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Congrats on the decision to invest 1AL6. I have the 23” and can easily cook for 10 or more. Reverse searing is no problem. I rarely use the basket splitter and often use the half grate- it’s. great warming grate. Here is how it looks. It’s easy enough to place some foil over half the lower grate to make the split grate an indirect zone. Others here have two baskets- 1 permanently in a split configuration and the other as a full basket. Maybe I would use the basket splitter more if I had 2 baskets? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So good news! I decided to change course a bit today and instead of going for a 32" and having to wait for when it arrived on a future container I went UP and got the 42" SBB in Matte Black Pebble that is in stock in California.. so I placed the order today with ALL the accessories (Both Roti Basket + Spit, Motor, Cover, Pizza Stones, Hot/Cold Smoker, Side Tables in Teak/SS), paid and now I get to wait for the shipping notice! I hate waiting.. but this wait won't be nearly as bad (or as long) as it could have been! I'll post a pic of my grill when Dennis passes along the non-stock photo!

Tried something different last night for dinner. I injected a chicken breast with Trader Joe's Dragon Sauce and let it marinate for about an hour in the fridge. Just before going on the KK, rubbed it with Slap Yo Daddy. On the main grate, 325F with cherry wood chunks. Plated with roasted potatoes with Peruvian green crack sauce, and sauteed green beans and mushrooms. I did like the TJ's Dragon Sauce injection. A nice change of pace from my usual injection of Frank's hot sauce.

While I haven't had a chance to use a KK yet, I had to make a size choice when I ordered mine and went for the bigger of the two. You can always use a bigger grill smaller but you can't use a smaller grill bigger. With the basket splitter the 32" can be used for quick/small cooks but you still have the space for the 'bigger' 32" cooks while there may be times you just don't have enough room on a 23".

Eventually you guys will realize you should’ve went with pebbles like myself... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome. Way to go! Looking forward to seeing the pix.

I agree with what everyone has said. The 23 is really good and can do a lot and the only thing that is better than the 23 (and is realistic for most people) is the 32. On balance, having owned a 16, 21, 23 and 32 I would agree with @Pequod that if I only had to have one I would go with the 32 every day of the week. That said, the half grate in the 23 is a great innovation. @Basher, you could try using the basket splitter as your default and only using the whole basket when you really need it. I think that this is a great solution for all sorts of situations, even when using the rotisserie. When I was thinking about how to cook my suckling pig, Dennis said that the lengthwise basket split helps to avoid flare ups if you if you have the "down" side of your rotation above the cold side and the "up" side above the coals. I have not tried this but I plan to do so in my 23, noting that there is no lengthwise basket splitter with the 32.

Very exciting Jadeite. Those 42’s look awesome. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Took some time to come around.. but Dennis and @Buzilohelped bring me around to the larger size AND the fact that having the KK in hand faster is just better! I am SUPER excited!

I love this move! It makes me very happy and it isn’t even my grill. Congrats! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Update: Got my 3 delivery emails and owners manual from Dennis and Mimi this morning. It’s official, my 32 is in the hands of the trucking co. I’m betting that Braindoc, GrillnBrew, Forrest, and C6Bill will not be far behind. Nice looking KK Forrest!

Bear in mind that the basket in the 23" KK can be rotated, or the splitter can be applied Left to Right or Back to Front. This is due to the basket being round. So you can orient the splitter to match the upper warm rack.

I have been trying everything to get my Thermoworks Billows to mount elegantly to my Kamado Kamado cooker. I found a vendor online called Humphreys BBQ and took a $34 chance on a solution. It worked perfectly. https://www.humphreysbbq.com/products/the-rigid-billows-mount?variant=31141958680687 Simply attach this machined aluminum adapter to your billows, and plug your billows into the KK BBQ Guru port. Fits like a glove.

Hello from Washington, First of all, thanks to everyone on this forum - I’ve learned a lot of good info on here already. A couple weeks ago I took the plunge and ordered a 23” Ultimate in Terra Blue that has an “ETA end of April”. I’m very excited but have since found myself stuck in the question, should I have ordered a 32 instead? I’ve read what I could find on here (I see many others have had this same question) including Dennis’ stock statement about the comparison between the 23 and 32. For me I’ll be cooking for 3 people 99% of the time. And 6-8 people a few times a year. I’ll do plenty of low and slow type cooks. But I definitely do a fair amount of reverse searing and would like to make sure I’m setting myself up for success. So the questions: can you really manage a 2-zone setup with this cooker? Or should I plan to use something like a guru to quickly crank up the heat when it’s time to sear? Is the charcoal basket splitter the way to go? I keep looking at the pics of the 32 with half upper grate for indirect and lower grate near coals for searing, and thinking I need that in my life. I’m over thinking this. I know. Also, what exactly does “ETA end of April” mean when you factor in port and ground shipping times? I assume it’s realistically at my door end of May? Thanks for entertaining the new guy questions. Respectfully, -Kevin

I gave away my rotisserie, it was too much work to clean. I like tending a spatchcocked chicken on the regular grill grates just as much. Then I bought an electric pressure washer for prepping our ipe deck before oiling. That's the lazy way to clean any BBQ grill, it would make short work of a rotisserie.

Congratulations!

I appreciate all the responses. I think the 23 will do what I need it to do.

Another Canadian here in Ontario. Just spoke to Dennis and my 23" is on the ocean!! I am so excited that I'm almost giddy. I, too, had a hankering for the 32" (much to my wife's chagrin) but after a few discussions with Dennis, the 23" is what I ended up ordering (much to my wife's joy). The process has been seamless, so far and Dennis a pleasure to deal with.

My Stock Text-expander answer.. The 32" is more of a grill that smokes and the 23" is a smoker that can grill. If you want to smoke/cook low and slow, brisket, butts and ribs.. the 23" Ultimate has great capacity.. it can do 5-7 pork butts / 50-60lbs of meat. More than most residences will ever need. If you want to "Grill" for a 6 or more the 23" is limited by its size. You just can't throw on 6-8 steaks at once... The 32" and 42" are full size grills, I define a full size as 22" front to back. Full size gas grills start at 32 " and run into the low 60's. 32" is the smallest full size gas grill. They have more low and slow capacity than most will ever need. The 32" is no slower nor does it use noticeably more fuel. There is a charcoal basket splitter/reducer that lets you do small cooks using only a portion of the charcoal basket. That being said, if you want to work a bit you could reverse sear 6-8 steaks and then brown them up three at a time on a 23". Gets the job done, but that being said, the smallest full size gas grill is a 32".. the 30" is no longer 22" front to rear.

Your almost there!

Yum yum yum looks deeeeelicious Tony.

Tony that looks like one of your finest. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great to hear! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm definitely over my head on this one, so feel free to correct where Im wrong, or add more insight where Im close. But here is a better explanation: Is the Billows more efficient? I firmly believe it is super-efficient vs not using it. I got this idea from @DennisLinkletter in a roundabout way. He said something about the KK having a set and forget damper temperature control system because all the air is drawn through the charcoal, and not allowed to circumvent the firebox like in other designs. I interpreted/visualized this, rightly or wrongly, as a stream of air entering my Big Joe, going around the outside of the firebox, sucking up heat along the way and exiting the top damper warmer than when it entered, but while using less of the available oxygen than if it went through the firebox. This is obviously a simplification, and its more complicated, but the point stands. From this perspective, I visualize the the billows as alternatively creating a "closed air system" and "open air system", one at a time, (Tony B, you are right, this is the inappropriate usage of the words) with relatively little vaccuum action until the temperature drops below where it needs to be. Then Billows forces air into the Kamado, which in turn forces air out the minuscule damper hole in the top. The oxygen level will of course never rise above 20.9%, but will drop as it is used to create heat. I see in my minds eye an imaginary oxygen meter in my Kamado. As the oxygen level drops, so does the heat production. The oxygen in a Billows controlled Big Joe set at 225f will stabilize at a set point between 0 and 20.9%, but I have no idea what that number might be, and it would vary based many things. With the Billows, I see the Big Joe as a totally different cooker. The oxygen may still not have to pass through the firebox, but it must circulate endlessly until it drops too low to maintain the desired temperature, which is close to the same thing. This is made possible by the smaller top damper hole and forced air action of the billows. I humbly suggest that when using the Billows, more oxygen is converted to heat than when not using it, which equals less airflow. And this in turn increases its efficiency by allowing less heat out. I also think that somehow not letting as much moisture escape makes it more efficient as well. I understand it takes 5x the energy to evaporate moisture than to bring it from frozen to boiling. I also understand that as relative humidity rises, evaporation happens slower and slower until it stops completely. I'm not sure what what 100% humidity is at 225f, and Im not sure if a kamado gets that high, and I'm not sure what happens to moisture in meat when the relative humidity is 100%. I do however feel like I'm on the right track that more moisture retained = lower future evaporation rate = more moist meat = less energy used to evaporate water Everything about the Billows seems to be pointing in the right direction of energy efficiency equaling less moisture loss equaling better meat. My cooks are bearing this out as well.

Agree with Tony B on this one. I find myself buying more expensive charcoal now just because I have a KK and want to cook the best I possibly can with it. It’s a lot easier to justify a couple dollars here or there to aim for excellence when you have already purchased the luxury cooker. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, I finally broke down and bought yet another ThermaWorks BBQ alarm system (Signals) and Billows since they 1. fixed the open lid software, 2. made the adapter for Billows which fits the guru port on a KK, 3. added an airflow restrictor for Billows, and 4. had a super 24 hour sale price, which broke through my reluctance. After getting the units, I can report the ThermoWorks Billows snout affixes very securely to the Billows and is also a very snug fit into the KK's guru port (both of which were concerns of mine prior to ordering). The new airflow restrictor (yellow device), which I found as an afterthought in the ordering process, replaces the silicone fan cover (also yellow) which comes standard with the Billows. Here's what it looks like with all the accessories: It is a lot bigger than I expected, which is why I included the 6" rule in the picture. I haven't yet tried it (or Signals) out yet as the weather here hasn't been cooperative recently.

I have cooked for up to 60 people at one time. I have a 19.5" and a 23". planning and coordination = successfully pulling it off. If you go w/ the 23" definitely get the half grate, and if it out of stock order an extra main grate and make one yourself.

I have both the 23 and the 32, and there are only 2 of us most of the time. If I could have only one, it would be the 32 hands down. Mine is in the two zone configuration most of the time with the half grate on the indirect side. Perfect for day-to-day grilling without juggling grates, using a blower, etc. And easily adapts to larger capacity. The 23 is also a great (grate?) grill. Head and shoulders above everything else...except the 32.

Gotta say that I think they've taken a step back. Most of their meats have been great, but we received some ground pork recently that was simply inedible -- tons of bone and gristle. Also not a fan of their sausages. Looking at the above, I think my recommendation would be to avoid "ground" meats and sausages, and stick with cuts.

I didn’t know that, that is amazing! I’m stoked now! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dinner looks wonderful, Tony.

I'd have been heading for the 19th hole way before then! LOL

Most KK owners will say that you don't NEED a temperature controller device (there are several out there on the market that work on a KK - I personally own a BBQ Guru) to make great food on a KK. Once you learn the top vent settings for a given temperature, it's pretty rock steady. Windy conditions can sometimes mess with things, but otherwise, it's a "set it and forget it" situation. The controllers just add some peace of mind, especially if you're doing an overnight cook. This statement baffled me. It can't be a closed system. The combustion air has to exit somewhere, or you're going to pressurize the system to the point where it's either going to leak out somewhere uncontrollably, or it's going to put out the fire because the external fan can't overcome the internal pressure and the airflow stops. One of the nice features of many of the controllers is that they can recognize when the lid is opened and don't try and overcompensate for the sudden drop in temperature by running the fan too long, causing an overshoot. The downside of these controllers is that once you overshoot the temperature, they cease to work - they just shutdown. IF you're lucky and the temperature does drop back down into the control band, you're good, but that usually means the fire is going out and you hope that the controller catches it before it goes completely out.

Can anyone comment on how well this works with the KK? I own a Signals/Billows currently, and was wondering if it is compatible such an efficient grill. I know it oftentimes overshoots the temp on my Big Joe by upwards of 15 degrees f, but generally holds a set point of 225f between 210-230f. Some of this may be my fault, it usually overshoots at the beginning and when I open the lid. I could also perhaps hand layer my charcoal for better results rather than dumping the bag (sans fines) into the Kamado. Just wondering if the Dennis recommended temp controllers do a better job because they are designed for super efficient cookers, or if this is irrelevant because the programming takes into account the rate at which things happen? On a side note, for the Signals/Billows, I find it mighty efficient. It turns the entire Kamado into a closed system where air cannot enter in the bottom, traverse the charcoal, and exit the top. I figure this machine gets me part way to a KK by drastically increasing oxygen efficiency, charcoal efficiency, and reducing moisture loss. The wildcard is still massive heat loss through the walls, and uneven heating because of this.

@Jadeite welcome to the KK party. I’m sure you’ll be delighted. As others have said, it’s quite a step up from the BGE. In my house, upgrading meant keeping the BGE and I’m glad I did. Over my grilling journey, I’ve learned a formula for the ideal number of cookers and related cooking toys (I mean tools) a person needs. Somehow it always seems to be however many I currently own + 1.

Here it is installed on my Billows ... ... And plugged into my KK