To all you that own both a Vortex and SnS, what do you use each one for? I see even David Parrish has a vortex, so I'm curious why to select one over the other, aside from the obvious when the water reservoir is needed.
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I'm going to be watching this thread because I have a 26" Weber kettle and the SnS. I don't have a vortex but I do have MCS. I've been thinking MAYBE I should buy a vortex for cooking chicken wings and other things. I'm really quite proud that I haven't pull the trigger on that accessory yet.😁
However... This topic may weaken my resistance to buying more gear.🙄 -
I have both the medium Vortex, and the SnS. For me it isn't a question of one vs the other. I believe they compliment each other. The Vortex is my go-to for chicken wings, chicken thighs, and drumsticks. It's a chicken machine! There is no possibility of flare-ups, since, as with the SnS, it's indirect heat. Plus, as an added bonus for the serious pyromaniac in me, it looks like the fires of hell or a volcano are about to be unleashed! I have an 8" cast iron skillet that I had to re-season after I used it to check Vortex temps. I got it up to 800 degrees F, and cooked the seasoning off of it! So this thing will put a killer sear on a steak. You can get the indirect zone up to 500 easily. I had to put some of my coals out once, it go too hot. The maker claims you can use it for low n slow as well, but I have not tried this, only hot and fast so far. The Vortex is my preferred way to make a pizza oven out of my Weber kettle as well. I put maybe 15-20 lit coals in the center of that thing to get the stone really hot, and then spread a ring of lit coals around the outside of the ring to get heat up in the dome of the grill. Then I put my stone on an adjustable roasting rack, about 3" above the grate. BAM! Easy homemade pizza oven. One big drawback to the Vortex: If you do not have the Weber gourmet grilling grate, (the one with the removable center) it is a pain to replenish coals during a cook. Although I have not yet had to do this, since I have only done hot and fast with it so far.
The SnS is my favorite for low n slow. Never use anything else. I also do steaks mostly on the SnS as well. The built-in water reservoir, the ease of temp control, the QUALITY of the material used in it's manufacture, and great customer service from Adrenaline BBQ make the SnS a no-brainer. Plus, I like the fact that the company is not just coasting along, they are continually looking to improve their product. If you have the hinged cooking grate, adding charcoal during a cook is a breeze.
With both products, you give up some room on your grill, but that is to be expected. But, with the SnS, I can fit a 14 lb spatchcocked turkey on the Weber 22.5.
So, the choice is up to you, but I say, "Get both!"
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I love doing chicken wings with the Vortex but I haven't try them with the SnS yet.Comment
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I think @jgjeske1's review matches my own preferred uses for both products. I have used the Vortex mainly for wings as well. For a while i was using a cast iron Stok (?) grate with a removable center and usually left the center insert out. If I left it on, it rested above the grates, on the Vortex itself. Not a dealbreaker, but an aesthetic annoyance. It does a very good job with chicken, but I burnt every steak I tried to cook on it. I'm sure I could have taken the time to get a better feel for it, but the position I placed it in (center of the grill under the cutout) made the indirect cooking zone hotter than I was used to for a typical reverse sear.
I have a few smokers, so I only tried low and slow in the SnS once, and never with the Vortex. While I had to play with it infinitely less than I did my old smokenator, I still did need more attention than, say, my WSM which stays pegged at 225 with pretty minimal work on my end. For people who only have access to a kettle and want to smoke at low temps with plenty of grill real estate, the SnS is a no-brainer. The SnS optimizes the indirect setup as suggested by this website, so recipes you find here should work well and temps should be easier to manage.
The one "advantage" I would give the Vortex is the ability to generate ridiculously high direct and/or indirect heat. I put the word advantage in quotes, because about a month after I bought it, the lid of my Weber no longer fit snugly. After about 3 months, the handle on the lid looked a little melty too. The timing seems more than a bit coincidental, but, in fairness, I've had the kettle for several years and am due to replace it. I wasn't exactly giving it the care I would a new cooker. I wasn't monitoring temps for the wings or steak, I was trying to get it as hot as I could. And I succeeded, but may have busted my kettle in the process. Once I replace the kettle, I have a feeling I will be going with the SnS more often. The build quality is superior. The Vortex is functional, but looks like a basic shop class project. If you have the newer Weber grill grates with the fold-up grates, the SnS is also much easier to refuel. Just my 2 cents.Comment
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thefist, I don't think this is a One VS The Other as Thunder77 said they Compliment one another! I have Two Webers on the Deck an older Performer that has the S 'n S and a BBQ Guru DigiQ DX 2 Temp Controller and a Baffle Plate on the Coal Grate. The other is a Performer Deluxe w/Table and Propane Ignitor and the Vortex Med in it! I use the Vortex and Weber for C'n Leg's and Thighs (Can't Afford Wings), Reverse Sear Steaks and Salmon on a Plank! I use the Peformer (Older) with Low and Slow Cooks Roasts, Pork Butts and...and?
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan
Last edited by Danjohnston949; August 11, 2016, 04:43 PM.Comment
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One thing I want to point out is that you can easily exceed 1,000 F on the sear side when using the Slow 'N Sear. Frankly, that's too hot. I've learned that a nice 2/3 basket of fully lit charcoal gets you 800 F to 900 F and thats the perfect temp range for searing.
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David Parrish, What Pray Tell is the Perforated Plate on top of the Coals in the S 'n S pictured above! Thanks Dave,
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan -
It's a Grill Grate. Speaking of which, we are having some custom made just for the Slow 'N Sear. We should have them in stock in the next few weeks. -
Thanks for reminding me that I was waiting for the SnS model...puts $ back in wallet for a couple weeks.
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Thanks for all the comments. I could have just as easily made the subject: Why buy a Vortex if you already have a Slow n Sear?
i do have the SNS, so curious what else a Vortex could enable. Seemed like there might be a slight temp uniformity advantage for chicken pieces with the Vortex. And maybe a bit more space with it, but otherwise not much else. If I need a super hot small space I can just use my Joe Jr, which can easily hit 800+ if that's REALLY necessary. 550 with heat deflector is no problem there.
Ill stick w the SnS.Comment
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In my humble opinion, there is NOTHING that will surpass (or even equal) the Vortex for chicken parts. I LOVE it for wings, drummies, and thighs.
I don't have a SNS but is an excellent piece of gear. I do a LOT of two zone cooking with a couple of fire bricks and believe the SNS would be even better. However, I have a pair of WSM's for smoking and, as of yet, I cannot justify the addition of the SNS.
Just a thought or twp...
Dale53Comment
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Good to know Dale. As a new kettle owner that already has two WSM's and a Genesis gasser, I think I can relate with your situation. With GrillGrates as the only grates on the Genesis, whose burners run E-W, I can't really use that for indirect anymore. And with two WSM's I've got low and slow pretty much covered. So was toying with the idea of usign the kettle for indirect, especially chicken. Sounds like the Vortex may be a good fitting piece of the puzzle for me.Originally posted by Dale53 View Post
So one question for the SnS... if you do chicken pieces is it fairly uniform or do you have to rearrange the pieces to swap near/far locations from the coals?Comment
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MillerTime My experience with the SnS is that temps don't vary much at the near/far locations. I have not cooked chicken pieces using it, only whole/spatchcocked chickens, ribs and butts - larger hunks, and no issues. I place the lid so that the vent is opposite the SnS. We'd love to get an intro from you over in the Introduce Yourself channel when you get a minute.Comment
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