JimBob67

OK, OK, you talked me in to it. Just ordered 3 more boxes of KK CoCo. Jim

Hey, guys, I was just on Amazon ordering something and up popped a window telling me that they have this charcoal again. $44.98 with free Prime shipping. I know, not cheap, but better than explaining a pallet to the wife! Jim

Oh, man, now I gotta wait at least til the weekend to taste this! Hungry NOW!

That looks wonderful! I've cooked a lot of pork shoulders but am a rookie when it comes to brisket. I was thinking of using Raichlen's "Slam Dunk Brisket" recipe. Do you have a favorite?

I certainly learned a lot! Thanks to all the "old hands" who provided some very valuable tips! Think I'll try a brisket next.

Oh, close "that" lid! Can't see much to be gained by leaving it open, that's for sure! Your reply has made its way to my permanent file on BBQ, very helpful! I really appreciate your help. Jim

Thanks! Just so I have this straight---"close the lid" would mean to have the top vent barely cracked as we were discussing? The fan would be set up with the damper on the fan wide open? Some folks recommend taking the KK to the desired temp before plugging in the CyberQ in order to heat soak, but I think doing it that way really contributed to my temperature overshoot.

You know, I noticed yesterday. After hours of stability, the winds came up and suddenly the temperature rose. Figured it had to be the fan vent so I closed it almost all the way. The fan wasn't going to run, anyway. Thanks for the tip!

I tend to agree! I found a couple posts here recommending choking down the CyberQ, but I've found by trial and error that the top vent is the main factor. And, boy, are you right! I just BARELY come off the gasket-tight setting on that vent, and that's all you need. I've always cooked with the pellet cooker at 225, but I found that this unit "likes" to be around 250, so I might try easing the temps up a bit. One thing I learned (DUH!) is that the CyberQ can heat the thing up, but can't do squat to cool it off. The Ace hardware here in town has BGE which I've used for a long time. I understand it's made by Royal Oak, and they are going to see if they can order in some Royal Oak Lump. Either way, a lot cheaper that CoCo char!

I had hoped to write this in installments as I smoked overnight from the 3rd to the 4th, but I must be toxic to the Forum system. It was down all day for me. So, this is in retrospect. I decided to do a couple of Boston Blade roasts overnight Sunday, to be ready for some family on the Fourth. For good measure, I also did some Beef Plate Short Ribs. This was my first long-term smoke using the CoCo charcoal and my CyberQ unit. I learned some stuff along the way. First, as all of you have warned me, it's hard to get the temp back down once it's up! I managed to overshoot the 225 target (kept it below 300, though) by keeping the top vent open too much. "Too much" was less than a whole turn open, but I soon discovered that I needed to keep the sliding vent on the fan at 50% or less, and the top barely 1/4 turn open from totally shut! I suspect the top vent was probably more important than the CyberQ or the lower opening. The CoCo burned nicely, but I was surprised that after 12 hours it was pretty well depleted and needed to be replenished. Next time I'm trying BGE which, although probably not as good as the CoCo, will be a little more economical. Took me 15+hours to get the meat to 195. After that, I wrapped it in foil, stuck it in a Coleman, and put the beef plates on. I bought these from Snake River Farms. Supposedly American Wagyu, and for the price I think next time I will get some beef short ribs from my butcher. The things were really fatty. I took them to 190 and people were starting to grumble about being hungry, so perhaps a little more time to get them to 200 might have helped the fattiness. I did try one new thing. This has probably been described, but I haven't seen it. For smoking, I love the articles on using a drilled-out cast iron stockpot, couldn't find one in town so Amazon is bringing one. I decided to try 2-3 chunks of pecan double-wrapped in heavy-duty foil, then sticking a knife blade through the foil in a couple locations. I then slid this into the very bottom of the unit, by opening the ash-removal door and putting it in there. I figured, the volatile smoke fragments would get consumed by the fire right above it, and this would still smoke slowly. Seemed to work very well. I love pecan smoke! The shoulder was great (I've been doing shoulder for 40 years, the last 10 on a pellet smoker (Cookshack Fast Eddy FEC100) but for my first time on the KK, I think it went well. NEXT time I'm going to set the CyberQ at 200, make sure it's holding there, and then dial it up. I know, the KK does hold steady temps by itself, but I like to sleep without worrying. 20 years ago, babysitting it with a beer in hand was a lot of fun. At age 67, think I'll choose sleep. Here are a few photos. Time to heat up some leftovers...

Haven't been able to find Weekend Warrior in these parts, but after reading the reviews I ordered some FOGO from Amazon last week.

You got that right! Although in my neck of the woods, Cowboy Charcoal costs almost as much as BGE. Always worked OK to grill meats, but I'm certainly moving on from here. Jim

Well, I DID NOT get very good airflow with the Cowboy crap. Really added a bad taste to a real nice Tri-Tip. Having figured that out and had a good burn with BGE, I don't anticipate any problems from now on, especially with the CoCo (as long as my supply lasts). However, "Once burned, twice cautious", and all that...

I guess the CoCo stuff will be better than the Cowboy lump I used. I poured that into the basket, but found the problem was the teeny pieces and dust occluded most of the airflow routes through the charcoal pile. Thus, the smoldering pile of leaves analogy. I will follow your advice. And, I have a MAPP torch so may give that a go. I'm just paranoid about having smoldering going on.

Unfortunately as of now (June 2016) Amazon says it is unavailable and they don't know if they will get any more. i also don't need 800 pounds and don't mind paying more to get it by the box. No one in the denver area who I have found who wants to share an order.

Aha! Well, I won't be using it again. Never noticed it when grilling a steak. My stent with the BGE stuff was markedly different. I could actually smell the solvent! By the way, has anyone used the BGE "Organic" yet? Got some just to try. I have decided that after carefully placing the CoCo extruded in the basket, I'm going to start it with a small amount of hot charcoal from my chimney. Seems to me that the stuff underneath, as it lights, will send any small amounts of incompletely combusted vapor through the hot embers, which should eliminate that. Probably overkill, but we'll see. Jim

I've read that too. BGE did fine for me but I'm anxious to try the CoCo this weekend. Cowboy has been OK when grilling steaks on my big Cauldron, but it is NOT very good for low and slow. Really bad smell gets added.

Hi, Bruce, thanks for thinking of me, but I live in Colorado. I have a couple boxes of the CoCo that Dennis shipped with my KK. Wish I'd thought to order more as I guess it ships pretty cheap with a cooker! I'm going to try the CoCo on my overnight shoulder smoke over the Fourth, but I have to say that BGE worked pretty well (NO smell like Cowboy Charcoal) yesterday during my last break-in burn. (Finally no smell or bubbling, so that nightmare is behind me!) Thanks again, Jim

Hi, Dennis--- As of June, 2016 Amazon lists this charcoal as unavailable. Too bad, as even though expensive it would be a good way to get a box or two at a time rather than by the (gulp!) pallet. I imagine that Amazon wanted to low-ball you on price, but is there any way to get them back into the equation as a source for this wonderful charcoal? What a great cooker! Jim

Good points, indeed! Thanks.

HA! Good point. Plus, she really likes what I cook.

I plan on using the CoCo Char! After that, do you have any ideas on how to convince my wife that I need a thousand bucks' worth of charcoal that is delivered on a pallet? Jim

Thanks to all of you for the tips! I couldn't get onto the forum site yesterday, so sorry I couldn't respond. I will be doing an overnight smoke Sunday into Monday, the Fourth, and I think that I have a plan. I will use Dennis' extruded coconut stuff, or perhaps Big Green Egg (can't find Royal Oak lumps around here yet). I will throw away my Cowboy charcoal, which seems to have a "bad smoke" problem, at least in my hands. Instead of just dumping the stuff into my charcoal basket, I will sort through the bag and build a pile, starting with the large lumps at the bottom. Then (and this I keep going back and forth on) I will start a small fire in my charcoal chimney, wait for it to be really going, then dump it on the unlit charcoal in the basket. The tips on just opening the top enough to feel hot air coming out, and partially shutting the damper on the fan on my CyberQ will be very helpful! Oh, this will be a nice shoulder, and photos will be forthcoming. I am somewhat of a legend in my family for shoulders smoked overnight in my pellet (Cookshack) smoker, so hope I can live up to the hype! Again, thanks to ALL for their help and encouragement! Jim

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate the help I have gotten here in my very first day on the forum! Jim

I have a large Cowboy Cauldron that can easily be used to start the chimney, and from the looks of it if the KK is throttled down it won't need to be replenished often, if at all. I'll at least try this before taking out a second mortgage for the coconut stuff. Now that I'm retired and on the fixed-income scene and all. Re-read your first note again. I agree, the sauce is totally secondary. I've been cooking low and slow shoulders for 40+ years, and people always ask me for my "secret BBQ sauce" recipe. I hate to tell them that I use bottled sauce with maybe a couple of very minor tweaks. I think if you cook the meat properly, you could probably piss on it and still have a wonderful outcome.