Introducing the Slow 'N Sear!

[fuzzydaddy]

26" Weber Kettle Dry Run

I stopped my dry run last night on my 26" Weber Kettle around 11 pm which was 7 hours. Here's a photo of the briquettes when I closed off the vents. Looking forward to my first cook! I learned a lot about vent settings and temp stability of the SnS.

Has anyone tried hand-stacking the unlit briquettes?

On my large BGE when I started hand-placing the lump to avoid large air gaps, but leaving smaller gaps for air flow, (largest first, then medium, then smallest on top) I got several more hours (enough for an 18 hour pork butt cook and still a lot of lump left).

With all the Kingsford Blue briquettes being about the same size I wouldn't expect a lot of benefit from hand stacking, but I'm curious if:
1. I might be able to fit a few more briquettes in the SnS and extend the cook time for 1 fill, and
2. Get a better burn of all the briquettes as the fire spreads from the corner, reducing the amount of unburned briquettes, resulting in also extending the cook time for 1 fill.

I've only done 2 low and slow cooks on the Weber with Kingsford Blue, so I have very limited experience with my 26" kettle.

[FLBuckeye]

I hand stack the charcoal on my 18" WSM. Two rows deep leaving the "donut" in the middle. The two rows are 4 deep on the outside and 3 deep on the inner ring. I bury wood throughout the ring and put a big chunk in the middle of the donut. I get 10-12 hours burns with the PartyQ attached and all of the vents closed

[barney]

I'll give it a try next time. I'm just an old grasshopper and only have one run with the SnS. I'll get brave soon & post some pics. I also got over 7 hrs on my 1st load easy & held 232*F and followed the vent instructions & I agree using the top vent is faster to control temps. It also keeps water longer than I thought it would & real easy to reload with unlit coals w/hinged grate. More testing (tasting) is needed :-)

[David Parrish]

Wow even at the 7 hour point you had enough charcoal left to go quite a while longer. I haven't tried stacking charcoal, but I'm skeptical it'd do a whole lot for you. The SnS is "bowl shaped" to keep the charcoal tightly bunched together as it burns, so it maximizes burn time all by itself. Also, the SnS is really easy to reload during a cook (unlike kamados) so there's really little reason to go to the trouble.

All that said, give it a try! Can't hurt

[fuzzydaddy]

David Parrish I might give it a try sometime. All the design work that went into the SnS is much appreciated and my hope is that sales growth is huge for you guys. It really is a great product that as the word builds will be a great tool for the masses. I'm looking forward to a lot of great cooks on my kettle! Longer burns, easy temp maintenance and the ease of access to add charcoal and wood sets it way above other products. Thank you.

[Huskee]

David Parrish ... verklempt you mean?

[Steve Vojtek]

Nice catch Huskee - i learned german whilst living in Austria for 4 years...

[David Parrish]

Yeah that one.

[David Parrish]

Here are pics of last night's rib cook. I decided to try Pit Barrel Cooker company's rib recipe out on my 22" Kettle w/SnS. Per the video I used PBC "Beef and Game" rub as the rub, then coated them with KC Masterpiece sauce after they passed the bend test and let that set for 25 minutes. Just under 7 hours total cook time. The ribs were great. Family gave them an 8.5 out of 10. That's a really good score coming from a very jaded crowd. 9 yr old said they were my second best ribs ever, but couldn't identify the ribs that took the top spot. Served with Mama's fried okra and corn on the cob.

[Haagmonster]

Very nice! I know the ribs are the star of the show but I have to ask what is that delicious looking stuff at the top left, next to the corn cob, on the last picture?

[David Parrish]

THAT my friend is Mama's fried okra, and it is the delicious!

[Haagmonster]

Perfect!

[smarkley]

SnS Chicken Thighs... the color was actually a lot better than this... camera washed it out a little - Wonderfully crispy skin!

[smarkley]

It was awesome crispy goodness... best I have cooked yet!

Thanks to David Parrish and Huskee

[David Parrish]

smarkley that chicken is making me hungry. Nice cook!

[Huskee]

'Tis a chicken dream machine. And steak. And ribs. And chops.

[Steve Vojtek]

I wish i could just go to sleep and wake up 6-10 days later to a shining new SnS! Just to put some charcoal patina on it..All these pics are awesome guys - great job !!

[Steve Vojtek]

Breadhead . Awesome been eyeing off electric bikes for ages now - i bought an Airwheel (American invention) at Christmas and after a lot of practise (learning new tricks like that at 45 is no easy task) i can finally ride it and enjoy it. Always wanted a Segway but a bit expensive here. Airwheel works similar to Segway but only one wheel and no handle. Lots of fun watching people's reaction when i ride it - not many have one here yet...

[Breadhead]

Steve Vojtek

I saw my very first Airwheel yesterday on the Bike path here in Hermosa Beach. I'd never even seen them advertised. I was quite surprised. Everyone was staring at this guy riding 1 wheel with no handles. I had no idea what to call it. Thanks to you now I know. Are they expensive?

[Steve Vojtek]

Breadhead - I paid $700 Australian for the X8 on Ebay. A Segway would cost me around $ 5,000... If you go to youtube and type in Airwheel you'll see what it's capable of. There are also many other brands - it's called an electric unicycle - and it's an American invention - although mainly made in china...but i think so was Segway...And they are not really advertised - i found it on youtube somehow and just had to have one...

[ontheranch]

I notice in some of the pictures that the lower (charcoal) grate has foil on it. Can I assume this does not block air flow too much and is for ease of clean up?

[oldsteve]

I also foil half the grate plus use a disposable aluminum pan with water in it. It makes clean up real easy. I hate getting greasy messes in the bottom of the grill.

oldsteve

[David Parrish]

Correct on both counts. The foil does not inhibit airflow and we only use it to help with clean up.

[barney]

I'm just a grasshopper but it makes clean-up easy & the air comes up through the coals & rotates over/around the meat better.

[ontheranch]

Thanks Steve. I will do that. Anything to make cleaning easier gets my vote.

[wjHunter]

Just wanted to say that my SnS arrived in perfect condition very quickly.. Looking forward to my first cook sometime this week!

Thanks David Parrish and Huskee, I'm sure I am going to enjoy the grill even more with my new toy

[Huskee]

The timely shipping and all that is all Pit Boss, not me. I just sit here and stare at a computer screen once in a while while he does all the work. But woo hoo! Pics!

[Haagmonster]

#49 rec'd today. I'm going to grill theeee most beautiful steaks this weekend! Be safe everyone!

[David Parrish]

#49 rec'd today. I'm going to grill theeee most beautiful steaks this weekend! Be safe everyone!

Welcome to The Pit! We want pics of that first cook

[Haagmonster]

Storms rolling through San Antonio now. Should have waited - oh well. Lid's on and fire's safe. We'll see how they turn out. 2 sirloin, 3 ny strip and 1 ribeye - all prime! Yikes!

[David Parrish]

Good luck! You get those at HEB?

[Haagmonster]

Yes sir! All were fantastic! What a heck of a product you guys made! I took pictures and will share as soon as I figure out how.

[David Parrish]

Folks check out the review of the Weber in this article. Max gave the SnS a shout out.

[richinlbrg]

Alright, alright, alright!

It's been a tough week and my son and his gf are coming. My schedule got compressed, SOOOOO, early gift is in my hands, and going into production. I'll let you all know how we do. I am excited!!!!

[David Parrish]

Woohoo!

[richinlbrg]

My kettle isn't as airtight as it should be - (might need to throw a gasket on, so I am having some temp control issues. Have the bottom vents almost closed, and the top @about 3/8. Just added some cold water to the pan to try to get it down.

NOTE: once the coals and water are in the SNS, if you try to relocate the grill without using great caution, your water will spill!! DOH

[richinlbrg]

Great cook. Everyone was hungry, so missed the pics.

David Parrish, the SNS ran like a champ! Liking it!!??

The temp down nicely. It is VERY responsive to changes in airflow! Smoked nicely, and when I wrapped the ribs, or butt, I was able to get temp up quickly to move things along. The natives were hungry, and like everything.

BB ribs, bourbon baked beans and pulled pork. All came out well! So did the pastrami. Busy day!

[smarkley]

That cool that Max Good writes for serious eats... I go to their website a lot. Lots of good ideas there.

[David Parrish]

richinlbrg Close the top vent even more. And if you have paper clamps use them to clamp the lid down. I use them every cook. they work great!

[richinlbrg]

Down in an acceptable range now. I was doing too much at 1 time when I got started, so I think I just got too hot too early........looking pretty good right now!

Thank you, David!!!!

And BTW, I was surprised I was #9!!

YAHOO!!!!!

[David Parrish]

Awesome. Did you find clips to use?

[richinlbrg]

Yes, David Parrish. Found 4 clips. Worked like a CHARM!!