Steve M Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Good info in here. One thing I don't have a firm grasp on (after only 2 cooks) is the relationship between the temps and the two vents. I read in order to go above 400 or so, it would require the lower vent to be open at least 1/2 to 2/3 and the top vent to be open 2-3 turns. During my cook on Sunday, I was hitting 500+ and maintained it for 6-7 hours with the top vent only open about a quarter of a turn or less. The bottom was open about half. I read the owners manual and it seemed to indicate I should need to open the top vent more than I did. Does it have to do with the charcoal I was using? It was the coffee char. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Steve, I find to speed up the start process that it is necessary to open the vents a fair bit to get the fire going and the whole grill up to the temp you desire but once the heat sink is done it takes very little vent openings to maintain that temp. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 +1^ Bery well stated, @MacKenzie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 I want to add a couple of things, first people who know their final settings and don't need to rush the KK heat up can just do their settings and go do prep or whatever. However if one uses setting for a faster start up and have the vents open for that then one should not walk away for very long at all. If that happens you could have a run-a-way fire or at the very least over shoot your target temperature. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 If we're talking md high heat (350* - 550*) there are two basic ways to run your vents. . If you want a large bed of coals for direct grilling (hamburgers etc...) - open the top vent more. (2-3 turns) This allows a bunch of heat to escape so you have to set the bottom vent more open to maintain a given temp. This makes a larger bed of coals good for direct grilling. . If you you are doing indirect cooking (baking, casseroles etc...) then a large bed of coals is not needed only temperature. In this case set your top vent in the .5-1.5 turns. That traps more heat in the KK and you can run with a smaller bottom vent setting. . A good real world example is rotisserie chicken. I like doing it at 400* basically direct. . If I set my top vent at 1 turn and the bottom vent to a setting for 400* there is a fairly small bed of coals but it does get the job done. . What I've found is if I set the top vent to 2-3 turns (lots of heat escaping). It makes me have a more open bottom vent and a larger bed of coals to maintain 400*. Doing my vents this way just makes better rotisserie chicken. Better skin color that is crisper. Internally the chicken is basically the same since both methods are at 400* . For me it's all about what I'm cooking at what temp to determine the top vent setting then run the bottom vent at whatever setting it takes to maintain my temp. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FotonDrv Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 If you really want to get OCD about the "heat soaking" you could measure the EXTERIOR of the KK with an infrared thermometer/heatgun thingy and compare that to the Dome temps. After a while you will be able to just put your hands on the outside of the KK on the dome and below the grill area to get an idea if you are "Heat Soaked" to your satisfaction. I got my infrared thermometer out for the first burn-in high temps to see what it really was doing since I could feel it on a 45f degree day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
