu selections grow.  I personally like continually adjusting the dampers on my slow cooks  ...  it makes my wife think I'm really working hard at cooking her dinner and not just outside smoking cigars and drinking tequila     I've found that the water significantly aids in temp control (not just in your SnS, but in general) and the design of the SnS apparently allows a useful modified-Minion method of coal arrangement and usage.  Select several different G&B menus and systematically work through them w/ your SnS system.  Record your results, family reactions, and provide the forum w/ pics.           SJ

[AZRaptor]

Got notice mine just delivered.

@ All, I see their discounted ~$7 shipping promo is over 8/8

-Higher shipping & less versatile made me opt from a flimsy Vortex

I didn't order one, but I just checked shipping for one to me in AZ and its $9.95 so still not bad.

[dwnthehatch]

I received mine yesterday. I didn't get to use it because I had to get two stitches in my index finger. I sliced my hand on the top of it sliding it out of the box into my hand. I suggest rounding the edges like on the vortex. I didn't buy it for smoking, I wanted something to keep the crazing from spreading on my vintage kettles. I was hoping the bottom circumference would be the same as the charcoal grate but it's larger and has two gaps on each side that would allow lump to rest on the bowl if it's small enough. This is most likely because it fits 26.75 kettles also.

[Troy]

I received mine yesterday. I didn't get to use it because I had to get two stitches in my index finger. I sliced my hand on the top of it sliding it out of the box into my hand. I suggest rounding the edges like on the vortex. I didn't buy it for smoking, I wanted something to keep the crazing from spreading on my vintage kettles. I was hoping the bottom circumference would be the same as the charcoal grate but it's larger and has two gaps on each side that would allow lump to rest on the bowl if it's small enough. This is most likely because it fits 26.75 kettles also.

Holy crap man, that really sucks. I hope you're ok!
I checked my SnS, the non-rolled edges of mine have been sanded down so they're smooth. They must have not done that to yours

[Metal Mike]

I should've posted; tho I haven't used mine yet...

I wore glove & ran a tented piece of emery cloth (regular sand paper will do) around the back strap of mine (top & bottom) where it seemed sharp. I don't know if it was sharp enough to cut, but that just annoys me (seems unfinished.)

[ABCbarbecue]

I received mine yesterday. I didn't get to use it because I had to get two stitches in my index finger. I sliced my hand on the top of it sliding it out of the box into my hand. I suggest rounding the edges like on the vortex. I didn't buy it for smoking, I wanted something to keep the crazing from spreading on my vintage kettles. I was hoping the bottom circumference would be the same as the charcoal grate but it's larger and has two gaps on each side that would allow lump to rest on the bowl if it's small enough. This is most likely because it fits 26.75 kettles also.

@dwnthehatch we're very sorry about this.  Please reach out to me at david@ABCbarbecue.com so we can better understand what happened.

On a side note, the curve of the SnS is designed to collect the charcoal as it burns (gets smaller) and to help direct radiant heat upward.  If we had made the curve around the bottom so that it was flush with the charcoal grate it would have changed the angle of the charcoal basket so it varies between the middle of the basket and where the basket meets the water reservoir.  That would create potential hot spots.