Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Guest it boils down to this... irrespective of cost, for grilling and smoking the kettle with Slow 'N Sear is definitely the way to go. If you're wanting to bake you can't beat the BGE.
I am a fan of the Slow N Sear, but to suggest that the choice is between baking on a BGE and the grilling and smoking on the Slow N Sear seems unfair. For ease of reverse sear I would vote in favor of the Slow N Sear. While I am convinced that Slow N Sear can smoke on one load of charcoal for 8 to 10 hours, I routinely do 10 pound Boston Butts for 12 hours plus. In addition, I have cooked 40#s of Boston Butt for 22 hours on one load of charcoal. While no one else may need to to cook that long on one load of charcoal, it would seem to me that doing so qualifies the BGE for more than baking. As I suggested earlier in this thread it is best to compare cookers within types rather that trying to compare them across types. This isn't a contest. We are on line to share our learnings and likes. Clearly we can answer questions from those perspectives, without making comparisons. In the future, I think it will help if we can keep our comments to what we like and what we do or have learned while letting the reader make their own value judgement.
I agree, and I think that's what most of us are trying to say. We can't compare a car, a truck and a semi, they all have their uses.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I think it all boils down to, if cost wasn't an issue we'd all have both, plus a cabinet smoker, a stick burner, a pellet grill, a big gasser, etc etc etc.
Cookers:
Large Big Green Egg with a Ceramic Grill Store rack system, and the SnS setup.
Weber Genesis SA-E-330 LP INDIGO with SS Grates, Weber Crafted frame kit, baking stone, griddle (2/3), all from Ace Hardware.
For the first time in a long time I have no kettles as I gave them all away.
Everything Else:
SnS #3 with certificate. I was their first customer.
Sous Vide equipment.
SnS and Thermoworks instant read and leave-in thermometers.
Grill Grates for BGE.
Kingsford Blue Bag, Weber lighter cubes, Weber charcoal chimneys.
Rubs with salt: Meat Church Holy Cow.
Rubs without salt: Home-mixed versions of previously sold SnS Grills Rocky's Rub and Not Just for Beef using their recipe. SPOG.
Spices: Lots of 'em.
I am fortunate to have both a BGE (XL) and 2 Weber kettles (22" and 26") both with a SnS. I love cooking on all of them and have produced great butts on both (32 total this year) once I learned what I was doing (thanks to you guys and this site) and learned how to operate my equipment.
Kettles + SnS: Ribs outstanding; pork loins, chicken, chops also outstanding; pounded chicken breasts (to about 1/2") cooked via sear only outstanding. Charcoal: 7-10 hours on a fill depending on how much cold meat there was, and adding more is a breeze. Long low-n-slow cooks: 1 fill of 1 qt of water is all I used. Temp control gets easier the more I use them. Nothing but praise for this setup.
BGE (new XL; sold previous large I had for about a year): All my chuck roasts have been cooked on my BGE. I have learned that there is no need for added water in my drip pan as butts and chuckies are plenty moist. With my Smokeware SS cap and the ceramics of the BGE I can cook in downpours and freezing temps with ease. Cleaning is easy for me and with very little ash from lump, not much to clean out. I did a test run on my new XL without meat and stopped it at 23 hours with plenty of lump left. I'm ready to cook a variety of meats on my BGE and eventually my first bread. I love my egg.
It would be like picking my favorite child to pick one over the other, so I'm not going there!
I would like to add that the SnS, with a little (but not much) patience, can go to a flaming inferno when you need that for a quick sear, or in the case where I cook pounded chicken breasts completely on the sear, to a very hot heat that gets the job done; I just close down the bottom vent as needed to keep the flames at bay.
Again, I appreciate all the helpful comments. I decided to go the more economic route and I picked up the Weber Performer and I've tipped Santa off on the SnS... I'm excited to give the combo a spin for New Year's Eve.
I'd also like to fill up the three car garage to be able to make an objective comparison down the road...
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