$299 Char-Griller Kamado First Looks
- Thread starter JMSetzler
- Start date
bbqchicken
is Blowin Smoke!
great pizza JM :clap2: was it your birthday?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
JMSetzler
Babbling Farker
The 225° Test - Failure but I still think it's possible...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvZ05bsnxLM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvZ05bsnxLM
RW
Full Fledged Farker
Wonderfully informative series of videos, JM. Thanks so much for your hard work.
With all of your cooks, have you gotten a sense for how the Akorn performs in the wind?
Thanks.
With all of your cooks, have you gotten a sense for how the Akorn performs in the wind?
Thanks.
Still Smokin
Full Fledged Farker
Happy Birthday JM and thanks for all of the videos, very much appreciated
Beerbecue
Full Fledged Farker
JM, When you were holding at 150ish, what did the Kamado's stock temp guage read? I cooked 2 racks of spareribs on mine yesterday and was able to hold at ~ 275 according to the guage and they came out perfect.
Funky D
Knows what a fatty is.
I'll be aiming for 225 today JM, I'll letcha know how it goes.
For the record, your timings would have been helpful at the beginning of the video.... how long before you closed the vents down from full, how long before you ratcheted it down the 2nd time.
Kamados are like freight trains for heat. If too much lump got burning early, it might have gotten you past the 225 sweet spot. No idea, just wondering what else to try, besides a water pan to help curb it, although someone has mentioned that on this cooker, that might just steep out the fire.
Wish me luck, and keep those mods comin!
For the record, your timings would have been helpful at the beginning of the video.... how long before you closed the vents down from full, how long before you ratcheted it down the 2nd time.
Kamados are like freight trains for heat. If too much lump got burning early, it might have gotten you past the 225 sweet spot. No idea, just wondering what else to try, besides a water pan to help curb it, although someone has mentioned that on this cooker, that might just steep out the fire.
Wish me luck, and keep those mods comin!
JMSetzler
Babbling Farker
JMSetzler
Babbling Farker
When I was holding at 250, my gage was reading about 210.
JMSetzler
Babbling Farker
In reality, the air intake is still the issue here. I need to make one more modification to that in order to correct the problem completely. The slider portion of the vent needs to come back off and I need to install some high temp felt gasket material around the outer edges of it to seal it up nicely inside the slider mechanism. Times aren't really relevant. Without complete control of the air intake it isn't gonna work as perfectly as something like a BGE or a UDS. I will eventually make this other modification. This should allow complete control of the temps from the bottom vent and allow the top air vent to stay open a little more during the cook. Having to close the top vent down so far while the bottom vent is closed tells me that the top vent is creating enough draft at the bottom to keep the fire stoked and air is still getting in somewhere. With the bottom vent completely close, I can open the top vent partially and still create a temperature rise in the cooker. If the final mod doesn't solve the problem, that will mean that air is getting in from the gasket on the ash pan.
certified106
Full Fledged Farker
Does your CGK shut down and choke out quickly when you shut the bottom air vent? I still haven't made any changes at all to my primary air control but yesterday when I was cooking the chickens I had to keep my vent around 2 to keep the cooking temp up around 375-380. If I shut it down to 1 it would start dropping pretty quickly. You have me curious enough now that I think I will start it up this afternoon with a thermocouple laying on the main grilling grate just to see what happens. I also want to see if I can rig up a way to mount a thermocouple up right next to the CGK thermometer as I wonder if the temps are that much cooler up there or if it is really that inaccurate? I found that mine is about 30-35° lower than what I am measuring on the grill grate.
Edit: Never mind I just watched video 7 somehow I missed you posting that one
Edit: Never mind I just watched video 7 somehow I missed you posting that one
Baby Back Maniac
is Blowin Smoke!
I watched your last video and to be really honest, your cooker behaves exactly like my Bubba Keg at low temps. It may be an air leak issue, but if it's like the Bubba Keg, it's an effeciency issue. Now that I've got an egg, I can say definitively that the double walled insulated keg (and I'm assuming your grill is similar) is holds in heat WAY better than the egg...but it's almost counter productive degree on low temps. The egg's get hot on the outside (despite what the marketing material says). That's the whole reason they are able to maintain lower temps...because they can diffuse enough heat to hold lower temps with a big enough fire that the grill does not go out. The BK (and possibly chargriller Kamado) are almost too efficient and it works against us. Saves a lot on charcoal though. 
The solution is to cook more meat. If you have a big roast in there (or multiple big roasts), it will hold low temps a lot easier. It's just too efficient to hold 225 for an empty cooker.
The solution is to cook more meat. If you have a big roast in there (or multiple big roasts), it will hold low temps a lot easier. It's just too efficient to hold 225 for an empty cooker.
darita
is Blowin Smoke!
This does make sense, but then there's this...I watched your last video and to be really honest, your cooker behaves exactly like my Bubba Keg at low temps. It may be an air leak issue, but if it's like the Bubba Keg, it's an effeciency issue. Now that I've got an egg, I can say definitively that the double walled insulated keg (and I'm assuming your grill is similar) is holds in heat WAY better than the egg...but it's almost counter productive degree on low temps. The egg's get hot on the outside (despite what the marketing material says). That's the whole reason they are able to maintain lower temps...because they can diffuse enough heat to hold lower temps with a big enough fire that the grill does not go out. The BK (and possibly chargriller Kamado) are almost too efficient and it works against us. Saves a lot on charcoal though.
The solution is to cook more meat. If you have a big roast in there (or multiple big roasts), it will hold low temps a lot easier. It's just too efficient to hold 225 for an empty cooker.
The Komodo Kamado is a very well insulated cooker. You can comfortably put your hand on the outside of it at searing temps. That said, you can also hold very low and slow temps, reportedly for up to 48 hours on a single load. Is it just that it's a super tight cooker?
bel4_20
Well-known member
I cant fully explain this to you because i don't fully understand it but i think it has to do with the convection action in the BBQ when the lid is down it will circulate the moisture as well. I'm sure there's a better explanation out there but like i said i don't fully get it but have experienced it and never used water or any liquid again and my meats always come out moist and tender.
Funky D
Knows what a fatty is.
Well, it's raining cats and dogs here, but the acorn is keeping temp perfectly.
I'm sitting on 238 right now, with just the slightest cracks in the top and bottom. To be fair, I did start with more lit kingsford than I needed (about 8 lumps white), and a huge hunk of pecan.
As a diffuser, I am using the weber grate JM spoke of (thanks Lowes!) and a muffin tin with 1/2 the tins filled with apple juice. I'm sure that's keeping the temp down a bit. I'm sure I could get it down a little further, but for now, I'm happy, and it's cooking well.
I'm sitting on 238 right now, with just the slightest cracks in the top and bottom. To be fair, I did start with more lit kingsford than I needed (about 8 lumps white), and a huge hunk of pecan.
As a diffuser, I am using the weber grate JM spoke of (thanks Lowes!) and a muffin tin with 1/2 the tins filled with apple juice. I'm sure that's keeping the temp down a bit. I'm sure I could get it down a little further, but for now, I'm happy, and it's cooking well.
Funky D
Knows what a fatty is.
Ah, if it's just liquid in general... that's a whole different debate. I've made great BBQ with and without. Myron definitely has his opinions as well...
I just wanted to make sure you weren't warning me about liquid with this particular cooker.Baby Back Maniac
is Blowin Smoke!
I thought about that as I was typing. It could be that the Komodo weights like 500 pounds and the sheer size of the thing compensates? I hope somebody with one of those weighs in. I'd really like to have one some day.
AZ Smoker
Knows what a fatty is.
Love to hear more feedback on this. Sounds like its priced right at $249 after rebates etc.
I was on the fence with this vs the 22.5" Weber Kettle with a Smokenator
I was on the fence with this vs the 22.5" Weber Kettle with a Smokenator
JMSetzler
Babbling Farker
That's a really nice looking setup for the Weber kettle, but these two systems aren't really all that comparable. The Kamado has a lot of versatility but I do believe that it excels at higher temperature cooks compared to about anything else out there. The Weber with (or without) the Smokenator is fully capable of low and slow cooking.
PrinceofQ
Knows what a fatty is.
What about using a Terra-Cotta Saucer as a heat deflector. Then it could also function as a drip pan and you can set it on the Weber 22.5 replacement charcoal grate that you're using. I use the saucer on my WSM with great results.
Let me know what you guys think:thumb:
I have those both already, so I will give it a try once I get my CGK put together
~Jay
Let me know what you guys think:thumb:
I have those both already, so I will give it a try once I get my CGK put together
~Jay
