SnowyNose Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Hi Everyone, I’m in the preliminary stages of my research into getting a KK. I love to BBQ year round and living in Toronto, Canada means a good portion of that time I’m dealing with cold and snow. Can anyone provide me with some insight into how well the KK performs in the cold? How does it handle going from cold to hot and then back again? And how does it handle the daily thaw/freeze cycle in the late fall and early spring? I’d keep it covered when not in use to keep the snow off it but the frost will still get at it. And if anyone has suggestions on how to convince my wife that getting a KK is more important that redecorating the living room I be grateful. Thanks in advance for any advice/words of wisdom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouterpf Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Howdy neighbor, we live in Rochester, NY and use our KK "Dragons Egg" year round. Covering the KK is probably a good idea but do not close the top damper too tight before the coals are out and everything is cold as you might have a frozen top --- no problem really as the next day's relight will unstick it. I have had long cooks during snow storms and snow mounding on the KK -- never had snow buildup on our previous 'egg' it always was warm / hot to the touch in the winter with the snow melting off. For us the KK is worth every penny and the results are always wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 snow cookin' Go to the KK website, open the gallery, scroll to the right. Toward the end of the photos are a bunch of snow covered, ice encrusted KK's chugging merrily along! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 look http://www.komodokamado.com/pl_images/77.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Re: look http://www.komodokamado.com/pl_images/77.jpg That's my cooker in the photo, we have our share of bad weather in Iowa and the KK allows me to cook outside all winter, I couldn't do that effectively or efficiently with the thin tin gasser. I have a cover I, just got caught without it on one snow storm... no big deal, I'm sure there are plenty of them out all winter with no cover at all. It's a tank, a luxury car and a sports car all at the same time, get one now, the Living Room can wait! We got the KK and then remodeled the kitchen, now everyone is happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 It gets chilly here to - but I can use my KK year-long. A cover is great if for no other reason than I don't need to worry about cleaning the snow off. I wowed a BBQ-loving co-worker by bringing in some fresh pulled pork in January - I think he may need to upgrade his outdoor kitchen now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 I'm in Pennsylvania and we got hit with over 30" of snow in just under a week this past February. While digging out, I met up with my neighbor as our snowblowers crossed paths - He looked at me and said, "Do you smell BBQ?" - I said - "Hell Yeah! - and I'll be eating those ribs a bit later on today!!!" There is no weather that will stop a KK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowyNose Posted June 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Thanks for the input everyone. I think I've got my wife leaning towards a yes so now it's more of when as opposed to if. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 KK functions perfectly in the snow. Ironically I believe it performs best and performs better than any other cooker in the Winter. Try and take a stainless propane grill and sear a steak when its windy and 15f. There is no mass to hold the heat so even at full throttle the grill only gets to 450f if you're lucky (I speak from experience). Contrast that with the KK and its airtight construction with HYOOGE mass and I can easily get >700f temps regardless of the conditions outside. It truly is remarkable. Low and slows are just as impressive. I don't care how windy and cold it is my cooker will maintain 250f for hours and hours unattended. I think the longest I've gone was 16hrs and there was still lots of coal left. Remarkably efficient. I'm in the Detroit area and my best advice is to cover it when not in use in the winter. KK's are manufactured to the highest standard but that standard can be overshadowed by the forces of Mother Nature and the law of water expanding 11% when frozen. IMO it will last much longer that way (as will anythng else). I have had a few KK's and my latest one I cover. It just appears to be aging better than the previous one which I did not cover. Other than that minor detail it will be the best money you ever spent. GUARANTEED! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trudeto Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 I live in Southern Maryland and with the record snows we had last winter, i woulda thought I was in Canada. The issue isn't whether the KK can handle the weather, thats a given that it can. The issue is whether the operator can! I shoveled a path through the snow to my KK and cheerfully BBQ'd on it numerous times. I do have to admit that for the most part, I filled the charcoal basket mixed with smoking wood, lit it and did low and slow's where THIS operator only had to go outside very occasionally to see how things were cookin! ...and there's nothing like being greeted with the smell of the KK doing its thing in the middle of winter, a smell normally never associated with the cold! Good luck, keep the pressure on with your wife. My wife was a bit skeptical at first, but now likes the fact that I do a lot more cooking! VRTom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Speaking of cooking and not going out into the elements. I keep my KK on my deck. I can see the thermometer from my rear door. I take a trcik from pilots and spin the thermometer so that 250f is at the 12 o'clock position. If the needle is vertical I know all is good and I didn't even need to open the door Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Rex Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Speaking of cooking and not going out into the elements. I keep my KK on my deck. I can see the thermometer from my rear door. I take a trcik from pilots and spin the thermometer so that 250f is at the 12 o'clock position. If the needle is vertical I know all is good and I didn't even need to open the door Hey Cruiz, I do exactly the same thing. My KK is on a little patio at the back of the house and I can see the temperature gauge from my Lazy Boy in the family room. I do the exact same thing with the temperature gauge however I was not familiar with what the pilots did...... works great! T Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Well apparently all airplane guages are all designed to be at the 12 o'clock position to make it easy to see. If all guages are at 12 o'clock, all is good and it makes it easy to see and quickly determine if anything is wrong. Its only what I've read though, I don't fly airplanes. It could be a bunch of BS but it makes sense to me......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 gauges I don't have any gauge in my plane set to be "normal" at 12 o'clock. The airspeed and altitude are changing all the time and there is no normal for that. The vertical speed indicator is by convention set to 3 or 9 if you are in level flight. Some manufacturers may in fact align the cylinder head temperature gauges, voltage indicators, fuel flow meters and a few other indicators to be roughly 12 o'clock in the normal range. However there is no convention nor standard for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 What do I know. Regardless where it came from its a good technique for KK temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Rex Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 What do I know. Regardless where it came from its a good technique for KK temps Sure works well for me.......... but you want to make sure it doesn't move on you..........if you open the lid, etc.......... T Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 good idea I gave my thermometer a slight twist, to use this trick,but it did not want to move freely. The needle held still and the dial and temp indicator moved a little. I was afraid I would break it so stopped twisting it. I think it might be tarred in place, like my damper gasket! Not important, anyway. But if your thermometer is freely mobile, it is a good trick. For anyone who is interested, we do have a neat little device for our aviation gauges, called a bug. You put a brightly colored, removable, index mark on the number you want to hold. For example if you want to hold your altitude at 7,500 feet, you put a bug on your altimeter at 7,500. If you deviate from that altitude, you will easily see your altimeter needle, which is white, is not lined up with your colored bug. It accomplishes the same end as if you could rotate your gauge so that your desired number is up at the 12 o'clock position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 I do the rotation trick too, so I can can glance out the window and see how the temp is doing. One of these days, guru will revamp the procomm with a new case and I will be able to monitor and adjust from inside. ...or maybe an iphone app for the stoker (I need to investigate that further)... Doc, that is some serious tar buildup to be holding your thermometer tight like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 tar Imagine Deepwater Horizon inside my KK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 ...or maybe an iphone app for the stoker (I need to investigate that further)... You should be able to access the web interface from the iPhone pretty easily, but I'm not happy with the security model (no authentication mechanism on the Stoker, but you can obscure the port number or restrict the IPs that can access it from the router depending on your make/model). My preferred method is remote desktop software on my Blackberry where I can use StokerLog. It's a little clunky compared to a native app, but much more flexible since it's not dedicated to Stoker use only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
