Father's Day present for myself - Weber Smoker or Slow'n'Sear?

[dbschoo]

Hi there!

Joined this site a couple weeks ago. I'm in the Chicago area and grill on my 26'' Weber kettle and an old 2-burner Genesis Silver that I inherited from my dad.
I would like to add a dedicated smoker, but cannot afford the egg right now. So I was pretty much set on the Weber smoker, and have my wife's blessing to purchase one for myself for father's day, but now I'm torn between that and the Slow'n'Sear I see so positively reviewed here.
Has anyone used both? Any suggestions?
thanks!

[Thunder77]

dbschoo, I have not used a Weber smoker much. But I do have a Slow n Sear, and that would get my vote every time. You can make your 26" kettle into a mighty fine smoker with the SnS, and you can also use it for great two-zone cooking. And the searing capability is there too, believe me! I got a cast iron pan up to 750 degrees fahrenheit on the hot side! If you don't have the room on the deck or patio, the SnS is the way to go, IMHO. Even if you do, I would still consider the SnS. It has completely changed the way I view my Weber kettle. And Adrenaline BBQ customer service is awesome.

[DWCowles]

Welcome dbschoo the WSM is a great smoker but like Thunder77 said the 26" kettle and SnS is hard to beat.

[fuzzydaddy]

Welcome aboard! We're glad you're here. I'll second what has been said about the SnS and the 26" kettle. I have that setup as well as a 22" kettle and SnS and love it. Ribs, butts, chicken, chuckies for pulled beef, shrimp, pork loin...etc. It is a first class setup. Making that list just made me hungry.

[RonB]

The SnS has taken the hassle out of smoking for me. I haven't used my electric smoker since I got the SnS. For the price of the WSM, you should be able to get the SnS and a temp regulator. The regulator is not necessary, but does make holding your temps a bit easier.

[richinlbrg]

Welcome, dbschoo !!

I have both the Webber 26 and the mid sized WSM. LOVE my WSM! GREAT smoker!

I have the SnS. Since getting the SnS, the smoker rarely gets used. Side by side, they turn out identical product.

So to me, it depends on how much you cook at one time. We are empty nesters. I generally cook just for the two of us, so I use the kettle/SnS. I pretty much only use the WSM for large cooks.

Unless you have large cooks that require the largest WSM, I'd go with the SnS and bank the bucks for what you really want. I rarely use more than the top grate on the WSM, unless Iam making beans, which the kettle handles with ease, also. The Weber has pretty much the same capacity. I DO sometimes run both the WSM and the kettle/SnS side by side as smokers.

Can't tell you the right answer, can only share my experience.

Enjoy pulling your hair out choosing!

[Greasy]

I have a 22.5 weber kettle with an SNS and an 18.5 WSM. Love them both. Will she go for letting you get both?

[CeramicChef]

Welcome to The Pit and welcome to The Obsession!

If I were you, I'd tend to get the SnS. I think it gives you a lot more flexibility in what you can cook for the money.

[Huskee]

Welcome to The Pit dbschoo! Nice to have you here, thank you for the support. I have a 15lb brisket on my 26" kettle with the SnS as we speak. It's hard to beat that setup for cost:versatility. It'd be mighty hard to sear up a dozen burgers on your WSM, but with the 26" kettle you can smoke ribs, full briskets, turkeys, or do steaks, burgers & chops with great ease. And since you already have the kettle, the SnSXL will be far cheaper than getting a WSM.

Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

Also, it's very important that you add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list in case you are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner!

Hope to hear & see more from you!

[Medusa]

SnS, hands-down! --Ed

[HouseHomey]

On that note SWMBO just informed me my S n S is on the way. WHOOOOOHOOO,!

[richinlbrg]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

You're going to LOVE it!

[LA Pork Butt]

dbschoo I have a BGE and love it. My son has a 26" Weber which I have cooked on many times. Unless you are looking at cooking huge amounts of food on a smoker, I would go with the SlowNSear, and wait until You can afford the more versitle BGE. If you live near an Eggfest they will sell them after a four hour cook for $750 or so which includes the platesetter, nest and a bag of charcoal. That's a $300 dollar plus savings.

[SoonerBQuer]

I think the SnS is a great option while you save up for a more dedicated smoker. I'm loving the reviews of the Karbecue I've seen on this sight. Something to consider in the future. By the way, I have a Grill Dome (Kamado) and love the way it works. I would highly recommend the Kamado Joe. For the price and package it's hard to beat.

[MBMorgan]

Welcome to the Pit! ... and +1 on the SnS (there's an XL version available now for the 26" Weber)

[dbschoo]

Folks, thanks for all of informative responses. I'm going to go for the SnS (and splurge on some good beer and/or whiskey with the savings on Fathers Day)! Looking forward to my first cook on it!

Happy grilling!