$299 Char-Griller Kamado First Looks - Page 3

Nomo4me · 03-03-2012, 01:35 PM

Maybe a rutland replacement gasket at the bottom joint would be a worthwhile experiment?

JMSetzler · 03-03-2012, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nomo4me

Maybe a rutland replacement gasket at the bottom joint would be a worthwhile experiment?

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.

Q-Dat · 03-03-2012, 02:55 PM

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.

JMSetzler · 03-03-2012, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Q-Dat

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.

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.

JS-TX · 03-03-2012, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMSetzler

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 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.

bigabyte · 03-03-2012, 03:21 PM

I gotta admit, this gets more and more tempting.

JMSetzler · 03-03-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JS-TX

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.

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 :)

powerpig · 03-03-2012, 03:48 PM

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.

Flat_Rate · 03-03-2012, 04:11 PM

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

Pyle's BBQ · 03-03-2012, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMSetzler

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.

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

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

JMSetzler · 03-03-2012, 04:26 PM

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.

powerpig · 03-03-2012, 04:36 PM

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.

JMSetzler · 03-03-2012, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powerpig

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.

Go find your camera!

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

powerpig · 03-03-2012, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMSetzler

Go find your camera!

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

We still have about 100 boxes to unpack.

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.

txschutte · 03-03-2012, 05:58 PM

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.

03-03-2012, 03:21 PM	#36
bigabyte somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 05-10-06 Location: Overland Fark, KS	I gotta admit, this gets more and more tempting. __________________ Asshattatron Farkanaut, CGCFO Chief Galactic Crockpot Foil Officer *Certified MOINK Baller & IMBAS Certified MOINK Ball Judge #0003 - Are you MOINK Certified?* *Sole recipient of the Silverfinger and fingerlickin Awards!* Don't forget about the Throwdown Thingies! The Secret Squirrel Society doesn't exist - Zero Club Duh.

03-03-2012, 04:11 PM	#39
Flat_Rate On the road to being a farker Join Date: 05-07-11 Location: Charlotte, NC	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 __________________ UDS v1.0, UDS v2.0, Akorn, OK Joe

03-03-2012, 04:26 PM	#41
JMSetzler Babbling Farker Join Date: 04-25-11 Location: Valdese, NC Name/Nickname : John	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. __________________ [URL="http://facebook.com/mancavemeals"]http://facebook.com/mancavemeals[/URL]

03-03-2012, 05:58 PM	#45
txschutte Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-02-07 Location: Cozad, Nebraska	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. __________________ "Bring it on, you bananna thong wearing killer of brisket!"-Chambers If you really care about this place, you'll show some respect for it. Your beard is so stupid, it took two hours to watch 60 Minutes.

03-03-2012, 01:35 PM	#31
Nomo4me On the road to being a farker Join Date: 02-16-12 Location: Salt Lake City, UT	Maybe a rutland replacement gasket at the bottom joint would be a worthwhile experiment?

03-03-2012, 02:55 PM	#33
Q-Dat Babbling Farker Join Date: 12-03-08 Location: Pearl River LA	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.

03-03-2012, 03:48 PM	#38
powerpig Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 03-06-11 Location: Guntersville, AL	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.

03-03-2012, 04:36 PM	#42
powerpig Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 03-06-11 Location: Guntersville, AL	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.