K. Kamado with gas

[JohanD]

Hello. I am currently researching grills for my back yard. Originally I was thinking on getting a SS gas grill like a lynx or weber. What got me looking into the Kamado style grills was the increased versatility.

Personally I love cooking with charcoal. My wife does not like smoke/charcoal flavor. Does high quality lump have that same smoke/charcoal flavor as your standard supermarket briquettes?

Anyhow, to my question I was wondering how the gas operation on the KK rates. Is it possible to grill steaks and cook pizza well using only the gas? I have read a lot of people use the gas only to light the charcoal or sometimes even remove the gas burner.

[mguerra]

Lump

You can cook your wife's food in foil to keep the smoke off. Also, some lump charcoals aren't that smoky tasting. See: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

There are about eight billion posts on all the different ceramic cooker message boards where the poster says they never cooked on a gasser again after getting a ceramic. It's nearly universal, trust us, you DO NOT want a gasser!

[Sanny]

There are also posts about cooking with gas on the KK. It can be done. Not sure if you can get to pizza temps with a regular gas setup, it might, but you can cook other stuff.

As for charcoal cooking, you can get more smoke flavor, or less smoke flavor. Some of that has to do with the type of lump. For example, extruded (such as the coconut) has a very mild flavor. Even the regular lump can be mild if the food isn't put on until it's fully lighted. (Assuming you're not using mesquite or a highly aromatic lump.)

I find that the smoke flavor becomes more noticeable if I put on a piece of smoke wood (of course), or if I put the food on while the fire is still coming up to temp.

Of course, YMMV.

[tcoliver]

You can easily reach temps of 400 using only gas so you can cook just about anything, especially if you cook direct. I think if you find the right type of charcoal you will forget about the gas and use the charcoal. I know some people even use Kingsford so you could always still go that route. Either way I think you will be much happier as far as a cooking experience with a ceramic grill vs. a steely.

[JohanD]

The KK with the gas option, does the burner ever get in the way if you only use it to light the charcoal?

If I can find coal that does not significantly flavor the meat my wife would probably go for it. I wouldn't mind waiting until it heated up a little, if that helps. I have read some of the reviews of the different charcoal types. Does anyone have a personal recommendation for a "flavorless" lump? I do not have a ceramic style grill right now but I can test it out on my 50 gallon drum bbq.

[Syzygies]

If I can find coal that does not significantly flavor the meat my wife would probably go for it. I wouldn't mind waiting until it heated up a little' date=' if that helps.[/quote']

Dennis has announced that one goal of his new factory is to produce more coconut extruded lump charcoal. That stuff burns so clean, one can cook a dessert pie over it. (I have, when our indoor oven was on the blink!)

Some people really like how with any charcoal, one can load up a ceramic cooker, and just shut off the airflow to save the unused fuel for the next cook. We don't like the taste as raw lump charcoal (e.g. mesquite or better, oak) first lights, so we reject this method in favor of letting the charcoal light thoroughly before use. As one would using a Weber.

Because the KK is so well insulated, this takes a bit of practice, and less fuel than one would think. That's a good thing. Jets land twice as fast as prop planes; I'm making similar adjustments learning how my new KK responds differently from my old cooker.

Speaking of Webers: Some people can do amazing things on a Weber. More typically, one goes to dinner at a friend's house to have Weber chicken, and realizes that one classic smell of American BBQ is burnt chicken fat flareup. It's not such a good taste. With a ceramic cooker, one more easily cooks indirect, collecting drippings into a drip pan, and one doesn't get this off taste. It's actually hard to avoid even with a gas grill, as chicken fat still burns given a chance.

[mguerra]

neutrality

There is an extruded coconut charcoal of a very neutral flavor that can be found in grocery stores. It is called aFire. It can be hard to spot, because it is in a green box, not a bag, and may be higher up on a shelf than where you might expect. Look around in the BBQ and grilling section, it might be next to the tongs or aprons or some other unexpected place. Here in Texas, Albertson's has it. Or:

http://www.amazon.com/aFire-0310U-7-Pou ... B001EYTGUG

[JohanD]

I have seen pictures of the gas burner accessory, but not many pictures of it mounted inside the KK. Mostly just the burner running outside the KK.

Any good pictures of the KK running off gas?

[Firemonkey]

I have the KK burner, and orginally intended to use it for ignition only. I am a die hard charcoal fan, so using gas for a cooking source is reserved for an emergency only.

The issue with the gas for charcoal ignition is that the KK burner was designed for cooking. Using it to light your lump is like using a Peterbilt to pull your bass boat. It will work, but its not very easy nor convenient.

The KK burner is wide, and sits directly under the lump basket. Its too low and big to be able to quickly and easily swap it in and out after ignition, which would only take 20 seconds with that burner. Leaving the burner in place will cause it to fill up with ash and you would have to remove it and empty the ash next use.

If you want the gas to cook with, it can be done, and thats why its available. If you just want to use gas for ignition, go with a mapp torch, weed burner or even somethign like the guru golf club that you could quickly stick into the grill to ignite and then remove. Personally, I am using a handheld propane torch and it takes less than 60 seconds to light 3-4 spots on the lump basket. The gas burner is in the garage in case of civil unrest, or so my wife could cook on the grill if I died.

[JohanD]

I found some decent pictures here of another forum members KK.

http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1479

Thanks for the interior pics! (From Drunk_J) Very awesome!