whoodle Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Hi there Forum Vets. I have been a Weber Master for some 22 years. While I can do most everything with the Kettle, I have become more and more dissatisfied with the build quality of the w. kettles. Thin metal and chintzy grates. The temperatures I use warp the grates and blister the enamel. I started looking to upgrade, and ended up in San Diego. But prior to anteing up, I was distracted by CNC millwork an technical talk of airflow and turbulence...Luckily, i think. Along with my blistered and twisted armada of Webers, I have noted that I use enough coal to heat a 2000 square foot house in Vermont no less. It sure seems like a KK would be the upgrade of choice. I would like some feed back on how the kk will behave in some of the situations which which I frequent. First, I grill all year an average of three times a week. Everything roasted is done on the grill. Ambient temperatures vary from -10 F on up. I make a pile of coals, light it with a mapp torch for three mins, ready to cook in 20-25 mins. In the summer I work about a 100 hrs a week, so I usually mow the lawn while the coals are heating, throw on the steaks, 4-5 mins per side while I clean the mower deck and voila! the finest strips around. Do these times jibe with a kk? Will such rapid delta T (when it is -10)damage the KK or even be possible given the great mass? I am in the process of creating a grilling area on my covered porch. The deck in the grill area is aluminum. There is wall on two perpendicular sides, 9 feet and 4 feet, the ceiling is about 9.5 feet and there is accommodation for a 12 inch duct for a power vented hood. Anyone have any insights here? Thanks for replies and or anecdotes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Pretty much if you can do it on a weber then no doubt you can do it on a KK. With the exception of maybe burning the crap outta your hand on the exterior of a weber....can't do that on a KK. You will have much, much less thermal loss cooking in the winter too. The KK will grill at high temps or hold low/slow all day and all night no matter what the weather. Your charcoal usage will go down too since way less fuel is needed to keep the KK fired. Are you using briquettes or natural lump in your Weber? If you are already using lump, then your ahead of the game. If not, your gonna want to swap over to lump....controls better..less ash...hotter temps...burns longer.....instant use instead of waiting for briquettes to turn grey....put out and reuse leftovers easily..... Welcome to the forum! -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 The best part about "ceramics" (although the KK is technically "refractory material" it's still classified as a high-end ceramic cooker) is that you'll no longer have a grill. You'll have a grill, a smoker, a high temperature brick oven, a tandoori, a regular oven and pretty much anything else you can think of. The high insulation and thermal mass of the KK is ideal for cooking in the winter time, instead of fighting to keep a high temperature in the freezing cold you can shut the lid and watch the temperatures climb. The other nice thing is that cooking in an enclosed space allows you to lock in more of the moisture which gives you much more tender and tasty results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoodle Posted July 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Dj I use a host of different incendiary materials including lump. I happen to have a well stocked woodshed so I pick and choose my flavors and even make my own coal when I run short. Because the weber is is so loosely sealed, lump is usually a one time prospect. The allum. lower damper controls on my Ws are also mishapen by the heat. Another question relates to the indirect cook. I see someone uses the weber baskets to hold coals. I do not really want to clean a roti, and with the W. I never disturb a roasting subject. No turning, just sweet convection. On a technical note, for Dennis too, is that on the weber indirect, the purpose of the drip pan is to direct the primary airflow to the sides and up through the coals. Years ago, I tried to eliminate the pan step, and found that I could not muster enough heat to cook the bird in a timely fashion. I hope that a similar method can eliminate the roti on the KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Very nice on making your own charcoal.....wish I had to room for a retort. You can do chicken on a KK pretty much anyway you like (direct or indirect). Don't want the rotis...not a problem. You have plenty of room for beer butt chicken, spatchcock chicken, or however you like. As for heat deflector, Dennis sends a stone with the grill. There are pics on the forum. There is also a drip pan too. You can use one of them, both of them or not at all. I usually do my poultry direct as there is enough space between charcoal and main grate....so no issues there either. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2PLT Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Cleaning the Rotisserie The EZQ rotisserie is made with best stainless steel and has TIG welds so there are not catching places. The 17" baskets used for the KK will fit in any dishwasher. The other things like the meat holders are also SS and they are a snap to undue from the basket. All said and done I just put it in the dishwasher and the small amount of some pieces of skin come off and it looks just like new. I used the Weber baskets because they keep the lump fire away from direct flame on the rotisserie. I have used my EZQ at least 8 times so far and my wife agrees it is the best chicken and turkey she has ever tasted. But like most things in life it is in the eye of the beholder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Welcome aboard whoodle! I concur that anything done in a weber is done easier in a KK. And as for warping the grates, the KK comes with 3/8: stainless grill grates. They wont be warping. Like DJ said, you will also get a ceramic heat deflector, that sits on the charcoal basket, above the burning lump. No worries about needing a rotis (though they are a nice toy if you can con the wife into cleaning it after use) or moving around the roast. The KK will hold temps as steady as an oven for hours and hours. And there is room on the grate for several chickens if you have a crowd over for dinner. I have to admit, I have never seen a weber so hot the enamel blistered Warped grates, rusted grates, absolutely. I used to swear by webers before I found ceramics...now the weber is just accessory storage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoodle Posted July 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Does the KK ramp up to steak temps in 20 to thirty minutes like the W? After all direct cooks are the staple of the american grill. I'm not interested in keeping a graveyard of steelies next to my KK scultural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 We had a pretty cold winter this past year, I had no trouble doing several low and slow cooks through the night. You'll see some great pics of a KK covered in snow and ice with smoke coming out the chimney. Expensive? Yep. but you'll never buy another outdoor cooking appliance again...unless you buy another one. I've gotten up and cooking at grilling temps in as little as 10 to 20 minutes, if you add the Guru, even faster. The W was a great innovation at the time, but as with all innovations there will always be something better. Fortunately the master designer of the KK, Dennis Linkletter,never seems satisfied with the status quo and is always trying to make improvements, heck this forum has been instrumental in some of the designs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Does the KK ramp up to steak temps in 20 to thirty minutes like the W? After all direct cooks are the staple of the american grill. I'm not interested in keeping a graveyard of steelies next to my KK scultural. Nope, sure doesn't! I am searing steaks in under 10. I light my charcoal with either a torch or my KK burner, then close the lid with both dampers open for a few minutes (convection really speeds things up). Then I open the lid to sear right above the charcoal. When finished, close everything back up and it is back out with plenty of charcoal left. Other cool part is the outside is not even warm with that quick of a cook. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkline01 Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 Dj I use a host of different incendiary materials including lump. I happen to have a well stocked woodshed so I pick and choose my flavors and even make my own coal when I run short. Because the weber is is so loosely sealed, lump is usually a one time prospect. The allum. lower damper controls on my Ws are also mishapen by the heat. Another question relates to the indirect cook. I see someone uses the weber baskets to hold coals. I do not really want to clean a roti, and with the W. I never disturb a roasting subject. No turning, just sweet convection. On a technical note, for Dennis too, is that on the weber indirect, the purpose of the drip pan is to direct the primary airflow to the sides and up through the coals. Years ago, I tried to eliminate the pan step, and found that I could not muster enough heat to cook the bird in a timely fashion. I hope that a similar method can eliminate the roti on the KK. Roti is GREAT!!!! Clean up is a snap!! Here is how we (U2PLT & I) do Roti chicken with the Weber coal holders : http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewt ... highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 Roti birds..for crisp brown skin all over.. For years I've known that the crispest chicken skin with the juiciest meat was found from turned chickens. People can say what they want about beer can and spatchcocked birds but the best was always from roti setups. Two things.. a stationary bird will always have more heat from one direction.. if you are flipping it, that means your opening it up and compromising or loosing the high humidity in your KOmodo. With a roti, you can start indirect with a heat deflector at lower temps with a drip pan to render off the fat in the skin. The fat does not just run straight down but runs thru the meat while cooking. Once the fat has rendered out and off you can pull the heat deflector and drip pan. Then crank it up a bit to crisp and brown up the skin.. You can't get this texture without melting the fat off/out first.. if you try direct you will burn the skin before loosing the fat. Low and slow first indirect and then browned and crisp direct. Gotta have the roti.. I cooked lots of tasty birds without it but also had birds with areas of either burned or rubbery skin.. Just my 2¢ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 Roti birds..for crisp brown skin all over.. Hey Dennis How about a little more info on times and temps for us nubbies Willie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 DJ, You were stationed in Germany weren't you? Or anyone else. How does the KK roti chicken compare to German Fest roti chicken? You know, the half/whole chicken served at the Stuttgart Fest with a liter of German Beer!! Those were always to die for. If I could ever re-create that at home, oh my gosh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Re: Roti birds..for crisp brown skin all over.. Hey Dennis How about a little more info on times and temps for us nubbies Willie I've misplaced my log book.. or better said my little girl was last seen with it! I'm terrible on remembering times and details, that's why I have the log.. Almost every cook I write that the results of the most recent cook were the best.. Yea, yea.. Sounds lame but it sure seems that way when I'm eating.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
