Best Smoking Methods With KK?

[C-West]

Hey guys, I'm not new to smoking but I recently purchased a KK and I'm new to this forum. I'm also new to kamado style cooking in general. I've owned a few traditional smokers with offset fireboxes but have some questions about best practices on the KK. I've read through this board and I'm sure that these questions have already been addressed 100 times so please bare with me. If there is another thread that already discusses them, then just point me in the right direction.

Here we go...

I just smoked my first batch of ribs on Sunday. I was aiming for a 230 degree temp using lump charcoal and some soaked chunks of pecan and apple. I used a couple Weber starter cubes after filling up the charcoal basket. I barely cracked the damper and turned the top a 1/2 turn. All was well for a couple hours, then it bumped up to 260 quickly. I backed it off at the top but could never get it to come down from that. It held that temp through the rest of the smoke. Also, I couldn't really see much smoke coming out after a couple hours.

1. Is there a better method to get smoke throughout the entire cook AND keep it under 250?

2. Do you typically have to add wood chunks throughout a 12-14 hour smoke? What's your best method for doing this?

3. Should I use less charcoal for low and slow? Would that make a difference in monitoring the heat?

4. Do you normally use the bottom damper or the top to primarily control the temp (or both)?

[johnnyboy]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

C-West. Since I'm not much of a smoker myself, I'll let others give their opinion on smoke, I'll give my opinion on questions 3 and 4.

I always start with a full basket of lump charcoal for what ever I do; low and slow or high temp.

I utilize both top and bottom dampers for adjusting air flow/setting temp. I just know where they need to be from experience. For micro adjustments after temp is set, for example if fire increases more than 10 F. above target I typically try to correct that by only adjusting the top. If I've reduced the top by 1/4 turn over a couple adjustments and fire still running hot, then I micro adjust the bottom vent by simply tapping it with a nuckle on my hand. No way can I slide by hand that small of an adjustment.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[C-West]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

If I've reduced the top by 1/4 turn over a couple adjustments and fire still running hot' date=' then I micro adjust the bottom vent by simply tapping it with a nuckle on my hand. No way can I slide by hand that small of an adjustment. [/quote']

By using your knuckle to tap it shut, I'm assuming this means that you have the vent pulled out at the bottom and your using your knuckle to close it a little? I haven't ever pulled it out to allow airflow... I've just turned the damper with the wooden handle to regulate airflow.

[Loquitur]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

C-West:

1/2 a turn of the top damper is way too open for a 230 cook. To keep it that low you need to just

have it opened maybe an inch or two and adjust it for fine tuning from there.

Susan

[C-West]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

C-West:

1/2 a turn of the top damper is way too open for a 230 cook. To keep it that low you need to just

have it opened maybe an inch or two and adjust it for fine tuning from there.

Susan

Well, that addresses one of the problems. Thanks Susan.

Anyone else have recommendations on the amount of wood I should use to keep a consistent smoke for a 12 hour period? If you have to refill, what's the best way? To just drop it from the top?

[Firemonkey]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

Mix the wood chunks throughout your lump basket when you fill it with charcoal. That way, as the fire burns through the charcoal, it also comes across a new wood chunk.

[Hephaestus]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

Firemonkey,

I noticed the inside of your kk is very clean. If this is a recent picture, how do you do it?

Thank you.

[Syzygies]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

Smoke Pot (link)

As the originator, I don't have WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor, a stereo term relating to speaker size) to ever try another method again.

Try it...

[Firemonkey]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

Firemonkey,

I noticed the inside of your kk is very clean. If this is a recent picture, how do you do it?

Thank you.

That picture was taken when the grill was much newer than it is now:

[johnnyboy]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

If I've reduced the top by 1/4 turn over a couple adjustments and fire still running hot' date=' then I micro adjust the bottom vent by simply tapping it with a nuckle on my hand. No way can I slide by hand that small of an adjustment. [/quote']

By using your knuckle to tap it shut, I'm assuming this means that you have the vent pulled out at the bottom and your using your knuckle to close it a little? I haven't ever pulled it out to allow airflow... I've just turned the damper with the wooden handle to regulate airflow.

C-West. My POSK (Piece of Sh!# Kamado) comes from another company which I don't recommend. It doesn't have the much advanced wooden handle wheel type vent on lower draft door as yours does. When I posted I forgot KK has that. Your assumption is correct, my vent is pulled out when I knuckle it back in. Typical settings I use for 220 F on my non KK are bottom vent open the thickness of a credit card (take that lightly as my lower vent doesn't close/seal evenly all the way around, it's a little crooked, one side closes before the other) and top vent open 1/2 turn. Hope that helps.

[Loquitur]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

.....By using your knuckle to tap it shut' date=' I'm assuming this means that you have the vent pulled out at the bottom and your using your knuckle to close it a little? I haven't ever pulled it out to allow airflow... I've just turned the damper with the wooden handle to regulate airflow.[/quote']

Opening the dial all the way on the lower vent and also pulling the door out a few inches is a great way to get your fire up to temp quickly, along with opening the top vent most of the way. But you need to start shutting it down when you get to within approximately 50 deg of your target temp. This works well for me even for low temp cooks, though I light only a very small area of the lump. If you wait for your fire to get to 230 with the lower vent opened the width of a dime and the upper vent open only an inch or two, you will be waiting for a looonnnggg time though these are the openings that will maintain the 230 cook once you get there. I shut down in two or three stages, top and bottom vents, for it to stabilize and then fine tune with the top damper for a 5 or 10 deg. adjustment if I need it. I watch it closely to be sure it never goes higher than my target temp. After an hour or so when KK gets heatsoaked, you will have to adjust the temp again to cut down on the air flow further. After that you should be set. And if you don't have time to fool around with it, a Stoker or Guru does a fine job.

Susan

[mguerra]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

For any low temp cook, with a nominal temp of 225 or 250, if the temp gets up to 260 or 280, it will come out fine. Don't sweat it. Ribs, pork butt, brisket, doesn't matter. Anything below 300 will net perfect results. I used to freak if my 225 cook got up to 240, that was a waste of emotional energy! To keep your temps down, DON'T start too much charcoal. And keep your vents barely cracked.

[C-West]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

Opening the dial all the way on the lower vent and also pulling the door out a few inches is a great way to get your fire up to temp quickly, along with opening the top vent most of the way. But you need to start shutting it down when you get to within approximately 50 deg of your target temp. This works well for me even for low temp cooks, though I light only a very small area of the lump. If you wait for your fire to get to 230 with the lower vent opened the width of a dime and the upper vent open only an inch or two, you will be waiting for a looonnnggg time though these are the openings that will maintain the 230 cook once you get there. I shut down in two or three stages, top and bottom vents, for it to stabilize and then fine tune with the top damper for a 5 or 10 deg. adjustment if I need it. I watch it closely to be sure it never goes higher than my target temp. After an hour or so when KK gets heatsoaked, you will have to adjust the temp again to cut down on the air flow further. After that you should be set. And if you don't have time to fool around with it, a Stoker or Guru does a fine job.

Susan

Thanks Susan. Very helpful. I'm going to try some steaks tonight... don't think that should involve many mishaps but I'll give "low and slow" another try on Sunday.

[Keytickler]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

.....By using your knuckle to tap it shut' date=' I'm assuming this means that you have the vent pulled out at the bottom and your using your knuckle to close it a little? I haven't ever pulled it out to allow airflow... I've just turned the damper with the wooden handle to regulate airflow.[/quote']

Opening the dial all the way on the lower vent and also pulling the door out a few inches is a great way to get your fire up to temp quickly, along with opening the top vent most of the way. But you need to start shutting it down when you get to within approximately 50 deg of your target temp. This works well for me even for low temp cooks, though I light only a very small area of the lump. If you wait for your fire to get to 230 with the lower vent opened the width of a dime and the upper vent open only an inch or two, you will be waiting for a looonnnggg time though these are the openings that will maintain the 230 cook once you get there. I shut down in two or three stages, top and bottom vents, for it to stabilize and then fine tune with the top damper for a 5 or 10 deg. adjustment if I need it. I watch it closely to be sure it never goes higher than my target temp. After an hour or so when KK gets heatsoaked, you will have to adjust the temp again to cut down on the air flow further. After that you should be set. And if you don't have time to fool around with it, a Stoker or Guru does a fine job.

Susan

You have described the issue I faced just this past Saturday. This was my first low and slow of the season (a brisket), and I let the temp come up very slowly barely cracking the bottom and top vents. I allowed 1 hour, and it took longer before I was up to temperature and ready to put the brisket on the grill. I started the fire too late, and it went out at first. Therefore, the meat wasn't done when I had hoped, and everybody was very very hungry by the time it was ready. It caused an argument after dinner. Not fun.

I am very interested, therefore, to read your technique here Susan. Load the basket, start the fire with vents open as per use with a high temp fire, then progressively shut it down starting at 50 degrees below the target. I have been worried that I would overshoot and not be able to bring the temp down to ~225 or so. I'm going to try this next time. Thanks!

Keytickler

[Loquitur]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

Let us know how you make out. Just be sure not to light too many coals since its a low temp cook. I like to do about a tennis ball size of coals in the center. And I throw a wood chunk in there too because the smoke reassures me that the fire hasn't gone out before the temp dial starts to move. It will still take a little time to get it up to your temp since you have a small fire - maybe a half hour - but its way faster than bringing the grill up to temp with the vents in the more closed positions. The first step in shutting down for me is to close the lower door but leave the wheel open and close the top half way. Then I just watch the gauge and adjust from there since I know ultimately where the vents need to be. You will feel your way and the more you do it the more predictable it is.

[mguerra]

Re: Best Smoking Methods With KK?

On a related note, about having dinner ready on time. Once you get your low and slow cooking down pat, there will still always be an unpredictable cook time for every given cook. You can never know when it will be done. The general principle, then, is to be sure your cook is done well BEFORE party time! As you gain experience you will be able to approximate your cook times. But if you get them done ahead, you can then foil your meats, wrap in towels, and hold them in an ice chest. They will stay hot for many hours this way. If you use the high temp brisket method, you can be assured that if you start your cook six hours ahead, it WILL be ready at party time. Pork butts are a little different, but most of the time if you start your cook two hours per pound plus one hour; ahead of party time, you will be OK. For example an eight pound butt you would start at 16 plus 1 equals 17 hours ahead. But pork butts can fool you so starting even more ahead than that is OK. Remember they will hold for a LONG time foiled , toweled and coolered. Most rib cooks can easily be started 5 hours ahead and definitely be ready. It is common for barbecue parties to go sour because the meat isn't ready, I have been to some where we didn't eat for four or more hours after the expected time. You don't want to host any of those! Start well ahead, and hold as described.