KK Ash Experiment - 19" TT

[ckreef]

I cooked for a few years on a Akorn kamado (insulated steel with lump grate and removable high capacity ash pan/bottom). During that time I would stir the old lump and add new lump before most cooks. Every 6-8 cooks I would empty the ash pan. That process seemed normal to me but ...... Over those years I read lots of threads from people who owned various kinds of ceramic Kamados. They always talked about cleaning out their ash and fireboxs every couple of cooks. Some do this before every cook. I understand if you're planning a large weekend of cooking but seemed a little excessive for quick simple week night cooks.

I have recently purchased Cassiopeia (Komodo Kamado 19" high capacity table top model) and have not yet emptied my ash from it so I decided to make an experiment out of the situation.

Experiment - How many cooks can I do before being forced into cleaning out the ash because of performance issues?

Equipment - Cassiopeia - Komodo Kamado 19" high capacity table top model.

When I Started - purchased and did the first cook on October 30th - 20 days ago. I have since cooked on it 15 times. I have done all different types of cooks including a long, high temp burn in and have used approximately 18 lbs of lump. A little RO with the remainder being CoffeeChar.

Procedures - before each cook I stir (with gloved hands) whatever lump remains and add new lump to fill the lump basket. Approximately every 8 cooks I remove the lump basket and using gloved hand sweep all the ash to the back and sides of the lower ash catching area. I have not removed any ash from lower ash catching area.

Here are some pictures after 15 cooks.

Lump leftover from cook #15.

I stirred it and removed the lump basket. This is looking down into the lower ash catching area.

Same view after sweeping the ash to the back and sides.

I then reinstalled the lump basket and topped it off with fresh lump. Ready for tonight's cook.

Thoughts At The Moment - I believe I will easily get a total of 25 or more cooks before I am forced into cleaning out the ash.

Will update again in another 5 or 10 cooks.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

[CeramicChef]

Ah, Charles!  You've discovered that the bowels of KKs are cavernous and all you have to do is sweep the accumulated ash to the back of the cooker and carry on.  Kudos!  Nice pics!  

 

Now you know why I use a which broom and pan to clean out my ashes,  All you do is sweep them to the back of the KK and they are really easy to scoop up and toss.  If you're really anal such as I, you'll do a couple of passes around the bottom of the KK and get 99% of the ashes swept out in just a couple of minutes.  Really easy!

[tinyfish]

I'm with Ken on cleaning out ashes. I use a small dust pan and broom. I cut the dust pan to the shape of the back of Dexter and Sinister.

[MacKenzie]

I also clean from the top down, use a gloved hand sweep ashes to the back corner and scoop up with an old baked bean can.

[kjs]

Anxious to see your update after another 10-15 cooks. I have a 32" and I find I do not clean the ashes very often at all.

[Rak]

I'm following this with interest!  The lack of ash so far is really impressive.  I'm not sure what the upper and lower ash catchment is all about, but I'll find out once I help Bosco set up his new grills!

[Poochie]

I clean mine out after every cook. If it's just burgers or hot dogs, I wait 2 cooks. But never more than that. I've always heard that moisture and ash make a type of lye or some other caustic concoction that just gives me the creeps. I use the same type wisk broom that Ken uses and it works like a champ.

[Firemonkey]

I go through at least 100# of lump before I need to clean out ash (26"). 

 

You guys are doing ash removal the hard way with whisk brooms.   I stick the shop vac hose in there and suck everything out - grill is completely ash free in under a minute and no loose ash to get stuck all over my legs.  Just make sure you get one of the filter bags that goes over the foam filter of the shop vac.  Best $7 ever.

 

The dacron bag keeps the fine ash from being able to blow through the vacuum.  Put a trash bag over the full vac, dump it out, and rinse the reusable filter for next time (probably not necessary but I rinse the vac out too, so why not.)  some people use the disposable bags for in the shop vac instead, but I am cheap

[ckreef]

This is after 21 cooks. Went through almost 40 lbs of CoffeeChar. A couple cooks using RO and have now switched to B&B Oak.

After removing the lump basket.

Swept it to the back and sides.

It's really hard to see (in the pictures) exactly how much ash this is with the slope to the back. I should be able to get 30+ cooks before I'll need to clean it out.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

[Jon B.]

I go through at least 100# of lump before I need to clean out ash (26"). 

 

You guys are doing ash removal the hard way with whisk brooms.   I stick the shop vac hose in there and suck everything out - grill is completely ash free in under a minute and no loose ash to get stuck all over my legs.  Just make sure you get one of the filter bags that goes over the foam filter of the shop vac.  ">http://http://s1013.photobucket.com/user/BeesWacker/media/20151201_152751.jpeg.html'>

[MacKenzie]

Jon, my exact feelings. Guess I'm cheaper than you with my bean can.

[tony b]

I must be an outlier here, as I couldn't get anywhere near 30 cooks before having to clean out my ashes. Charcoal of choice is Weekend Warrior, with occasional Coco Char. In a pinch, I'll run out and get a bag or two of RO. Have tried many different brands, keep coming back to the WW, which I can get from a local BBQ grill shop. 

[ckreef]

I must be an outlier here, as I couldn't get anywhere near 30 cooks before having to clean out my ashes. Charcoal of choice is Weekend Warrior, with occasional Coco Char. In a pinch, I'll run out and get a bag or two of RO. Have tried many different brands, keep coming back to the WW, which I can get from a local BBQ grill shop.

Every so often I have been sweeping the ashes to the back and sides. This experiment was really done for the Guru. To show the users of the big 3 that you shouldn't have to clean everything out every few cooks.

At this point I'm sort of taking it to the extreme. I would never let it go this long normally but I do want to see just how far I can take it. I'll get at least 30 cooks before I throw in the towel.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

[tony b]

Well, guess what? Went to my local BBQ store today to buy some Weekend Warrior. Not only are they out, but won't be getting any more for who knows how long. So, off to Amazon to buy a couple of bags of FOGO. I've tried it before, based upon Ken's glowing recommendations. 

[ckreef]

Bummer they were out of stock.

I have yet to buy lump online. One day I'll have to give it a try.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

Edited December 3, 2015 by ckreef

[tony b]

If you have Amazon Prime, the shipping never enters into the price point decision. I've also bought Hasty Bake, but they were out of stock; hence, the Fogo. 

[Firemonkey]

Firemonkey,  I was with ya until you got to the part about dumping the full vac of ashes, rinsing the filter and vac.................Being lazy and even cheaper than you.....................I think I'll stick to cleaning after every cook with my $ 1.00 whisk broom & dustpan!!!!      

 

Here was my problem with brushing the ash out of the front;  Before I started using the shop vac, I would take the lid from the trash can that I was using to store my lump, flip it over like a big dish, and slide it under the grill.  Then I would remove the front door, and brush all the ash out into the lid.  What always happened is that I would 1) end up with ash up to my elbow, and usually a black smudge or two on my arms from reaching way down in the belly of the beast, and  2) that ash would puff and make a cloud as it fell out into the pile, and that cloud would stick all over my legs and feet.

 

So i switched to the vac, and now I just stick the hose down in there.  Since I only have to do it a few times a year, rinsing the vac isn't too big a deal.  The vac I use is just a little 2.5Gal - I've considered getting a new one and dedicating the existing one to the grill - so no more rinsing.  But again...I am cheap.

[5698k]

The way my vac works is the drywall filter is a bag that hooks to the inlet inside the canister, and all of the ash is collected in the bag. When it's full, simply remove the bag and replace with a new one. I have a 12 gallon vac, a bag is good for ash from about 50-60lbs of coal.

Robert

[wilburpan]

I'm following this with interest!  The lack of ash so far is really impressive.  I'm not sure what the upper and lower ash catchment is all about, but I'll find out once I help Bosco set up his new grills!

 

I’ve found that ash and other debris tends to collect in two areas in a KK grill. The obvious area is falling through the charcoal basket to the bottom of the grill. The other is around the little ledge around the perimeter of the charcoal basket. You can see this in the very first picture that Charles posted in this thread.

 

The other important thing is that this shows a clear advantage to the KK grill design as opposed to other ceramic grills. Because of the way the shield is designed, as long as ash isn’t piled up around the front area of the bottom of the grill, air will continue to flow through unobstructed. And because of the height of the shield, it’s going to take a lot of ash to make that sort of impact.

 

In a KJ/BGE type of kamado, air enters through the bottom vent, through a rectangular passage, and then up through the fire basket. The height of that rectangular passage isn’t very tall compared to the gap that the KK heat shield makes, and so would be more prone to clogging during a long cook, or if you’re not keeping up with clearing ash out the bottom of a KJ/BGE grill.

 

For me, I use an old 2†paint brush for sweeping the ash down and out the grill. Because the bristles of the brush are densely packed, not much ash escapes the brush, and I think it’s gentler on the inside surfaces of the grill. Not that a KK grill needs babying in that way, but it makes me feel better.

[Jon B.]

Here was my problem with brushing the ash out of the front;  Before I started using the shop vac, I would take the lid from the trash can that I was using to store my lump, flip it over like a big dish, and slide it under the grill.  Then I would remove the front door, and brush all the ash out into the lid.  What always happened is that I would 1) end up with ash up to my elbow, and usually a black smudge or two on my arms from reaching way down in the belly of the beast, and  2) that ash would puff and make a cloud as it fell out into the pile, and that cloud would stick all over my legs and feet.

 

So i switched to the vac, and now I just stick the hose down in there.  Since I only have to do it a few times a year, rinsing the vac isn't too big a deal.  The vac I use is just a little 2.5Gal - I've considered getting a new one and dedicating the existing one to the grill - so no more rinsing.  But again...I am cheap.

 

Started thinking after reading your response......................I have the Table Top model which makes it a heck of a lot easier to reach down into.  I'm sure there is a big difference with the bigger models.