^^^ yes
I have a couple takeaways from the video. I had some mild criticism I shared on his post of this to the Facebook Weber Kettle Fans page. Specifically, I wanted to see Justin (Baby Back Maniac made the video for ABC) count the number of remaining coals after each kettle had been shut down after say, 8 hours.
1) The video topic was "efficiency" which can mean a few different things. Here, it was shown that the same amount of coals lasts longer with an S 'n S for a given temperature in identical kettles. The "same temp" used the assistance of the ATC to eliminate that variable, right?
2) No meat was used, because that's another variable, right?
3) Using differently sized kettles, vent adjustments, meats would all cause the audience to cry "foul." (No pun intended.)
4) The video was obviously not intended to highlight every feature, advantage of the product, or method of using one. Tough crowd here tonight!
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The corollary to "longer time" is less fuel used for a given time and temp. Owners of the Summit Charcoal have been telling us this since its inception. Why does that work? Insulation = less heat loss. The video clearly demonstrates that far less heat is getting lost to your backyard with the S 'n S. You can either not believe it, or purchase your own infrared thermometer and run the test yourself, yeah?
The air gap created by the basket is not enough to make the difference. The thicker metal (as compared to Weber baskets) is an additional insulator. The smaller gaps in the connecting walls of an S 'n S means less heat loss before heat reaches the inside kettle walls. That shit adds up.