First Time using Slow 'N Sear Need some help.


 
B

Brian B Atlanta

TVWBB Gold Member
Doing back ribs for July 4th usually would use my UDS but I had bought a Deluxe SNS when they had that great sale awhile back so I want to try it on my Performer. My UDS won't last forever so need to come up to speed with the SNS. Any tips from SNS users you can give me shooting for 275 temp will wrap after 3 hours but the aim is fall off the bone my wife will not eat them any other way already been reminded by her by the way. :)

So any idea with time I will be using the water tank not sure what that actually does I assume keep the temp down add some moisture. Its about a 3.5 lb rack only 3 of us should be plenty with a bit of leftovers.
 
After a few first cooks,I can’t recall ever using my water tray again. That was probably 10 years ago.
 
Brian,
The water tray is a personal choice a lot like the water pan for the WSM. Either way fill it up with charcoal and any wood you want on top of that. Light the one end with a fire starter of your choice. Have both top and bottom vents fully open. Keep both vents fully open until about 200. At around 200 close the bottom vents to open just a touch. Then as it keeps climbing us the top vent to control the temps through the cook, only opening the bottom vent if you have a temp crash for some odd reason.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
Doing back ribs for July 4th usually would use my UDS but I had bought a Deluxe SNS when they had that great sale awhile back so I want to try it on my Performer. My UDS won't last forever so need to come up to speed with the SNS. Any tips from SNS users you can give me shooting for 275 temp will wrap after 3 hours but the aim is fall off the bone my wife will not eat them any other way already been reminded by her by the way. :)

So any idea with time I will be using the water tank not sure what that actually does I assume keep the temp down add some moisture. Its about a 3.5 lb rack only 3 of us should be plenty with a bit of leftovers.
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Since I got a WSM, I rarely use the SnS for smoking, but I use it all the time for indirect cooks and searing. When I do smoke with it, I use the water reservoir. Not sure why, I just always have. I think it helps keeps temps stable and maybe adds some humidity?

Next time I smoke, I'll try it without the water, (like the WSM...I've never used the water pan), and see what happens and will report back.
 
I think you need to use the water in the kettle I get not using it in the WSM that is a way different cooking setup like my UDS which does not use water either. My ribs turned out great but this was a beast to keep the temps stable it was all over the place unlike my UDS which might need a few minor temp adjustments during the 5 hours where this needed 7 or 8 playing with the vents but this could have been 1st time user error also.

I am going to use it again for smoking some ribs next month maybe shut the bottom vent down quicker maybe that will help. This is great if you don't have a WSM and want to use your kettle or performer to do some ribs but I can't imagine doing a brisket in this setup which I never do anyway. It had plenty of fuel for the 5 hour cook and after shutting down there was no doubt looking what I had left for charcoal 6 hours would have been no problem but I was using Weber Charcoal which burns longer but I don't think that mattered that much.
 
I dont use water in the sns, and I dont really use it for smoking anymore either. I went back to the weber charcoal baskets and place one on each side and halfway fill with unlit coal and pour the other half of lit on top with smoke wood. I put the meat between them with a drip pan below..

If you have the newer kettle with the P-style air vents below the charcoal grate they definitely help with controlling the temp vs the kettle without them
 
David, I do the same on normal cooks use my baskets if doing wings together in the middle wings on the outer edges. Doing a spatchcock chicken or a 3lb turkey breast baskets on each edge protein in the middle. Foil when using the baskets spread under the chicken and turkey and foil around the edges for the wings.

For me I can see using it for the ribs again which I will do or anything that is going to take more than 3 hours it does hold a lot of charcoal. Not unhappy with it I did not pay anywhere what the SNS deluxe costs now so its another tool in the arsenal. Its no UDS or WSM if you smoke alot of stuff that is for sure.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
David, I do the same on normal cooks use my baskets if doing wings together in the middle wings on the outer edges. Doing a spatchcock chicken or a 3lb turkey breast baskets on each edge protein in the middle. Foil when using the baskets spread under the chicken and turkey and foil around the edges for the wings.

For me I can see using it for the ribs again which I will do or anything that is going to take more than 3 hours it does hold a lot of charcoal. Not unhappy with it I did not pay anywhere what the SNS deluxe costs now so its another tool in the arsenal. Its no UDS or WSM if you smoke alot of stuff that is for sure.
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this is strictly my opinion but- in my cooking experimentation with the sns smoking (and banking coals on one side of the kettle for that matter) I think it produces some wildly uneven temps inside the kettle and food needs rotated. I also found that indirect baking potatoes with the sns did not get them done in an hours' time and I had to move them closer to the fire and rotate them... My personal preference is to have heat on 2 sides of the food and I can rotate or just leave it alone. I do think the sns is great for searing steak though, I just dont use it much anymore

I also think the wsm creates more smoke flavor vs the kettle, but this is just me being picky
 
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