SmallBBQr Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Hi all, First post here on the KK forum. Topic says it all - 21" or 23"? I will be purchasing in the near future but am having difficulties deciding which size to purchase. There are only 2 of us at home now so the vast majority of time is cooking for two. I currently cook on a Broil King Keg (18" or so grate) and even that is adequate for the most part. There are times though when we are feeding a bigger group of family - but I have no problems offloading to the oven or small charcoal grill/BBQ etc. either. I've looked but don't see too many pictures of a 21" yet with food (chickens, roasts etc) so I am finding it hard to gauge if I need to move up in size. Aside from cost, any other thoughts or considerations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 I"m looking forward to the answers you receive on this question. On almost every forum the question of "should I get this size or the smaller one?" always ends with advice to get the bigger one. If you need to space one day, it's there. Cry once as they say. But in reality, I'm on the fence about these two Komodo's too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 I think in this case, it depends on whether you need the actual width, for cooking ribs, or a large brisket for example. I have a 23", and a 19", and while the 19" is very capable, there are things it simply can't do because of width. I suppose, simply, bigger is better, but the hi cap design on the 21" makes up for 2" in width as far as total capacity. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Here's the link that compares all the grills, if you hadn't found it on the main website. http://komodokamado.com/pages/compare-grill-s-features-and-specifications There's only 31 sq in of cooking surface difference between the two, not counting the optional lower grate on the 21". That's about half a sheet of paper! If you add the lower grate option, the total difference is only 54 sq in, or 3/4 of a sheet of paper. The price difference - $580 will buy a lot of meat and charcoal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 We have two, an earlier model 19.5" and a 23". It is just my wife and I, i use the 19.5" 75% of the time. I use the 23" the rest for large cooks, 2-6 butts / 2-4 briskets, etc. Bear in mind that if I were to only have the 19.5" I cold cook three 8-10 pound butts on it. Cooking alot of burgers or hotdogs, just takes a little bit longer due to square inches on the 19.5". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 This is a tuff answer after you look at the specs. If you need the extra height in the dome then 21" if you need the extra grill space then the 23", If the height or grill difference can't help you decide then go with the one that looks better to you. The two models do have a slightly different look to them. If you do end up going with the 21" don't forget to get the optional lower grid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Small, I too graduated from a BKK to a KK. You can see the BKK lurking in the background. The 21" wasn't available at that time, but I think I would still go with the 23". I love the extra real estate. I'm only cooking for three, but having a good sized footprint makes reverse searing using the basket splitter a breeze. It is also great when you are cooking meats and a bunch of veggies. I use the basket splitter for most of my cooks and the 23" gives two large zones. One for direct and one indirect. I'm sure you will be happy either way. The real question is what are you waiting for? My only disappointment upon receiving mine, was not buying it sooner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Small, I too graduated from a BKK to a KK. You can see the BKK lurking in the background. The 21" wasn't available at that time, but I think I would still go with the 23". I love the extra real estate. I'm only cooking for three, but having a good sized footprint makes reverse searing using the basket splitter a breeze. It is also great when you are cooking meats and a bunch of veggies. I use the basket splitter for most of my cooks and the 23" gives two large zones. One for direct and one indirect. I'm sure you will be happy either way. The real question is what are you waiting for? My only disappointment upon receiving mine, was not buying it sooner. Gofrogs what a nice setup you have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 I think in this case, it depends on whether you need the actual width, for cooking ribs, or a large brisket for example. I have a 23", and a 19", and while the 19" is very capable, there are things it simply can't do because of width. I suppose, simply, bigger is better, but the hi cap design on the 21" makes up for 2" in width as far as total capacity. Robert I think Robert’s comment about width is key. We have a family of four, and we have a KK 23â€. Although doing a relatively small cook on our KK grill may seem silly at times (tonight I’m grilling four hot dogs), I’ve never thought that the grill was too big. And there have been times where I cooked ribs when I was happy to have every inch of the space in the KK 23†because the rib slab was so long. One other think to keep in mind with the size is that if you are cooking indirect, your actual cooking area is going to be about an inch less on all sides, because the deflector plate doesn’t stretch all the way from edge to edge. I learned that lesson when I was cooking wings, and covered the entire grate. The wings on the outside definitely cooked faster by a significant amount than the ones in the middle. It’s true that the hi cap design on the 21†gives you more cooking capacity, but I think that only helps with low and slow cooks. If you need to cook a lot of burgers at once, that upper rack won’t be of much help because it’s so far away from the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 The Komodo Kamada will be around for awhile. Like a few generations. My 23 sure is nice for family gatherings. I do one cook every week on my unit. anything that will cook between 210 and 240. The space is there and it takes no more fuel or time so I do a week at a time for the Boss. I bought a 23. If I did it over I would still buy the 23 as my 1'st unit. Best bang for the bucks. It will do anything the smaller ones do plus a whole lot more. These are my thoughts for me. The only question is "What do you think!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'm thinking that if the upper grill is far from the lump that will give me a chance to grill wings or burgers directly over the lump but far enough away so that I don't burn the outside before the inside is cooked. Please keep in mind that my 21 is not on my deck yet so I may be telling a different story once I have it. But for now that's my story and I'm sticking to it I like to do my burgers low and slow and sear at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 My guess is that the 21" and the 23" are similar in grate from fire distance, and yes you can cook wings and such as you described. The extra height in the 21" is from the hi cap design. I think. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Gofrogs what a nice setup you have. Thanks Tiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aiden Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Having just purchased a 21" over the 23", I can tell you I rationalized it by comparing to my BGE Large. The 21" has more surface, more capacity because of the extra levels, and is only marginally smaller than the 23". But I also knew that I will eventually be buying the 32" (or larger) to handle my massive cooks. I'm cooking a 12 lb brisket today, and when that's all done I'll post some pics of that cook plus my 1/2 lb burger cook from last night (9 patties). That should help a bit with scale. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 In my opinion bigger is not always better although I know I'm in the minority on this opinion. If the majority of your cooks are for a limited number of people the smaller kamado can just be easier and faster. With a smaller kamado you might have to alter the menu a bit for larger gatherings but that's easy enough to accomplish, just takes a little more planning. Mostly I cook for 3 people on a kamado almost daily. I went the other extreme and got the 16.5". It quick, easy and uses a lot less lump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I might add the thought that the 23 was all there was at the time I bought. Now I think 16 for my second time around. Someone on vacation (wonder who) sure makes portable sound and look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I might add the thought that the 23 was all there was at the time I bought. Now I think 16 for my second time around. Someone on vacation (wonder who) sure makes portable sound and look good.Although the 16.5" is small it is not lite by any stretch of the imagination. It has nice carry handles but requires 2 reasonably sized adults to carry it and lift it into the back of a suv or pickup truck. It has a built-in firebox (not two part design) so there really is no worry with transportation. Temperature control is dead stable and if you're cooking for a moderately sized group of people you can easily fit a 7 or 8 lb butt on it. You can also squeeze an 8" x 11" foil cake pan on the bottom grate for a drip pan. I've taken a kamado on a few different vacations and it always impresses whoever I'm visiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 Ok, first the disclaimer ... I have a 32" and a 19" KK. I don't have a 23" or a 21". As has been said in other situations, size matters. It's better to have the size and not use it than to need it and can't get it! Buy the 23" Ultimate. First off, even though you're cooking mostly for two, what about those times when you have company or the kids drop by? You'll find that once folks find out you have a KK, people will suddenly appear! A 21" won't give you the flexibility that the 23" will provide. Secondly, you've already made the decision to buy a KK. Money at this point simply isn't an issue. The 23" costs just marginally more than than the 21". What's a few more bucks at this point? Get the size and never worry about it again. Just my take on your question. Let us know what you decide upon. Either way, rest assured you're getting the best made Kamado made. Cooking on either a 21" or the 23" will be an absolute joy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 My only other advice - if you go with the bigger size grill, get a second charcoal basket and the basket splitter. Now you have the best of both worlds! The full size when you have company, and the half size when it's just you and the spouse for dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 My only other advice - if you go with the bigger size grill, get a second charcoal basket and the basket splitter. Now you have the best of both worlds! The full size when you have company, and the half size when it's just you and the spouse for dinner. Amen Tony. Upon advice from you and others on the forum, I have both and keep the one not in use on a clay pot base. Easy way to go big or small as well as indirect and reverse sear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
