First cook

[John A]

First cook turned out pretty good. 8 lb Pork butt took about 8 1/2hrs. Over shot my temp a little but not too bad. I was going for 250 and that's where I started but ended up at 280 by the end. One thing I can say is there's not much to mess with. I did take a long time the warm up ( like 2 hrs ). Not sure what that was all about but I'll get the hang of it. 

[tony b]

Nicely done. Great pictures. Don't sweat the minor 30F temperature difference, it doesn't matter in the end, as you now know. 

What woods did you use in the smoking pot?

[Aussie Ora]

Turned out great John nice first cook

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill

[John A]

I used apple and a little hickory. Just what I had left over. I noticed it didn't stall. Not sure if that's the cooker or the meat but temp went up quick at the end. Here's a pic of my BK next to it. No comparison. 

Edited September 18, 2016 by John A

[tony b]

Sad, indeed. Poor little Bubba. 

Edited September 18, 2016 by tony b

[bosco]

looks great.  As for the temp, the left dial looks good.  I too like having the right open but use the smallest hole.  Having it open as much as you did is what resulted in you having the higher temp.  The hardest thing about learning to cook on a KK is learning just how little air is required to get it going. 

[MacKenzie]

Sounds and looks like you had a great cook.

[DennisLinkletter]

I've never seen a Bubba Keg but my hypothesis is that it will outperform all the simple glazed-pot kamados because it's actually insulated. It's all about the reduced airflow.

[Stile88]

Excellent cook john looks fantastic 

[John A]

I'm doing my burn in and I have a few areas where the tiles are coming up and I poked a hole to vent but the tiles won't stay down. Been at 500 deg for 3 hrs. Should I go to the next 50 deg? Will the tiles stay down as I come down in temp after I've finished the burn in or should I stop and let it cool down?

[John A]

13 hours ago, DennisLinkletter said:

 

Yes Dennis, it is very efficient but it doesn't have much of a heat soak to it so it is easily influenced. Too insulated really. If you get above temp it's over. It will get to 800 deg but 250 is about as low as you can stay and you have to stay with it all day or it will get away from you. 

[DennisLinkletter]

12 minutes ago, John A said:

I'm doing my burn in and I have a few areas where the tiles are coming up and I poked a hole to vent but the tiles won't stay down. Been at 500 deg for 3 hrs. Should I go to the next 50 deg? Will the tiles stay down as I come down in temp after I've finished the burn in or should I stop and let it cool down?

 

If tiles won't stay down there is only one thing that pushes them back up.. Vapor pressure.  
You still need to vent more. When the pressure is gone the tiles don't push back and will  stay down.

[John A]

So do I need poke more holes? I've been trying but I doesn't seem to help. 

[tony b]

Patience, Grasshopper - you are doing fine. Keep poking the holes in the grout to vent the gasses. Once the smell has dissipated, then let the KK start to cool down and then push the tiles down. They will set and firm up. 

[tinyfish]

The cook turned out great.

[Jon B.]

Very nice first cook........................know it was for the pictures but no more peeking and letting the moisture out  

[John A]

Have to use what I've got until I get another one. 

[ckreef]

The 280* temp is the reason for no stall. That is the big advantage for cooking at an elevated temperature - meat tends to power through the stall. 

[Aussie Ora]

Don't stress about the burn in mate. I used to eat a chewy gum named hubba Bubba lol

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill