I’d think for most of us normal backyard cooks out there - based on the results being just about even - saving well over half the cost of a slow ‘n’ sear, is WAY better! Thanks for doing this testing. 👍🏼🇨🇦
I know that you are not advocating for anyone to not get the SNS. But for me the sns works better than the baskets having a place for water, wood and if I need extra room for searing I can remove water trough! Great video as always-Scott
Thanks, Scott. You are right, the SNS has lots of good points. It's well worth the cost and can make anyone better on the kettle. I rarely take it out of the grill.
Nice vid... After 5 or more sets of baskets over the years I bought the SNS. Works great, burns a long time The water pan is nice too. I've been filling up just half of the SNS on quick cooks, works great for steaks, etc. Use less fuel too.
Nice Ryan ! Glad to see that save the camera. Happy to see you do the comparison. Glad to see that the baskets that come with the kettle can work similar to the SNS. Great job Ryan.
Love the honesty. The slow and sear is just too expensive. Great marketing plan, Like selling ice to people who live at the North Pole. Got to give to the guy who sold the concept- why not test the Weber rails. Or the brick method?
Yes it is expensive but so are grills in general and also charcoal and everything associated with cooking out. You can also dig a hole in the ground and just burn wood and use a stick to cook your food with and save a lot of money
I use firebrick method and put Alu foil on the opposite side charcoal grate, throw a water/drip pan under where the food is. I have smoked many a Thanksgiving turkey & more recently a full brisket this way. I may try the Weber charcoal basket hack to contain my banked coals better in combination with the firebricks. I like the basket method to prevent the loss to radiant heat through kettle wall. The Weber Charcoal baskets are made in the USA, The SNS is made in China. This alone is a good reason for me to not buy the SNS
It took me a year to buy the slow n sear. But I've tried similar things to see if it makes a difference. Well it does. Combine the slow n sear and the drip n griddle pan together makes a difference. Just buy the combo for 94 bucks it's worth it.
Well good thing I haven't jumped into buying a SnS then, I'd have kicked myself. I'll save $$ for a Vortex, I can't imagine a way to fabricobble one of those! A plus with the BnS is you can unmake it to get your two baskets back if you need it, two-zone indirect for examps.
How well is it to keep to bro n sear at the 275-350ish range. I cook hot n fast. Does this work pretty well with the bro n sear. Being disabled I’m just looking for simplicity
One data point, maybe. Several data points, you might have something there. I think you had one test where Merlin squeaked out a small victory. It seems pretty even to me. I prefer tests where we cook stuff!
I wonder what would happen with more charcoal, and maybe with a water pan next to the bro version. So many more tests! To make it more worthwhile, add food! Nice video, as always.
Just make sure you use stainless. Zinc coated fasteners put off nasty chemicals when they get hot. If you like it, you may want to try the SNS. It cooks more evenly.
Oh good... I don't have to sell my SnS or butcher my baskets. Only gripe I have about the SnS is it sits about half an inch too tall for the lowest grate position on my Napoleon kettle. It can lead to a bit of a wobble.
SNS just released a video about the different sizes and mentioned that it should fit the Napoleon. I asked them about it and they wanted to know if you'd send them your model number and the height between the charcoal and cooking grates.
In never heard of that basket hack referred to as the Bro ‘n sear. Good test. I think it comes down to how big you are into having a clean/nice setup rather than a junkier looking product although probably just effective. Personally, I like having nice things so the Bro ‘n sear was not an option.
Honestly, who cares which one uses a little bit more or a little bit less charcoal..? The slow and sear will still be used 20-30 years from now and will never wear out
Lower charcoal usage was in their marketing info for a long time and another TH-camr contested that claim in an excitable way. You are right though, even if it were 10 percent more or less efficient that wouldn't add up to much even on a long cook. They stand by their 10 year warranty for a reason: They know they won't get many of them back.
@grill top experience I noticed you made it much smaller (same width but different breadth) than the one made by Daddy Dutch BBQ's , did you do it made to match SNS dimension?
I tried to match the width of the SNS, but the curvature of the baskets are different. With a bit more bending, I probably could matched the breadth too.
I use a charcoal summit. I barely ever use the baskets; I just bank coals on one side evenly for indirect cooking. I use the lower rack and diffuser plate for smoking. What am I mossing out on by not using baskets?
That's a great question. You can absolutely make great food without them. For me they have two benefits: 1) The SNS blocks radiant heat from the coals so you don't have to rotate the meat. (the baskets don't do that as well) and 2) It allows you to stack the coals a bit higher so they aren't as spread out. That gives you more room for meat. I haven't tried the diffuser plate on the summit, but if it works as well as a kamado, that's a pretty good option too.
The water pan in the SNS will always boil off, but a water pan under the meat won't. The SNS does much better job keeping the humidity high during the first part of the cook, which keeps it from drying out so you get better smoke flavor.
I have the bro n sear. I lit the charcoal at 10 pm, pork shoulder on at 11 pm. I woke up at 630 am, and was hoping for 235-270. It was 232 (my receiver battery died so it didn’t go off). Regardless. There was charcoal left. It needed stirred, and I added more charcoal, finished at 1 pm. Yes I had to add charcoal and shake the basket, but I went 7 hours asleep without touching the grill. If I had used b&b briquettes instead of kingsford, it may have gone much longer
Hey man i have a question. I Know that you didn't use water for variable reasons but if you did you would get more consistent temps is that right. Due to the boil heat being more gentle and consistent than the coal em selves
Right. The water acts as a buffer because it won't go over the boiling temp and takes a lot of heat to evaporate the water. It also helps you get temperatures a bit lower if that is a struggle. If I'm doing low and slow, I'll always use water to keep the meat from drying out and to enhance the smoke ring.
It’s not always about saving money. We all like new toys and something that’s pleasant to look at. Enjoy bbq-ing and splurge once in a while! Thanks for the tests!
Awesome question. It's hard to get an equal comparison when you add water. If one of them is better at boiling the water, that'll absorb more heat and make it "less efficient." People have tried putting cans with water next to the baskets or the Bro 'N Sear, but they still have a lot of water when they are done. The SNS will be dry in 2-4 hours.
It is! I tried to lock in as many variables as possible. Even different pieces of meat could impact the results. Most people wouldn't cook it this way, but it makes it possible to compare the two just for efficiency.
@@GrillTopExperience I understand for comparison you need it as equal as possible, just really more talking about the 2 basket method on seeing which basket of coal lasts longer, I think slo n sear with water would last longer in a cook than without. Any thoughts on testing that?
I’d think for most of us normal backyard cooks out there - based on the results being just about even - saving well over half the cost of a slow ‘n’ sear, is WAY better! Thanks for doing this testing. 👍🏼🇨🇦
Or buy an SNS kettle and it comes with SNS and get the water reservoir
Great Video. The Slow N Sear is very nice, but I made the Bro as the Slow cost more than I paid for my grill.
It really depends on what you are happy with. I see posts of a couple of fire bricks in the kettle all the time.
I know that you are not advocating for anyone to not get the SNS. But for me the sns works better than the baskets having a place for water, wood and if I need extra room for searing I can remove water trough! Great video as always-Scott
Thanks, Scott. You are right, the SNS has lots of good points. It's well worth the cost and can make anyone better on the kettle. I rarely take it out of the grill.
Nice test. Great Shoutout to Kent.
He was the one that showed me how to make it and asked me to do the test. Great guy too. He can out cook most of us.
Nice vid...
After 5 or more sets of baskets over the years I bought the SNS.
Works great, burns a long time
The water pan is nice too.
I've been filling up just half of the SNS on quick cooks, works great for steaks, etc. Use less fuel too.
Thanks, Devin. I use less charcoal in the SNS too because it keeps everything in the right place and is bigger than the standard baskets.
Nice Ryan ! Glad to see that save the camera. Happy to see you do the comparison. Glad to see that the baskets that come with the kettle can work similar to the SNS. Great job Ryan.
That's not the first time I've nearly dumped my camera either! I really did expect the cookies to burn, but they came out great.
Ryan, the price is right. That’s why I referred to it as the Poor man’s SNS. P.s. the Bro part came just to rhyme with the Slow part....lol .
Love the honesty. The slow and sear is just too expensive. Great marketing plan, Like selling ice to people who live at the North Pole. Got to give to the guy who sold the concept- why not test the Weber rails. Or the brick method?
I compared it to the weber baskets in a different video, but haven't tried the brick method myself. I bet that would work well too.
Yes it is expensive but so are grills in general and also charcoal and everything associated with cooking out.
You can also dig a hole in the ground and just burn wood and use a stick to cook your food with and save a lot of money
I use firebrick method and put Alu foil on the opposite side charcoal grate, throw a water/drip pan under where the food is. I have smoked many a Thanksgiving turkey & more recently a full brisket this way.
I may try the Weber charcoal basket hack to contain my banked coals better in combination with the firebricks. I like the basket method to prevent the loss to radiant heat through kettle wall.
The Weber Charcoal baskets are made in the USA, The SNS is made in China. This alone is a good reason for me to not buy the SNS
I think you made it a bit too shallow in the back.
You can make it wider so it covers almost half of the kettle :) then you get a lots of charcoal in
It took me a year to buy the slow n sear. But I've tried similar things to see if it makes a difference. Well it does. Combine the slow n sear and the drip n griddle pan together makes a difference. Just buy the combo for 94 bucks it's worth it.
I think the drip n griddle is in the nice to have category. I'm glad you are enjoying it! It may never leave your kettle.
Cool review, I've been a bro n sear ever since Kent's video.
Almost as nice, but a lot cheaper!
Well good thing I haven't jumped into buying a SnS then, I'd have kicked myself. I'll save $$ for a Vortex, I can't imagine a way to fabricobble one of those! A plus with the BnS is you can unmake it to get your two baskets back if you need it, two-zone indirect for examps.
i got a different cone from another brand works great
How well is it to keep to bro n sear at the 275-350ish range. I cook hot n fast. Does this work pretty well with the bro n sear. Being disabled I’m just looking for simplicity
You just seem to correspond and confirm all of my test. Very good test
One data point, maybe. Several data points, you might have something there. I think you had one test where Merlin squeaked out a small victory. It seems pretty even to me.
I prefer tests where we cook stuff!
I wonder what would happen with more charcoal, and maybe with a water pan next to the bro version. So many more tests! To make it more worthwhile, add food! Nice video, as always.
The food and water pans add a few extra variables that are hard to keep consistent. I'd rather be cooking food for sure!
This is awesome. Nice job! Great editing as well.
Thanks, Josh. It's almost as good as a giant burrito. That looked amazing.
Nice job, I thinkI know what I'm making after work today haha.
Just make sure you use stainless. Zinc coated fasteners put off nasty chemicals when they get hot. If you like it, you may want to try the SNS. It cooks more evenly.
Oh good... I don't have to sell my SnS or butcher my baskets.
Only gripe I have about the SnS is it sits about half an inch too tall for the lowest grate position on my Napoleon kettle. It can lead to a bit of a wobble.
It was designed for the Weber, but I've heard good things about the Napoleon. I wonder if it would be worth cutting it shorter.
@@GrillTopExperience I've been giving that some thought. It only needs about 1/4" shaved off. But I can't cut straight lines to save my life.
I still manage to get crooked cuts on a table saw! I know what you mean.
@@GrillTopExperience Glad I'm not the only one! Hell, I manage to draw crooked lines even using a straight edge!
SNS just released a video about the different sizes and mentioned that it should fit the Napoleon. I asked them about it and they wanted to know if you'd send them your model number and the height between the charcoal and cooking grates.
In never heard of that basket hack referred to as the Bro ‘n sear. Good test. I think it comes down to how big you are into having a clean/nice setup rather than a junkier looking product although probably just effective. Personally, I like having nice things so the Bro ‘n sear was not an option.
I'd also need to do a better job on tucking the wires back. They are sharp! The Bro version won't last as long either.
Thank You, keep em up!!!!
I try! Thanks for the support.
Honestly, who cares which one uses a little bit more or a little bit less charcoal..?
The slow and sear will still be used 20-30 years from now and will never wear out
Lower charcoal usage was in their marketing info for a long time and another TH-camr contested that claim in an excitable way. You are right though, even if it were 10 percent more or less efficient that wouldn't add up to much even on a long cook. They stand by their 10 year warranty for a reason: They know they won't get many of them back.
@grill top experience I noticed you made it much smaller (same width but different breadth) than the one made by Daddy Dutch BBQ's , did you do it made to match SNS dimension?
I tried to match the width of the SNS, but the curvature of the baskets are different. With a bit more bending, I probably could matched the breadth too.
@@GrillTopExperience Thank you
I use a charcoal summit. I barely ever use the baskets; I just bank coals on one side evenly for indirect cooking. I use the lower rack and diffuser plate for smoking. What am I mossing out on by not using baskets?
That's a great question. You can absolutely make great food without them. For me they have two benefits: 1) The SNS blocks radiant heat from the coals so you don't have to rotate the meat. (the baskets don't do that as well) and 2) It allows you to stack the coals a bit higher so they aren't as spread out. That gives you more room for meat.
I haven't tried the diffuser plate on the summit, but if it works as well as a kamado, that's a pretty good option too.
@@GrillTopExperience thanks!
In your opinion how much does the trough in the SNS really do compared to lets say a water pan placed under the meat?
The water pan in the SNS will always boil off, but a water pan under the meat won't. The SNS does much better job keeping the humidity high during the first part of the cook, which keeps it from drying out so you get better smoke flavor.
@@GrillTopExperience interesting! Thank you for the response. Much appreciated.
I have the bro n sear. I lit the charcoal at 10 pm, pork shoulder on at 11 pm. I woke up at 630 am, and was hoping for 235-270. It was 232 (my receiver battery died so it didn’t go off). Regardless. There was charcoal left. It needed stirred, and I added more charcoal, finished at 1 pm.
Yes I had to add charcoal and shake the basket, but I went 7 hours asleep without touching the grill. If I had used b&b briquettes instead of kingsford, it may have gone much longer
I've seen people make great Q with either one. It just depends on what you want to use.
That’s awesome man... bro n sear, lol
It's a funny name that almost makes sense. I'm not sure what the bro part means!
Grill Top Experience been enjoying your videos for several years, keep going man.
Hey man i have a question. I Know that you didn't use water for variable reasons but if you did you would get more consistent temps is that right. Due to the boil heat being more gentle and consistent than the coal em selves
Right. The water acts as a buffer because it won't go over the boiling temp and takes a lot of heat to evaporate the water. It also helps you get temperatures a bit lower if that is a struggle. If I'm doing low and slow, I'll always use water to keep the meat from drying out and to enhance the smoke ring.
It’s not always about saving money. We all like new toys and something that’s pleasant to look at.
Enjoy bbq-ing and splurge once in a while!
Thanks for the tests!
When you have done these tests why no water in slow and sear?
Awesome question. It's hard to get an equal comparison when you add water. If one of them is better at boiling the water, that'll absorb more heat and make it "less efficient." People have tried putting cans with water next to the baskets or the Bro 'N Sear, but they still have a lot of water when they are done. The SNS will be dry in 2-4 hours.
@@GrillTopExperience but isn't the idea, or one of the ideas, of a slo n sear regulate temperature and moisture during a cook? Thanks for the response
It is! I tried to lock in as many variables as possible. Even different pieces of meat could impact the results. Most people wouldn't cook it this way, but it makes it possible to compare the two just for efficiency.
@@GrillTopExperience I understand for comparison you need it as equal as possible, just really more talking about the 2 basket method on seeing which basket of coal lasts longer, I think slo n sear with water would last longer in a cook than without. Any thoughts on testing that?
"Extra bro-y" lol
Ha, ha. It seemed like a good adjective!
On to the vortex
Efficiency at 600 degrees making Chicken wings!
BBQ NERD.
Guilty. Just answering life's important questions.