SnS Grills Patented Slow ‘N Sear Original Insert - Stainless Steel Charcoal Basket with Built-In Water Reservoir for Low ‘N Slow Smoking & Charcoal Grilling for Weber & Other Kettle Grills - 22 in

Solid built, fits good in grill.

I had been grilling on a gas grill for the past few years, and it was getting boring. Somehow a Weber 22" kettle that I had given away years ago, ended up making its way back to me and restarted my passion back on on charcoal, wood grilling. And I had been looking around online for smoking and charcoal grilling recipes using the Weber kettle, and this "Slow 'N Sear" accessory came up a lot. I am so glad that I took the leap of faith and acquired it.After using it for a few months now, I have to say that this gadget is the single best upgrade/accessory one can get if you have a Weber 22" kettle. This "Slow 'N Sear" charcoal insert literally convert my kettle into a "smoker". I had used "the snake" method before, but I never had too good a result, and it took quite a bit of work to set that up correctly. But using this "Slow 'N Sear", my success rate is 100% start from my very first try; just put a starter at one corner, and fill up the rest of the container with charcoal, and just start the fire! With the "Slow 'N Sear", and just by controlling the air vents (air flow) from the bottom and the top, I am able to maintain stable cooking/smoking temperatures (which is a crucial thing for smoking success). One full fill of charcoals (started as mentioned above), can easily burn/smoke for 8 to 12 hours (depending on temperature).The "Slow 'N Sear" effectively split your kettle into 2 cooking zones: direct heat (searing) and indirect heat (convection); while concentrating your charcoals so that they burn hot, consistent and clean. Plus there is an integrated "water container" where you can add moisture to your cook (this helps those long smoke sessions. The end cook results are nothing short of epic (and versatile too); I can smoke for hours (16-hours texas style brisket @ 225F), or I can do reverse sear steaks (first indirect heat until the internal temperature is close to your doneness target, and then put them onto your sear zone for a quick high heat finish), or I can use high indirect heat to convection cook the perfect crispy chicken wings (with smoke). The possibility is endless! With this, there is really no need for a smoker (like a Traeger) or the other popular kettle accessory (the vortex). Right now, I am basically permanently set up my kettle to use the "Slow 'N Sear" (that is how much I love this gadget) and I tin-foiled the "indirect heat" area to funnel all the air to the bottom of the charcoal to support the burn.Get this, you won't regret it, and happy grilling/smoking! Smoked & charcoal grilled is hard to beat!My unit do become a little "wave-y" (near the water compartment) after a few high heat cooks, without having water in the water compartment, but it doesn't seems to affect the performance a bit, so I am not even going to ding them for any stars, the unit still works perfectly.Thank you for reading this review, I hoped that this review & the pictures are helpful to you in support of your purchase decision.

This purchase was part of a plan to upgrade my standard Weber 22” kettle grill.I had done some research on charcoal buckets, and this system kept coming up with good reviews from people who have a passion for Weber grills and grilling and smoking.The basket is able to hold enough charcoal for an 8 - 10 hour low temp smoke easily. I recently cooked a batch of ribs that came out tender and perfect (little bite and barely sticks to the bone). I had filled the basket about half way and added 2 chunks of hickory for smoke. Following the instructions for a low temp cook, I was able to get the ribs done and the basket had enough coals to get the job done and held the temperature steady. (Proper settings on the Weber vents are key).The water reservoir is useful. When I cooked the ribs I filled the reservoir with water (not heated), and by the time they were finished the reservoir was still over half full, so it probably has enough storage for an 8 hour cook before needing a refill. It’s easy to access, could be refilled simply with a metal funnel if needed, and helped keep the interior of the kettle humid, which helps the smoke adhere to the meat.The basket also does a fine job of keeping coals in one area if you’re looking for a super hot fire without having to use a lot of charcoal. A great addition to my grill and definitely qualifies as a budget-friendly upgrade. The biggest difference between the basket I got and the “Premium” basket is that the premium basket has a slotted bottom to help move the coals with the basket. Not a big enough difference for me to want to upgrade.

I have been using the slow n sear for a few weeks and it has worked great. The slow side of my kettle has already cooked ribs, ham, and a turkey breast with excellent results. The sear side has been used for chicken, steaks, and burgers. Very happy with the results and the product.

After reading the reviews I thought I would test one myself. For me, it was easy to decide to purchase the original SnS as I do not need the features of the upgraded unit. The fit to my Weber 22" kettle was perfect. I intended to smoke a small pork roast. My target temperature was 275-300. I loaded the basket as suggested in the instructions and filled the reservoir. I use twin temperature probes placing one in the roast and one on the grill cooking grate. To make the test more interesting I baked two potatoes at the same time. My smoke was chunks of hickory. The temperature stayed between 275 and 290 until I turned up the heat the last few minutes to get a slight sear on the roast. When the roast hit the target temperature I pulled it off and covered it for 15 minutes while we prepared the rest of the meal. What a pleasant surprise. Tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked all with little effort and no issues with temperature control or smoke control. A great addition to simplify my smoking and temperature management. While it may not replace the "snake" method for long cooks this is a great addition for cooks under 4 hours and for high temp searing. Money well spent.

The item arrived with no damage! Shipping was done in a reasonable amount time and looking forward to using it.