Slow N Sear Kamado

[m-fine]

Originally Posted by HOBONICHOLBBQ

That all being said, I can confirm Justin isn't a shill.

Are you sure? I can’t even confirm his real name is Justin. He has been referred to as Jason in the past! :D

[m-fine]

Originally Posted by Baby Back Maniac

yeah, I thought it was Auplex kamado too but it's not. He went with a different company. He actually changed pretty much everything about the cooker except what it looks like in pictures...which is ironic because pretty much the only input I had on this was "make it look unique...something people can immediately appreciate in pictures." (He never listens to me. lol.) The reason I suggested that is I've had dozens of people over the years tell me they saw the summit for 399 at home depot. They didn't, they saw the Performer but it made me appreciate how important it is that this cookers have a distinct look.

I am really surprised it isn’t Auplex because the shape and some accessories look identical to what they offer.

I agree with you, a custom shape to NOT look like an Auplex, BGE, or KJ would have been my #1 goal. For market separation and also because the shape is the biggest change that could make it better than an also ran. I would likely have gone for more vertical space. An extra 4-6” between the top of the firebowl and the dome would be a much bigger improvement to a kamado than any of the other upgrades he did.

[Baby Back Maniac]

Originally Posted by HOBONICHOLBBQ

This is why I sometimes regret being able to see behind the curtain if you will. Knowing who is a shill and who really doesn't know how to cook etc ruins videos for me at times. That all being said, I can confirm Justin isn't a shill.

Thanks Kris

[Baby Back Maniac]

Originally Posted by 4ever3

Too many people concern themselves with other people’s business, they can pound sand!

Just do what you do Justin and pay ZERO attention to the distractors...

Pretty good chance they are jealous but they themselves aren’t willing to put in the work, so they choose to tear down those that do.

Let’em eat cake...

You are absolutely right Jeremy. Thank you

[HOBONICHOLBBQ]

Originally Posted by m-fine

Are you sure? I can’t even confirm his real name is Justin. He has been referred to as Jason in the past! :D

There is a really long story that doesn't need to be told here and won't be. All I can say is Justin/Jason and I spent a good couple of hours months back on the phone a couple times. I can neither confirm nor deny what his true name is, but I can say at the end of the day he is good people and even if you and he can't come to an agreement, he's good enough of a feller to agree to disagree and that goes a long way in my book honestly. Sometimes I think we bbq people get way to wrapped up in things that don't truly amount to a hill of beans in real life. I know most of us here on the brethren realize that to most we are lunatics who have way too many grill smokers etc in our backyards. But to each other we get it and that's what's important in life. Just cook food your family, friends and to the few of us who are good/ lucky customers and make them happy. I know myself I enjoy the process of cooking, but what truly makes my day is the smiles on the folks I feed and they could give two farks what cooker I cooked it on.

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

I got out of kamado cooking because of the stale smoke flavor, and I think that maybe this kamado design is finally allowing for a better draft and would alleviate that problem. Cool concept and I love the fact that people are still innovating with the kamado.

Price point seems very reasonable and for people in the kamado market I feel like this would be a solid option.

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Originally Posted by m-fine

I am really surprised it isn’t Auplex because the shape and some accessories look identical to what they offer.

I agree with you, a custom shape to NOT look like an Auplex, BGE, or KJ would have been my #1 goal. For market separation and also because the shape is the biggest change that could make it better than an also ran. I would likely have gone for more vertical space. An extra 4-6” between the top of the firebowl and the dome would be a much bigger improvement to a kamado than any of the other upgrades he did.

Auplex, Grilla Grills, Vision (previous generation), Pit Boss, etc... all these people are using the exact same kamado shell and just adding their own branding and stainless steel variants. So it might not be the Auplex brand but it's certainly the same mold...though I can't verify if it's the same mineral used across all those brands.

Very good point about making it stand out...something that Vision Grills did with their current generation and it certainly catches the eye and distinguishes it from other brands.

[barrettd]

I wasn't too interested in this cooker until I watched your video, Justin. I still don't think I'm in the market for a kamado, but I would definitely consider this if I were.

Are you planning on getting one and reviewing/demoing it? I know Russ at Smoky Ribs has at least one video cooking with it, but he really didn't talk much about the actual cooker.

Anyway, thanks, as always, for your solid YouTube channel.

[Baby Back Maniac]

Originally Posted by SmoothBoarBBQ

Auplex, Grilla Grills, Vision (previous generation), Pit Boss, etc... all these people are using the exact same kamado shell and just adding their own branding and stainless steel variants. So it might not be the Auplex brand but it's certainly the same mold...though I can't verify if it's the same mineral used across all those brands.

...

I understand why you think this because I said the exact same thing. That said, they are different but similar shaped molds that Dave had build specifically to custom fit around the SnS. So just the fact that they are a unique size (22 inch grill vs 18.5) tells you they aren't the exact same mold. Hope that makes sense.

He also went to a lot of trouble to have industry leading ceramic. Some of what he has told me really has me interested in seeing some stress testing.

Again, I know every cooker isn't for everyone (I'm not getting one) but I think this is a legitimately well thought out cooker...especially considering this is version 1.0.

[Baby Back Maniac]

Originally Posted by barrettd

I wasn't too interested in this cooker until I watched your video, Justin. I still don't think I'm in the market for a kamado, but I would definitely consider this if I were.

Are you planning on getting one and reviewing/demoing it? I know Russ at Smoky Ribs has at least one video cooking with it, but he really didn't talk much about the actual cooker.

Anyway, thanks, as always, for your solid YouTube channel.

Yeah, I texted Rus a few weeks ago and he really likes it. I'm probably not going to get one. Dave was nice enough to offer but I've got 5 kamados right now and contrary to popular opinion, I don't take everything offered to me. lol. Maybe someday if I downside my collection. I'm running out of room on my patio and I've got some pet projects I'm working on.

[Baby Back Maniac]

Originally Posted by HOBONICHOLBBQ

There is a really long story that doesn't need to be told here and won't be. All I can say is Justin/Jason and I spent a good couple of hours months back on the phone a couple times. I can neither confirm nor deny what his true name is, but I can say at the end of the day he is good people and even if you and he can't come to an agreement, he's good enough of a feller to agree to disagree and that goes a long way in my book honestly. Sometimes I think we bbq people get way to wrapped up in things that don't truly amount to a hill of beans in real life. I know most of us here on the brethren realize that to most we are lunatics who have way too many grill smokers etc in our backyards. But to each other we get it and that's what's important in life. Just cook food your family, friends and to the few of us who are good/ lucky customers and make them happy. I know myself I enjoy the process of cooking, but what truly makes my day is the smiles on the folks I feed and they could give two farks what cooker I cooked it on.

That was kinda beautiful, Kris. You should say that in a live stream. ;-)

[barrettd]

Originally Posted by Baby Back Maniac

Yeah, I texted Rus a few weeks ago and he really likes it. I'm probably not going to get one. Dave was nice enough to offer but I've got 5 kamados right now and contrary to popular opinion, I don't take everything offered to me. lol. Maybe someday if I downside my collection. I'm running out of room on my patio and I've got some pet projects I'm working on.

I understand. I've got all my needs met with my small selection of grills/smokers, but if I did go to Kamado and had $1500 to spend, I'd probably go Kamado Joe or SnS, at this point. I don't really see a huge benefit to the SnS being in a Kamado, but it couldn't hurt.

Really, if I had a bunch of money lying around, I'd probably get a nicer pellet grill or offset.

Hopefully you're making some videos with the Beefer. I still can't see the appeal at that price, but you've managed to change my mind about some other things, so we'll see....

[SonVolt]

I really like my BGE as a grill/oven (not as a smoker) because the coals are directly BENEATH the food and choked down enough to prevent flair ups. I'm struggling to see how the SnS set to the side is an improvement. This seems like a weird mishmash of a Weber and an Egg but without increasing the sum total of either. This is all first glance arm-chair YouTube judgement of course... it may be the shiz.

[Fishwater2002]

What surprises me about this unit is that (no offense to anyone) is how many people are knocking it for no real reason. I don’t see the logic (again no offense here) but why do so many people feel the need to knock it when it does have some uniqueness such as the larger cooking surface which as the owner of an Akorn I’d appreciate or the fact that it has the SnS if you want to use it which as the owner of a kettle anyone would appreciate. Plus all stainless and/or ceramic construction which means it should last a while outdoors plus a firebowl with an expansion joint built into it to hopefully prevent the common issue of a cracked firebowl. Again, so many people commenting on the negatives vs the positives of the cooker.

But there’s a million offsets out there with the same design, dampers & grates at various price points but very little criticisim. Again to each their own but It’s surprising to me to see the comments on this particular cooker vs any other.

[SonVolt]

When making a purchase I would prefer to have any hypothetical negatives front and center. The positives are easy to come by; just read the pamphlet. Listing the negatives doesn't rule out ultimately liking the unit overall. There's things about my Egg that I don't like but was fortunate to know about previously by reading forums just like this (matter of fact it was this forum) before I ever made my purchase. The egg, is in fact, a lousy pizza oven lol.

Don't be scared to ever knock or critique anything. That's what makes the internet so useful.