I'm just like a kid at Christmas. Wait it is Christmas! :-) Mine arrived on Friday, way sooner than I expected. I opened the box, and beheld a creation of stainless steel beauty as yet unrivaled in my BBQ experience! I did a dry run, following the instructions. I set 'er up at approx 4pm, 39 degrees ambient air temp, and breezy. At 4:12 the lid went on, and in 15 minutes I was at 225! I had to go to the store, so my wife kept an eye on things, and I came back an hour later, and she was holding at 266. The question I have is: Is that too high for a low 'n slow? I could not get it any lower, even with vents closed. And this was on a 39 degree day. Imagine what spring or summer would be like. I did notice that on the top vent side of the lid, a lot of smoke was coming out under the lid. I guess I need to go get some binder clips, like I saw in a post somewhere on this site. Or is there a gasket kit available for the Weber? Or could I fabricate one myself?
Another positive thing I noticed is that if you do have to lift the lid, the temp comes back up very quickly with the SnS. Much more quickly than with a regular setup. After doing my temp tests, I decided not to waste the charcoal, and browned up some bratwurst I had steamed earlier, and crisped up some chicken wings. Wooohoo! What a hot fire that SnS makes! I got some beautiful mahogany brown sausages, with NO grill marks! Love it!
A couple more questions: If you were doing a 325, instead of low 'n slow 225, would you light all the charcoal first, then add to the kettle, or light using the same method as for a 225? Also, is it necessary to cover the exposed part of the charcoal grate with foil, as I have seen in some pictures? And would you recommend halving a 12 lb butt before cooking?
!!!!! IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP!!!!!! PLEASE REMEMBER TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION ABOUT POURING THE WATER IN OPPOSITE OF WHERE THE COALS ARE BURNING!!!! I somehow forgot that important point, and almost got steam burns on my hand for my stupidity. Fortunately, I had gloves on, and avoided injury. But be aware that adding the water next to the burning coals WILL result in immediate boiling and steaming. It does tell you this in the instructions. I guess I got so excited that I forgot.
Another positive thing I noticed is that if you do have to lift the lid, the temp comes back up very quickly with the SnS. Much more quickly than with a regular setup. After doing my temp tests, I decided not to waste the charcoal, and browned up some bratwurst I had steamed earlier, and crisped up some chicken wings. Wooohoo! What a hot fire that SnS makes! I got some beautiful mahogany brown sausages, with NO grill marks! Love it!
A couple more questions: If you were doing a 325, instead of low 'n slow 225, would you light all the charcoal first, then add to the kettle, or light using the same method as for a 225? Also, is it necessary to cover the exposed part of the charcoal grate with foil, as I have seen in some pictures? And would you recommend halving a 12 lb butt before cooking?
!!!!! IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP!!!!!! PLEASE REMEMBER TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION ABOUT POURING THE WATER IN OPPOSITE OF WHERE THE COALS ARE BURNING!!!! I somehow forgot that important point, and almost got steam burns on my hand for my stupidity. Fortunately, I had gloves on, and avoided injury. But be aware that adding the water next to the burning coals WILL result in immediate boiling and steaming. It does tell you this in the instructions. I guess I got so excited that I forgot.
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