I'm planning to smoke a pork butt this weekend (2 actually) and curious if any SNS users have compared using the SNS Low Profile in the WSCG vs cooking in the WSCG in Kamado mode for a longer low and slow cook? I'm likely to go Kamado mode (just because I haven't done that yet and seems like part of the whole point of having it is for low and slow cooks like pork butt)... but watching the Baby Back Maniac video on YT where he compared smoking in the Weber Kettle 26 w/SNS vs the Summit Kamado made me wonder if there's any benefit to one mode of low and slow smoking vs. the other. He noted the SNS produced a more pronounced smoke flavor (which I tend to prefer) whereas the rub seemed to be more present in the final product in the Kamado - but (he thought) both were equally good-just different. That said, I'm curious if anyone who has cooked low and slow using both methods have any notes on pros/cons in one technique vs the other (e.g.fuel efficiency of charcoal, flavor of final product, impact to maintaining temps, etc..). I have the SNS low profile (and used it the other day with great results cooking salmon)... but my inclination would be to use it more for quick cooks vs. long low and slow cooks (like pork butt, brisket, etc..).. but maybe I'm missing something. Thoughts?
-
-
I think it is easier to use the S&S. I use it in Kamado mode when I need grill space for multiple racks of ribs. I don't really notice any difference in flavor. I say try it in Kamado mode since you haven't done that yet. -
I'm still learning my E6. You should definitely use adequate drip pans. My first cook was a rack of pork ribs in kamado mode. I just foiled the diffuser. Ended up not helping too much as it's hard not to tear the foil. Plus I had to overlap two sheets to cover the whole thing. Drippings still found their way on to it anyway. I don't know if it was needed, but I also took the time to tear open the foil where it covered the vent holes in the diffuser. PIA, but didn't want to introduce an unknown variable on my first cook.
Then I did a brisket a week ago and figured I'd just put a single half pan on it. Well that made a greasy, sizzling, smoking mess as it only covered maybe a little over half the meat. Plus the grease would boil causing my grate temp to spike. So if using pans to catch drippings, put some kind of spacer between it and the diffuser. fzxdoc uses some kind of ceramic spacer. Not sure exactly what they are and where she gets them.Comment
-
I always go kamado mode for L&S, but I also have the snapjet and follow Kathryn's lighting instructions. I use the SnS for indirect cooking with the sear option for things like steaks, burgers and chops. And if you haven't done so, pick up a Vortex, that thing is a chicken cookin' mo-sheen!Comment
-
It's so much fun to use the WSCGC in kamado mode, you should give it a go, especially since you've never used it before. The Summit runs so stable in kamado mode that I've hesitated to fit it with an automatic temperature controller, even though I have one for it.
The first couple of times I did long cooks, I did not get a smoke ring in kamado mode and found the smoke profile to be much less forward compared to what I was used to getting in the PBC or with the SnS Low Profile in kettle mode. That's when I started using 4 or 5 chunks of wood in the WSCGC instead of 2 or 3, spacing them out so they are lit throughout much of the cook. The typical burn pattern in my smoker radiates out from the Snapjet igniter, so I put a couple of chunks pretty close to it and spread the rest out in a tight fan. Because the Summit is so fuel-efficient, if the chunks are too close to the periphery they may not even get used up for a cook. Using more wood in kamado mode, I seem get a stronger smoke flavor which my family likes. The smoke profile seems to be pretty much the same as with the SnS/kettle mode but different from the PBC. The PBC's smoke flavor is more forward, the WSCGC's smoke flavor comes through more toward the end of the bite.
About the diffuser plate, Rod , I use extra wide heavy duty aluminum foil and one sheet covers it pretty well, leaving the two little handles exposed. Usually it tears through a bit at the hinges as I set it in place, so I just take a 4 inch wide strip and run it over that area on top of the foil that was originally wrapped and tuck it in. Works just fine. My diffuser plate is different from yours, though. It's a solid double layer with an air gap in between (no vent holes) and a hinged section for adding fuel. I'm not sure I'd bother with wrapping it if it was the style you have in the newer Summits.
I just started using ceramic spacers (from the Ceramic Grill Store) to try to capture more of the drippings. For the drippings, I used to use 2 aluminum drip pans side by side like Babyback Maniac does, but now I use a (foiled) 16 inch round (17 inch OD) cake pan, which is smaller than I would like (I'd love to find an 18 inch one) but it's the biggest that I've found available.
At the end of the day, the WSCGC turns out delicious food in both the kamado and the SnS/Kettle modes. You really can't go wrong either way. I choose based on the amount of real estate I need for the amount of food I have. I dislike cramming cuts of meat too close together, so if it looks like it might be a bit of a tight fit with SnS/kettle, I use the kamado option instead.
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; March 28, 2022, 07:06 PM.Comment
-
Rod , I have to continue here because I ran out of characters...
About the design of the Ceramic Store Drip Tray: There has to be room to get your pit gloves in along the sides and gently lift it. A high-sided cake pan like I use is a good design for lifting in/out because I can easily grab it by the rim.
K.
-
-
I use the SnS LP for convenience and I for what feel is better control over the smoke by being able to put the wood chunks in places I’ll know about when each piece burns. For long cooks like butts and packers though, I usually go commando, err I mean kamado. So, like you suggest, I usually go SnS for shorter cooks.Comment
-
Thanks for the feedback…. I actually dropped a full sized disposable aluminum pan in above the deflector, and it sits almost perfectly on the lip of the bowl where the food grate sits, and about an inch and a half above the deflector - covering about 85% of the deflector itself (leaving two uncovered edges). My only possible concern would be if that much cover under the meat would prevent smoke from penetrating - but I’d imagine it’s getting plenty of exposure above it.
-
-
Seems like this setup would work - I’d put a bit of water in the pan to keep the drippings from burning, I think.Attached FilesComment
-
Vaporizing grease and drippings is part of the PBC's claim to fame, as the flavenoids released by the fire from the drippings add to the flavor unique to the PBC. While the diffuser plate in a kamado may not be as hot as the fire, it may not hurt, either. Since I would like to capture some of those flavorful drippings in a pan, I went with the ceramic spacers. au4stree . I think that maybe too much vaporization in a drip pan is a waste of flavor.
K.Last edited by fzxdoc; March 30, 2022, 05:54 PM.
-
-
pchadwick78 , that setup will work as long as your meat sits exactly over that pan. But if you're smoking a couple of chuck roasts and some ribs, or a couple of pork butts and some ribs, or 3 meatloaves or a huge brisket, say, then you'll need more aluminum pan coverage. That's why for years I used the two smaller aluminum foil pans like Babyback Maniac uses, because, if you mash their shape up a bit, they cover the entire diffuser plate. See mile marker 6:56 in this Babyback Maniac video to see what I'm talking about.
HTH,
KathrynComment
Comment