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$299 Char-Griller Kamado First Looks

JMSetzler said:
No hot and fast on this cook. My objective with this one is to see how well the Kamado maintains temps in the 250 degree range. I already know that it will cook hot with no problems. I just put the butt on and it's coming back up to temp. I'm targeting 250-275 degrees on this cook. If it handles that well it will be able to handle anything.
Click to expand...

using lump or KB?
 
Thanx for the review, I've been thinking of getting one of these......


Nciely Done :thumb:
 
bbqchicken said:
using lump or KB?
Click to expand...

I'm using lump, and that is another new element for me too. I have used Kingsford Blue exclusively for the most part since I started. I'm not very happy with the Cowboy Lump at this point but I bought it because it was convenient at the time.

This low and slow cook is going to be a challenge. I'm having a difficult time keeping the temp down. It hasn't stabilized yet.
 
Excellent videos. I really enjoyed them. I really like the removable ash pan. That's the reason I got rid of my Big Steel Keg. It was a pain to clean out the ash. Looking forward to your next video.
 
JM,

Thanks for the review. Nicely done. Could I suggest you drop the music out when you are doing the actual reviews? Having it playing in the background is rather distracting. Thanks for doing the review!!
 
I LOVE lump but still haven't used it for long cooks. Not saying it won't work but some low quality lump can be a nightmare.
 
Triple T BBQ said:
JM,

Thanks for the review. Nicely done. Could I suggest you drop the music out when you are doing the actual reviews? Having it playing in the background is rather distracting. Thanks for doing the review!!
Click to expand...

I'll see what I can do with that. I'll drop it down a little lower and see what happens. My little video camera is a little picky with sound too and sometimes it lets my voice drop below something else since I'm behind the camera rather than in front of it.
 
I agree that the removable ash pan is a nice feature. However, I have concerns that over time it will develop air leaks. I know the lid uses the same type gasket but I think air leaks in the bottom will cause far more issues.

BillywannaQ said:
Excellent videos. I really enjoyed them. I really like the removable ash pan. That's the reason I got rid of my Big Steel Keg. It was a pain to clean out the ash. Looking forward to your next video.
Click to expand...
 
I have a BGE and Viking Egg. I was on the fence about this one, but after seeing the video, I pulled the trigger and bought one. In fact, it was the last one available in my area. Just got back with it and about to put it together. Will report back.
 
powerpig said:
I have a BGE and Viking Egg. I was on the fence about this one, but after seeing the video, I pulled the trigger and bought one. In fact, it was the last one available in my area. Just got back with it and about to put it together. Will report back.
Click to expand...

I'm glad someone else here has decided to give this cooker a try. There is another guy (I can't remember his ID) who has a thread going about his RED model which is very similar but not identical to this one. He made some mods to his air intake vent and I might want to investigate those a little later, but 2.5 hours into my butt cook (7.15lbs) I'm stabilized at under 275 degrees. A few minutes ago, I checked it and it was at 267. The bottom vent is completely closed and the top vent is just cracked open at the "1" setting. The cooker is definitely getting air with the vent closed, but it doesn't appear to be too much to mess up a low and slow cook at this point. I'm also inexperienced with lump charcoal, so I probably could have lowered my temps by allowing less lit lump to start the cook.
 
Maybe a rutland replacement gasket at the bottom joint would be a worthwhile experiment?
 
Nomo4me said:
Maybe a rutland replacement gasket at the bottom joint would be a worthwhile experiment?
Click to expand...

Maybe but I don't want to look into making any mods until I understand how the cooker performs as is. Once I understand that and determine IF I need to make any mods, I'll look into the options. I'm thinking, at this point, that if any air intake mods need to be made, they need to be made at the vent first. If I can maintain 250-275 without any mods to the grill I'll probably keep it as is.
 
Excellent review JM! A suggestion for not overshooting the temp. On my Bubba Keg, I start a pretty small fire right in the middle. I do it with a torch, or a starter cube. I close the lid and open the vents all the way. I just watch the temp slowly climb until it gets close to where I want it, and close the vent almost all the way. Then I just open it a little at a time until I'm where I want to be. Takes a little time, but this way you never end up with a fire thats bigger than what you need.
 
Q-Dat said:
Excellent review JM! A suggestion for not overshooting the temp. On my Bubba Keg, I start a pretty small fire right in the middle. I do it with a torch, or a starter cube. I close the lid and open the vents all the way. I just watch the temp slowly climb until it gets close to where I want it, and close the vent almost all the way. Then I just open it a little at a time until I'm where I want to be. Takes a little time, but this way you never end up with a fire thats bigger than what you need.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I did here and the upcoming video will show it. I use a weber starter cube in the bottom of the fire box to get things going. I probably just didn't shut down the air soon enough but we're still hanging in there at 270-275 at the 4 hour mark. I'm good with that. It has gotten as low as 263 according to my Maverick but I haven't touched the vents since the 1 hour mark. The bottom vent is still all the way close and the top vent is just cracked barely open.
 
JMSetzler said:
That's pretty much what I did here and the upcoming video will show it. I use a weber starter cube in the bottom of the fire box to get things going.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't put it on the bottom, I would put it just under the top piece of lump in your mound. Q-dat has good advice, it's best to give it just a little air at a time to get to your target temp. Make small adjustments, it can sometime take 10 minutes or so for it to adjust to the new temp. A lot of people make too big of adjustments and their temps get way too high. Also check to see if the OEM therm has an adjustable nut on the back of it to calibrate the temp. Hopefully it's not a totally crap therm. It may take a few cooks to get your technique down. Also as you know Cowboy lump doesn't have a good rep. hopefully it doesn't affect your results.
 
JS-TX said:
I wouldn't put it on the bottom, I would put it just under the top piece of lump in your mound. Q-dat has good advice, it's best to give it just a little air at a time to get to your target temp. Make small adjustments, it can sometime take 10 minutes or so for it to adjust to the new temp. A lot of people make too big of adjustments and their temps get way too high. Also check to see if the OEM therm has an adjustable nut on the back of it to calibrate the temp. Hopefully it's not a totally crap therm. It may take a few cooks to get your technique down. Also as you know Cowboy lump doesn't have a good rep. hopefully it doesn't affect your results.
Click to expand...

The onboard thermometer has no calibration nut. In this cook with the diffuser in place, it's reading anywhere from 35-50 degrees low of my Maverick. I'm not too worried about the dome thermometer since I always use something else.

Adjusting the air here seems to respond about the same speed as my UDS so there is not a lot of difference. It's sorta hard to gage a response time since I'm cooking at nearly the bare minimum airflow this thing is capable of. I'm also dealing with some breezy weather, but other than that I'm satisfied at this point. The only thing that will ruin my day now is if Duke loses to UNC and/or if my Butt tastes nasty for some reason :)
 
Got the grill put together. I'm very impressed with how tightly this unit is engineered. Since we just moved, I can't find my electric lighter, so I've got wicked good lump going in the weber chimney.

Gonna do the burn in for about an hour then grill some steaks. Sorry, can't post pics as I haven't found my camera yet.
 
JM your making it tough not to get in the car and head down to Lowes, the only reason I don't is because I wouldn't have room for it. Gotta find someone to take the other Char-Griller off my hands.

Oh and Duke losing would ruin my day as well
 
JMSetzler said:
I'm glad someone else here has decided to give this cooker a try. There is another guy (I can't remember his ID) who has a thread going about his RED model which is very similar but not identical to this one. He made some mods to his air intake vent and I might want to investigate those a little later, but 2.5 hours into my butt cook (7.15lbs) I'm stabilized at under 275 degrees. A few minutes ago, I checked it and it was at 267. The bottom vent is completely closed and the top vent is just cracked open at the "1" setting. The cooker is definitely getting air with the vent closed, but it doesn't appear to be too much to mess up a low and slow cook at this point. I'm also inexperienced with lump charcoal, so I probably could have lowered my temps by allowing less lit lump to start the cook.
Click to expand...

Oldyote has this thread going. He bought his last spring.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102731
 
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