lee grabowski

I use a propane torch. It is fast.

Thank You Dennis. We really need this.

Smoked Salmon: Add salt to some water and mix well, place Salmon in water and refrigerate overnight. Remove Salmon and pat dry. Put each piece of Salmon on aluminum foil then on a plate and add spices (I only use Dill Weed), place back in refrigerator to dry out (2 to 24 hours) Start KK for a low & slow cook (180-200 Degrees F.) mixing some smoking wood (I have been using Cherry) in lump charcoal. Smoke for 6 hours, the Salmon will be dry and have a great smoked flavor.

I like the grates going side to side & do use the door to add wood it is a nice option to have. I haven't had a problem getting under anything with a spatula the way things are.

Hello, I have used Cedar for smoking because I noticed it was being used at a pizza oven in a restaurant, also I have it available and I like the smell of Cedar. Mostly I use Cherry, Hickory for Pork, Apple wood for Turkeys. Cedar Planks for Salmon too.

Try starting each time with new lump charcoal on the top, it starts easily and it will get it going better. That is my experience with it, and as MadMedic says make sure the top & bottom vents are open. Good Luck

The beef looks great and that looks like a Japanese knife in the background. We have a Shun knife and love it.

My reason for buying the Komodo Kamado is Safety. The KK already has the base connected to the grill and I felt that this was a better and safer design than using a "Nest". Another overlooked item is the top and base have a locking mechanism that keeps them tight while cooking with no heat loss in the largest sealing area, also the gasket is on the top not the base so if any food gets dropped on the base it is not in the gasket. I have smoked Salmon for 6 hours at 180 degrees F. and Pork for 16-20 hours at 225 degrees F with no problem.

Re: New to Kamados....start at the top! Welcome, I also have the 19.5 and with a little planning you will be amazed at how much you can cook on the KK. I recently cooked 6 T Bones on the lower grill and prepared the beans & potatoes also earlier. Enjoy Lee G.

Re: Ribeye Here is a great Video that Larry R. has: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4882&p=43015&hilit=salting+steaks#p42915 I have been cooking steaks this way and they are excellent. Good Luck

Re: Happy Thanksgiving Hi Loquitur, I did cook it on the sear grill only because I have a long straight temperature probe and I couldn't get the probe into the breast with the Turkey on the top grate. After the first hour I also basted the Turkey with butter and apple juice every 20 minutes.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving Here is our 12 lb. Turkey. It was brined for 3 days and air dried for 2 days. Cooked at 325 deg. F for 4 hours and used apple wood for smoke for the first 1 -2 hours. I followed the Naked Whiz instructions. Very good turkey.

Re: New here Hello and welcome to the forum. I was looking at grills for some time before I came across the KK website, after reading and learning about them I bought it as my first ceramic grill, and never used the gas grill again. You can cook low and slow, high and fast, grill, smoke, use it like an oven, and make an excellent pizza on the KK . Also a very big point for me is the KK looks like a beautiful piece of art all the time. It stays very clean because the tiles are ceramic and can easily wiped down with a damp cloth. It is top quality all the way. Hope this helps.Good Luck

Re: Help on how to maintain grill temp I also had a hard time holding low temperatures and discovered the lower draft door was not sealed tight on the bottom. I discovered it using a placing a piece of paper between the stainless steel mating surfaces on the slide in draft door and the stainless steel surface of the KK, the paper would easily slide so I knew there was a gap at the bottom. I could also see light when a flashlight was on the out side and I looked inside. After sliding out the draft door mine has 4 little bolts on the inside which hold on the slide bars, I loosened the bolts and started shimming (with aluminum foil) near the top side only of the little bolts, which closed the bottom gap, tighten the bolts and check it on the KK. After a couple of adjustments it was a perfect fit. I can easily hold 180 Degrees F. for 6 hours, great for smoking fish. Hope this helps. Lee

Re: After One Year Review Yes, anytime.

Re: Temperature for Grilling Salmon I have just learned about the "spall" (the white goop that comes out of the Salmon), and if you cook at a lower temp. 250 deg. you will have less "spall" then at the higher temperatures.

Re: New to the club! Welcome to the forum. I also have the 19.5 OTB and just yesterday smoked Salmon for 6 hours at 170-180 Deg. F. all the advice above is correct. My only added information is how to control the heat on a low and slow by using a set of mechanics feeler gauges. This is my routine for smoking Salmon. Light a golf ball size of new lump charcoal and let the KK warm up about 1 hour with the lower daisy wheel open only the thickness of a coin, top hat 1/4 turn, the temp. will rise very slowly. Put on the meat set the lower daisy wheel at .035 (thousands), and open the top hat to only 1/4 turn, because the meat is cold it will stay at a lower than your desired cooking temperature, but after about an hour or so the dome temperature will rise to what you want and stay there. I also monitor the dome temperature with a digital temperature meter. Be patient with low & slows. For the pork shoulder I set the lower daisy wheel to .055 (thousands), because of the size of meat (8lbs.) it takes a long time for the temperature to rise again. This has worked well for me. Good Luck.

Re: Compare Komodo vs BGE I agree with you. I have not owned a BGE but looked at them before and after buying the KK and can say that there is no comparison between the quality of materials between the two grills. Everything on the KK is better, and it does keep the temperature at where you want it like you say. Excellent grill, oven, smoker, pizza maker, it does them all very well. The biggest part for me was the KK came complete, ready to cook on. It does not need a "nest". I knew I would want to build a wooden table for a BGE, and I was concerned about the temperature of the outside of the grill setting the wood on fire, then who knows what else may burn with it, my house? Saftey is a big concern and I feel the Kamado Komodo is very safe. Lee G.

Re: Best Pizza Temp That is the temperature we used. Be sure to preheat the pizza stone for 30-45 minutes before putting the pizza on, we put corn meal on the stone to help sliding the pizza on & off, a pizza peel will make it easier to get it on & off. At 500-550 degrees it will be done in about 5-6 minutes, check the bottom of the crust. You may need to slide the ash door open an inch or so to get to that temperature. Good Luck

Re: My new KK (Miss Cookie) So glad to have another in Tennessee. I am in Columbia, Tn. Enjoy the cooking, and eating.

Re: Smoked salmon It looks great and I have used the same thing off The Naked Whiz's website and it is a winner. Smoked Salmon is the best, and the KK has no trouble keeping the temp at 180 degrees F.

Re: Smoking question I have just smoked some Salmon last week and have found that using a set of mechanics feeler gauges in the bottom ash door helps to make small changes in temperature adjustments. Try using about .030 (30 Thousands) for 175-180 Degrees. Open the top hat about 1/4 turn. Firemonkey is right about the smoking chips because a small amount of charcoal will be used, put the foil bag with Alder over the charcoal hot spot. Enjoy the Salmon it is the best.

Re: MY NEW KK!!! Tigeranteater, You will love cooking on the KK, and it is a piece of yard art when it is just sitting there.

Re: Charcoal basket experiment Firemonkey, I did not have trouble maintaining the low cooking temp.(180-200 deg. F.) for 6 hours with a full basket of lump, but so little of the lump was used I knew that less could be used for a low temp. cook so I made this to try. I have not tried it on a hot cook yet, but thought it would work great for searing steaks. There was enough air flow and I had no trouble keeping the fire going on the low temp. cook. Lee G.

After my last 6 hour 180 degree F. Salmon smoke I could see that it does not use much lump charcoal during this type of cook, so I found an old grilling pan that I no longer use and cut it to fit on top of the charcoal basket. I loaded 2-3" of lump on top of it and used it, I had plenty of charcoal throughout the smoke. My KK is the 19.5" also. Lee G