Seeking new SAFI grill/smoker

[nunyaz]

Greetings y'all!

I'm a former "lurker" on the site and have a *hmm* 🤔 what's it called (?) a TRIAL membership (I don't like that term - reminds me of the bad old days ) and will probably upgrade soon .
I posted on the introduce yourself page a couple weeks ago and mentioned that I have a Weber Kettle 22.5 and was looking for a way to increase my indirect zone real estate. If I had a nickel for every SnS suggestion I got on that thread, I could buy a genuine KC-style BBQ RESTAURANT!!
I appreciate the loyalty with which you folks have to a brand, but there are other ways to get that done on a Weber Kettle without spending the $125+ that the SnS zaps from the bank account. And while I *love* my kettle, it is *NOT* (for me) a set it and forget it smoker 😩.
The purpose of this post is to get some input from those with IRL experience (In Real Life) with SAFI (Set It And Forget It) grill/smokers.
I'm not opposed to pellets, butt since I've got a boatload of charcoal and charcoal-related gizmos/accessories and ZERO pellet-related experience/gizmos, I'm torn and would appreciate any input you brothers (and sisters) would be willing to provide I'm not opposed to, and don't "have", gas but a pot o' beans could fix that right quick LOL ... and while we're at preferences, electric would be my last choice.

TLDR;
Need some input on best choice for a "Set It And Forget It" low n slow smoker.

Peace,
Nunyaz

[CHNeal]

Weber Summit E-6. I’ve done everything but buy it. If I decide to give up my kettle it’s the only option for me.

[nunyaz]

CHNeal - I thought kamados had a 'flaw' with difficulty in 2-zone set up? What am I missing?

[CHNeal]

@nunyaz
That’s the beauty of the Summit. It is a hybrid mix of kettle and kamado. It is happy being both and either!
I have spent way too many hours researching and am this close to just going in hard on one. Go here to learn lots from folks that own and love them

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/weber-summit-charcoal

[STEbbq]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/charcoal-kamados/other-kamados-and-misc/1229540-what-is-the-best-two-zone-kamado-system

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/charcoal-kamados/other-kamados-and-misc/1234002-what-is-the-best-2-zone-system-for-kamados-round-2

[STEbbq]

I would look at Kamados and consider PK Grills as well. They are the closest thing to set and forget it in the charcoal world without going electric.

[bmillin]

Bronco

[nunyaz]

Bronco is already on the short list, thanks!

[RonB]

My Kettle is set and forget. I use an SnS and a Fireboard and can keep the temps I want within a few degrees for 6 to 8 hours easily. I have to add charcoal around that time, and then it keeps temps where I want them for another round.

And it appears you have a classic case of MCS, (more cooker syndrome). You don't want to spend $100 + for an SnS, but you are willing to spend a lot more for a new cooker. You will fit right in here.

[nunyaz]

MCS for sure , but also looking for set and forget and haven't been able to enjoy that with my current cooker.

[nunyaz]

RonB (and the dozens, perhaps HUNDREDS of others LOL 😂) who have yammered on and on about the SnS. I give up 😭 - since I can get the SnS from Amazon with 30 day return, I can give it a test run to see if it works *for me*. (I spent a not-so-fun day chasing temps on the Kettle trying - for the first time - a low n slow chuck roast.)
Will let you know how *my* SnS experience is ... hoping for a positive experience, but thankful for free returns if it doesn't.

[Panhead John]

I’m with bmillin on the Bronco. If you want to use charcoal and do low and slow, I can’t recommend the Bronco enough. There’s a lot of people here, me as well, who’ve got one and I think they will back me up. They are a beast at holding temps with very little vent adjustments required once it’s settled in. I rarely have it go more than 10*-15* or so in either direction for hours at a time. No controller fan required.

[RonB]

OK. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how well it works.

You will have to figure out what works for you, but I'll tell you what works for me. And don't forget to read/watch what the people that sell the SnS recommend.

The idea behind the SnS is to have a small hot fire to keep the temp low for a long cook while producing clean smoke. By placing the lit coals in one corner, the fire will slowly burn across the unlit coals without too many burning at any one time.

I light about a dozen briquettes in a chimney. You can start them in one corner of the SnS if you don't have a chimney. I fill the SnS, (for a long cook), and add the lit coals to one corner. If you don't have a chimney, add the briquettes after the starter briquettes are fully lit. Then I add some wood chunks for smoke flavor. I add one decent chunk to the lit coals, and the rest close to the lit coals so they will burn consecutively.

I leave the bottom vent fully open and control temps with the top vent. Below is a photo of where I set the vent for 225°. (I actually don't normally smoke lower than 250° any more.) The actual temp is dependent on how many coals are lit. This vent setting works when I start ~ 12. Another factor is how long you keep the lid off the cooker. If you allow too many additional briquettes to get lit before putting the lid in place, it will be difficult to keep the temp down.

If you look close at the vent in the photo below, you will see a black line and 225. There is also a black line on the blue lid, but it's hard to see. Setting the top vent there will normally get me close to 225°. And one very important thing to remember is that you don't have to maintain an exact temp. A 15° to 20° variance will not affect your cook, and if the temp is off more than you are comfortable with, make small adjustments occasionally. Any adjustment you make will take some time to affect the pit temp.

Most importantly, have fun!

[nunyaz]

RonB - yes, I get it that following manufacturer's suggestions is wise way to go ... found a Cooking with Ry utube vid where he said essentially the same thing. (I'd LOVE to have a 10-15 degree swing (mine was nearly 100 yesterday!)
Just to reiterate I'm wanting to get low n slow AND set n forget on a weber kettle so your 'been there, done that' advice is GREATLY appreciated!! Thank you, Brother!
Ordered the SnS today, should be here Thursday, plenty of time to get it tuned in b4 T'day

[bbqLuv]

I went from charcoal to gas to pellet grilling. Have not looked back.
They produce good food.
But they do require AC power.

[nunyaz]

bbqLuv - AC power not a problem, MCS is the problem and pellet has many reasons to say 'yea'!

[klflowers]

I have a kettle/sns and a Bronco. The Bronco is vastly superior to the sns imo. The charcoal basket is larger and it is a heavy, thick walled beast that holds temps well in cold weather. Second to it is the weber smokey mountain (which I also own). The wsm was my first ever smoker, and while it is a little more difficult to get dialed in, once you learn it it is a beautiful thing. It is light so it is portable, which you can't say for the bronco. I also have a pellet grill (grilla chimp) which is truly set and forget. So on my list, the kettle/sns as a smoker is in 4th place.

[nunyaz]

There you go, klflowers, feeding the MCS beast 🤪😂

[klflowers]

nunyaz I am sincerely just trying to help. Really, I think you just should get several because your favorite will change daily

[RiverJeff]

Low and Slow Pellet gets it on for me!

[nunyaz]

RiverJeff, looked at (okay, drooled over) a PitBoss vertical pellet at Lowe's today - wisdom (okay, my wife's voice) prevailed - it stayed at Lowe's (for now) LOL!

[RiverJeff]

@nunyaz
Yea know the look! then "Do You Really Need THAT!"

[realdocBBQ]

What about those gravity fed charcoal smokers? Is it Masterbuilt that makes some of those? They look interesting, though I'm not sure if you can put actual wood chunks in as well, can you?

[STEbbq]

You can do wood chunks mixed with charcoal in the hopper.

https://www.masterbuilt.com/products/gravity-series-560-digital-charcoal-grill-smoker

[nunyaz]

DogFacedPonySoldier - I have many times juggled the Masterbuilt (either the 560 or the 1050) vs the Char-Griller 980 (Tom Horsman has a great utube vid on them) - each has it's detractors and sycophants, much like any item (I dare you to take a stand for "Ford", or "Chevy" on a car forum LOL). AND, if price wasn't an issue (which it IS for me) there's always:

https://www.assassin-smokers.com/gravity-fed-insulated-smokers/

Peace,
Nunyaz

[glitchy]

I have a pellet grill and a Weber Summit Charcoal Grill. Both are very set and forget, especially when I use my Fireboard and fan on the WSCG. I use the pellet far more because it usually takes 45-60 minutes to get the WSCG started and at temp versus flipping the switch and prepping food for the 10-15 minutes the pellet grill takes. Once at temp both are pretty much no work.

If you’re very accustomed to the results of smoking on a kettle, you might not like the flavor profile of many pellet grills. A lot of them have a pretty light smoke profile.

[nunyaz]

Glitchy, it's my understanding that the pellet tube resolves that lack o' smoke issue with pellet grills. I don't like the flavor profile of the PBC (unintentional flame war started, prolly).
The set n forget aspect of the pellet grill has been a draw for some time (for me) - I've resisted that MCS devil so far 😏.

[realdocBBQ]

The pellet tube is... ok. I've used several on my Yoder. It doesn't end up like an offset, I've learned that handily in the last month borrowing my friend's 250 gallon stickburner.

[glitchy]

nunyaz I’ve never used a pellet tube. However, I can tell you not all pellet grills produce the same results from experience with several. Nor will a pellet grill, a charcoal smoker, and an offset. If SAFI is you main goal, a pellet grill is the best choice. It allowed me to cook when kids were little and time to fuss with cooking was scarce. Now I have time, but couldn’t imagine not having a pellet grill.

[radiodome21]

I have the WSM and a Grilla and a Traeger. I just bought the SNS kettle deluxe package. I’m not sure where you live but if it’s cold weather then the pellet is amazing. Among other reasons.

This past January when I was considering an offset I asked myself if I had an offset would I be using it now. at the time I had a pork butt on. It was freezing outside and very windy and that day was the last day I spent considering an offset. Even this past summer when I had plans to stay up a little later in the evening to do an overnight cook on either the kettle or WSM I found myself just using the pellet grill more. Why? Well when I woke up after falling asleep on the couch I didn’t want to deal with waiting for the cooker to come to temp. And I was able to sleep 😴 much easier knowing that I wouldn’t have to make sure my temps were consistent. Plus, I think the pellet smoker makes great food and smoke flavor is also subjective too. My wife and kids like the lighter profile too and love the food I’ve made on it. And my WSM and kettle are really only weekend cookers mainly for the time aspect.

[Mosca]

I thought kamados had a 'flaw' with difficulty in 2-zone set up? What am I missing?

Kamados don’t have a flaw in setting up 2 zone, in fact that is what they are best at. If you have a kamado, you have difficulty going from 2 zone to direct. It isn’t that hard, though. And since you already have a kettle, it wouldn’t be an issue.

I have a BGE and a kettle. The BGE gets the smoky stuff, the kettle gets the sear-y stuff. BUT. The BGE sears stuff just fine, and the kettle smokes stuff well enough, that I can really do whatever I want with either, depending.

All that being said: the strength of the kamado design isn’t that it is the best at anything; it’s that it is pretty good at almost everything. Since you already have an excellent grill, you’d probably be best served with a more dedicated smoker.

[nunyaz]

Mosca - your wise words can not be argued with - your comment re: strength of kamado was more-or-less the same thing said about the Weber Summit by CHNeal ... beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the pit master ... err, beholder

[Mosca]

Yeah, you want something else, and since I don’t have any experience with anything else, that’s all I can say.

[Dadof3Illinois]

Who say's you have to have a SnS for the Kettle? I use one because it makes things easier but setting the briquettes up in the snake method works just as well and if done correctly can last as long if not longer than using a SnS.
But if you're wanting a set and forget cooker.....I think that's called the oven in your kitchen...HA!! All kidding aside I wouldn't leave any open flame cooker unattended for very long at all. Over the years I've had hot embers pop out of the charcoal baskets, pellet grills have burn backs and ignite and a gas smoker catch the grease pan on fire.
So depending on what level of smoke you like in your food along with how long of a cook you are needing would help us help you figure out which cooker might work best. Even a pellet cooker will need some attention a couple times during a long cook. A Kamado or Kettle are going to need fuel at some point....although some kamado's can handle some pretty long cooks, then stick burners......well that's pretty much out if you're wanting something you don't need to tend to often.

[nunyaz]

Dadof3Illinois - much appreciate the sound advice!
Currently have a Weber Kettle MasterTouch 22.5 it's been a great 'starter' & I've since added a "3-in-One" device from Etsy which provides the option of pizza, rotisserie (which I don't have) and a second bbq grill level. It essentially just sits atop the Kettle until I'm ready to use the Kettle I've also added a vortex, I've used the snake method & fire bricks. I'm currently trying to follow the kettlepitmasterbbq.com protocol 2bcontinued