myself888 Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 We decided to install an outdoor kitchen to replace our portable gas grill. We were going to go the whole way with an island, cabinets, and 36" gas grill insert. We are plumbed and have been using natural gas with our current grill. We are now looking at the KK because our friend is a loyal customer (he has two), but don't want to always have to use charcoal for cooking. I understand that the KK comes with a gas connection, but is that just for lighting the charcoal or can you actually cook with just the gas? We live in Northern California which means we don't use the oven inside the house 9 months out of the year. I currently bake bread and make pizza on our portable gas grill and am hoping the KK will make this process more efficient. Naturally we will also do the classic grilling of meats and veggies, but I'm hoping to hear from anyone who has the gas option that it is works well. Also, is there a place where people post general pictures or do I have to look in individual posts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Well, the gas option is a matter of personal preference, almost like asking if Ford or Chevy is better. Personally I use charcoal exclusively, even though I have the gas option. Can you use gas with a KK? Sure you can. And it will probably do anything you want with gas, too. But the real beauty of ceramic grills shines in a low airflow environment, for nice long, flavorful cooks. I don't want to try and steer you towards charcoal, but a steak cooked over a charcoal fire cant be beat. My advice, based on your description of what you are building, and how you have described your usage, is to get a ceramic grill for your baking and roasting needs. And keep your natural gas grill for those times when you just want to press a button and start cooking. You might not need as big of a gas surface if you have a KK though. One other consideration is how you plan to cook. If you are hosting a dinner, and you are cooking the whole meal outside, you might need two different cooking platforms. While a KK can hold an immense amount of food, not all of the cooking surfaces are convenient to access at the same time. Another reason why some people have multiple KKs side by side. Yes, with some experience you learn to manage the various surfaces and characteristics of a KK,and cook various items at different temps all at the same time. But if you have the room, and the budget, the convenience of a conventional cooktop and side burners is likely worth it. Switching from gas to charcoal on a KK can be an inconvenience, IMHO. The gas burner sits low, under the charcoal basket. If you leave it in there while you cook with charcoal, it will get buried in ash quickly. If you cook with charcoal several times, then you will have to move the ash out of the way to put the burner in. Is that a big deal, not really, but its not as easy as just turning it on and pressing the ignition either. I live in Florida, and do not use my oven ever. Well, maybe once or twice this winter since we had record low freezing temps, certainly no more than a couple times a year does it get used. I cook with charcoal exclusively, whether its burgers, pizza, bread, or an overnight pork butt. Once you get used to charcoal, it is no problem to just pour in a half a bag of fuel, light it, cook on it, and shut it down when you are done. Ceramics are not like what you probably remember; soaking briquettes with fluid, lighting them and waiting, cooking and then cleaning up ash when you are done. With the KK, I fill the basket all the way up, and can cook on it a couple of times before having to reload it. I only have to empty ash after every 100 pounds or more of charcoal, too. For me, part of the relaxation of cooking is lighting the grill, and smelling the charcoal on the air, and watching the smoke puff out of the top. Thats something you cant get on a regular grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swalatee79 Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Let me second everything FM has said. I recently upgraded to the 19.5" KK from the Imperial Kamado (IK). I elected to install a Lynx Gas Grill & Side Burner as well and even keep the IK around in order to have multiple cooking surfaces when cooking for a crowd. If you can swing it, I would say get the KK, and a gas grill as well. I do use the charcoal cookers much more, but there are times when I am also delighted to have the gas grill in a supporting role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcoliver Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 You can check out my post here to get a little feedback. http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewt ... highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porkchop Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 of course you should get a KK... 1) for baking, it will kick your gas grill's shiny metal butt 2) pork butt and brisket and ribs, oh MY 3) + EVERYTHING firemonkey said 4) they look SO awesome! it doesn't make the food taste better, but... i would say not to bother with the gas option on the KK, but that's me. especially if you've already got a steel gasser going on. as far as the complaint concerning the bother of using charcoal, you will change your tune if you just pick up a MAPP gas torch for lighting your charcoal. easy peasy, baby! you can just light a few lumps if you are doing a low slow cook, or a bunch of it if you want instant heat. if you need quicker than that, you need a drive-thru... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Myself888, YES even if you were in Iowa! Perfect addition to any yard, outdoor kitchen or whatever. I've not cooked soley with gas, but do enjoy it for lighting the coal. Easy enough having NG on the paito with quick disconnect. I've not used mapp type gas cylinders to know any difference in ease or lighting top side versus bottom, but wanted to share my positive experience with gas burner. I do everything from sear to low and slow. FM, you write well!! Ditto FM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Absolutely you should. I have the gas option that literally hasn't been used in YEARS. Its just so easy to get grilling temps with lump. Compound that with superior flavor and cooking charactersistics with lump and its not even an "option" anymore. Frankly save your money on the gas, and spend your money on a MAPP torch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Here's a post from The Man himself, on this very topic. http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewt ... 1900#31900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Rex Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Hell yeah! Hey Myself888, as the title states.... I have now had my KK for around three weeks and haven't fired up the Weber gasser since the KK arrived. I wasn't sure about lighting coals after using a Natural Gas unit but believe me, a small investment in a Benzomatic torch and your coals are lit in under a minute! Some of the members on this forum are very accomplished BBQers however this is not the case with yours truly.... Even with my limited skill set, I have been able to turn out some fabulous meals! Do it! T Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 sure There are literally hundreds of posts on the forums for KK and several other ceramic cookers that state that the new ceramic owners NEVER used their gasser again after getting their ceramic. And someone here on the KK forums has pictures of his KK custom made without legs and wheels and built it in to his outdoor island. Freakin awesome set up. Anybody remember that post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 I had (and still have until I can sell it) a gas grill with a dedicated natural gas hookup prior to buying a KK. I had gone with a gas grill a number of years ago over charcoal options (didn't know about ceramics at the time) because of the convenience factor. What I ended up discovering is that gas grills are not as convenient as I thought. What you trade for ease of use up front you pay for in all sorts of ways in the long term. The taste is an obvious one (charcoal cooked food just tastes better) but the one I never thought of at the time was cleanup. With charcoal, you just sweep/suck out the ash and you are done. With gas, you have grease drip cups (which on my gasser was so small that it always overflowed and made a mess) coupled with the "flavorizer" bars and grill internals that get covered in grease that is just a royal pain to clean. I will trade sweeping up a little ash now and again over scrubbing nasty grease-covered metal parts with a whole hosts of chemicals any day. And at the end of the day, the startup of a charcoal grill is just as easy. Dump charcoal into the basket and blast it with a weed burner torch for a minute or so. Come back in 15 minutes and you have a fire ready to go. And the fire will probably be hotter than the gasser too. The only really convenient thing about my gasser was never having to worry about having enough fuel on hand. Of course, I paid dearly for the privilege of having a dedicated gas hookup and ultimately it was probably never worth it. As usual, YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myself888 Posted March 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 We bought a KK I want to extend a big THANK YOU to all the forum members who take the time to post comments and pictures and recommendations. Without you, we probably would have skipped right on past the KK - "too expensive" "too extravagant" - but here we are the proud new owners of the Matte Terra Cotta. An now I'll practice posting a photo. I can't wait to show the before and after pizza making photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkl Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Congrats on your new KK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Rex Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 CONGRATS You won't be disappointed! T Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 You've made the right choice!! Welcome to the KK family!! Looking forward to pics of your first cook! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Re: We bought a KK Without you' date=' we probably would have skipped right on past the KK - "too expensive" "too extravagant" - but here we are the proud new owners of the Matte Terra Cotta. [/quote'] Thanks forum members! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Re: We bought a KK I want to extend a big THANK YOU to all the forum members who take the time to post comments and pictures and recommendations. Without you, we probably would have skipped right on past the KK - "too expensive" "too extravagant" - but here we are the proud new owners of the Matte Terra Cotta. An now I'll practice posting a photo. I can't wait to show the before and after pizza making photos. I've always loved that color tile...it just seems to go with our log cabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
