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I've found what works for me is letting the meat soak in the marinade for 18-24 hrs as long as it's not one the accelerates the break down of the meat tissue as say pineapple juice, vinegar or wine...then your time in the soak is much less. Sweet and savory marinades do well longer, I soak my Tri-tip whole for 24hrs in a savory worcestershire sauce base having garlic and onion powder and other herbs, I find it at a local meat shop. It's kind of like brining a turkey, the process is long but the result is what your looking for. Chicken wings and thighs do well in a good soak of Buffalo or Peri Peri or Teriyaki for that matter. Some may not prefer it that way, experimenting with duration may be one's choice, you've got to find your comfortable niche. I do like those McCormick quick packages for chicken on the grill, best to follow the directions here or try a Product called It's Incredible by Heaven Made Products, an alternative to salt and pepper for some things. I really should be better at writing things down, I've probably forgotten more than I can remember but if the time and effort of preparing countless cooks have taught me anything I believe it would be just having a understanding of what goes with what. As far as methods are concerned...I stick to what works and evolve from there, like most folks.

Welcome to The Obsession! Best way to learn temp control. Fill up the basket with coals, Light a small spot, Open the top vent 1/4 turn and bottom vent just barely open (pinkie). Sit back with a cooler of your favorite adult beverage and watch the temp. Once stabalized, make a note of it, bump the top vent another 1/4 turn and have another beverage. Again, once stabalized, take notes, bump the top vent again and maybe open the bottom a bit more. Keep doing this until the dome reaches maybe 450F, as almost all your cooks will be below that temperature (except the burn-in and doing pizzas). The vent position/temperature correlation is very repeatable, assuming you have enough charcoal in the basket. Secondly, DON"T CHASE THE TEMPERATURE! If the KK is heat soaked, you're not going to be able to lower the temperature easily if you overshoot your target. Also, it's BBQ, not rocket science. Plus/Minus 50F off your target is nothing. Just roll with it. You won't notice any difference in the results, only the cooking time might be slightly affected. Good Luck, Post Pictures of that all-important virgin cook!

As my "partner in crime" battling the spammers, I'll give you a PASS on the No Pic, Didn't Happen rule.

This! The top vent open 1/4 on my Big Bad is also about 225-250 and 1/2 is about 300 with the bottom vent open enough to fit a finger in it.

Congrats !!!! 225 is only about a 1/4 turn of the top vent with the bottom vent only being open enough to get your little finger in there. Dennis has some good videos on that, i'll see if i can find the links This will get you a good temp for ribs And this one is everything you need to know about the 32

What size cooker do you have ? A 32 ? And for ribs I don't use the splitter in my 32. Just a drip pan with foil to catch any drippings, that acts as a deflector to get me indirect. At 225 a 2.5 pound rack of ribs should take at least 4 or 5 hours.

For a longer cook, i would have the splitter open roughly half, but always fill the available opening with coal. Any leftover coal can be re used for future cooks. You’ll also used a little less coal once you learn your settings. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Congrats on your new grill! You’ve certainly made a great decision. Temp control is a little bit of a learning curve but easily mastered with a little practice. My first question is how much coal are you lighting? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing that’s super helpful. Sounds like ThermoPro thermometers are reliable and backed by great customer service. I might try one for my next cook since it fits well in hand and works consistently. Appreciate the tip!

@zoee I’ve seen the Alpha Grillers Digital Meat Thermometer and their reviews are good, but I think everyone has their own personal preferences.

Totally agree preparation is key, especially with beef. Marinating or seasoning a day in advance really makes a difference. And yes, with a good grill, getting the heat right is usually not the problem! Do you have a favorite marinade or seasoning method that always works for you

After 6 years of wanting a KK, I finally pulled the trigger. Sold the Yoder ys640 pellet grill and my Louisiana Grill kamado for this upgrade. Just did my first cook tonight: baby back ribs. Overshot 225⁰ and was chasing temps afterwards...gotta better learn the top vent positioning, but am excited to learn. Cheers!

get a cheap one for $20 with a bottle opener, temp chart, f/c toggle switch, easy battery swap. thermoworks just reads faster, better IP, and more $$$

Hello, I have the basket splitter setup on the max setting now and my low and slow cook went quicker than I thought (lasted like 3 hours). I realized maybe I should have removed one of the center top plates out to put the divider plate more in the middle. Cooking low and slow (225⁰), what's your experience with where the basket splitter is positioned? How long will the cook be if you removed one top plate or two top plates? Do you ever remove the center divider plate and fill the basket up with charcoal below the top plates? I'm doing ribs and want indirect heat. Thanks.

I forgot to take pics while cooking as these are done so hot and fast but for my first time having this i have to say it was really good !!!!

I was inspired by @remito make some roadside chicken for dinner last night.

The best way to cook beef Zoee lies in the preparation, sometime a day before it finds the grill, a well known fact. The heat part, you have the best cooker out there, how could you fail,.... impossible.

Wooo, slow them horses down now....why would buy something more expensive that might not be any better than something "less expensive". I have numerous ThermoPro's, fantastic items, had them for years and they are guaranteed if they fail. So nothings perfect, I had a couple fail over the years...didn't realize they had a customer sevice number. One day I reached out and explained the failure, immediately a new one was in the mail, wow, I slightly mentioned another had suffered the same demise a year back in the same conversation and lo and behold I recieved two in the mail just for saying so. Some of my guests say they haven't had a bad meal ever at my house, that may may be true, it could be experience or it could be that dang THERMOPRO. For a quarter of the cost, the same same size and it fits so handally in one's hand, why wouldn't you...it's a no brainer. Maybe we should have a quick draw, you know the fast gun stuff, but with Thermometers, I think I'm pretty confident where I stand, have for years. Check it out, it's just a click away.

Just remember, any time you ask for tips you'll get a lot of them and you'll need to figure out which ones work for you. That's why BBQ forums are full of references to Try-Tips. I'll see myself out...

I use this in the house and when making BBQ, its great https://www.thermoworks.com/thermapen-one/

Two completely different methods for those cuts of beef. For a thick steak I reverse sear. 225 degrees indirect. Once I get to 115 degrees internal I pull it off to rest while I am getting my coals really hot. Rest for at least 15 minutes so the internal temp stops raising, you actually want that internal temp to start dropping. Then, on the lower rack, sear it really good. You will love it. For brisket you want a temp of 250 indirect, just foil under works great to act as a deflector and to catch the drippings. Get the internal temp in the flat to about 165 then wrap in butcher paper (uncoated brown butcher paper) and then put back on until your internal temp get to about 202. Probe from the side not the top. Probing tender is more important than the actual temp, every brisket is a little different. Once that is done wrap the brisket in foil, leave the paper on, and put the whole thing in foil and put it in a cooler covered with towels for at least 4 hours. Then pull it out to rest on the counter for awhile as it will still be extremely warm. Those are the basics. Everyone does it a little different but start with that and you'll be a master in no time. Also, for both cuts I use Meat Church's Holy Cow. It's my go to for beef. Yardbird for poultry and Bad Byron's Butt Rub for anything pork. Those three are my personal favorites. Hope that helps, always start with the KISS method and adjust as you learn

Haha, that’s hilarious! 😄 Even without a thermometer, that “cheat sheet” seems like a fun way to estimate cooking times. I might have to try it next time — although I’ll probably still double-check with my thermometer just to be safe!

I usually go low and slow for brisket, then finish with a quick high sear. For steaks, sometimes I do a reverse sear. My favorite seasoning is simple: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a bit of smoked paprika. Letting it sit with a little olive oil before cooking really brings out the flavor

Thanks everyone for all your advice and suggestions.

For particularly tender cuts like filet mignon, you can also try to sous vide the steak to warm/cook it, then do a high temp sear just to add a crust for texture. I've also done tougher cuts in a balsamic marinade (balsamic vinegar, water, garlic, and whatever spices I'm in the mood for), the vinegar starts to break down the meat and makes it more tender while adding some fun flavors. And flavorful cuts like a ribeye can handle a light rub.