$299 Char-Griller Kamado First Looks - Page 44

foppa78 · 08-15-2012, 09:53 PM

Now that I have a handful of cooks on my CGK I thought I would check back in. I am definitely impressed. Last weekend my CGK held 225 for over 13 hours. I am very happy with its performance.

Ijustwantedtolookatpics · 08-16-2012, 09:35 PM

I couldn't agree more. If you are on a tight budget like I am, this cooker is an excellent buy.

Jamey · 09-20-2012, 08:59 PM

Reviving this old thread to say thanks to JMSetzler for everything you've done here. After reading everything up to page 17 of this thread...I could not take it no more.

Weber Charcoal Grate too!

Even started my own thread to showcase the GIANTS logo I'm going to put on this bad boy.

JMSetzler · 09-20-2012, 11:52 PM

A Giants logo will cause the grill to malfunction severely. It will also make your food taste like the bar stool covers in a Jewish deli. I'd advise a Panthers logo instead :)

troy76 · 02-27-2013, 03:33 PM

In the morning! I am in need of a new grill as mine is falling apart. I mentioned this to my brother in law and he bragged extensively about his BGE he recently bought. I used to be nothing but charcoal and him nothing but propane, I converted over to his propane about 5 years ago but that grill is now falling apart and he has switched to the BGE-go figure. I started my research and was sticker shocked by the BGE, $800 and no stand? I then found JM's videos of the Kamado on You tube and found this site. I read all 44 pages and after about page 20 I bought a red one on Amazon for $270 with free shipping.I love charcoal and just switched to gas for the convenience but I know this will be much better, cant wait to fire her up. Propagate the formula.

BobM · 02-27-2013, 05:27 PM

Welcome aboard!
Congrats on the new cooker and good luck with it. Post some pr0n!

stl-rich · 03-02-2013, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawtalent

Mine was assembled for free by Lowe's and no problems with assembly. They didn't have an official Char-griller Acorn cover so I got a generic one for &7.50 and it fits perfect.

More details on the generic that fits please

troy76 · 04-06-2013, 10:01 AM

Got the grill assembled and tested out with a rack of ribs, was able to maintain around 300 and they came out great. I used the directions on a previous post on how to bring the temp up: When temp is 70 degrees from desired temp (230 for 300) I move the settings to a 3 on top and bottom. when temp is 25 out (275), I move to the top of 0.7 and bottom of "barely cracked". It will continue to rise very slowly to 300 and usually maintain around there. This seemed to work well for me. The temp gauge that comes with the grill is junk, DO NOT RELY ON IT. I bought the ET-73 Maverick remote, works great so far, getting one with a remote is definitely the way to go.
I am going to try with a butt next weekend and try to maintain 225-250. Going to get a 14" deep dish pizza pan to act as a heat deflector/grease catcher, should work well.
Havent made any mods to it yet, just noticed a slight leak of smoke around the lower vent when I close both vents.
Cooked steaks, pork chops and salmon on it, great results.
Thanks again to JMSetzler you saved me from buying a junk Sams club grill and a separate smoker from them, that total bill would have been about $500 now for $270 I have the best of both worlds. Also great job on all the videos you have done JM, your Man Cave Meals website is on my bookmarks toolbar.

yakdung · 04-06-2013, 10:53 AM

If anyone is interested in this Grill/Smoker, keep your eyes peeled at your local Kroger store after the 4th of July. I managed to pickup two of these for $149.00 each marked down on sale.

morgaj1 · 04-06-2013, 12:50 PM

Yakdung, you suck

I thought I got a good deal with $299 shipped from Amazon.

stl-rich · 04-06-2013, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morgaj1

Yakdung, you suck

I thought I got a good deal with $299 shipped from Amazon.

Guess you missed when Amazon had them for $215.99

hockeylover86 · 04-07-2013, 06:56 PM

Just an FYI for those with a Menards in their area, they have them on sale for $247 with an additional 11% rebate going on now...

WMoran3 · 04-09-2013, 09:49 PM

Picked up an Akorn at the local Menard's for $219.83. Here are some notes on my setup experiences. Hope this is of value to some people.
Akorn Kamado Kooker Setup & Tweaks.pdf

discmen95 · 05-03-2013, 11:00 AM

Just ordered one from Meijer for $269.00 ($30.00 discount came on only after I added it to my cart), with free shipping to NY (everywhere I think).

They had a Red, with a model number of 66196, and a Brown, with a Model number of 67197. I got the Brown, which I assume is a newer model?

Delivery promised by next week.

discmen95 · 05-03-2013, 11:01 AM

Oh, and Meijer has limited store locations, so I didn't pay any tax. The savings over getting it at Lowes (also had the 6719 model) was around $50.00, which will pay for the mods that I have been lead to believe are necessary. Question, should I run the grill first to check for leaks, or do the mods before?

08-15-2012, 09:53 PM	#646
foppa78 On the road to being a farker Join Date: 07-14-12 Location: Kansas City	Now that I have a handful of cooks on my CGK I thought I would check back in. I am definitely impressed. Last weekend my CGK held 225 for over 13 hours. I am very happy with its performance.
	1 members found this post helpful.

08-16-2012, 09:35 PM	#647
Ijustwantedtolookatpics On the road to being a farker Join Date: 07-26-11 Location: Lowell, MA	I couldn't agree more. If you are on a tight budget like I am, this cooker is an excellent buy. __________________ _____________________________________________ CG Akorn Weber 22.5 OTG Weber gasser Kinda-fast Grey Thermapen

09-20-2012, 08:59 PM	#648
Jamey Found some matches. Join Date: 03-07-09 Location: Morrisonville, NY	Reviving this old thread to say thanks to JMSetzler for everything you've done here. After reading everything up to page 17 of this thread...I could not take it no more. Weber Charcoal Grate too! Even started my own thread to showcase the GIANTS logo I'm going to put on this bad boy.
	1 members found this post helpful.

09-20-2012, 11:52 PM	#649
JMSetzler Babbling Farker Join Date: 04-25-11 Location: Valdese, NC Name/Nickname : John	A Giants logo will cause the grill to malfunction severely. It will also make your food taste like the bar stool covers in a Jewish deli. I'd advise a Panthers logo instead :) __________________ [URL="http://facebook.com/mancavemeals"]http://facebook.com/mancavemeals[/URL]
	1 members found this post helpful.

02-27-2013, 05:27 PM	#651
BobM Babbling Farker Join Date: 02-16-12 Location: Long Island, NY	Welcome aboard! Congrats on the new cooker and good luck with it. Post some pr0n! __________________ "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin \| [COLOR=RoyalBlue][COLOR=Red]Weber[/COLOR] 18 1/2" & 22 1/2" WSM[/COLOR], [COLOR=SeaGreen]22 1/2" & 26 3/4" OTG[/COLOR][COLOR=DimGray][COLOR=Black],[/COLOR] [COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Genesis S-330[/COLOR][/COLOR] \|[COLOR=DarkRed] [COLOR=Black]\|[/COLOR] BBQ Guru CyberQ WiFi [/COLOR]\| [COLOR=DarkOrange]Maverick ET-732[/COLOR] \| [COLOR=Gray]Gray Thermapen[/COLOR] \|

02-27-2013, 03:33 PM	#650
troy76 Found some matches. Join Date: 02-18-13 Location: Grand Blanc, MI	In the morning! I am in need of a new grill as mine is falling apart. I mentioned this to my brother in law and he bragged extensively about his BGE he recently bought. I used to be nothing but charcoal and him nothing but propane, I converted over to his propane about 5 years ago but that grill is now falling apart and he has switched to the BGE-go figure. I started my research and was sticker shocked by the BGE, $800 and no stand? I then found JM's videos of the Kamado on You tube and found this site. I read all 44 pages and after about page 20 I bought a red one on Amazon for $270 with free shipping.I love charcoal and just switched to gas for the convenience but I know this will be much better, cant wait to fire her up. Propagate the formula.

04-06-2013, 10:01 AM	#653
troy76 Found some matches. Join Date: 02-18-13 Location: Grand Blanc, MI	Got the grill assembled and tested out with a rack of ribs, was able to maintain around 300 and they came out great. I used the directions on a previous post on how to bring the temp up: When temp is 70 degrees from desired temp (230 for 300) I move the settings to a 3 on top and bottom. when temp is 25 out (275), I move to the top of 0.7 and bottom of "barely cracked". It will continue to rise very slowly to 300 and usually maintain around there. This seemed to work well for me. The temp gauge that comes with the grill is junk, DO NOT RELY ON IT. I bought the ET-73 Maverick remote, works great so far, getting one with a remote is definitely the way to go. I am going to try with a butt next weekend and try to maintain 225-250. Going to get a 14" deep dish pizza pan to act as a heat deflector/grease catcher, should work well. Havent made any mods to it yet, just noticed a slight leak of smoke around the lower vent when I close both vents. Cooked steaks, pork chops and salmon on it, great results. Thanks again to JMSetzler you saved me from buying a junk Sams club grill and a separate smoker from them, that total bill would have been about $500 now for $270 I have the best of both worlds. Also great job on all the videos you have done JM, your Man Cave Meals website is on my bookmarks toolbar.

04-06-2013, 10:53 AM	#654
yakdung is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 04-12-10 Location: Houston, Texas	If anyone is interested in this Grill/Smoker, keep your eyes peeled at your local Kroger store after the 4th of July. I managed to pickup two of these for $149.00 each marked down on sale.

04-06-2013, 12:50 PM	#655
morgaj1 is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 09-06-11 Location: Alabama	Yakdung, you suck I thought I got a good deal with $299 shipped from Amazon. __________________ Eric Congress is like 2 drunks arguing about the bar tab on the Titanic.

04-07-2013, 06:56 PM	#657
hockeylover86 Got rid of the matchlight. Join Date: 10-29-11 Location: Michigan	Menards Sale Just an FYI for those with a Menards in their area, they have them on sale for $247 with an additional 11% rebate going on now...

04-09-2013, 09:49 PM	#658
WMoran3 Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match. Join Date: 03-31-13 Location: Batavia, IL	Picked up an Akorn at the local Menard's for $219.83. Here are some notes on my setup experiences. Hope this is of value to some people. Akorn Kamado Kooker Setup & Tweaks.pdf __________________ Members Mark M5205 on NG, Akorn Kamado 06620, Stoker WiFi, ThermaPen & IR-GUN-S

05-03-2013, 11:00 AM	#659
discmen95 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 04-30-13 Location: Poughkeepsie	Latest price Just ordered one from Meijer for $269.00 ($30.00 discount came on only after I added it to my cart), with free shipping to NY (everywhere I think). They had a Red, with a model number of 66196, and a Brown, with a Model number of 67197. I got the Brown, which I assume is a newer model? Delivery promised by next week.

05-03-2013, 11:01 AM	#660
discmen95 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 04-30-13 Location: Poughkeepsie	More on puchase Oh, and Meijer has limited store locations, so I didn't pay any tax. The savings over getting it at Lowes (also had the 6719 model) was around $50.00, which will pay for the mods that I have been lead to believe are necessary. Question, should I run the grill first to check for leaks, or do the mods before?