orthoman Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Since getting my Kamado, I of course love it for low and slows, but since getting it, I have been using a single bowl of coconut charcoal for about 6 cooks so far. I still have charcoal left in the bowl! My questions - I seem to take forever getting up to high heat for steaks! I even bought a blow torch, but I can't seem to get the coconut charcoal started very well that way, and I resorted to (gasp!) using a small central core of regular charcoal to get the thing started. Even still, yesterday it took me an hour and a half to get up to 600 degrees! So I ended up taking too long to cook the steaks, about 20 minutes, but they still came out great-tasting and juicy, but just not pink in the center like I prefer. Even still, my family was pleased. Unprompted, my 11 year old son said "This is the juiciest steak I have ever had!" Which of course made me beam with pride. I did not use a hair dryer this time. I have used one in the past, which does help. What's the best way to get up to high heat fast with coconut charcoal? Do I need to get the gas burner? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DachsieSlave Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 I don't use my coconut for hot fires. I save it for the low and slows, that is what my research lead me to believe it is best at. I use Royal Oak Lump for my hot fires. I light it with my MAPP torch and am at 500 or so in about 10 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 So, this one is not too tough to answer seeing as you answered the question yourself! Stop using the coconut charcoal for quick cooks! Seriously, use straight lump charcoal for the fast high-temp cooks. That, or if you want to use the coconut charcoal (I assume the ECC from Komodo, correct?) then start some regular lump on top of the KKECC. That lump will light quicker, get hot and subsequently light the ECC. Then you are off to the races. Also, open the top damper ALL the way UP for hot cooks. Also, twist open your draft to full open and slide the draft door open a bit. Do the same with the door on the back of the KK. This will allow A LOT of air in from the bottom and out the top. You will see very fast results using this method. I am at 600 degrees using plain old lump and with the draft doors set as mentioned in about 15 to 20 mins tops. You will end up sliding the doors closed and controlling the temp with the draft wheel. If you leave the draft doors slid open, you will go WAY beyond 600 degrees. Let us know how this works for you, OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 I second that (OK, third - was a little slow on the Submit button!). The extruded is great because it's very evenly textured and dense which makes is a great choice for low and slows, but as you've noticed it takes forever to get up to temps for high heat and it's really a waste of its benefits. I'd recommend getting a second cooker and keeping lump in one and extruded in the other. Barring that, it may be slightly cheaper to get a metal ash bucket from Home Despot so you can dump the remains of one charcoal type and replace it with another. Another option could be to ping Dennis about buying a second lump basket to make the switchover even easier. If you do still want to use the extruded for your high temp cooks you can also look into getting a power draft device like the Stoker or Guru. Putting a 10CFM fan into the cooker does help get the temps up, and I think you can even go for a 25CFM with the BBQ Guru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orthoman Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Thanks Thanks for quick reply. I thought that might be one solution. The deal is, I have not tried lump yet, and I just need to. I would assume that lump is easier to light? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Yupper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orthoman Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 wow! I post a question, I have 4 answers in 10 minutes! Thanks guys! A great forum! Using this grill is really fun, but there is definitely a small learning curve and an "art" to it - however, it is forgiving of mistakes. It seems that even the "mistakes" taste better then my best days on my gasser! CW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 A charcoal chimney has been the best for getting up to temp fast for me. Remember, you don't need to see 600 on the thermometer to cook a great steak, you only need a good flaming fire. I cook my steaks with a lot lower dome temp than that, I go by the fire and not the thermometer. A lot of the fun is in the experimenting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 I also wouldn't worry too much about the lump brand for high temp cooks - generally the food isn't on there long enough to give it much more than a generic (but tasty!) "charcoal" flavor - I know I haven't noticed a difference between Cowboy and more expensive brands at those temps - now cooks that take multiple hours may be another story entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Cowboy The Naked Whiz tested Cowboy Lump and got fire temps up to 1030 degrees! The second highest he ever recorded. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag6.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
