I read the manual about as deeply as you read my post
I didn't let the charcoal ignite enough before I closed the lid. This is why it took that long to get to 80 degrees. My mistake.
When I realized what happened and did ignite the coal, the temp ramped up to 600 very quickly. I did pull the temp down enough to make sure I did not go past the manufacturer suggested limit of 700 degrees as I knew by this point the dome thermometer was approximately 80 degrees off, but when seasoning a grill I'm going to put as much heat as possible to burn in the oil. I don't need a manual to tell me how to 'season' a grill, so I am comfortable with skipping this section.
Sorry, was so busy with the new toy, never received your invite request
I am happy with the purchase and plan on adding a kettle to my arsenal in the near future
My wood smoked pretty good. I did load 2 splits in it. they were not there when I finished cooking. They were replaced by two new pieces of charcoal. beautiful red smoke ring and great flavor in the pork. I did heed this advice and tried to stay in the higher temperature range until the meat got above 140. BBQ guru? where's the fun in those?
LOL, I don't even think i need one for the Akorn