Rick W. Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Hello all - I am a new member here, expecting my Ultimate 23" KK next week. I am totally new to Kamado cooking and after seeing all the incredible posts here, very excited about "getting back to primal"! I am looking into accessories (just ordered a Looftlighter) and wondering if anyone here has experience with or opinion of the CyberQ wifi temperature control unit from BBQGuru. Is this overkill or a worthwhile investment (or both ? I expect I will first learn how to control manually, but just thinking ahead. Also, any advice on first burn in? Or just light her up and go. Thanks and looking forward to many years of great cooks! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W. Posted February 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Update: Just found the topic on initial burn in - Highlighted just how much I have to learn! Very helpful guidance on managing venting, tiles, etc. Thanks to all who shared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rak Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Welcome Rick and congratulations on the KK! I have had my 23" for about 3 weeks now and love it! Please take lots of pictures of the delivery and unboxing! Also, the first burn in had me anxious...but its really not a big deal at all! follow the instructions and you'll be fine! As always, Dennis is available to answer your questions, but as someone that just went through it, I can honestly say, don't over think it and make sure you don't waste that good heat! Steaks would be nice first meal off the KK I don't use a controller, but then again I don't do many long cooks where I'm not around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Welcome and congrats on the purchase. Lets start with the controller. Do you need one??? No absolutely not. The Komodo Kamado is the most rock solid and responsive charcoal BBQ that I have ever used. I have gone from gas bbq, to weber kettle and WSM, then to various Kamado Joes.... and now the holy grail!!! I applaud you for jumping in with both feet right off the hop, it will save you money in the long run. Ok back to the controller. Because the KK is so stable, you really can set it and forget it. When I switched to ceramics a few years ago, I really had no need for a controller. You will learn how to control the vents over time and really not need it..... With all of that said, however, I purchased a CyberQ wifi for the KK. I love that the KK has the built in port, and probe area for the wires. I also love being able to leave the house for work for 12 hours and have something to check on when I am away. If I am getting close to home and I need the temp up a bit I can remotely tell the fan to stoke the fire. So for me, I purchased the cyberQ as a means to help when I am away from the house for long periods of time. I will not use it on many cooks, but the peace of mind it will give me when I can't touch the grill for long period of times will make it worthy of the purchase. What I have always recommended on the kamadoguru.com to new members that are looking at what to buy is the following..... 1. Buy a thermapen instant read therm 2. Don't buy anything else until you know what you really need 3. Learn how to dial those vents in and really learn you grill Now to the second part of you're question. Burn in is really easy... however, it may make you panic a bit when you see things happening. Take it all in stride and be prepared. Check out the owners section here and you will see some posts. Ask questions in those posts as it helps others that will be going through the same experience as you. Honestly don't over think it and you will be fine!!! Curious how you stumbled onto a KK for your first charcoal grill purchase?? That is great by the way. It cost me several thousand dollars upgrading to my eventual dream set up!! I hope to see you around a lot on the forum, we have a great group of people. Many of us are also members on the Kamado guru. Feel free to join there, it is nice having the KK membership represented on that forum as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon B. Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Hey Rick and Welcome!!! Congratulations on ordering your KK. You have best the best kamado out there and probably saved your self a bunch of money in the long run........as many of us have bought other kamado's before buy our KK's. (me included) If you like electronic gadgets you will probably love the temperature control units. I have one and have only used it twice. I don't trust the gadgets and wake up anyway to check on them during my over night cooks. I finally said.........why bother. After a short while, you will figure out how to keep your KK at a steady temp for many hours. I recently did a 12 hour cook and never adjusted the vents after they were set. The cooker only varied 5* both ways from the desired / set temp. That being said.......there are a bunch of chef's that would not do without one. You have the right idea to learn how to operate the KK manually first. It will help later on if you do get a temp control unit (top vent settings). You are in for a bunch of fun times to come!!!! Jon PS - Nice looking dog!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Welcome Rick, can't wait to see some pictures. Rak and Bosco seems to have covered your first questions. Cook on for a little while and you'll know exactly what you need. A remote thermometer such as the maverick 733 is very useful so you don't have to open the dome to check the meats internal temperature (IT). Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Welcome and lots of good advice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 I love my cyberq. It's not necessary at all, but it's great peace of mind. I suppose the best reason is pure laziness. Let's say I'm doing an overnighter, wanting it done about 1 ish. Well, we all know about timing. Scenario one, you wake up at 7 am, check the cook, and it's running slow, so, you just up the temp of your grill without getting out of bed. Scenario two, your cook happens much faster than expected, but since you set a temperature alarm on the cyberq, it lets you know, and you don't overcook. Lastly, there's the pure tech aspect of it, which might be my favorite part. Regardless, I wouldn't do without it. <br /> <br /> <br /> Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Welcome, Rick. Can't wait to see pics of the new KK and that all important virgin cook. I own a Guru and use it only on the real long cooks (overnighters especially). My advice is to wait until you've done a few cooks on the KK and see if it still makes sense to you then. No hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Welcome! I’m so happy that there’s someone else who jumped into the deep end by getting a KK grill first. I did the same thing. Now I’m not the only crazy one around here anymore. As far as a temperature controller goes, there’s no need to get one right away. Just use your new grill and learn how to control the temperature manually. After that you can decide whether a temperature control system is something that you want to get or not. For me, I researched temperature controllers a fair bit while I waited for Smaug to arrive. It’s now been 16 months, and I haven’t felt the need to order one. I’m not saying don’t get one — I think that they are in the “nice to have†category of accessories. By the way, I don’t know if you found this post I wrote on the burn-in process, but have a look: http://komodokamadoforum.com/topic/5951-don’t-sweat-the-burn-in-process-it’s-pretty-foolproof/ You really can’t mess this process up. If any one should have a messed up tile situation because of a less-than-optimal burn-in, it should be me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Welcome, Rick. You must be getting very excited. Please do take lots of pixs, we do want to see them. I have a temp. controller but haven't used it for years but then again I seldom do an overnight cook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk1 Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I love my Guru for long cooks. Not needed, but just makes it worry free. I sleep better knowing it is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egmiii Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Congrats on the new Komodo Kamado. If it's not too late, cancel the order for the Looftlighter and buy a Wagner heat gun instead. They run about $20 and are far more reliable. I have owned a 21" since October and have done only low and slow cooks so far. Nearly one per weekend. I'd say automated temperature control would be nice for 10% of my cooks, especially pulled pork. Right now I'm wrapping stuff that takes over 8 hours to accelerate the cook. Otherwise I'd have to wake up very early. While the KK is very stable, my home gets varying degrees of wind hour by hour, so I've been too nervous to run it unattended overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 While the KK is very stable, my home gets varying degrees of wind hour by hour, so I've been too nervous to run it unattended overnight. You still have to be careful in very windy conditions, even with a Guru. It has a damper on the outlet of the fan. In very windy conditions, it's important to close that down to like 25% open. The wind flowing across the top vent on the grill will pull air through the fan assembly even when the fan isn't running, even if the top vent is almost fully closed. Once the temperature goes above your setpoint on the Guru, it can't bring it back down and your temperature will get away from you. Learned that lesson early on, as it can get fairly windy where my KK is located. But, on the flip side, using a Guru is the best way to control temperatures in windy conditions, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W. Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Wow - many thanks to all for the replies and very helpful advice! Based on the collective experience, I will hold off and spend some quality time with my new KK before further accesorizing. I will order a thermopen - good idea. I will also take pics and post after arrival. My wife and I are on a road trip this weekend to visit grandson in OK and KK will delivered Monday when we get back home. On the Looftlighter, it has already arrived. Interestingly, a friend of mine had since told me his died after only three uses. Hopefully I will have a better experience! If not, I'll give the Wagner a try. On how I found KK - same friend has a Green Egg and loves it so I started researching ceramic cookers a few years ago. Once I stumbled across Dennis' site, I promised myself I would buy one as soon as I retired (Jan 1 this year) and finished building our house. Both now accomplished so KK on the way! Thanks again to all and will catch up later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rak Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Thanks for sharing your background story Rick! Congratulations on retirement, can't think of a better way to spend it then with your family and KK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Welcome to the KK family and the Retirees Club! If you haven't ordered your Thermapen yet. There's an open box sale. $63 each! That's a steal. Don't fret that they might be reconditioned. I got both of mine that way and my first one lasted many years before it got squirrely (still works but you have to take out and re-insert the battery to get it to come on), my second one is going strong for a couple of years now. http://thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/classic_thermapen_openbox_0116.html?utm_source=Nl-2015Feb3&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Feature&utm_content=inbox&utm_campaign=Feb2015-OKJoe-Open-Box-cs#Video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Thermapen is the best!!! Most important accessory to date. My father is getting ready to retire and he inherited one hell of a setup from me. He has a jr and classic Kamado Joe that will keep him busy in retirement. Congrats on the purchase hope to see you stick around the forum. We have a great group here !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W. Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Thanks much Tony for the link! Just ordered with a case... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rak Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Thermapen is the best!!! Most important accessory to date. My father is getting ready to retire and he inherited one hell of a setup from me. He has a jr and classic Kamado Joe that will keep him busy in retirement. Congrats on the purchase hope to see you stick around the forum. We have a great group here !! Your father needs a KK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
