gas vs charcoal on short cooks

[tekobo]

On 9/16/2020 at 3:52 AM, Wilsonj said:

Hi ckreef, thanks for your input, very interesting. I had seen a Santa Maria grill, but hadn't paid it much attention. I think it seems like too much hard work for me, at least for now with 3 young kids and pretty hectic job. I'll just have to settle for a KK. 
I really don't have that much room, and so to some degree having one BBQ, at least of reasonable size, is probably all I can handle. As mentioned, I have a 4 burner Weber gas, but I'd consider selling that and maybe even getting a smaller open griddle for when I just need to cook sausages or in a real hurry. ( or maybe a back up if I run out of charcoal, which isn't available where I am).

And, I just updated my order to the 32" So probably won't be buying any other BBQs any time soon. 

Hey there @Wilsonj.  Your post made me laugh.  "I'll just have to settle for a KK".  Ha.  That is one way to get an expensive purchase past your family.  And then you casually slip in the fact that you have upgraded to a 32.  Awesome.  Way to go.  It is going to be SUCH fun when you finally get your hands on it.  

[Wilsonj]

On 9/19/2020 at 2:06 AM, tekobo said:

Hey there @Wilsonj.  Your post made me laugh.  "I'll just have to settle for a KK".  Ha.  That is one way to get an expensive purchase past your family.  And then you casually slip in the fact that you have upgraded to a 32.  Awesome.  Way to go.  It is going to be SUCH fun when you finally get your hands on it.  

Hey tekobo. Haha, yeah I was being cheeky.

The 32" is more than I should afford, but I think it is a better investment over time. I figure in a few years I won't think about the difference.

Not to derail my own thread. But considering temp controllers and I'm wondering with the great insulation the KK has, is a fan/blower system that important ?

 

[Basher]

Wilson I took 12 months to learn different settings for different temperatures.

once I became comfortable with this, I recently acquired a fan temp Controller for low slow cooks.

no regrets. If I had the fan earlier, it would have taken me a long time to understand top settings and no doubt would have had some frustrating cooks.

the fan now gives me confidence to walk away during a low cook and I can view temperatures from my phone. Kids sport, errands, wherever. Previously I wouldn’t leave the cook for any more than 30 mins.

[tony b]

I've owned a Guru for many years (pre-dates my KK). I just like the security on very long cooks (over 4 hours). I always use it on pork butt and beef brisket cooks. 

[tekobo]

@Wilsonj, I bought a controller and in the 2.5 years that I owned my first KKs, I used it once.  I just can't be bothered with all the cables. I use the MEATER to tell me about readiness and ambient temp and I rely on my KK to hold steady within a reasonably small range.  My garden is pretty sheltered and others have reported greater challenges with holding temp, particularly when it is windy.  

[tony b]

9 hours ago, tekobo said:

others have reported greater challenges with holding temp, particularly when it is windy.  

I would be one of those folks. It's even worse now that the derecho trashed my trellis system for my hop plant. The KK now sits right out in the open, on an elevated deck 7 ft off the ground, in the wind tunnel created by the close gap between my house and the neighbors.

One trick with the Guru (assume it's similar for other models), close the damper on the fan outlet down to less than half open and just barely open the top vent off its seat - make the fan do the work. Otherwise, you can get vacuum drag across the top vent and pull air into the KK when the fan isn't running and mess with your temps. Once the inside temp gets above the controller setpoint, it can't bring it back down. You are at the mercy of the airflow created by the wind as to where your temps will equilibrate to?