We bought the Weber last weekend and I ordered the SnS that day. It arrived mid-week and I was on the job for deciding what to cook, buying the provisions, etc. I decided to do it this way: Test burn early Saturday. Reverse sear steaks and grill corn for dinner Saturday, and smoke ribs for Sunday.
Unfortunately, I bought a sub-standard thermometer on Saturday as I had neglected to procure that important piece via Amazon before the cook day. All they had at Lowe's was a Char-Broil Cold Spot for $27. That's all I had available for instant gratification, so that's what I went with. When I first turned it on and connected the remote with the base, it worked fine. It updated the temperature every few seconds, but there was no way to set an alarm for any temp other than the pre-programmed meat doneness settings. Just having a probe in the dome would display the temp, but the alarm sounded when it hit 135. Then I went to silence the alarm and it stopped updating the temperature, and refused to do so even when I turned off the remote and turned it back on. The instruction "pamphlet" was a waste of paper. So, I chalked it up to a crappy unit. I'll be taking it back this weekend. I've been perusing the reviews here. I'm leaning toward the Fireboard. It's expensive, but I like Wi-Fi over Bluetooth, and I want something I can connect my phone or tablet to.
So, I decided to just eyeball it for temps for the two test cooks. The reverse sear went ok. I think the temps were good for the slow cook, and too low for the sear. That's my mistake as I forgot about having another load of coals ready to top off the SnS for the sear, so as I was able to crank the temps by opening the intake vents, I didn't have fuel close enough to meat. Ultimately, the steak was good, but could have had a better sear. The corn... tasted odd. I don't know if it was because I burned some spots or if the corn itself was off. My wife said her corn was fine. Usually I like the charred bits on roasted corn, but I may have overdone it a bit.
Verdict: Acceptable, but I learned how to make it better next time. Since this weekend was really an experimental cook, I'm not mad. The steaks were still pretty darn good - as good as you can get from a mid-level steak chain.
Sunday Rib smoke: I woke up later than I wanted to, so I got off to a late(er than ideal) start. I followed the "light a dozen briqs in the SnS then when they're hot, fill the rest of the SnS and add wood chunks to the top... method. Again, I wrestled with the thermometer and eventually gave up. I closed the bottom vents to about 1/3 open, and opened the top vents about to about 3/4 open. I used my science brain and decided that if I could se a very slight boil in the reservoir, then I was somewhere in the ballpark of my ideal temperature range and went with that. The downside was that I had to open the dome occasionally to check the reservoir. This seemed to work out ok. After 5 hours (baby backs, seasoned with Memphis Dust with oregano instead of rosemary. It's my wife's favorite herb) the crack test was successful, then I sauced and cooked for another 20 minutes and they turned out very nice. I had a nice smoke "ring" and good texture on the smaller ribs but the bigger ribs were still good but could have used another 30-40 minutes I think. I think baby backs should be ready to eat in less than 5.5 hours so those two facts lead me to think that I had the temp in the 215-225 range, probably on the lower end of that scale for most of the cook.
Overall, I'm pleased with my Kettle and SnS purchase. I bought some salmon, I thought I'd smoke that after the ribs, but they finished so late, I didn't have time. I'll get to that this weekend.
Unfortunately, I bought a sub-standard thermometer on Saturday as I had neglected to procure that important piece via Amazon before the cook day. All they had at Lowe's was a Char-Broil Cold Spot for $27. That's all I had available for instant gratification, so that's what I went with. When I first turned it on and connected the remote with the base, it worked fine. It updated the temperature every few seconds, but there was no way to set an alarm for any temp other than the pre-programmed meat doneness settings. Just having a probe in the dome would display the temp, but the alarm sounded when it hit 135. Then I went to silence the alarm and it stopped updating the temperature, and refused to do so even when I turned off the remote and turned it back on. The instruction "pamphlet" was a waste of paper. So, I chalked it up to a crappy unit. I'll be taking it back this weekend. I've been perusing the reviews here. I'm leaning toward the Fireboard. It's expensive, but I like Wi-Fi over Bluetooth, and I want something I can connect my phone or tablet to.
So, I decided to just eyeball it for temps for the two test cooks. The reverse sear went ok. I think the temps were good for the slow cook, and too low for the sear. That's my mistake as I forgot about having another load of coals ready to top off the SnS for the sear, so as I was able to crank the temps by opening the intake vents, I didn't have fuel close enough to meat. Ultimately, the steak was good, but could have had a better sear. The corn... tasted odd. I don't know if it was because I burned some spots or if the corn itself was off. My wife said her corn was fine. Usually I like the charred bits on roasted corn, but I may have overdone it a bit.
Verdict: Acceptable, but I learned how to make it better next time. Since this weekend was really an experimental cook, I'm not mad. The steaks were still pretty darn good - as good as you can get from a mid-level steak chain.
Sunday Rib smoke: I woke up later than I wanted to, so I got off to a late(er than ideal) start. I followed the "light a dozen briqs in the SnS then when they're hot, fill the rest of the SnS and add wood chunks to the top... method. Again, I wrestled with the thermometer and eventually gave up. I closed the bottom vents to about 1/3 open, and opened the top vents about to about 3/4 open. I used my science brain and decided that if I could se a very slight boil in the reservoir, then I was somewhere in the ballpark of my ideal temperature range and went with that. The downside was that I had to open the dome occasionally to check the reservoir. This seemed to work out ok. After 5 hours (baby backs, seasoned with Memphis Dust with oregano instead of rosemary. It's my wife's favorite herb) the crack test was successful, then I sauced and cooked for another 20 minutes and they turned out very nice. I had a nice smoke "ring" and good texture on the smaller ribs but the bigger ribs were still good but could have used another 30-40 minutes I think. I think baby backs should be ready to eat in less than 5.5 hours so those two facts lead me to think that I had the temp in the 215-225 range, probably on the lower end of that scale for most of the cook.
Overall, I'm pleased with my Kettle and SnS purchase. I bought some salmon, I thought I'd smoke that after the ribs, but they finished so late, I didn't have time. I'll get to that this weekend.
Comment