egmiii Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 If you plan to do long unattended cooks, the CyberQ is worth it for the piece of mind. I picked one up a few weeks ago and have used it on the last 3 cooks. While the KK is simple to control and holds steady, the CyberQ seems to get me to the thin blue smoke phase much faster. It also seems to improve the natural convection within the grill. I burn noticeably less charcoal while using a deflector, and the outside of the grill is cooler around the firebox. Going forward I plan to use it on every cook. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted June 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 OK. I may hold off on the temperature controller for now, but when I decide to get one, it will probably be the Stoker II which appears to be superior. Am I missing something? Also, I decided to order 10 additional bags of charcoal (5 coconut and 5 coffee) as well as an extra rick rack. The only accessory left is the rotisserie motor. I intend to roast a pig in a couple of months. Is it true that if I order the heavy duty motor, I won't be able to use one of the side tables that I ordered? What are KK 32 owners using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Why do you feel the stoker is superior? I haven't used one, just curious. Rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Whatever motor you get make sure it has anti backlash gears. With them the cook will flop then stall for a few seconds once or twice with every rotation. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 4 hours ago, Izzy said: OK. I may hold off on the temperature controller for now, but when I decide to get one, it will probably be the Stoker II which appears to be superior. Am I missing something? Also, I decided to order 10 additional bags of charcoal (5 coconut and 5 coffee) as well as an extra rick rack. The only accessory left is the rotisserie motor. I intend to roast a pig in a couple of months. Is it true that if I order the heavy duty motor, I won't be able to use one of the side tables that I ordered? What are KK 32 owners using? Add me to the list of people saying that you should hold off on the temperature controller for now. All I can say is that prior to getting my KK grill, I had ZERO experience with low and slow BBQ cooking, and I was able to dial in Smaug to a temperature of 200-225ºF without much problem. That’s how easy a KK grill is to control. My KK grill is a 23”, and I have to remove the right side table when using the rotisserie motor. It just pops off, and mounting the motor is not too much of a problem. I have more issues with snaking an extension cord out to the grill due to the locations of electrical outlets in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 @Izzy - @wilburpan hit the ground running with Smaug, his KK. I'm talking he seriously wowed everyone who saw the posts of his early cooks. No controller at all. The hardest thing for every new kamado chef to do is learn how to control temps via the vents. Wilbur nailed it. You can too. All it takes is a weekend day, a bag of cheap lump, and cooler of your favorite adult beverage. I you would like, I'll post an easy exercise that will help you figure this vent setting thing out in short order. If we can do it, so too will you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted June 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 OK. I will hold off for now. In my previous post, I said the stoker appears to be superior, but is it really superior? I will let others who have used both decide, but for me, I like the fact I could control multiple cookers with the stoker II since it has 6 ports. As I said before, I have an oval which I intend to keep for now. If I decide to get another grill after the KK 32, I could possibly end up having 3 grills. Based on what I've read, I'd be able to control all three of them using the same Stoker II. In fact, someone mentioned to me that port expanders can be used to control a lot more cookers, but that would be an overkill for me. As for the rotisserie motor, I am thinking about getting the following: http://www.onegrill.com/Stainless_Electric_Grill_Rotisserie_Spit_Rod_Motor_p/4pm05.htm Will the KK 32 right side table have to be removed when using this specific motor? If so, I'll bite the bullet and get the heavy duty motor i.e. http://www.onegrill.com/Heavy_Duty_Electric_Rotisserie_Spit_Rod_Motor_p/4pm08.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted June 15, 2016 Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 (edited) Yes, when the 4pm05 or 4pm08 is mounted to the grill, the right side table will have to come off. The mount is shared space and the motors are tall enough where they take up the space needed for the table. When the motor is not mounted, the mounting bracket can stay attached to your KK, and you can use the right side table. For what it's worth, I have a HeaterMeter controller. It's basically a build-it-yourself project. You do all the soldering, then install the HeaterMeter software that is free. It's not a cheap project, but I had fun doing it. I originally got it for my KJ. Did I need it? Nope. Once I learned the grill, I had no issues holding temperature for hours. Do I feel better when I use it? Yep. That makes it worth it to me. I haven't tried it on my KK for two reasons: 1. I need to figure out how to make an adapter to fit the KK controller port. I have some ideas, just haven't had the time to try it yet. 2. I haven't done a low/slow cook on the KK yet. I'll likely try a few of those without the controller first, just to get the feel. If you don't plan on doing a lot of low/slow cooks, a controller may not be worth it... but, it's a bit of a catch-22. If you don't do a lot of low/slow, then you may not learn the skills needed to do them and might not have the confidence to run them - so a controller would be helpful. This pretty much describes me. We might do a handful of low/slow cooks a year, so the controller is a great insurance policy. Edited June 15, 2016 by cschaaf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 15, 2016 Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 @cschaaf - You have my undying admiration in building that HeaterMeter. In my world, we KNOW you can build one, I THINK I could! I could get there, but it would certainly be ugly! Kudos to you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted June 15, 2016 Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 You might want to back off of that statement a bit, @CeramicChef. I, too, THOUGHT I could build it. I did my best soldering it and thought it looked pretty good. I even thought, "I might buy a few kits, put them together, then sell to make a few bucks." Then it didnt work. When I posted pictures of my work to the HM board, they were like "Whoa, that thing is a mess!" I tried to fix it and didn't have any luck, so I bought a second kit. I was really careful with that one... but, same result; it didn't work. Eventually, one of the HM board members felt bad enough for me that he offered to fix them. So I boxed them up and shipped them to him for repair. Bottom line - if you are thinking about building one, make sure you can solder. If you haven't soldered in a while, buy a cheap project to practice on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 15, 2016 Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 @cschaaf - at this point in my life, the probability of me buying a kit, solder, and an iron is just slightly less than 0.000000! I could get there, but it's easier (and cheaper!) to buy than build, at least for me. As John Wayne used to say, "A man's gotta know his limitations!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted June 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 My EE days are behind me. Nowadays, I just write software. So, I won't be soldering anything. LOL! I'll just go for the heavy duty motor so I can roast a pig big enough to feed 60-70 people. You guys have been great with this process! That will complete my accessory list for now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 15, 2016 Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 I had one course in EE during my undergrad Chemical Engineering curriculum. I hated, hated, HATED, that course. I always felt sorry for those EE guys. Of course, they felt sorry for me. @Izzy and the rest of you EE's here, heres to ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk1 Posted June 16, 2016 Report Share Posted June 16, 2016 two comments after a big CONGRATS! I have 2 23's and will hopefully soon add a 42. Love Dennis like family, and his products are the best. First, buy as much coco char as you can store, free shipping right now essentially. Second, I cook a lot of overnight cooks. I love my Guru controller. Peace of mind. I only use it for long cooks. Actually not true, I also use it when I want to leave the KK after lighting and before it is up to temperature. The cost is nothing in comparison to what you are already spending. I also like the +/- 1 degree accuracy of temperature control it achieves. If I want to cook at 225, that is what I cook at. Period. Do you need it? No. But you don't NEED a KK either. Just a personal decision. No right answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjs Posted June 16, 2016 Report Share Posted June 16, 2016 Welcome, you are going to be all set. I own a DigiQ-II and use it for long low and slow cooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted June 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 I haven't received any email notification regarding my shipment. Will someone contact me regarding a delivery date and time or will the truck show up unannounced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 17, 2016 Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 @Izzy - you'll get all kinds of notifications. You'll get an email from Dennis with an Owners Manual attached as a PDF. You'll be notified of a shipping date. When your KK arrives in your home city, you'll get a phone call from the delivery company scheduling a delivery date and time window. Not to worry, you're in good shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted June 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 The fact that I have not received any notifications concerns me given that my event will be on 6/25, just one week away. I hope to get it by 6/22 so I can try it out in time before I do the real cooking on 6/24 to feed over 100 people on 6/25. If it does not come by 6/22, that will be very unfortunate because I will have to start cooking on my oval two days before the event. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Call Dennis a call and see what he can tell you about how things are progressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Don't panic yet. With my first KK I got a one hour notification. (not suppose to happen like that) Fortunately I work close to home. The delivery truck followed me to the house from down the street. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
