Hi all,
I have recently begun doing low 'n slow cooks on a gas grill. I did that many years ago, but now have the opportunity to experiment with low 'n slow on a gasser. I've cooked on many different grills in the last couple of years, and I prefer live fire. But I'm keen on getting this to work on a gas grill too.
So, to keep this post relatively short and to the point, these are my main observations and differences on different grills. For simplicity I've left out the drum smokers, santa maria and other styles, as they are not relevant to my question (see further down).
Key factors
- air flow
- moisture
I know for a fact that offset smokers (properly designed) have a relatively high air flow, I've measured it on many models with an anemometer, and it's around 1.2 - 1.5 meters/second. Kettle grills not so much, and not kamados either.
- Moisture is high in kamados (for whatever reason), not in kettle grills or offset smokers.
There are other factors, but in the end, this has led me to the following adaptations for the cook process in various grills.
Offset smokers:
- wrap at the beginning of the stall, not during or after (bark forms quicker due to higher air flow)
Kettle grills:
- wrap at the end of the stall (see above)
Kamados
- cook 10-15 degrees hotter than a kettle to get better bark (need to chase out that moisture)
My very recent observations on the gas grill is that it has medium high air flow due to it being well vented (for safety reasons). Moisture leaves the grill fast, so I have to spray the surface of the meat to keep it moist.
However: what I've also noticed is that when I do a low 'n slow cook on this gas grill it usually goes 40% faster than normal. I.e. the "slow" in "low n slow" isn't respected
In the end, that means a sub-par result, at least to what I'm used to with my offset.
My theory:
For whatever reason the cook goes a lot faster on the gas grill. Just like I need to cook 10-15 degrees higher on a kamado, perhaps I need to cook 10-15 degrees lower on a gas grill? That way it won't go so fast, and the end result will be those extra 5% better?
My questions to you:
I wanted to check with the brain trust in here, as I'm sure there are a bunch of gas grill owners that are doing low 'n slow also. What are your findings? Have you adjusted temps, use a water pan or anything else to nail the cooks? Have you also noticed that low 'n slow cooks on a gas grill are 2-3 hours faster?
I have recently begun doing low 'n slow cooks on a gas grill. I did that many years ago, but now have the opportunity to experiment with low 'n slow on a gasser. I've cooked on many different grills in the last couple of years, and I prefer live fire. But I'm keen on getting this to work on a gas grill too.
So, to keep this post relatively short and to the point, these are my main observations and differences on different grills. For simplicity I've left out the drum smokers, santa maria and other styles, as they are not relevant to my question (see further down).
Key factors
- air flow
- moisture
I know for a fact that offset smokers (properly designed) have a relatively high air flow, I've measured it on many models with an anemometer, and it's around 1.2 - 1.5 meters/second. Kettle grills not so much, and not kamados either.
- Moisture is high in kamados (for whatever reason), not in kettle grills or offset smokers.
There are other factors, but in the end, this has led me to the following adaptations for the cook process in various grills.
Offset smokers:
- wrap at the beginning of the stall, not during or after (bark forms quicker due to higher air flow)
Kettle grills:
- wrap at the end of the stall (see above)
Kamados
- cook 10-15 degrees hotter than a kettle to get better bark (need to chase out that moisture)
My very recent observations on the gas grill is that it has medium high air flow due to it being well vented (for safety reasons). Moisture leaves the grill fast, so I have to spray the surface of the meat to keep it moist.
However: what I've also noticed is that when I do a low 'n slow cook on this gas grill it usually goes 40% faster than normal. I.e. the "slow" in "low n slow" isn't respected
In the end, that means a sub-par result, at least to what I'm used to with my offset.
My theory:
For whatever reason the cook goes a lot faster on the gas grill. Just like I need to cook 10-15 degrees higher on a kamado, perhaps I need to cook 10-15 degrees lower on a gas grill? That way it won't go so fast, and the end result will be those extra 5% better?
My questions to you:
I wanted to check with the brain trust in here, as I'm sure there are a bunch of gas grill owners that are doing low 'n slow also. What are your findings? Have you adjusted temps, use a water pan or anything else to nail the cooks? Have you also noticed that low 'n slow cooks on a gas grill are 2-3 hours faster?
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