It was mentioned that this device fits both the 22 and 26. Is it a one-size SnS fits both kind of deal or is it 2 different sizes?
Also, does it snap into place at all like the Smokenator or does it just sit on the charcoal grate like the baskets that Weber makes?
Because of the way it blocks radiant heat you could put food on the charcoal grate if you were really trying to fill up the kettle chamber with meat.
Very cool product. I can't wait to see some more detailed Youtube videos of it.
The Smokenator is a cool product. This takes all of the good things of the Smokenator and eliminates the negatives (trying to completely fill the chamber, having to knock off ash, having to add water every hour, only getting 4-5 hours of burn before adding coals). The ONLY tradeoff vs the Sn that I can see is it looks like it has slightly less food support grate room as this device is a covers a little bit more real estate on the charcoal grate. Having said that, the difference appears nominal and when taken with all of the positives...it really does appear to be significantly better than the Sn. Keep in mind, the Sn is a very successful product with a loyal following in spite of its flaws. If managed properly I don't see why the SnS won't overtake the Sn, I really don't.
It just sits on the grate, easy in, easy out for cleaning. It can be positioned either tight to the kettle wall to about 1-1.5" away from the side wall of the kettle to provide a secondary thermal barrier for cold weather use as well, so less charcoal heat conducts thought the kettle wall into the atmosphere. The heat is directed up and put to use rather than bled through direct wall contact.
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.
It was mentioned that this device fits both the 22 and 26. Is it a one-size SnS fits both kind of deal or is it 2 different sizes?
Also, does it snap into place at all like the Smokenator or does it just sit on the charcoal grate like the baskets that Weber makes?
Because of the way it blocks radiant heat you could put food on the charcoal grate if you were really trying to fill up the kettle chamber with meat.
Very cool product. I can't wait to see some more detailed Youtube videos of it.
The Smokenator is a cool product. This takes all of the good things of the Smokenator and eliminates the negatives (trying to completely fill the chamber, having to knock off ash, having to add water every hour, only getting 4-5 hours of burn before adding coals). The ONLY tradeoff vs the Sn that I can see is it looks like it has slightly less food support grate room as this device is a covers a little bit more real estate on the charcoal grate. Having said that, the difference appears nominal and when taken with all of the positives...it really does appear to be significantly better than the Sn. Keep in mind, the Sn is a very successful product with a loyal following in spite of its flaws. If managed properly I don't see why the SnS won't overtake the Sn, I really don't.
It's one size for now, hopefully when things take off we can make smaller ones for the 14" Smokey Joe and 18" kettles. Like PB said before, the lower grate wants to run 40-50 degrees cooler, likely due to the insulating effect of the water reservoir, full or empty. Give & take. This enables a slower burn and more hands off time for food on the top grate.
Given its capabilities making it to scale larger for the 26 doesn't make sense to me and I am glad to hear that it's a 1-size fits 2 proposition.
When it does take off I recommend marketing it as a better alternative to the Smokenator, which is it's only real competitor IMO (Vortex is too different in design to be regarded as a competing product IMO). Also, I think it's important to illustrate how it's superior to the foiled brick setup that you yourself have recently used - why is it worth it to spend the extra dough for this thing? I am quite confident that these issues have already been discussed at length - just thinking out-loud.
I'll address JeffJ's suggestion above. What makes the Slow 'N Sear special?
1) High quality build - 5 lbs of 304 Stainless Steel goes into each Slow 'N Sear
2) The Water Reservoir - It slowly steams off water for 5 hours and is very easy to refill if more steam is needed
3) The Water Reservoir - Full OR empty the WR acts as a barrier to radiant heat, allowing very even cooking over the entire indirect side of the grate
4) The Charcoal Basket - It keeps the charcoal grouped together as the briquets burn and get smaller. This allows for a consistent burn that needs little or no tending for hours
5) The Charcoal Basket - The basket walls capture heat and reflect it upwards, giving you a very intense and evenly heated sear zone. The shape of the basket convects heated air through and around the coals, causing them to burn consistently and get very very hot
6) The Charcoal Basket - For longer cooks it is very easy to refill the basket without temp fluctuations
So we could say the SnS is better than the competition out there by comparing the competition to one or a few of the above features, or we could ask does the SnS really have a competitor that can do all the SnS can do?
That all makes sense to me. I watched you Youtube video with the thermometer probes and this thing absolutely prevents radiant heat, which is very important IMO. I really like the Sn and have had a lot of success using it. the SnS does everything the Sn does without any of the compromises of the Sn. It's what the Sn should have been and that's not a knock on the Sn it's a testament to how cool I think the SnS really is. Like I said, I was sold on putting a 22.5" WSM on my Christmas wish list. I am seriously reconsidering and asking for a SnS and a 26.75" kettle. Kettles can do so many things that a single purpose device like a WSM can't and to be able to have it be as good of a smoker as a Sn equipped kettle but without all of the hassle? I know I am repeating myself but this may be Que Utopia for me.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
Thanks David Parrish. To be honest the SN doesn't impressed me for several reasons.
1. The water pan is to small and has to be refill every 30-45 mins which results in losing heat every time the lid is open.
2. It isn't that easy to refill with charcoal
which also means your losing heat when refilling.
3. It has a little rod to stir the coals around and knock off the ashes
4- Doing all of the above only results in prolonging the cooks because of so much heat lost.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it ðŸ˜Å
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.
Thanks David Parrish. To be honest the SN doesn't impressed me for several reasons.
1. The water pan is to small and has to be refill every 30-45 mins which results in losing heat every time the lid is open.
2. It isn't that easy to refill with charcoal
which also means your losing heat when refilling.
3. It has a little rod to stir the coals around and knock off the ashes
4- Doing all of the above only results in prolonging the cooks because of so much heat lost.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it ðŸ˜Å
DWCowles Those are the same reasons why I never purchased a SN, the cost was too high IMO for the actual mass of what you got, and I could accomplish all the same things with two bricks and a bread pan of water (cost = ~$6). The SnS beats both methods and it's a heavy weight piece of equipment. I knew what was involved with manufacturing and I was still shocked when I got mine and picked it up.
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.
I think it's important to note we're not going to bash the SN or any other similar accessory, we'll just state facts of what the SnS can and will do, and let consumers note any inherent improvements over the current device(s) available.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
Huskee I just giving my review and since I have had my experience with it and don't like it I should be able to bash it. But I will delete my last comment.
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.
Huskee I just giving my review and since I have had my experience with it and don't like it I should be able to bash it. But I will delete my last comment.
DWCowles Not necessary to delete it!! Free speech man. You can bash whatever you want, lol. I'm just saying Dave & I will not publicly bash another product, I know Dave prefers ethical business practices and all that.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
Huskee no problem. I understand you and Dave's situation as being in business. Being a consumer I was giving my review of the SN. I hesitated for a long time about purchasing it after first reading about it on this forum and I thought (and still do) it was overprice. As you may know by now I just tell like it is 😆. But sometimes I get carry away 😊. With that said, I still love cooking with wood logs 😎.
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.
Maybe AR needs to do a review and list it on there review page of accesories with a possible GOLD medal award to help promote this awesomeness in the making!
We have two weber kettle grills (one LARGE and one small/average), the SnS and the Weber Smokey Mountain 18" smoker. We use both natural lump charcoal and KNB for smoking and measure our temps with a Maverick 733, thermopen and MK4. Favorite beer depends on what is cooking (alt answer is yes).
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