Just did my first cook with a 18lb brisket. I was coming from a 26 inch kettle and used to use the Slow n Sear and also BBQ guru CyberQWeb
I used to cook overnight however there was some interactions as far as adding coals etc.
Last night at about 9pm I lit my summit ( i didn't use the easy jet as it seems this gets the coals too hot so I used a small amount in a chimney.
I set the temp using my bbq guru to 235. it really stayed steady the whole night. and was still holding temp even at 3 pm ( i took the brisket off obviously I just wanted to see how long this thing would go)
Amazing performace however.
I noticed a slight leak in the seal by the back hinge, very minor but irritating.
On the inital test burn to achieve 225 I had to damn near choke off the top and lower vents.
I noticed some smoke coming out of the easy jet tube si i assume air is getting in there also.
The temp gauge is pretty close to my cyberq however still a bit off
has anyone has the same issue with keeping the temps down to 225-230?
the method I used was to fill the charcoal bay up and put about 10 lit coals in minion method on the pit.(kingsford original briquettes)
I had to put the lever just to the left of the smoke position (barely cracked) and top vents barely open (less than the diameter of a pencil)
this seemed to just keep it on the 230 range.
Contact Weber about smoke leaks. There's a fix for that.
Try a cook without the guru and see how that goes regarding the temp. I've found that I have better results on the Summit when I don't use the guru.
Also, check out Babyback Maniac's vids on youtube. He mentions that he found that the Summit ran hot for the first couple cooks;
My vents are damn near closed as well. Bottom more than the top.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Runs a little hot for the first few smokes, then settles in.
To run 225 for the earlier cooks, same vent settings. smoke setting on bottom and 1/16-1/8" open on top.
I would try using the gas assist for these types of cooks. To me that's a major upgrade over a traditional Kamado.
thanks for the replies, good to know as i don't see much stuff posted about this grill besides the baby back maniac videos
These are the best 2 threads for Summit owners....
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/where-are-all-the-summit-owners/
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-grill-modifications-customs/summit-charcoal-grill-mods-and-additions/
Another thread to add for reading
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/summit-charcoal-mods/
Same with me - getting better temp control without the CyberQ. With the CyberQ, I was overshooting the temps. It is all that i was using at first. Now I just use it as a remote temp sensor. I used the heck out of it when I had a WSM but not so much anymore.
When using the CyberQ, I throttled it down by closing the tamper half way. That seemed to help.
What I want is the SmoBot if they ever come out with a version for the summit. Instead of a fan, it uses a servo that opens and closes the top vent (a "robotic damper").
Mine was so closed down I thought there was no way it would keep going. Never really held at 225. I had smoke coming out from all around the lid so a new gasket is now on its way. Hopefully that solves the problem.