Have them both. You’d think the good app, remote temp control and speed to temp (VASTLY underrated) would be enough, but the Spider customer service is awesome. A better product in every way.
Great video, Ryan! I'm with you - I use both together and have always had consistently great results. One thing I've noted is I definitely get the best results also using the SNS Drip n Griddle to direct the bulk of the air flow thru the Slow n Sear. It's a match made in grilling heaven in my opinion!
I have both and love both but if I had to choose only one to keep, it’s the spider venom. I’ve used both simultaneously and have had some issues here and there and have found it’s easier for me to just pile charcoal to one side of the grill and light one end of that charcoal. I tend to like using my drip n griddle or a pan to catch drippings to keep the grill clean so this creates a nice barrier to keep the charcoal on one side very easily.
@@huckinator I just got mine and the first time using it with the SNS I had quite a bit of temperature fluctuations. Sometimes overshooting by 100 degrees, and then dripping way back down below the target temp. Hoping my next time is more consistent. Just wondering if that is similar to the issues you’re referring to?
I always enjoy the comparison videos you do, and this one is no different. I don’t have a spider but do have the SNS. I would agree that once I get the temp dialed in to start a cook, about three or so hours in the vents need to be adjusted. Whether it is coals burning and moving down, the water level lowering, or the outside temp changing, about three hours is all you get without adjusting the vents.
Interesting test. I use both and have no issues generally. I think cleanup is easier with the S&S in there and I'm too lazy to pull it out. I've been trying to light a little more charcoal at the start of the cook with the venom and let it get as close to the desired temp without starting the fan. Might just be my imagination, but I feel like there is less bad smoke and temperature swings that way.
Ive had the venom and slow n sear on my Weber for over a year now and i cook on it 3-4x a week, what i do is set my venom to 180 or so to let it get the fan going a bit, but once the fan has done it's job and my temp hits 180, i turn the fan off on my venom and control thw grill manually and pretty much just use the venom for the huge bright screen in order to read temp$, once you know your grill, you know where the vents should be set for whatever temp, its nice to have a huge screen displaying the info through.
Ryan, when mounting a spider grills controller to a kettle.. do you maintain full functionality of the kettle in case you want to do a manual cook without it? Reason I ask, I’m debating on buying an extra kettle for it.
I have four kettles and leave mine on. You can still open the vents on the bottom and use it like you normally would, but won't get guite as much airflow. It's removable, but I wouldn't want to mess with it for just a couple cooks.
Is there much difference in how the Venom works depending on whether it's on the same side as the lit charcoal (with or without the SNS)? From what I can tell the fan blows air downward into the ash can, so I'm guessing it circulates a little before entering the kettle. Any experience with that?
@@GrillTopExperience I just did a test fire with mine (just got it) and it didn’t seem to keep very consistent temps. Huge peaks and valleys, sometimes overshooting by 100 degrees. Hoping it was just a fluke. Have you noticed this at all?
@@jonathaneckmier The 30 degree overshoot in this video is as much as I've seen. After that it was +/- 10F for the next five hours. I've seen others report what you've seen and wondered how they started the coals initially. How did you light it and what was your target temp?
@@GrillTopExperience I started about 12-15 briquettes and let them come up to a good burn before dumping them in the corner of the SNS. Originally I had it set to 350, but just to see what would happen. After it took a while to even hit 150 I set it 250 instead, and just let it go from there.
