EGGARY Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 In the book Smoke and Spice they talk about cooking/BBQing from a range of 180 - 220. Then again they are also talking about using wood in a Fire Pit. I would like to try cooking at 220 on the KK. Is it possible w/o the use of a BBR Guru/Stoker ? I am used to smoking at 250-275. Is there a difference in how the meat cooks from 220 to 250, other than time it takes to cook ? All the recipes call for 200 - 220. Smoke and Spice is a very good book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 The only difference at 220 is temperature. It just takes more time. You don't need a stoker or guru. Just get it thoroughly stable and walk away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMedik Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I have done smoked salmon fillets at about 180 for 3 to 4 hours. No problem. Take your time and heat soak for an hour or two before adding meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Is 180 -220 too low to get any smoke on the KK ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Is 180 -220 too low to get any smoke on the KK ? No, I've cold smoked salmon, almonds, and cheese at 140-150F with no problems generating smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Hmmm...maybe we need to do a comprehensive blind tasting event where a panel tastes samples of smoked meats from 250-ish and the same from 175-200 (degrees F) . Applying the same theoretical advantages for grilling in a KK...less air movement = better meat moisture/juiciness...I would guess a smoking session at 200, albeit longer, would yield relatively higher internal meat moisture content than smoking at 250*+? Just a guess. Having said that I've smoked some amazing meats at both temps so maybe its all moot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 What would be the settings, Top and Bottom, to get it to 200 ? I know I can get it to 225 easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted March 7, 2014 Report Share Posted March 7, 2014 Condensation is how the vapors from the organic material in the charcoal gets transferred to your food.. Because of this I always put my large cuts in cold and give a quick 10 minute surface chill even chickens and steaks that I want to give some extra flavor to. I think the lower temps lengthen the time before your meat is too warm/hot to have much more transfer.. I'm talking about the translucent vapor not the big molecule thick grey smoke which is basically fuel and sticky. This undesirable smoke is bitter and acrid. Very soon we will have a new KK website with lots of videos and video blogs.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 My experience is that low and slow temps are not too critical. 200 to 300 will work for any low and slow. I usually try to keep it around 250 plus or minus. When I first started I obsessed that my fire had to be 225, period. But low and slow cooking on your KK does not demand that type of precision. The longer you cook, the more moisture you lose. I do all my briskets with the hot fast method, or a hybrid of low and slow up until a meat temp of 165, and then hot after foiling. It comes out juicier than a prolonged low and slow all the way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryR Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I agree w/@mguerra; In the beginning I would cook at 225 religiously, would stress out if I went above 225. Then I started experiencing with around 250ish with equal or better results so I’ve moved up to that temp. What’s interesting is I had an appliance guy here replacing a sensor in our ovens and I was watching him temp them, major temp swings, in-fact I thought they were broken or needed to be calibrated. He told me most home ovens, even the higher end units have huge temperature swings. Point is, there’s less temp swing in my KK than my kitchen ovens LOL so don’t worry about a couple degrees one way or the other. It’s taken me a long time to get here btw . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 I have a BB 32" and find that controlling temps as low as 200°F is not a problem. The reason I say I have the 32 is because as many of you know, it has a unique airflow control manifold. The left hand side is you standar basic dial quite similar to that found on the 23. The difference lies on the right hand side of the manifold. There Dennis has designed a rotating disc with 5 different holes drilled in it. These holes range in size from about 1/8" to about 3/4". The smaller holes make low temperature control, i.e. 200° - 225°F about as simple a process as I've ever seen. I've cooked on kamados for over 20 years and on my previous kamados (BGE & Primo) control at that low a temp range was problematic. Not so with the KK BB 32. That revolutionary airflow control manifold that Dennis has invented is better than anything I've ever seen on a kamado. It's shear genius! I sure hope he's got his intellectual property attorneys patenting that invention! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 I agree that the new manifold is pure genius. Been trying to convince Dennis into making a version for the OTB-23, so the rest of us can take advantage. I'd be happy with the single dial with the holes in it to swap out for my regular draft door. (Hint, hint, Dennis). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmagaram Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 I have trouble with low temperatures on the 23". First, I have to be extremely precise in how far I twist the dial since a difference between just a few degrees on the dial can result in a big swing in temperature. There are no markings to guide me. Also, I need to squat down and in the dark try to see where the dial is. Lastly, when I want to shut down the grill I need to be very careful to make sure the dial is completely closed. If there is a better dial on the larger grill with markings then I'd happily upgrade. I'd love to be able to see precisely that when 1 hole is visible the temperature is 180, 2 holes open is 220, etc. I can't see a picture of what the dial is like on the bigger grill. I'm really curious about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Here's the one on the Big Bad 32 posted by CeramicChef. Been prodding Dennis to retro this concept to the 23 for the rest of us. It has varying sized holes, so you just dial it to the size hole for the temperature you want - easy, peasy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyR Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 I know i would be in for a version of the double grate that would work on the 23 as well. As lots of time i want to get down in to the low temps and i struggle to get 165 - 190 and not over shoot or let it go out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 It's important to remember as you open the damper top the escaping hot air creates a vacuum which sucks air through the lower draft door and through the charcoal. The more open the damper top is and more freely the air escapes more vacuum. It’s a combination of how much vacuum and the lower settings that creates the airflow. Always remember the temperature is airflow. You will quickly learn what volumes of air create what temperatures. These settings will be the same for every cook. I'm happy to make up some double dials for 23" grills.. but the size of the hole does not give you a set temp.. it's the combination of the two dampers. Just like a garden hose can have many different volumes travel thru the same diameter hose.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I'm happy to make up some double dials for 23" grills.. but the size of the hole does not give you a set temp.. it's the combination of the two dampers. Just like a garden hose can have many different volumes travel thru the same diameter hose.. I would definitely be interested in one if you make them. I understand the concepts - it's a matter of which damper is the choke point. I would think that it would be preferable for the lower vent/damper door to be the choke point to limit the combustion air. Hence, the reason that I like the dial with the small holes in it. The much larger open surface area of the top vent make temperature control a bit touchier, since just a slight twist on the screw has a big impact on the flow area out, especially trying to control temperatures at the very low end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
