annoying new guy questions...

[bosco]

I apologize in advance for this post!!  I have been reading post after post with bits and pieces of questions answered.  It is funny, I would consider myself a very knowledgable kamado user, and I know absolutely everything about the KJ brand.... sadly, I feel brand new with respect to KK.  I want to educate myself so that I know what I am getting into, as well as being able to provide information to potential buyers on other forums...

 

I have figured out the models and man there are many!!!  I love the variety of sizes and design, colour choices and accessories.

 

I am interested to know a few things in more detail however. 

 

When purchasing the kamado itself, Robert explained that I get the grills, deflector stone included.  Then I see that the side tables are an extra. I would think the half basket, and baking stone is really all that I would need extra to get started.

 

Now 2 zone cooking... how does one achieve that with the ultimate and 19" high top? I understand the deflector stone is solid one piece, can you order a split divider stone for true 2 zone cooking???  

 

When you place your order how do you pay?

How long does it take usually from order date to delivery date?

Who arranges shipping from over seas and ground transportation from the port to my house?

How does warranty work?

When ordering accessories after purchase, how much is it usually to ship products?  Or is there a north america distribution??

 

I have narrowed down my design to pebble finish... I really loved CC black beast, however, after more research I am really drawn to harvest and gold pebble.  Can anyone post their cookers with these finishes so that I can see them.  I have seen Wilburpan's which is beautiful but would also like to see a few more before choosing.  

 

I am sure that I will have 100 more questions before this is said and done.... so bare with me, I hope to be up to speed in no time

[5698k]

Bosceaux, these aren't annoying questions, they're questions anyone would ask. While members here can give accurate answers, I really recommend you call Dennis. Right now. Really.

Robert

[bosco]

I tried, bad connection at the factory.  We will Chat Thursday night when he is back home.  A quick online chat, he seemed very helpful

[5698k]

Did you get any questions answered?

Robert

[bosco]

he was just finishing up for the night so we really didn't get too involved in conversation.  I will let you know how it goes on Thursday

[bryan]

You are on the right track. Dennis is just a busy man. His wood floring business really keeps him going. I think he goes about 20 hours a day. Then he must dance to all the time zones.

Are you aware that his grandfather was Art Linkletter?

[bosco]

yeah no worries I look forward to chatting with him later this week.  I am really in no hurry at all.  He said the wifi near the factory is very weak.  So we will chat when he returns home later this week.

[CeramicChef]

bosceaux - as Rob says, these are basic questions that we've all asked. Dennis is really the best person to answer them. He's the Guru of all Gurus for all things KK. He'll talk as long as you have questions as many times as you need to chat.

I don't have the links handily available, but if you search for mt 19" Hi-Cap, Beauty! youll get a really nice view of the Autumn Gold Pebble finish.

[CeramicChef]

bosceaux - here is the post that shows Beauty! being unpacked. You'll get a good idea of everything that is available from deflectors to baking stones, to side tables. You'll also see the pebble finish of really gorgeous KK!

http://komodokamadoforum.com/topic/5138-beauty-comes-home-to-chezchef/

[bosco]

Wow great review CC!! I remember reading through it before but now it seems so much more informative!

I have been starring at pebbles for three days. They are all starting to look the same lol!!

Was the stand an extra??

[wilburpan]

I can’t cover all the questions, but I’ll do the best that I can.
 

When purchasing the kamado itself, Robert explained that I get the grills, deflector stone included.  Then I see that the side tables are an extra. I would think the half basket, and baking stone is really all that I would need extra to get started.

The accessories that I got included the baking stone, the side tables, the basket splitter, and the rotisserie.
 

Now 2 zone cooking... how does one achieve that with the ultimate and 19" high top? I understand the deflector stone is solid one piece, can you order a split divider stone for true 2 zone cooking???

The basket splitter is different from the KJ basket splitter. Besides just splitting the basket, there’s an additional metal piece that overlays the basket on the side that you don’t have any charcoal. Here’s some pictures.






The reason that I set up the divider this way is to use with the rotisserie. With this set up, the chicken that I’m cooking only gets heat from the side with the charcoal.



If you place the divider with the lid so that it runs from the front to the back of the KK grill, you’ll essentially duplicates the KJ D&C function. Instead of a half stone, you have a stainless steel deflector at the level of the charcoal basket.

One other thing to remember is that the design of a KK grill in the firebox area is different in that all the air that comes through the vent is forced through the firebox, which should make the dual zone effect more efficient with a KK grill. KJ grills (and others) have a gap between the firebox and the outside shell that allows air to bypass the firebox by flowing around the outside.
 

When you place your order how do you pay?

I talked to Dennis on the phone and finalized the order. He sent me an email with a link to 2checkout.com, which is an online credit card processing service. I entered my credit card information there, and that was that. You can also wire a payment directly from your bank.
 

How long does it take usually from order date to delivery date?

It depends on where your grill is. If you order a grill from the website that’s in Indonesia, or in transit from Indonesia to Los Angeles, it will take longer. If you order a grill that’s already landed in North America, it should take less time.

My grill was on the boat when I finalized the order. It got to Los Angeles one month later. Then there was that delay because of the fire at the port. After the grill left Dennis’ L.A. warehouse, it took 6 days for it to be trucked across the country to me in New Jersey.
 

Who arranges shipping from over seas and ground transportation from the port to my house?

Dennis took care of all of that stuff for my order. As the truck got closer to my house, he emailed me instructions on what to tell the trucking company when they called to confirm a delivery time.
 

How does warranty work?

Call Dennis. The good news is, it is highly unlikely that you’ll have to file a warranty claim for a cracked firebox.
 

When ordering accessories after purchase, how much is it usually to ship products?  Or is there a north america distribution??

As far as I can tell, accessories and parts are in the L.A. warehouse. If not, Dennis is sending containers to the U.S. on a frequent basis. Put it this way: I’ve only had inventory problems with one kamado company, and that was with Kamado Joe.
 

I have narrowed down my design to pebble finish... I really loved CC black beast, however, after more research I am really drawn to harvest and gold pebble.  Can anyone post their cookers with these finishes so that I can see them.  I have seen Wilburpan's which is beautiful but would also like to see a few more before choosing.

 
 
Harvest Gold was my second choice. SWMBO liked the Olive Gold better, so that’s what we went with.

[jclarkhpa]

This past weekend I just cooked 9 racks of ribs on my dark autumn 23", and I like Dennis' rib rack. It hold 8 and since the ribs from Costco come in packs of 3 I lay the last one on top. I'll add a few photos, first after an hour, second after three hours and then a close up. I didn't get the finishing shot, because the wife loves them fall off the bone so I always foil them. When they are done I cut them up and vacuum pack them and toss them in the freezer for easy dinners. I'll probably do this 2-3 more times to have enough for the school year so it's less hassle when we get home from work. When I cook for others I don't foil but that's less often. I hope the pictures show you a little bit of the tile, I love the color.
I hope the photos show...

Aloha,
Josh

 

[MacKenzie]

jclark, what a great idea for a quick rib dinner after work. Your ribs look delicious and you sure have put your 23 KK to maximum use.

[bosco]

With my current brand of Kamado the usual response to what size to get is bigger is always better.

If you were all to do it again would you get a 32" grill or get the 23 + 19 combo??

[wilburpan]

The usual answer to the “What size should I get†question is, “What kind of grilling do you plan on doing?†

 

What I can say is that in the time that I’ve had Smaug, I’ve cooked as little as four hot dogs on it, and prepared enough pulled pork for a dozen people. In neither case did I think that Smaug was too big or too small. For our family of four, it seems to be a perfect size.

 

If you don’t mind my asking, what do you plan on doing with the 23 + 19 combo? Especially since you already have other grills to use?

[bosco]

you make a very valid point Willbur.  In my mind I think that if I get one.... I will want two 

 

I really enjoy having the flexibility of multiple cookers.... in this case I already have that.  

 

maybe it is best that I stick with my original plan of getting the ultimate first to see what I think... And I will still have my joes to use when I need more space

[CeramicChef]

bosceaux - for the 19" Hi-Cap the stand was extra. It is a stand the likes of which I'd never seen on a kamado, but then, isn't everything KK!

Friend, here's the deal with respect to size. The 32" is a MASSIVE cooker. Bigger than anything you've ever imagined. I throw a lot of parties ranging from 8 to 25 people at a time. That's why I got TheBeast. About the only way you'll find a KK BB small is if you're doing commercial cooking for gatherings in the neighborhood of 50+. I could easily put 50% more on TheBeast and things would do just fine.

The 23" Ultimate is, when all is said and done, a cooker that most people will never outgrow. I look at the amount of food that KKers here cook on their 23s and I'm amazed. It rivals anything you can get on a Big Joe, an XL BGE, or a Primo XL and then some. Heck, on my 19"Hi-Cap, Beauty!, I can cook a couple of butts for a nice sized party. While I don't own a 23" Ultimate, I have cooked on one and I can tell you that the 23" will handle 100% of everything I've seen you cook and a lot more. Look what ckreef does on his 16"!

You know my motto quite well: better to have the size and not need it than to need it and can't get it. If you are truly thinking of a 19" Hi-Cap, get the 23" Ultimate. For you, as far as I know, the 32" would be overkill. I looks really impressive on the patio, but I really do think it would be overkill for you.

That's just my opinion. But as usual, let Dennis be your guide.

[tony b]

Yeah Bosco, I second Ken's suggestions. I have a 23" Ultimate and have never run out of room on it, but the most folks that I cook for is 8 - 10. Mine is an Dark Autumn Nebula, which I think is just stunning; but hey, I'm biased!

 

[ckreef]

That Dark Autumn Nebula looks really nice.

[GoFrogs91]

I haven't seen a BB live, but have seen the grate comparisons. I don't know what I would do with that much real estate. Like Ken, I've seen a lot of your cooks Bosco and think the 23 would probably be the best fit.

I have a Terra blue like reef.