What do you like better about the KK than the BJ for a 3k increase in price? I've seen you praise the KK a lot and I may bite the bullet someday.
The KJ is a fantastic product, nobody can deny that. The customer service makes it outstanding!
I remember always reading the hype from owners of the KK and just started looking into them one day. I tried to find a negative review on them and couldn't. No warranty complaints anywhere and I thought this is to good to be true.
I went through some fire bowl and other replacements with the KJ, and started to wonder more about the KK. This is a hobby and like most hobbies we want the best.
When I finally pulled the trigger I was all in and totally excited.
Cooking on the KK is an experience. These things cook without a doubt better than any other kamado that I have owned or operated.
The KK is built like a tank, refractory cement instead of ceramic, a two piece fire bowl to prevent fire bowl cracks, built in charcoal baskets (no need for a kick ash basket), the beautiful tile finish with all sorts of technology that reduces the heat from escaping the grill. I can cook pizza at 550 and put my hand on the outside of the grill without burning myself.
Top damper allows me to cook in any environment without having to worry about rain getting in.
The stainless grates are all oversized industrial strength. Everything is designed perfectly and when you see them in person you know exactly why they cost what they do.
As for the cooking, once I started cooking on them, I noticed several things.
The KK is designed with a firebox that forces air through the charcoal basket. With a standard kamado, the air flows in and if the charcoal is compressed in the bowl air may struggle to flow through the charcoal. Air can escape and flow on the outside of the fire bowl and out the top vent.
On a standard kamado I had troubles sometimes getting my temps up. This was because the lump was packed to much. It was recommended to place larger pieces in first to create air gaps to help with the air flow. Also this creates more air intake than required, ultimately this could affect the moisture level inside of the kamado.
With the KK, the air flows freely through the wire basket. Air flow has no where else to go as the kk fire bowl is wedged in the bottom. I found that the smallest setting can make a world of difference. Minimal air flow is required to obtain temps. With less air flow, my fuel consumption dramatically improved and the moisture level is unbelievable. I noticed immediately how moist the cooking environment was compared to my other cookers.
The design of the KK also creates an excellent vacuum. With minor vent sexting tweaks, I can dial the temp in 1 degree increments without problem. I have way more control over my temp and temp stability is amazing. The 32 KK has been tested with burning for over 80 hours on one single load.
Cooking on the KK, I learned two things that I absolutely love. I love the smoking on a kamado. I would set my deflectors and make sure that they were in the right place to ensure that the food didn't burn up on low and slows. I hated getting the deflectors dirty as the creosote would build up on them and require burn offs.
With the KK... they come with a large deflector stone, however, you don't need it. You can cook low and slow without a deflector. Simply place a piece of foil on the lower grate and put your food on the main grate and you have perfect smoking set up. I don't wrestle with stones and clean up anymore. They say because the fire to grate distance is further away than most ceramic kamado cookers you can afford to do low and slow without the stones. I love this!
Also, pizza setup is simple. I place the super thick baking stone on the upper grate and done. No set up with deflectors and air gap then pizza stone. I just add one stone and let it heat soak and done.
The second cooking feature I love is that I really don't worry about burning meat or flareups anymore. As was mentioned above, the fire to grate distance is greater, allowing me to cook without worry of burning meat. If I want to get close to the fire, I just put the food on the lower grate and done.
I use to always set up two zone cooking with deflectors, and now, I can cook 2 zone with just the lower and main grate.
Three levels of grilling come standard with the KK, opposed to 1 level on most kamados.
And the best part.... in all the reading and learning about KK, I have never seen a single warranty issue.
Is it worth it? I think so. But I chose the kamado style cooker as my preferred method of cooking. Some spend way more on offsets etc, but different strokes for different folks. If you are into the kamado style of cooking, honestly the KK is worth it.
