Where to place butts on maiden voyage?

[LarryR]

Where are most placing their pork butts for a low and slow cook? In my former cooker I found I got best results on raised/top rack. Where do you find you get best results? Also, depending on which rack you place them on where are you putting your deflector and drip pan?

My first cook on yet to be named cooker will be this weekend, two 9 lb boneless butts. Let the games begin!

Any other first time cook tips are also greatly appreciated.

[cruzmisl]

I place mine right on the main grill. I use the heat deflector wrapped in foil and place it directly on the charcoal basket. Are you doing manual temp controls or do you have assistance (ie guru/stoker)?

[primeats]

First cook, use the main grill over the drip pan. Can't be beat! I've used the top grate when doing multiple butts and it works out fine too, sometimes the tru-tel probe hits the meat and throws off my sense for the pit temp.

[cruzmisl]

I should also add in order to keep the inside of the cooker clean I use disposable foil trays on top of the drip pan either filled with water (just so it doesn't burn) or salt. When the cook is done-discard. EZ clean up.

[LarryR]

Manual

I'm going manual my first couple of cooks to get a feel for the temp. control. I'll use a wireless thermometer to monitor my pit and meat temp. with high/low pit alarms.

Sounds like it's butts on main grate, drip pan on lower grate and deflector on charcoal basket?

Any other first cook suggestions? I'll be lighting-up a big fat stogie and sipping some 18 yo Macallan on her maiden voyage.

[bryan]

Just start with a small fire and slowly work temp up to desired level.

The KK holds its heat. Just makes for a little more sipping time.

Oh yea, you might reach over and give her a little pat once in a while. After all she is in a strange new place.

[fresnoed]

Knowing Larry the way I do, he will more than likely sleep outside with it the night it arrives with a nice bottle of red wine and get acquainted before firing up the new Komodo Kamado

[LarryR]

Minion Method

I'll fire her like I fired my old cooker for low and slow, 5 - 6 lit briquettes. Let her come-up nice and slow, more time for drinking

No worries, she'll get plenty of love at her new home.

[cruzmisl]

I always start my fire at least an hour before I put my meat on. This allows the KK to absorb the heat and the temps to stabilize. Don't get it too hot too fast. It can be difficult to bring back down since it retains heat so well.

Did you say briquettes?

[LarryR]

Briquettes

Did you say briquettes?

LOL, yea I'll be using The Original Charcoal Company's Rancher Original 100% All-Natural hardwood Briquettes. Been using it for a couple of years and really like it, prefer it over lump.

Looking forward to seeing how long of burn times I can get with it in the KK. I can do a 20 hour cook on my WSM with just over 10 lbs. (with a Stoker). Imagine in the KK I should be able to get the same out of about 7 lbs. Yes?

[DennisLinkletter]

Raise the bar much further..

Looking forward to seeing how long of burn times I can get with it in the KK. I can do a 20 hour cook on my WSM with just over 10 lbs. (with a Stoker). Imagine in the KK I should be able to get the same out of about 7 lbs. Yes?

Ahh come on, have no fear.. raise the bar much further..

If about 16 lbs can go 85 hours..

7lbs should go about 37 hours..

[cruzmisl]

Yeah OK, I was busting your chops on the briquettes. I use them here and there. I only use the Trader Joe's brand (same as charcoal company) and they work well. I prefer lump but use those to mix it up.

I will tell you that loading the basket up with briquettes will yield a 3 day cook time so I hope you have a lot of pork. It's snuffs it out quite well too so it can be used for later cooks.

[mguerra]

briquettes

If I'm not mistaken, Larry comes to us by way of the Weber Smoky Mountain forum. They are briquette people over there, through and through. I have not tried the pure hardwood briquettes, but seems like they would be ok. I mean, they seem awfully kin to extruded coconut.

[Conodo12]

Re: briquettes

I have not tried the pure hardwood briquettes' date=' but seems like they would be ok. I mean, they seem awfully kin to extruded coconut.[/quote']

Not quite the same Doc. The briquettes are popular amongst the gravity fed smokers on the circuit because they do not bridge easily. They are also a good alternative to lump as they cook similarly to lump and give off close to the same aroma. The hardwood briquettes are designed to light like lump (maybe just a touch easier) and burn like lump. They do not burn or last like EC. EC is harder to light, but will last much longer than lump or hardwood briquettes. EC is also much more neutral smelling when burning than either lump or hardwood briquettes.

[mguerra]

clarity

Well, what I meant by kin to EC was that they are pure. Of course the similarity ends there. They have some at Lowe's, I'll try it.

[LarryR]

Yes, the majority of my smoking experience is on the Weber Smoky Mountain and I'm and active poster on The Virtual Weber Bullet forum.

I'm a former K owner, recently sold it to upgrade to the KK. Rancher worked well in the K and I'm sure will preform even better in the KK. Nice long and even burns, however it can be a bit ashy when compared to good lump. I got in on the Home Depot $2.99 a bag sale, if memory serves me correctly I purchased about 50 bags, I'm down to my last 2.5.

I have about 6.5 boxes of Dennis' Extruded Coconut that I'm saving for cooks down the road.

Cooker will be here tomorrow between 1 - 3, cannot wait!

[JeffB]

Rancher worked well in the K and I'm sure will preform even better in the KK. Nice long and even burns' date=' however it can be a bit ashy when compared to good lump.[/quote']

Rancher briquettes (I get mine from Trader Joe's) work fine on the KK. It is very ashy but that doesn't cause issues with airflow on the KK. Just means you need to clean out the ash below the basket more often. The briquettes do seem to burn a little faster than lump but a basket load at 200-225 degrees still lasts forever in a KK. I would guess you could do three butt cooks in a row on one basket load.

[LarryR]

Rather than starting a new thread for this question I figured this was as good a place as any. What direction do i rotate the bolt to get my lid to stay open on it's own? Looking down from the top? I thought counter clockwise but don't want to screw anything up so I thought I'd ask first.

[primeats]

righty-tighty;lefty-loosey,if you are looking down from the top, just the opposite. Another way to judge if it's at the correct tension is to keep the lid ajar and slowly tighten the bolt until it is almost all the way open.The spring can be affected somewhat by the cold weather, but not much. Don't tighten it so much that the lid pops up and rocks the cooker! That's too tight,you'll figure it out!

[Syzygies]

Right hand rule

Rotate the fingers of your right hand in the direction you're planning to rotate the bolt, and your thumb will point in the direction the bolt moves. For more lift, you want the bolt to move in, tightening the spring.

Believe it or not, I teach this same rule for multivariable calculus. There, the cross product of two vectors (e.g. flush with a surface) points in the direction of one's right hand thumb (e.g. a "normal" vector to the surface).

It's possible to make a screw thread that goes the other way, but this is rare. For bike pedals, one of the two feet is threaded the other way, so the pedal tightens rather than loosens in use.

Dennis doesn't have this concern, so he certainly chose a standard "right hand thread" for every thread on the Komodo.