For many years now I have pretty much exclusively cooked on one of my many Weber Kettles. I love the simplicity of the standard kettle grill. I love the versatility of the kettle grill. There are no other grills that give you as much as a kettle for the price. But can the Weber Kettle be improved? The folks that brought you the Slow ‘N Sear have taken on that challenge and the simple answer is yes, yes they have been able to improve the Weber Kettle. In this Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill review I will walk you through some of the features they added to the basic kettle and what they add to the grilling process.
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The Slow ‘N Sear kettle grill was first teased a couple months back and as soon as I saw it I was intrigued. The folks at SNSGrills.com took kettle grilling to the next level with their Slow ‘N Sear. Then they released their SNS Deluxe Kamado that improved on a few of the weaknesses of other kamado cookers. I was very excited when they offered to send me one to test out. Will it live up to my lofty expectations?
Well, there it is. The SNS Kettle Grill. Let’s talk through a few of the features that set it apart from the standard Weber Kettle:
Side Shelf
The SNS Kettle Grill comes with a shelf which you will only get on Weber Kettles if you go up to the Performer level. This is a fairly sturdy shelf that can easily hold 20 pounds. That is plenty for a bag of charcoal, a tray of burgers, or some seasonings and sauces. I love having the shelf there to hold my thermometer while I am cooking.
The kettle is still very stable when the shelf is loaded down. There are some third party shelves you can get for Weber kettles but they sit on the rim of the bowl and don’t allow the lid to seal properly. They also make the three legged kettle unstable. When you aren’t using the shelf it also folds down easily.
Thermometer Port
It might be a bit tricky to see but on the right side of the grill there is a port to feed the thermometer probes through. The hole for the probes is right above the cooking grate so you can just slide them through the hole and keep track of your temperatures.
With a Weber Kettle you need to run the probes under the lid which can cause air leaks or drill a hole in your grill. I have never liked drilling holes in my kettles. Having it already there is a great feature. There is also a nice cover that swings down over the probe port when you aren’t using it.
Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill Fan Port
The Slow ‘N Sear Kettle grill also comes with a fan port. Using a fan controller will let you very easily keep a steady temperature for hours. I am partial to the Thermoworks Billows paired with the Thermoworks Signals or the Smoke X4.
Again, I hate drilling holes in my kettles. I bought an old Weber Kettle off Craigslist just so I wouldn’t have to drill a hole in one of my every day kettles. Having the hole already there and with the cover is a great addition.
Here is what it looks like with the Billows in place:
If you aren’t using a fan controller this port is also a great way to control your airflow. I did a pork butt without the fan controller, closed the bottom vents all the way, and used this port and the cover to control the airflow. I felt like it maintained the temperature a bit more steady than just using the bottom vents like I would on a Weber.
Thermometer and Vent Placement
On the Weber Kettle the thermometer in the lid is pretty much useless for a couple reasons. First, it is way to high on the dome to accurately measure what is happening at the grate level. Second, it is placed opposite the vent. Usually when cooking low and slow you want the heat on one side and the vent on the other. With the vent opposite the heat on the Weber that means the thermometer is right over the hot coals. Again, that doesn’t give you a an accurate representation of what is happening with your meat.
On the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill the thermometer is lower down on the dome. This places it much closer to the grill grate. So if you see 275 on the thermometer that is very close to what the actual cooking temperature at the grate level is. Also having the thermometer away from the hot coals and closer to what you are cooking means a more accurate measurement.
To test this I put a probe on the grate which measured 269.4 degrees. As you can see the grill thermometer is reading right about 275 which is close enough for me. On the Weber kettle the dome thermometer will regularly be 20-40% too high. I will still use a probe thermometer like the Thermoworks Smoke X4 on most of my long cooks but knowing the dome thermometer is fairly accurate is always a good thing.
Attached Lid Bail
Some of the higher end Weber grills like the Performer series have an attached lid bail but this comes standard on the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill. Having a place to just slide the lid into is very convenient. This is a much better option than taking the lid off and putting it on the ground.
While those are the main improvements the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill has compared to a Weber kettle there are some other nice additions including:
- The 304 Stainless Steel Easy Spin Grate included with this grill. This grate has a larger hinged area which makes refilling the Slow ‘N Sear much easier.
- Larger vent holes on top and bottom for increased air flow. The ash cleaner and bottom vents have 5 holes vs. 3 for the Weber kettle.
- Larger charcoal grate that can hold more coals when cooking without the SNS.
- The bottom shelf is a bit bigger and will hold more than the triangle shaped Weber shelf
- The grill is a couple inches taller than a standard Weber Kettle
Sometime in the next few days I will put up a second review featuring some of the stuff I cooked with the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill but spoiler alert: everything turned out great and this grill held very steady temperatures for a long time.
Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill Price
Now, of course we have to talk about price. We have to talk about this in our Slow ‘N Sear Kettle review. There are three basic options you have to choose from:
Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill – Without Slow ‘N Sear – $279.99 – If you already have a Slow ‘N Sear and don’t want another this is the option for you.
Slow ‘N Sear Original Kettle Grill – $324.99 – This model comes with the original Slow ‘N Sear. Many users prefer the open bottom of this model compared to the Deluxe version. Ash drops out a bit better than the Deluxe version.
Slow ‘N Sear Deluxe Kettle Grill – $364.99 – The Deluxe model comes with the SNS Deluxe. The removable water reservoir is a great feature that will give you a few more inches of searing power. I personally love the grate in the bottom. When you are done cooking just close all your vents, let your charcoal extinguish, give it a shake, and you will have some charcoal to use the next cook.
A Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill runs $165 so the SNS Kettle Grill starts at $115 more. But with the better comparison would be the Weber Performer that comes with a small side shelf and lid bail and those run $279. The Premium Performer runs $399 and the Deluxe Performer goes for $439.
If you compare the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill the Performer for the same price ($279) the addition of the probe port, fan port, better grate, better thermometer and top vent placement, and increased airflow I thin the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill is a no brainer. Of course if you get this grill you will definitely want a Slow ‘N Sear to go with it (you would want that on a Weber Kettle as well) so the Slow ‘N Sear Deluxe Kettle Grill makes a lot of sense.
One thing I don’t know about yet is the durability of this grill. My “everyday” Weber Kettle has been going strong for 5+ years with no issues. I have a couple other Webers that are 10, 20, even 30 years old and they still work as good as ever. The Slow ‘N Sear Kettle seems to be very sturdy and well made but will the paint hold up to heat, rain, snow, etc? Will the legs get lose? How easy do the cleaning fins bend? It is just too early to tell.
This kettle comes with a 10 year warranty on the lid and bowl against rust and burn through. The ash removal system, side shelf, and plastick components have a 5 year warranty, and everything else has a 2 year warranty. Knowing what I know about the SNSGrills.com company they are very good at making any issues right.
So what is the final word on this Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill Review? I love it and would definitely recommend it. There is nothing at all wrong with a Weber Kettle but the added features of this new grill are very nice and very useful. They aren’t just additions for the sake of additions either. SNSGrills took the best parts of a Weber Kettle and made the final product better. If you are looking for a great charcoal grill definitely give the Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill a long look.
Buy your Slow ‘N Sear Kettle Grill directly from SNSGrills.com
And just for fun here is a teaser of my review of the cooking capabilities of this grill. Delicious, delicious pork butt!
For those of you who like to see things on video here is a walk through of many of the features I mentioned above:
