Can The Slow N Sear Charcoal Basket FIX My Weber Summit Kamado Smoke? | Pulled Pork Test

[@davidconners]

Try low and slow with more wood chunks at the bottom, if you add more than 1, about 4 to 5 and let the heat extend out to each one it comes out great.

[@wakeywarrior]

Don’t understand this I’ve never noticed an issue with smoke and I’ve had mine 2 years. Neither has the likes of Harry Su or Baby Back Maniac. Just put some more wood on the coals if you like more smoke? They dropped the flipping deflector as no one added wood or coal, you don’t need to, they’ll run 40+ hours. I came from a ceramic. I prefer these. They are lighter, more robust and won’t crack, easier to clean out, temp control is fantastic. They are fantastic cookers and many prefer them over ceramic. Anyway the pork looked really good. You seem to get great meat cuts in Canada.

[@WorldOfWeber]

His dislike for Weber Kamados might have something to do with an association with KJ. We sell Weber, but we also appreciate KJs.

[@MrApesbathing]

@@WorldOfWeber he’s makes zero money from kj. He’s gone over this 100 times. He owns and loves his Weber Smokey mountain.

[@SnSGrills]

Hey great first cook with the Low Profile!! We can’t wait to see what’s next with that grill combo!

[@jeremyfuller1654]

So I definitely love that you do these comparisons. And i love that you are willing to try new things to see what works the best on each grill. Only thing i will say is i feel like you come at these things from a bias. The kamado joe is amazing. Love it. But as someone who has both the joe and the summit. I actually prefer the summit. However the set up is completely different. I think this may be where you come into problems. You expect the things you do on other grills to work on every grill. This is a really great smoker and grill and when you lock in the tricks to this grill and take away bias i think you will really enjoy it. Keep making videos. Love them. Just open the mind a little.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I do have an open mind but am guilty of trying what’s worked on other products to see if they do the same. I do like it and have ruled out some of my habits and am building up the method for the summit before doing any head to head comparisons

[@fishindoc6025]

Jeremy... do you have more info on cooks with this cooker? I just bought one and would like more info on using it

[@stip3045]

I really like the way you worded your response. Positive feedback without salt. Reminds me that I need to learn how to communicate more effectively

[@grahamhawes7089]

If you’re not getting smoke, why not just use more wood chunks scattered in the charcoal bed? There’s no law saying you need to add throughout the cook. This cooker is less insulated so I don’t think it requires the same “hacks” to get good smoke quality as a KJ. And if you’re getting too much moisture from the water pan, maybe just use a little one off to the side, not a giant pan directly underneath. I think by using the SnS you just converted this into a 22” Weber kettle, which costs a fraction of the price.

[@heduardo85]

I recently bought myself this kamado grill and I actually love it. I used to have an offset smoker but this fit my lifestyle better I haven’t had issues with smoke flavors or anything like that. I have tried the snake method and the minion method so far and just add wood chunks spread around the charcoal. Putting plenty of charcoal eliminates the charcoal access issue cause I don’t need more charcoal till I have to wrap them just add more if needed at that point. I’m still learning to use or get better on my bbq but thought I should share cause I do love your channel

[@rajdash4387]

Totally agree. I also use lump coal and find the flavor is really nice.

[@michaelmurray5578]

Been trying to decide between the Summit or a 26” kettle outfitted with SNS gear. This video really helped! Going with the 26”!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Cheers

[@vaffel7706]

Nice video - thanks! I've watched a lot of your videos and wanted a KJ for a long time, but could never justify the price. On the summit you can add more wood chucks on the bottom outwards and it will catch fire throughout the cook. ALSO; The Big Joe pizza stone works excellent as a second heat deflector for double indirect with the original steel plate on the bottom. The pizza stone is air gapped with 4 large steel nuts, but you could also just use a few balls of alumiunum foil. The big joe grates fits perfectily in the top level, and the regular Kamado Joe grates fits perfect on the lower level.

[@puddingtame1787]

There's also no airflow into the ash catcher. That's probably an even bigger issue than it not being insulated, with regards to the smoking wood underneath not catching.

[@ryanb4481]

There's a couple of reasons why the ash pan trick doesn't work for the WSK. The main reason is that very few hot embers actually make it to the ash pan. Remember the air intake to that cooker actually happens above the ash pan and most ideal settings have very small slivers to for live embers to fall through. Also, even if the wood completely lit into flames, all of the holes to the outside taking in air are exposed and above the ash pan. Most of the smoke will escape through them before ever reaching the cooker. I think this is what he meant by insulation because it's pretty obvious it won't work.

[@Bk6346]

Isn’t the water pan supposed to besides the brisket instead of underneath the meat? That’s the recommended setup for smoking on a Weber kettle where you have one pan underneath to catch the meat dropping and another pan next to the meat filled with water.

[@johnknapp6328]

I think if you set up charcoal,wood chunks for long cook you will be good. Harry Soo got 32 hrs of burn time. Sns nice for shorter cooks. Kamato big Joe dropped price 1800 we can talk.

[@michaelmilitello5644]

It’s not necessary to put wood in an ash pan. Not sure why you are so fixated on this. It’s not a KJ so I wouldn’t expect it to work. Just use more wood in the fire box.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

you’re blinded by brand loyalty and can’t look at the reality of different cookers perform in comparison to others including benchmarking against offsets

[@JustGrillingandChilling.]

@@SmokingDadBBQwhich is precisely why this comparison is being done…. another great objective video James….👍🏼👍🏼

[@wyo_garage20]

@@SmokingDadBBQ But, he’s correct. How is that blinded by brand loyalty? Come on guy. The Summit does not need wood added to the ash catcher, in fact NO ONE does that. Add more wood, you’re not setting up correctly. Don’t put the wood under the charcoal, put it up on top/in the charcoal. I understand you want to be correct, but bud here you’re not. 100%. Been running a Summit since 2019

[@cmaterick]

@@wyo_garage20 It’s his preference that the smoke from the wood pass through and be super-heated by the coals because that’s the flavor he and his family prefer. That doesn’t make him wrong. If you like it your way, then that’s fine, too.

[@dbmccann9]

@@SmokingDadBBQyou’re using the Weber wrong and accusing others of being blinded by brand loyalty? Ironic.

[@Eli-wv9bn]

Seeing you use the SNS products makes we want to see an SNS kamado review, which there doesn’t seem to be a lot of.

[@RayDiGrazia]

With the slow and sear the fire is too high and close too close to the meat..I have a custom charcoal basket from Arbor Fabricators that fits with the charcoal grate in the lower position.I use 2 18 inch Kamado Joe half deflector plates one on top of each other with a foiled slow and sear drip pan on top of the deflector plates. I also use the Kamado Big Joe grates allowing easy access to the fire. The water pan goes on the fire side and the meat goes over the drip pan..I used too have a Kamado Joe classic 2, which was too small and too heavy..The Kamado Big Joe was the right size for me, but the weight of it was a deal breaker, hence the Weber Summit Charcoal which I have owned for 5 years.. 12:46

[@fishindoc6025]

@user-iw3ln4ok7s: any pics of your setup?

[@jrf9198]

I run this SNS setup in my $180 Weber kettle with outstanding results. What’s the advantage of running this setup in a $1200 Weber kamodo?

[@SouthwestOhioBBQ]

It's insulated so better in cold weather.

[@polsok44]

Well done video, looking forward to more videos on this cooker

[@link_7164]

Thank you for another great video. I see a lot of people talking about adding more wood initially and not topping up. I do hope this is something you’ll try, I’m interested in what you think of the result vs the ash tray method from the kamado. I can’t try all the types of BBQ before buying and I think your opinion is up there as one of the next best things. Will inform what route I go down when I buy my own BBQ.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

The problem with loading too much wood in an energy efficient Kamado is bad smoke / creosote and (2) temp spikes from wood combusting and causing temp control issues. While you can add more wood it’s a fine line before running into these issues which is why I prefer to supplement smoke in my ash tray throughout the cook but clearly on this grill I am going to have to come back to more wood

[@link_7164]

@@SmokingDadBBQ good to know, thank you. I’ve been catching up with your videos and for some reason hadn’t asked myself the reason you’d switched to the ash drawer on the KJ. I recall your green egg friend was impressed with the result though. If I choose a KJ I’ll definitely use your method.

[@TheKenjoy]

I think you owe the WSK/SNS and the gods of pork butts another go at this. I'd say at 12:54 you set the slow n sear up for much hotter cooking than you wanted, resulting in the burn. I believe that we all bring our passion into these experiences, and that enough passion can bring premium results with any grill/kit/gear combo, but the tricks will vary! I hope to see it.

[@samacc2536]

Funny how some people don’t understand that if you don’t think outside of the box, you will never go the next level. Awesome video, and love the creativity!!

[@Alpha_Fox]

You mean not using it as intended...?

[@samacc2536]

@@Alpha_Fox These manufacturers have an intended use for something, but doesn’t mean that they are know all be all. Hence the reason why they are always releasing newer versions and always working on improving their units. Also a reason why these companies welcome feedback.

[@briandaffern5108]

I use the truff as a binder also, but you should give the W sauce a try, it has almost a Caribbean type of flavour.

[@robertguy23]

Different type of grill, but on my pk360, instead of putting a chunk of wood directly in the coals, i put it on the grate over the coals

[@RumandCook]

Late night lights come in handy, I thought you were going to have an unexpected taste tester join the party hah 🍻

[@Keith80027]

Love the check out and approval by the coyote. We have them here too and see them alot after dark while walking my two huskies. Lucky for us, coyotes hate huskies and will leave.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Might need to get a huskie lol

[@slothlovechunk]

The infrared heat probably reflects too well off the metal dome to have the fire to the side like that?

[@Sauce1977]

How long do you cook your brisket? I usually have a little less than half of the charcoal left after a 13-hour cook on it. I just add like three 1/2 fist size wood chunks at the beginning with a lot of wood chips scattered in the mix.

[@jimcrookston2776]

The pork looked great James! The SNS takes up a lot of room but I have found the offset indirect setup it provides produces some great results with pork butts and chuck roast in a regular Weber Kettle.

[@Southjerseysmokin]

That’s actually a pretty cool idea. That’s how the sns komado works

[@eclipxe]

One quick unrelated question for you - I noticed with the meater app it will show your temps in the phone Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen as a live activity. I know that works for the meater 2 and plus. Does that functionality work with the meater block? (Specifically when using just the meater block probes, do you get the temperature reading in the dynamic island and the Lock Screen on iOS?)

[@eclipxe]

To answer myself - yes, it works with the block

[@arboyprepper4616]

Another great video James. I own a summit without an SNS , and my cooks came out awesome. I’ve always used 3-4 chunks of wood buried underneath the charcoal and never experienced a temp spike. My double indirect setup is a paella pan with water and a KJ pizza stone sitting on top of it so the steam get absorbed by the stone. Also deflector plate is used also. It’s true that a load of charcoal with burn long enough for any cook. PS I’m going to pull the trigger on a Big Joe 3

[@coiken]

Looking forward to your Kamado joe accessories fit test in this Weber!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Have the divide and conquer next

[@praetorxyn]

I use the Slow N Sear Kamado, which is built around the full sized Slow N Sear, and can attest that it produces great results. But the heat source comes up over the top, so a foil boat is not a good idea. The last few pork butts I've done, I've put them into a disposable half-pan, then wrapped the top of the pan with foil. This protects the top, the bark is still good, and since it's in a pan, you can dredge it through its own juices and rendered fat when pulling it, which is delicious.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Ya in hindsight that’s obvious … 1am and the coyotes distracted me lol

[@quincycuthbert5408]

That coyote said leave him some pork out there. Do you think you will keep the Weber long term?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Right? That’s a first lol. I think I will take it to my families cottage so we have a charcoal grill when away

[@robertmorrison4020]

Without the first gen heat deflector to allow you access to the fire, the Summit feels like a kettle on steroids.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

And it’s a great kettle …. But it is coming up a little short on the Kamado side of things

[@ihatalgore]

​@@SmokingDadBBQ And after divide and conquer, the next test is the XL Adjustable Rig from Ceramic Grill Store, right? I think you can accomplish double indirect on that and also gain access to the fire. Would love to see the possibilities explored!

[@Brooks5678]

The sns is a joke imo. Many people like the sns. I have had more success with 2 fire bricks standing up. Better air flow for higher heat cooks and cleaner smoke.

[@Brooks5678]

Looking forward to seeing more cooks on the Summit

[@ryanb4481]

@@Brooks5678 A joke is a bit harsh lol. But, it's definitely a very overrated accessory. For long cooks, I feel the snake method is far superior. And for short cooks with a sear, the fire bricks are the way to go for sure.

[@OftheSeven]

Great video! I just received my WSK today and did a burn in. I put in some smoking wood to test and noticed smoke coming out the back of the lid where the gasket goes up into the lid. There seems to be a gap. Should smoke only come out the top vent? Can I put something in to plug it up?

[@xpascua]

I've had the original WSCG since 2019 and mine did this at first. More cooks should help seal it up.

[@Ghigster2]

Try lighting the fire far to one side instead of middle. This way one end of the smoking log is spreading the fire in one direction. Starting in the middle is better for hot fast ribs.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

thats where i like the normal kettle better as you can position the dome vent for better draw

[@rayharris5452]

Great video a usual. Appears to me You just turned the Weber Kamado into the Weber 26 with SNS. I think the Weber Kamado is a good cooker, but I've basically relegated mine to chicken using the charcoal baskets that came with it. I'm hoping to learn from your putting it through its paces. thanks

[@j-clevesque7007]

Exactly what I was going to say. Get the 26” kettle and SNS with close to $1000 in your pocket leftover vs Summit with SNS. Was curious about the Summit, this changes my mind.

[@rayharris5452]

@J-C Levesque I own the KBJ 1, the Weber Kamado, and the Weber 26 w/SNS. IMO, the KBJ stands alone, and maybe the weber kamado has an edge over the weber 26 in rough weather.

[@ryanb4481]

@@rayharris5452 This is the right comparison. KBJ 1 vs. WSK. Similar price point and size. His responses in these comments is comparing it to an offset, but many of these people want to just know how it compare to the different versions of KJ out of the box. The WSK is over 5 years old. If it produced offset quality BBQ, we'd know it by now.

[@rayharris5452]

@Ryan B it's a good unit, but not a "wow" unit. KBJ - "WOW" Old Country gravity fed - "wow" Weber Kettle - "wow" 1/4 inch offset - "wow"

[@ryanb4481]

@@rayharris5452 I trust your opinion as you have both. But is the KJB 1 really wow at this point just with what comes out of the box? I'm not doubting you. I'm just wondering without accessories, is there really a huge difference between the two?

[@slothlovechunk]

I've seen little smoking attachments that would feed into the air intake on the summit kamado (or kettle). Would you prefer to do something like this instead of what you've come up with here? I also noticed that if I put wood below the charcoal grate at the start of the cook, it smokes at a good rate and is good tasting smoke, but probably not long enough for a brisket cook?

[@slothlovechunk]

Also, I put the 13" solo stove stand on top of my heat deflector, it fits perfectly. I put a 12" cake pan water pan in there and then put my 18" soapstone on top of that, which I then can fit a 19" pizza pan drip tray on top of. Worked out great for the last cook.

[@wesleydrew9242]

How's the temperature control on the Weber vs. your KJs?

[@michaelmilitello5644]

A real advantage of this grill is you can actually slow it down if you overshoot.

[@xpascua]

​@@michaelmilitello5644bingo!

[@Cbbq]

Use a snake method with your wood chunks under the charcoal, it will work great. Easily over 12 hours.

[@enyceofnyc]

I’m a fan. Thanks for the videos. A couple of my favorite KZbinrs have both a KJ and a Summit Charcoal. They say great things about the Weber; even going as far as comparison videos where they prefer the Weber over KJ and BGE. Their preference is their opinion; I’m not trying to push that on you or your fans. What I *am* calling out, though, is that their techniques are similar very to each other, similar to what the Weber guides recommend, and similar to what other Summit using KZbinrs do. On the other hand, their technique is very different from the ones in your Summit videos. I think the difference between their feedback and yours on the Summit has something to do with the techniques used. I think some aspects of your genuinely expert techniques on the KJ do not directly translate over to the Weber, and that’s leading to some of the feedback and challenges highlighted.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

For sure. You don’t know if you don’t try. The methods I’ve done in traditional kamados have worked well in eggs, kj and primo so I assumed they would translate here and they don’t. This is why I test things for 6 months before doing any final review as this was part of the journey

[@enyceofnyc]

@@SmokingDadBBQ awesome! Thanks for sharing your journey! I love my Summit but I’m suddenly curious about KJ and BGE after using their accessories on my Weber and watching your series!

[@loseerich493]

Appreciate this vid. I think it's crazy to pay the money that the Summit commands to immediately have to start working around engineering shortcomings, to include having to buy SnS stuff. For me I'd have to go traditional Weber Kettle or spend the money for a Kamado Joe. Seems like in between isn't the best bank-for-buck choice (value).

[@Brooks5678]

The sns Is not needed. This is actually the most versatile grill on the market when u know how to use it

[@CoolJay77]

It may have been cheaper to modify the deflector plate , but obviously not everyone would want to deal with that. The move away from the hinged deflector plate must have been a cost cutting decision. It seems to be a different approach from Kamado Joe, that takes many steps in making the products to outperform the competition.

[@CoolJay77]

BTW, the Alabama sauce chicken wings look very tempting. I have got a video suggestion to make Butter Chicken in the rotisserie basket or on the grates. There is a ton of recipes on YT, but I don't see anyone cooking it in a BBQ pit. The authentic one is made in Tandoori oven such as in these videos: Famous Billa Butter Loaded Tandoori Chicken In Amritsar . Another one, Best tandoori chicken in Amritsar | Billa Chicken Amritsar | Nonveg in Amritsar

[@ryanb4481]

Did you add any wood during the cook? I thought the purpose of going to the SNS was to have access for adding wood yet no mention of doing that. Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of the SNS. Of all the kettle accessories, it really adds the least amount of functionality imo. With that said, even if the SNS was the greatest accessory ever, all this setup does is turn the Weber Kamado into a beefy kettle with an incredibly expensive gasket. And while it probably retains heat better (not always a good thing), the Kamado isn't really designed for that offset style due to the lid vent being closer to the center of the top. If I were to use this cooker like a kettle, I would have went with the Snake method. Last thing, there's multiple extension cooking rack options to create more space between the coals, water pan, and food out there for kettles and this Kamado. I mean there's like 10 parts involved in your KJ III setup, what's one more rack here. Just my 2 cents. Love the channel. Keep it up.

[@eclipxe]

Your temps were super high based on the MEATER ambient chart.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

The dome gauge was way more consistent. The basket pushed air up and down the other side of the dome so the ambient temperature sensor on the Meater was high. In either case I sold the basket as I didn’t like how the grill runs. I prefer my old kettle where you can draw air over the food based on vent location vs the rigid centre location here makes the half basket worse imo

[@eclipxe]

Thanks for the reply! Makes sense and I’m a huge fan, thanks for all the great tips and insight (and uh stop making me want to buy things!). I go back and forth with my slow n sear on the Kamado. I find I’m not seeing the same charring or dirty smoke you see but I think I’m lighting much less charcoal at the start. I ‘d love to understand more about how the smoke rolling over and then out contributes to it being dirtier? (Not disagreeing with you, just curious on the mechanism at work there)

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@eclipxe to be fair it was only the outside most edge one the chicken that charred and tasted dirty. And I do think a smaller fire moves less heat and reduces how far over to the other side it travels

[@denniskwong9458]

I have the first generation of the Weber charcoal summit and it’s my go-to grill. I am surprise that Weber has gone away from the flip heat deflector, which makes the whole set up less user friendly. Also, it eliminated the propane fire starter. Again, it was a great grill, but now it has cut a lot of corners.

[@vanhelmen3168]

That doesn't make sense at all. The Summit Kamado gives you lots of room for a greater amount of charcoal for longer long-jobs and real indirect heat. This basket actually resembles the workaround you are performing with an ordinary kettle.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I sold the basket after this and went back to stock

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

The difference with a regular kettle is you can draw air based on where you put the vent. The summit vent is locked in the top centre position

[@Edward135i]

James you should try the snake method and see if that works.

[@stirv6462]

It's nice they aren't 500lbs but I don't think you'll ever be happy with it when compared to the perfection you've found with big red.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I think you’re right. Next test is the joe divide and conquer

[@ryanb4481]

Depends on what you're comparing it to really and criteria. Is price a factor? Can we only use what comes out of the box? With that context, you might find that the biggest difference in a WSK and a Big KJ 1 is about 500 lbs.

[@bourbontraveler]

Seems like your using it like a Webber kettle don’t see the advantage of the extra cost, at least not so far

[@jiggyfishing5890]

I can’t for the life of me work out why you would do this to a summit it works flawlessly and runs for up to 45 hours if the correct amount of smoking wood is placed strategically there’s no need to access the fire at all🤷🏼‍♂️

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It’s gone now lol … wish it didn’t cost me 150 to find that out. A lot of hype went into the SNS basket for the summit a few years back so I was curious to try it

[@jgmacho]

The fact you did that to the Weber Kamado, why would I spend more to go from a kettle to Kamado then?

[@riccoratzo]

I guess the summit kamado is simply not made for the use of a water pan

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

This basket I wish I didn’t buy. Doing more tests since it is a waste of 150 imo

[@CookingJoeFoods]

Oh boy…. So use chips in the firebox, not the ash catcher. Do not use water in the smoker. You want to build a firm bark which vapor prevents.

[@jyfjgtyuh]

I love your content, but I do not like all the click baits, pixelated introduction images and sponsored ads that you introduced lately. I think that a good channel should have a good content and not relay on click baits.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I appreciate the feedback. I will try and find better ways … KZbin keeps 70% of ads and you can’t skip so I thought ads you can skip and I get 100% was not a bad trade off. There have been 4 this year so it’s not frequent

[@pancakegainz]

Having to lose 30% of your cooking surface because the coals are so close doesn't look very promising for cooking large briskets or multiple shoulders. That new heat deflector is a huge L.

[@mrbbqlvr4274]

It appears that it may very well be worth the effort of obtaining a hinged deflector plate or make one.

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

Weber always looks to cheepen product, I will not buy another of their product

[@bmoc1925]

You are butchering the hell out of the Weber Summit!!! SMH

[@MrJunglebear1]

I have a test for you, why, you might ask, because I want you to do it before I buy an Offset and do it , compare fuel burn time , between and Kamado grill and an Offset with a fan and fan control mod,, it would be interesting to see if you can get a stick burner to cook say 30 hrs at 225 to 250 , and could it maintain temp

[@DrPriiime]

You have no idea how to measure “smoke” lol

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Owning 4 offsets I have a pretty good benchmark… when you actually taste things side by side I find it reveals a lot more than distant memories of what another grill tastes like

[@DrPriiime]

@@SmokingDadBBQ that’s taste from an individual. This is all just false data. Nothing scientific at all. The charts in your previous videos are not real data. It’s just what your particles taste is showing. You are just one piece of data set of millions. It’s invalid. Your videos are helpful in other aspects but this specific piece is false. You’re also using your desired cooking method.