JeffB

That pot looks like it is thin-walled metal. I would assume it wouldn't work as well as a thick-walled cast iron pot in making sure the wood inside doesn't catch fire (i.e., only smolders). No clue if that is actually how it works out though.

He was cooking indirect (looks like the deflector is on the lower grill and he forgot the drip pan) so the grill temp will actually be lower than the dome temp. At least that is the way it is for me if I am remembering correctly. Not that it would matter either way.

This might be one case where I am actually glad my neighborhood has an HOA.

When you use a 2qt Dutch oven, exactly how do you put it in the cooker? Do you just set it on top of the coals or do you bury it in the charcoal and just sacrifice the space (a low and slow really uses very little charcoal so I assume you will be fine). Would you do anything different if you used a 1qt oven? I use a BBQ Delight smoke pot and it is small enough that I just place it on top of the lit coals and don't worry about it interfering with the heat deflector.

Re: advice

My thermometer (Maverick ET-73) monitors the meat and the cooker temperature. It has an over/under alarm for the cooker as well as an over alarm for the meat. That way you can go to sleep knowing that you will be woken up in the event that something goes wrong (or your meat finishes). The only trick is to ensure that the cooker temperature goes above your lower threshold before dozing off, otherwise you won't get an alarm in the event the fire goes out. I have decided I don't need a Guru/Stoker for now but do like to know what is going on from the comfort of my bed.

Re: Jeff B I wouldn't say the 200-225 of a low and slow is any trickier. The lower draft wheel should be open about the width of a dime and the top just cracked to a half turn open. Assuming your draft doors are sealing properly (push on all four corners to make sure there is no movement) then those settings should be good and only a minor tweak after heat soak will be necessary. Just do a couple pork butts without a Guru/Stoker and you should be a pro at it.

The user manual has pictures of draft door and top settings for some common temperatures. I have found them generally spot on for me so experimentation hasn't really been necessary. It has only required a little faith and a lot of patience. As was said earlier, temperature changes can be slow if you are only making small tweaks. I typically start out wide open and dial back when I get near my target temperature.

Whatever you do, be very careful. You have the potential to do serious damage to your cooker. In order to seal properly there has to be some tension in the draft door mechanism. A little while back I decided to "improve" my draft door by bending the tubes so that the door would slide more freely. While the door did slide better I also totally screwed my temperature control because the door would no longer completely seal. After one cook I reverted my change and I hope I didn't fatigue the welds with all of my bending. If you are able to control your temperatures properly as well as snuff out the fire at the end of a cook, then I would just leave everything alone.

Re: Bottom Round Roast

I follow Firemonkey's lead (from the Youtube videos) and grill with the top down. That theoretically gives you the smokiness and moisture that primeats mentions. TheNakedWhiz also indicates that ceramics can attain higher temperatures for searing so that should help as well. Those two combined would seem to make the KK (or any ceramic really) perfect for the Finney method.

This behavior depends a great deal on the Internet browser you are using. I use Safari and I don't get this behavior. The back button works fine for me. I assume you are using Internet Explorer in which case you should take this opportunity to change browsers to something like Firefox or Safari

Sorry for confusing you. I am assuming too much in my descriptions and also mixing terms a little bit. There are three grill surfaces: lower grill, main grill, and upper/sear grill. The upper grill becomes a sear grill by turning it upside down and putting it directly on top of the charcoal basket. As I said though, a lot of people just sear on the lower grill. For the Finney method I think you might be best served using the sear grill since that gets you right on top of the coals. As I said earlier I am mixing terms a little, so when I say upper grill I usually mean the main grill. The "in one unit" part meant to convey that you can just grab the drip pan and deflector together "as one unit" to pull them out. That minimizes the number of times you have to reach into the grill. In this scenario though you leave the lower grill in place and just sear on it. I obviously skipped a few steps in the description since I am assuming you will pull off the meat at the appropriate times.

Actually, I thought of a good alternative if you want to minimize parts shuffling. Put the heat deflector with the drip pan on top of it on the lower grill (don't worry, they will fit). Then put the upper grill with your meat in place. When it comes time to sear you can just remove the upper grill, drip pan and heat deflector (as one unit) and close it up. I had actually asked how people used the heat deflector a little while back (see this thread) and the general consensus seems to be that putting it on the charcoal basket would result in a more indirect heat but in this case it probably doesn't matter, especially if it saves you from having to juggle the lower grill multiple times.

Re: risk

Re: Guru or Stoker EVERY time

Have the units died or just the probes? The probes that came with my unit (ET-73) are definitely lightly built and I can't imagine them lasting too long. They do have heavier duty probes that are supposed to be better but they are $17 a piece if I remember correctly. I really like being able to see the temperature anywhere in my house unlike the BBQ Guru but I guess with a Guru it doesn't really matter since it just takes care of it anyway (assuming the fire doesn't go out). I still wonder why the BBQ Guru folks don't make a simple remote monitor. I know they have the Procom but I don't really care about control (just monitor) and the price differential between it and the other products seems insane. Oh well. We'll see how long my Maverick lasts.

I love high tech toys as much as anyone but I have decided against any draft control device (for now). I would rather get to know my cooker first (the old do math by hand versus use a calculator argument) before I start geeking out the process too much. Besides, given the quality and performance of the KK it really isn't that difficult to do things the manual way -- I still have lots to learn but the KK is very forgiving. I did buy a Maverick ET-73 remote thermometer so I don't have to constantly go outside to look at the temperature and I can also get alarms when the cooker goes above or below a certain temperature, but that is as high-tech as I will get for now. We will see how long that holds me over

Speaking of the "Finney" method I have seen conflicting directions. One says to slow cook until 100 degrees, rest, then sear. Another says to cook until X degrees below target, rest, then sear. Which is right/latest?

Re: Actually very simple. Congratulations on the anniversary. Now you just need to work on that Dennis clone feature so you can actually handle all the work in then next six years.

What exactly is the deal with EZ Que? They never seem to have anything in stock. Are they just that popular or are they incompetent on the manufacturing side... or a little bit of both? A company with lots of customers and no product to sell sounds like a bad business plan.