The stainless steel Slow N Sear is undoubtedly among the most innovative accessories for charcoal grills made by Weber. As its name suggests, it’s an accessory with dual functions – it can be used for both high-heat searing and for “low and slow” cooks.
In case you’ve ever tried to smoke some meat on regular kettle grills, such as those made by Weber, you probably know that getting it to do what you want isn’t that easy.
However, the Slow N Sear accessory will allow you to convert your Weber Kettle into something much better – a device capable of making restaurant-quality salmon, turkey, beef brisket, pulled pork, or anything else you’d like to smoke.
The positive feedback that followed the release of this accessory makes one think that it’s something entirely worthy of an immediate purchase. But is it really? Does it work as well as advertised? Should you invest in it? Keep reading and find out everything you need to know this accessory’s build quality, design, ease of use, as well as the overall value for the price.
Info
This is a Weber Kettle accessory manufactured by the Adrenaline Barbecue Company (North Carolina).
Features:
- For searing
- For low and slow cooking
- 16-gauge 430 stainless steel
- Removable water reservoir
- Creates two separate cooking zones
- Maintains stable temperatures
- Ventilated stainless-steel base plate
The purpose of this accessory is to turn your standard Webber kettle into a versatile grilling & barbecue tool by creating two distinct cooking zones on it.
Why Get It?
This is a simple accessory that can be placed inside a 22″ kettle grill, where it will create a boundary that gives the user two separate cooking areas. Slow N Sear uses a special water reservoir to separate the cooking area into a convection smoker/over zone and a super-hot sear zone.
Searing with this accessory is straightforward. One only has to load it up with some charcoal, light it up, and start searing once it gets hot. As expected, smoking is just as simple. Once you’ve lighted some charcoal in its corner, you need to place the meat on the other side. Hook up the thermometers, make sure that the lid’s vent is positioned above the meat (and that it’s partially open), and you’re ready to go.
The model’s searing half deserves special attention. As you already know, searing a steak to perfection requires very high temperatures. The model achieves this by confining and raising charcoals precisely underneath the grate to reach a very high temperature. Although a simple solution, it’s also one that works very well.
To put it simply, it’s a nice addition but certainly not something that makes searing better in any way. The best searing experience still comes with infrared grills, and the searing capability of this accessory surely isn’t the sole reason you’d want to purchase it for. However, there is something intriguing and unique about searing over coals – Slow N Sear does it pretty well.
However, where this accessory really shines is when it comes to cooking low and slow. Using the charcoal basket and the water reservoir, the attachment creates an exceptionally stable cooking environment that effortlessly maintains a consistent temperature for long periods.
The water also assists with keeping a steady moisture level inside of the grill, making sure that you get moist, soft meat with an ideal smoke flavor. Once the vents are set to the proper levels, Slow N Sear is capable of cooking for hours on end on just a single basket of charcoal, which makes it exceptionally efficient.
Quality
As it was manufactured from 304-grade stainless steel, this accessory is quite heavy (almost 6 pounds) and feels very solid. It sports a sturdy construction and doesn’t feel cheap at all, which means that it can serve you for the years to come.
The model’s design is simple yet effective. It has a very nice finish and looks attractive right out of the box.
Accessories
Slow N Sear has two convenient add-ons. The first one is a half moon-shaped drip pan (stainless steel). It is can placed on the bottom grate to catch drips, allowing you to keep the grill’s bowl clean (or to make sauces from the drips).
The second add-on is GrillGrates, which is a cast-aluminum grate whose job is to keep the smaller pieces of meat from falling through. It also makes perfect sear marks.
Pros & Cons
PROS
- A versatile accessory
- Very easy to use
- Works with 22″ Weber kettle grills
- Removable water reservoir
- Creates two distinct cooking zones
- Can be used for searing
- Can be used for low and slow cooking
- Excellent build quality
- Durable – stainless steel
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Overall 95%
CONS
- Expensive
Testimonials
“After a couple of hectic weekends, I finally had the chance to try out my new Slow N Sear yesterday. I can safely say that getting this thing was a wise investment. Not only is it perfect for low and slow cooking, but it also makes cooking thick steaks so easy with the reverse-sear method.
I also liked how simple it is to reload the fuel, and what a great job it does with making hot and cold zones and holding charcoal. The build quality is just as impressive, but that’s something I totally expected.”
As Howard said, using this accessory is as easy as it gets. Although some minor adjustments might be required during the smoking process, the overall ease of use is excellent – one doesn’t have to be a grilling expert to figure out how this accessory works.
What to Watch Out For
Expensive
The only real downside of this accessory is its high price. For the cost of it, one can purchase not only a basic 22″ Weber kettle but also several cooks worth of charcoal. Its efficiency and versatility make up for the price, however.
A Piece of Advice
If cooking low and slow on a kettle is something you’ve done many times before, you’ll find that the vent settings that you usually go with don’t work with this product. Expect to keep both of the vents a lot more closed than you’re used to – the accessory burns charcoal quite efficiently.
Verdict
In case you’re looking for an easy way to convert your Weber kettle grill into a versatile smoker, Slow N Sear is undoubtedly your best choice. The additional ability of quality searing is a nice bonus, as is the excellent build quality and the overall ease of use.
