Slow’n Sear vs 26″ Weber Kettle

Bytroy
6 Comments

After our Slow’n Sear Review launched last month, there was quite a bit of rumbling in the forums. Barbecuers are questioning how the Slow’n Sear would perform in a 26″ Weber or whether there should be a larger version made to accommodate the 26″ kettle. While the debate grilled on, I set out to find out.

Slow’n Sear on the 26″ test cook #1: Some lovely sausages from Sprouts.

Here's how the Slow'n Sear fits. It snugs up to the side, but leaves exactly 1.75 inches to spare at either ends of the water pan. I added a mini chimneys worth of CoShell. That's not a lot of fuel for this old grill.
Here’s how the Slow’n Sear fits. It snugs up to the side, but leaves exactly 1.75 inches to spare at either ends of the water pan. I added a mini chimneys worth of CoShell. That’s not a lot of fuel for this old grill.

 

With the grates on, this shows just how much real estate we have on the grates. There's a lot of room, I'm really liking the looks of this.
With the grates on, this shows just how much real estate we have on the grates. There’s a lot of room, I’m really liking the looks of this.

 

Here's the sausages on. These guys are big, i should have added a banana for scale. They were about 8" long and girthy. I set them up in the WiFi symbol to see if any area of the grill would be hotter than the rest.
Here’s the sausages on. These guys are big, i should have added a banana for scale. They were about 8″ long and girthy. I set them up in the WiFi symbol to see if any area of the grill would be hotter than the rest.
This is after about 20 minutes. The sausages cooked surprisingly fast, but they had no color. They were all cooked evenly, none showed any signs of hot spots.
This is after about 20 minutes. The sausages cooked surprisingly fast, but they had no color. They were all cooked evenly, none showed any signs of hot spots.
Time to give these guys some color over the heat. There was plenty of fuel there to have heat, but the grates weren't super hot. They got hot enough to mark after about 2 minutes with the lid open. The vent below the fire was closed and the gap between the vent and the charcoal grate is completely caked with ash. I'm a terrible person.
Time to give these guys some color over the heat. There was plenty of fuel there to have heat, but the grates weren’t super hot. They got hot enough to mark after about 2 minutes with the lid open. The vent below the fire was closed and the gap between the vent and the charcoal grate is completely caked with ash. I’m a terrible person.
Overall I'm super happy with how this little cook performed. The sausages didn't color up worth a shit - but that's because the grates and the surface of the sausages were both dry. There was plenty of heat, even with a tiny load of recently rained on charcoal.
Overall I’m super happy with how this little cook performed. The sausages didn’t color up worth a shit – but that’s because the grates and the surface of the sausages were both dry. There was plenty of heat, even with a tiny load of recently rained on charcoal.

Slow’n Sear 26″ Weber Test Cook #2: Filipino BBQ Chicken

Starting out with a nearly full load of CoShell charcoal and a single chunk of peach for smoke. Once again, the space between the vent and the charcoal grate is completely caked with ash. I will clean this tomorrow, promise.
Starting out with a nearly full chimney of CoShell charcoal and a single chunk of peach for smoke. Once again, the space between the vent and the charcoal grate is completely caked with ash. I will clean this tomorrow, promise.
13 Boneless skinless chicken thighs marinaded in a secret Filipino recipe. Hit me up for it in the forums. This is a frequent cook for me, it fills up the 22" pretty tight. I'm liking the extra space here.
13 Boneless skinless chicken thighs marinaded in a secret Filipino recipe. Hit me up for it in the forums. This is a frequent cook for me, it fills up the 22″ pretty tight. I’m liking the extra space here.
I gave these guys about 35 minutes. On a 22", the ones closest to the basket would be crispy by now. These have all cooked really evenly. They just need a bit of char!
I gave these guys about 35 minutes. On a 22″, the ones closest to the basket would be crispy by now. These have all cooked really evenly. They just need a bit of char!
There's plenty of heat to bring the sizzle! The grates weren't crazy hot at first, but after a couple minutes of open lid the coals really got roaring (without many flare ups!). A couple spots were slightly hotter, but it was from the charcoal arrangement. There's enough fuel left for 2+ hours of medium heat or a solid hour of open lid sizzle-grillin.
There’s plenty of heat to bring the sizzle! The grates weren’t crazy hot at first, but after a couple minutes of open lid the coals really got roaring (without many flare ups!). A couple spots were slightly hotter, but it was from the charcoal arrangement. There’s enough fuel left for 2+ hours of medium heat or a solid hour of open lid sizzle-grillin.
Oh fine, a plated pic. The wife likes hers with a little char-crunch. Not pictured, grilled pineapple. Served on a hawiaan roll with some cilantro and a light glaze of a simmered down bbq sauce mixed with pineapple juice. They don't last long enough for pictures when they come together like that. Ohh girrrrl.
Oh fine, a plated pic. The wife likes hers with a little char-crunch. Not pictured, grilled pineapple. Served on a hawiaan roll with some cilantro and a light glaze of a simmered down bbq sauce mixed with pineapple juice. They don’t last long enough for pictures when they come together like that. Ohh girrrrl.

Test Cook #3 – Tritip, onions

I'll spare the silly drama here. Montreal seasoned tritip and some BITCHIN Beef Boullion Onions. First problem. Full chimney of charcoal and a large chunk of wood sits higher than the cooking grate. The cooking grate still sits securely, but it sits at an angle. Good thing TriTips don't roll!
I’ll spare the silly drama here. Montreal seasoned tritip and some BITCHIN Beef Boullion Onions.
First problem. A Slow’n Sear filled with fuel and a large chunk of wood sits higher than the cooking grate. The cooking grate still sits securely, but it sits at an angle. Good thing TriTips don’t roll!

 

When it was time to sear, I really wanted to let it sit lid open to get things hotter - but I didn't. I was impatient because I actually had 3 other grills going behind me. After a few minutes of open grill time, the TriTip came out with GREAT color. The above photo was just after the first 3 minutes before it got really hot. And I failed to get more pics after. I apologize :) I toasted long cheddar breads and served the sliced TriTip sandwiches with havarti and the beefy onions. They were the best sandwiches I've ever produced.
When it was time to sear, I really wanted to let it sit lid open to get things hotter – but I didn’t. I was impatient because I actually had 3 other grills going behind me. After a few minutes of open grill time, the TriTip came out with GREAT color. The above photo was just after the first 3 minutes before it got really hot.
And I failed to get more pics after. I apologize 🙂
I toasted long cheddar breads and served the sliced TriTip sandwiches with havarti and the beefy onions. They were the best sandwiches I’ve ever produced.

 

Summary

I really love this thing. I think it works great in the 26″ Weber. The issues I had were due to excessive ash built up under the slow’n sear. The vintage 26″ grills also had much smaller vent holes, so they run cooler than the modern 26″ Weber.

I may have to add a 2nd one – so each of my vintage cookers can have one permanently.

These units are available at Amazon for $79. I’m a strong believer in this product and will continue to use it frequently, if not 100% of the time in my vintage Weber kettles.

DISCLAIMER: I received my Slow’n Sear for free in order to provide review. The review and my experiences with the product are genuine and objective. If I didn’t like the product, I would happily be telling you how much I don’t like it.

This page also uses affiliate links. By making purchases through those links, WKC earns a tiny commission – which helps us keep the lights on.

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6 Comments

  1. Troy – great review as always. Looks like the SNS in a 26er is a keeper. While I enjoyed the pics of the slow N sear and the wonderful food, it was the red MBH 26, and the Glen Blue in action that took the review to a whole new level. Nice grills!

    Reply

  2. Great review Troy,

    I’ve got the SnS (getting a v2.0 etched logo soon)

    Now you’ve got me shopping for a 26″ (w/ Tax RTN ?)

    Reply

    1. The largest Weber kettle is a 37 inch kettle. I have a 26 inch and it is very large, the 37 inch is a beast!

      Reply