Slow and Sear - Uses Charcoal Not So Slow?

I ended up getting a Weber Performer, and a slow and sear to go with it. While so far I've been extremely happy with how it puts out very even high heat for 2-zone cooking, I put the "Slow" portion to the test over a weekend with separate cooks of pork butt and racks of ribs. I'm certainly no pitmaster, but with the amount of rave reviews the SnS gets about performance and ease of use, I expected it to be even less fussing than the WSM.

For temperature maintenance I found that to be pretty true. Once it settled into a temp between 235-245 it mostly stayed there, except when it started running low on charcoal, which it did with alarming frequency compared to what I was expecting.

On the pork butt, which was a 10.5 hr cook, I ended up adding a dozen to dozen and a half briquettes twice, and then at the 8 hour mark more or less started from scratch, shaking the basket down to the tiny coals left, piling them in one corner, and reloading the entire basket like I was starting a fresh cook.

For the ribs, while I did not need to add charcoal, the temperature dipped multiple times and I needed to knock the ash off and clear the bottom vents of all the ash buildup (which I had not seen anybody talk about having to do in any video or review online for a >6hr cook).

I'm struggling to think of how this thing would season or improve with more cooks, because it's just a big half moon of steel, but does it? Are there any particular tips or tricks or issues using it that'd cause way higher than expected charcoal usage? I tried to use it exactly as instructed - KBB and all.

There's a guy on Youtube that put up a pretty scathing review of the slow n sear mainly in regards to charcoal use vs the weber charcoal holders. Personally I'm a fan of th slow and sear. I haven't found charcoal yield to be the big selling point. For me it's how well it maintains temp. It's so steady I worry my thermometer is broken. I've never attempted a butt. I did a rack of St. Louis spares and I may have had to reload and knock some ash out, but I don't remember but it was about a 6 to 7 hour cook total. Which one do you have? I've got the 2.0 and it might be more likely to have ash buildup because it has the slots in the bottom rather than no bottom, but it has those to help increase charcoal yield. I don't know why ash clumps up sometimes and other times doesn't. I think it's humidity. You might just try a different charcoal that won't produce as much ash.

Hah, I saw that guy's review a month or two ago. He seems like a real jackwagon! One guy being a performative jerk for the sake of it (and he was testing charcoal grate temp not cooking grate) vs the rest of the internet going gaga over this thing did not dissuade me, especially since even when he was quite scathing he still got 7+ hours of his target temp out of the charcoal.

I have a 2.0 for sure, it's brand new as of 3 weeks ago. Obviously small pieces of maintenance like adding charcoal and cleaning the ash out are really pretty darn easy with the clean out system and hinged grates, but I was surprised. And 2 cooks does not tell the definitive whole story.

The irony is I've been extremely pleased with the efficiency for hot cooks. 2/3 of a chimney for crispy chicken yields a very usable quantity left over for next time after I shut it all down.

One of the things I love about BBQ is that each of us "experts" have our own best method and they all enable us to enjoy excellent meals. It is always fun to see the new miracle products. Some I laugh about and others I can't wait to try.

I waited a long time on the slow and sear. Yes you can do the same thing other ways, like using fire bricks and what not, but it's way more convenient than that, and you don't tear up the side of your kettle by having coals directly on the wall. The temperature also seems more consistent on the indirect side. I'm using it right now smoking some "cowboy burgers" hot and fast at 350.

I use my SlowNSear Plus with Grillgrates once-a-week searing Fish, Beef and Pork Steaks. Maintains a steady temperature with ease using lump charcoal on my Weber Mastertouch Grill.