Poochie Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 I'm on the fence about getting a 21" or 23" and it's driving me nutz. Short trip, I know. I look through the gallery and can't find a single 21" pictured. I've obviously missed anyone talking about a cook they did on a 21". I know it's fairly new, but surely someone on here has one and can give me the scoop on it. I'm guessing it'll hold a full rack or two of St. Louis cut ribs without the ends being scorched. Dennis has both in stock with colors I like and it's hard to choose. The difference in price isn't much considering the total cost. Anyway, I'd still like to hear from someone that owns the 21". Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Poochie - Check out MacMenzie's post of her new KK. She has a 21" and it's a sweet looking unit. My advice is to go big or go home. I'd definitely buy the 23" Ultimate. In my mind, it's better to have the size and never need it than to need it and can't get it. As you say, price isn't an issue at this point. Understand my point of view ... I own a 32" Big Bad, so of course I'd say go BIG! That said, you won't go wrong either way. It's a KK and that says it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Poochie, I've only had the 21 inch for 4 days. Did you talk to Dennis? That is what I did and he suggested the 21 inch so that's what I went with and I am very happy. It depends upon how many you will cook for, it is my understanding that the 23 inch in only 2 inches bigger one way. What I really wanted was the high top. If you haven't talked to Dennis I would suggest you do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 It just so happens I'm cooking a 15lb brisket on my 23" as we speak. I say this because I'm not sure it would fit on a 21", width wise. Big briskest, multiple racks of ribs, and so on, the 23" just gives that extra width. There isn't much relative price difference, I like the 23". Robert 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Buy the largest you can afford. In time you may decide to do a weeks cooking per cook. The 23 can handle this with ease. What you are looking at is volume capability. It is not about the money. We crossed that bridge when we decided to buy the best ceramic cooker. This question is about what is best to have when needed. I drive around the speed limit but if needed I have the power get out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted July 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Is the main grill actually 23" or an inch or so smaller? And yes MacKenzie, I have been talking to Dennis. I just got an email from him saying he'd knock 50% off any grill I chose. Nice fella. No wait, that was a scammer wanting my PayPal information. Thanks for the information so far. I need to make a decision soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Problem solved buy both a 23" and a 21". I just purchased a 23" almost two months ago and I wanted to add a second KK to my collection. First I was going to go with the 19" with legs then I said I would go with the 21" but I finally ordered another 23". I figured for a little more money I should just go with the 23" to have that little extra space. The 21" willnuse the same amount of charcoal if not more since the 21" has more mass then the 23". What ever you decide remember a KK of any size is better then no KK at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 What ever you decide remember a KK of any size is better then no KK at all. Well said, tinyfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 I just measured, the main grate is 23", exactly. Tiny, I'm not sure I understand your statement that the 21" has more mass than the 23". They're very close, but the 23" weighs 15lbs more than the 21". Like I said though, very close. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Actually the total mass of the 21 inch is more than the 23 inch. It is due to the high top. The 21 weight of top and bottom, no grates =500 lbs The 23 weight of top and bottom, no grates=432 lbs. If you have all the grates in then they are closer together. To me it comes down to do you want the extra grate space or do you want the extra height. The 23 also has 3 grates and the 21 only has 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted July 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks for measuring, 5698k. I'm only about 2 hours from you. Hope you're enjoying the "warm" weather while cooking that brisket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 I own a Small Grill Dome that I bought back when I had the POSK #7 (about the size of the 23") for doing everyday cooks for the just the two of us. But, once I got the 23" KK and the basket splitter, I've stopped using the Grill Dome at all. Really, I haven't fired it up in a couple of years now. Just some food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Tony - I hear that fallow BBQ gear makes for nice planters and storage! So what's the Grill Dome ... planter or storage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 I have the KK 23â€. The KK 21†wasn’t available when I bought mine last year. But I think I would still pick the KK 23†if I had to do it all over again. Cooking for just my family of four can be done with either grill fairly easily. Cooking small amounts of food looks silly, but the KK is so efficient that I don't mind lighting a full basket of charcoal for a quick cook. If I was super anal about that, I would use my basket splitter. We will cook for friends several times when the weather is good. But the times we’ve had parties, it was a lot of cooking over direct heat (burgers, hot dogs, etc.), and I used up all of the area of my main grill grate pretty easily. If our parties were more along the lines of “make 6 butts for pulled pork all at once for a crowdâ€, I might consider the KK 21â€. Of course, you know your cooking and entertaining habits better than anyone. Even with the high-cap lid, the KK 23†gives you more cooking room, and there have been enough times that I was really happy that Smaug was as big as he is that I can’t imagine wanting to go smaller. You could make the argument that the KK 21†gives you a better price-per-square-inch value, but the KK 21†is still going to be smaller. The price difference between the two is $560-580, depending on the type of tile, and for a lifetime purchase, that price difference is inconsequential. As I like to sometimes point out, if $580 is going to make or break a grill buying decision, then you can’t afford the meat that’s going to be cooked on your grill. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Actually the total mass of the 21 inch is more than the 23 inch. It is due to the high top. The 21 weight of top and bottom, no grates =500 lbs The 23 weight of top and bottom, no grates=432 lbs. If you have all the grates in then they are closer together. To me it comes down to do you want the extra grate space or do you want the extra height. The 23 also has 3 grates and the 21 only has 2. MK, I'm curious. What kind of cooks does the higher dome allow for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Tony - I hear that fallow BBQ gear makes for nice planters and storage! So what's the Grill Dome ... planter or storage? Neither. It's just a dust collector at this point! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 MK, I'm curious. What kind of cooks does the higher dome allow for? Some times I like to cook things directly over the fire with no heat shield in between and I don't want them to burn so it is nice to have the distance. That's my main reason. I'm thinking I would like to cook my pizza high in the dome but needless to say I have not tried this one. I'm only in my first week with the KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 The hi cap design also allows the use of the reversible grate, with say two butts on it. It has the room to allow stuff up in it. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Frogs - I have the same Hi-Cap dome on both Beauty! & TheBeast. It is a great feature. Ill put the second rack on the main grate whenever I want to get pizza high in the dome. I've also used the second rack for adding a second layer for big cooks. I've cooked numerous (5) butts using the second rack. I've also smoked a lot of chickens ( 8 ) at once using that second rack and the high dome. Doing a couple of 16 lb. briskets is absolutely no problem with the high dome. The high dome really does allow, at least for me, a very high degree of flexibility in not only the quantity of what can be cooked, but the types of cooks that you can do. I've found that on big cooks for parties, the Hi-Cap dome is indispensable. For doing pizzas, nothing beats that high dome. I get the KK up to 600° and heat soaked with the baking stone on the top level. Pizzas come out perfectly done every single time. Given that the pizzas are high in the dome and the KK is heat soaked, all the ingredients are perfectly cooked and the cheese has an ever so slight brown crust to it that I do so love. Further, because the pizzas sit so high in the dome, and the KK is nicely heat soaked, multiple pizzas can be cooked in succession in rapid order. I love the Hi-Cap dome. It really does facilitate large cooks like no other kamado. The heat soaked high dome makes cooking multiple pizzas in succession a breeze. To me, the Hi-Cap dome is one of the great unsung features of the new line of KKs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks for the high dome feedback. I do pizzas and chickens all the time using the upper grate in the dome. I haven't had the need to do multiple butts on it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
