Kamado - Sooty Chicken and Dirty Fire - Need Help!!

[chuMP]

First off, build a big hot fire to burn off that scum already inside your smoker. 550 degrees or so for a few hours should do the trick.
then...
1. Ditch the cast iron and use a pizza stone as a heat diffuser. I got a perfectly fit stone from Lowes. Every time I cook I flip it over to burn off the last cook's residue. While the kamado is coming up to temp it burns off, that way by the time you put food on it has already cooked off.
2. I always leave the top vent WIDE OPEN and control airflow with the bottom vent. That way stale smoke is not hanging around inside your cook chamber.
3. As has already been said, start with a smaller fire and build up. Choking off a raging fire creates dirty creosote filled smoke.
4. I've never bothered using a blower. It's not really necessary on a kamado. Constantly injecting air and building a fire, only to smother it once it reaches temp causes wild oscillations in your cook temp and dirty smoke (see #3). You should be able to maintain rock solid temps without it.

[arclite]

Blowers are great for low and slows. Anything above 300-325 they're not really needed.

A pizza stone as a diffuser (with a disposable drip pan) reads like a really good idea.