$299 Char-Griller Kamado First Looks

Well, from what I have seen so far, I'm happy with my purchase. The low and slow aspect was the only thing I was worried about. Air leaks can make that very difficult to do but this Kamado seems to be handling it fairly well right out of the box with no modifications. I'll admit that some previous experience with low and slow cooking is making it a little easier, but I'm new to this type of cooker and also new to using lump charcoal and it's still working rather well.

The question of longevity on this cooker is what's gonna be left to determine. I can't speak for that obviously because I haven't had it but a few days. What I can say is that I DID purchase the cover for it and I do not leave my cookers out in the weather. They stay parked under an outside awning and they stay covered. I think with any type of grill or smoker, proper maintenance will make it last a long time. This cooker has porcelain coating on everything that could possibly be a rust point. I'll have to keep my eyes open for visible rust developing on the outside metal stand and shelf parts. If I see that happening, it won't be a big deal to use a little wire brush action and touch it up with some paint.

I take care of my stuff. If everyone else does, I'm sure they will get longer life out of their cookers. I had a Char-Griller gas grill that I used for three seasons before I gave it away. It had no signs of rust on it anywhere when I gave it away. It did NOT have porcelain coatings on anything other than the grill grates. It, as with my other cookers, stayed covered and out of the weather as well.
 
I hope you guys don't mind my review in this thread also. I didn't want to start another.

Anyway, it reached 700 plus quick! It is hot to the touch at that temp but is holding the heat and smoke just fine.

I'm cooling it down to 500 and will throw a couple of steaks on.
 
powerpig said:
I hope you guys don't mind my review in this thread also. I didn't want to start another.

Anyway, it reached 700 plus quick! It is hot to the touch at that temp but is holding the heat and smoke just fine.

I'm cooling it down to 500 and will throw a couple of steaks on.
Click to expand...

Go find your camera!

Also, nothing wrong with 700° for those steaks either....
 
JMSetzler said:
Go find your camera!

Also, nothing wrong with 700° for those steaks either....
Click to expand...

We still have about 100 boxes to unpack. :confused:

Anyway, the verdict is in...the steaks were perfect! Very well enginered grill and easy to use. Just make sure you season it and burn all the shipping crud off it.

As mentioned earlier, I have a BGE and a Viking Egg. This unit is every bit as good as they are.

I recommend you run, not walk to Lowes and grab one of these.

I'm going to do a packer on it tomorrow and will report back.
 
Great vids! I have been wanting to upgrade to a Kamado, but the Eggs are outta my league. Your testimonials may sway my dollar vote.
 
powerpig said:
As mentioned earlier, I have a BGE and a Viking Egg. This unit is every bit as good as they are.

I recommend you run, not walk to Lowes and grab one of these.

I'm going to do a packer on it tomorrow and will report back.
Click to expand...

I'm really glad to hear that from someone who has cooked on an egg. I have seen a lot of kamados up close but never cooked on one and when I saw this one I felt like it would be better than the rest. I'm thinking this is a good choice if you don't want to fork out for an egg.
 
I'm glad that I came across you post today. I just heard about this Kamado 2 days ago. I went to the local Lowe's last night to take a look at one, but they did not have any. Nobody has said, and their ad does not say, is the Char Griller Kamado insulated, or just an inner and outer layer of metal ? Looking forward to seeing how your low and slow cook turned out. Thanks for all the info !
 
  • Cooking space is 306-inch and a warm rack of 165-inch
  • Insulated design means more heat uses less charcoal and less airflow means insulated heat for juicy meat
  • Cooking surface is cast iron and will hold up to 23 burgers; body is constructed of 22 gauge steel; exterior finish is powder coated steel; interior finish is porcelain coated steel; easy to assemble
  • Cart is constructed of tubular steel with rubber wheels, locking caster on front; indexed damper is numbered so you can note the position of the damper when you cook your favorite meals - this adds to the consistence of your cooking experience
  • Features locking lid, 2 folding wood shelves; easy dump ash pan; double wall insulation, heat gauge


http://www.amazon.com/Char-Griller-16619-Kamado-Charcoal-Barbecue/dp/B005ELWI7S
 
I'm really surprised to hear that temps respond rather quickly. I'm wondering if your initial higher heat or the fact that you lit your lump at the bottom has anything to do with that? Or maybe your maverick is more sensitive than stem therms..

I'm curious what the footprint LxW is with the tables folded down? Is it heavy to load it in back of a pickup? I have no intentions of getting rid of my kegs, but this is why I ask..
carrier.jpg
 
JS-TX said:
I'm really surprised to hear that temps respond rather quickly. I'm wondering if your initial higher heat or the fact that you lit your lump at the bottom has anything to do with that? Or maybe your maverick is more sensitive than stem therms..

I'm curious what the footprint LxW is with the tables folded down? Is it heavy to load it in back of a pickup? I have no intentions of getting rid of my kegs, but this is why I ask..
Click to expand...

If I may answer.....my estimate is that it weighs 40-50 pounds. Very easy to move around. Overall, a fairly small foorprint.
 
JS-TX said:
I'm really surprised to hear that temps respond rather quickly. I'm wondering if your initial higher heat or the fact that you lit your lump at the bottom has anything to do with that? Or maybe your maverick is more sensitive than stem therms..

I'm curious what the footprint LxW is with the tables folded down? Is it heavy to load it in back of a pickup? I have no intentions of getting rid of my kegs, but this is why I ask..
Click to expand...

I measured the footprint at 30" wide and about 25" deep with the tables folded up.
 
I think it's a bit heavier. A similar cooker is listed on Amazon at 90 lbs. It's another flavor of this same cooker so the weight should be give or take 5lbs.
 
My butt cook is finished. I ended up pulling it off at 195 degrees internal and the temp stayed parked between 265 and 275 for the entire cook, which ran for 7 hours and 45 minutes. The next time I do a low and slow cook, I'll be using a different lump charcoal and I'll see if I can get the temp to park at 250 or below. As far as I'm concerned, anything under 300 degrees qualifies as low and slow so I'm quite happy with the results today. I'll have the new video up late tonight. I'm waiting until I cut into the meat to make the last brief segment of this review. I think leaving that out would be short-changing the process :)
 
JMSetzler said:
I think it's a bit heavier. A similar cooker is listed on Amazon at 90 lbs. It's another flavor of this same cooker so the weight should be give or take 5lbs.
Click to expand...

Wow! My wife is much stronger than I thought! Can't wait to see part three of your video series. :thumb:
 
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