Jon B. Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 I have to do another Boston Butt cook next week for a Christmas party. On my last cook, I overstuffed the charcoal basket. After seeing how much lump was left over, I will not make that mistake over again. That first overnight cook did get me wondering................have any of you KK owners ever had the buildup of ash choke out the fire on a long cook?? I have had that issue in the past when using my brand X ceramic cookers and have had to resort to a "wiggle rod" to knock the ash off the coals to keep the fire hot. Was just wondering if that was something I needed to worry about with the KK. I did notice a "hole" in the middle of my lump after the first cook but I did not experience any drop in temp over the 13.5 hour cook. Thanks in advance for your KK wisdom!!! Jon B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Jon check out the ash experiment thread I posted. One of the last cooks I did was a Low-n-slow. The 19" has a huge amount of space to hold ash so you won't have a problem down below. Because of the lump basket design you won't have issues with clogging in there either. A basket or grate to hold lump is a far superior setup (for not clogging) compared to a plate with holes. I noticed Cassiopeia likes burn right to left. If I'm doing a Low-n-slow I'll start the fire on the very right side of the lump basket. Fill the lump basket all the way up to the handles and don't worry about it. I have yet to run out and I've done some really long multiple cook/temp sessions. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Never been an issue. Dennis designed the basket to where the airflow isn't restricted via a few air holes. Won't be a problem. I would consider a full load of lump filling the basket, but not covering the handles. Benton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 The hole is from the fact that your fire burned towards the airflow. As long as there's fuel in line with the air, that's the direction it will go, but it will deviate in order to get to fuel. This is also where quality lump comes into play, in that better lump burns more completely leaving less residue, (ash). If you're concerned, do as ckreef did in his demonstration and sweep the ash to the sides and rear, ensuring unobstructed airflow. These grills are the epitome of efficiency, I don't believe two lo/slos will be an issue. Are you aware of the instance where a 23 KK, went over 80 hrs at 235° on one load of cocochar? Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon B. Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 I don't believe two lo/slos will be an issue. Are you aware of the instance where a 23 KK, went over 80 hrs at 235° on one load of cocochar? Rob Thanks for the feed back (everyone). Agree on the quality of the lump! Yes....I did hear about the 80 hrs........................but I thought it was just an "urban legend" until I joined this forum. Cooking with cocochar next cook!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Have ran my KK for 18-hours at ~225º without reloading/snuffing out. The only reason it "only" went 18-hours: That was as long as I needed it to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 The charcoal basket does not clog up like brand X Y Z would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 I’ve never had a low and slow go out on me in the middle of the cook because of ash buildup. I have closed down the lower vent so far that the fire went out when I was playing around with vent settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Be careful with the thinking that you 'overstuffed' your lump basket. Unless you really packed it in there tight by hand, you can't really over pack it. In fact, you should always start with a full basket so that your airflow is more consistent from start to finish. I don't have access to very good lump here in Singapore. For low and slow, I used KK Coco extruded, adding in chunks of smoke wood depending on cook. For high temp, I use a mangrove charcoal used by Japanese BBQ restaurants. But I did use lump when I lived in the USA and can't ever recall having used too much lump. If you have lump left after your cook, just shut it down and reuse the leftovers next time (just gently shake the basket and get rid of the really small stuff and ash that may block airflow in the next cook). I recently forgot to shut down a low and slow cook and she was still burning 36 hours later. I was upset with myself for wasting the Coco Char. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 If you use Coco char do not stir the leftover with your hands. It becomes very brittle after an initial cook. There will be plenty left and it's still a viable fuel source but if you stir with your hands you'll loose a lot down into the bottom of your KK. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Jon - I can't remember how big a KK you are using, but I guarantee you that the volume below that charcoal basket can more than accommodate the volume of ash, even if you burn the entire basket during the cook! And even if you use KINGSFORD Blue Bag briquettes! I've done back-to-back-to-back low-n-slow cooks on TheBeast and never though about cleaning out the ash. I just merely swept it into a pile in the corner. As Cookie says above, always fill the charcoal basket. I usually take mine to just under the level of basket handles. To knock off the ash on used charcoal, just grab the charcoal basket handles and give it a couple of shakes. Then I just dump, yes, dump new lump in and level it off. DON'T shake the basket if you're using KK Extruded Coconut Char … it'll sinter. Just relight and get after it. Think of charcoal as gasoline and your basket as a gas tank. It's impossible to have so much fuel that you choke the engine when you're cooking on your KK. I always fill my fire basket before every cook but a sear. No matter how many years I've been buring lump, I can't figure out how much lump for how long a cook. I'm wrong every time. I just fill 'er up every time. It surely beats have pull apart a hot kamado and add lump and then get everything back to stabilized cooking. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 I made myself a little push stick in the shape of an "L" that I push the ask to the back of the KK from the front vent when its removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croadie Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 mmm. I'm thinking I'm under-loading mine... more is better seems to be the message here..??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 I load mine to just under the basket handles, such that the deflector sits unobstructed. Any less, it feels like I'm leaving with a half tank of gas. Rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Fill it up every time all the way to the basket handles. The unused will be waiting for your next cook. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 I under loaded mine in the beginning. I overflow it now and have lots of cool time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 I agree 100% with the majority here. I always load it up and if there's any left over tomorrow, it's just as good as it was yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
