coolpapabill

It is a little over an inch thick

Should have it next week. Decided to have it cut it a 20" x10" semicircle to fit on top of about half the main grate. Thought the extra support of the grate bars underneath would be helpful due to the weight . Will be about 25 pounds.

Moving between half grate and stone was my thought. Won't know about heating time until I give it a go.

Yes , cooking right on top of the soapstone . I was thing about using it for half the grilling surface, and the half grate for the other. Soapstone retains heat much better than cast iron also no rusting ) , and is supposed to give a much better sear. Kamado Joe sells half stones for their grills , and people seem to like them a lot. BTW anti-bacterial as well. Only draw back seems to longer heat up time.

A local custom kitchen company has some soapstone remnants , and will cut me a piece to fit my KK 23'' . Should I have a semi-circle piece cut to fit on the top lip ( I have the half grate to put on the other side ) or one slightly smaller to fit on top of the grate itself. Thanks ahead a time

Doing a brisket on Sunday on my KK 23" Ultimate . I've never used a controller and planning on using my DigiQ DX3 . Fo those of you who use a controller what is process from starting fire , heat sink , when to start/turn on DigiQ , etc... Will be cooking at 250 degrees. Thanks

Those look great , what was temp and cooking time. Thanks

Picked up a 2 quart Lodge dutch one to make a smoke pot for my KK 23" Ultimate. Looking for a little advice , so here are a few questions. First 3 or 4 holes , Second 1/8" or 1/4" holes , and Third I have some left over felt gasket from another Kamado. Has anyone tired this on the top of the inside of pot to tighten the seal with the lid? If the felt won't work do you need to use the flour paste ? Thanks for any help

Here is an idea to think about . Get the BB32 and pair it with either the 23" Ultimate or 21" Supreme ( if you have the room ). Cost is approximately the same , but you get two cooking areas for different types and temperature cooks , more cooking space is sq inches, and a lot less charcoal use. My guess is you would the use either the 23" or 21" far more often day to day cooks than the 32". Just food for thought.

Thanks everyone. First cook today went well. Lighting charcoal was pretty straight forward . I use a torch as well. Had to fiddle with top vent a little to zero in on temp wanted , didn't touch bottom vent it was barley opened. Once stabilized at 225 it barely moved , less than 5 degrees either way , for 6 hours I was blown away.

I'm doing my first cook tomorrow on my new to me KK 23. Planning on doing ribs and smoked spatchcock chicken. Will probably run it 225 to 250 degrees . I have two quick questions . 1) Do you use the heat deflector , drip pan ( mine has the double bottom ) , or both together ? 2) What are the approximate settings of the bottom and top vents you use for that temperature ? I understand each one is a little different just looking for a starting point . Thanks very much for any help and input

As posted below I picked up a new to me KK 23" Ultimate . I've had a Kamado Joe for awhile, but understand that the procedure for lighting charcoal is slightly different in a Komodo Kamado. Would be interested in the basic lighting procedure different people use. Also what are the settings for the top and bottom vents for various temperatures . I understand each KK can be slightly different. Thanks ahead of time.

I will be doing the venting process this weekend after speaking with Dennis . Taking 5 to 6 hours of my weekend plus a little charcoal is worth setting up a lifetime of cooking properly. One thing I forgot to mention was how much I was blown away when I first saw the KK in person. Pictures do not do justice to the build quality , engineering , and beautiful looks of this thing.

I've emailed Dennis for advice on the venting , thanks for the input.

Here are a few pictures of my KK 23 to give you an idea of the condition. One quick question I understand there is a venting / burn in protocol for a new Komodo Kamado . Since this one is 4 years old but essentially unused should I do this any way . Been in Colorado dry climate the whole time.

Agreed on wide straps , we used three 2" wide ratchet straps . One to the front pulling straight forward and two straps to the back one to each side . All 3 were crossed over prevents slipping . Finally an inch and half strap over the lid pulling straight down kept the KK from rocking ( put some light foam under this one ,the rest were bare on the tile ) . Was solid as rock , only needed to tighten slightly one time.

Thanks for the welcome . Yes , the journey was well worth it . A few hairy moments through the mountains , but followed advice from both bgrant3406 on this forum as well as Dennis and had no problems. The block underneath the legs to take the weight off the casters was critical to safe trip for the KK.

I am very happy to finally be a member of Komodo Kamado family not just a jealous admirer. Found an unbelievable deal on a 3 year old KK 23" Ultimate a few weeks ago. After an 850 mile round trip from Albuquerque to Aspen and back , with my brothers help arrived home without a scratch. The KK was essentially new , most of the accessories and 2 of the grates had never been used. Maybe had been used 2 or 3 times total. Besides the KK 23 standard 3 grates , deflector , and charcoal basket it came with the following ; double bottom drip pan , two stainless side tables, baking stone , rib rack , charcoal basket splitter , stainless and teak grate grabbers , Sunbrella brown tweed cover , and finally 5 boxes each of CoCo Char and Coffee Char. Everything impeccable and spotlessly clean. $2500 for the whole package plus $500 for the trip ( hotel ,diesel , and food ) Total all in $3000 My first cook will be this weekend , have had a Kamado Joe for awhile , similar but different . Any advice , tips ,help ect... would be greatly appreciated. Planning on doing reverse sear 2 1/2" Prime Porterhouse steaks , with a board sauce , grilled Mexican street corn on the cob , and Hassleback potatoes. Will be doing something low and slow and pizza next week. I'll post pictures soon. Wish me luck.