Is a Komodo Kamado Enough for All Your Grilling Needs?

[tekobo]

Not yet.  Delivery man rang to say he was 30-45 minutes away.  That was 38 minutes ago.  Time to go outside and do the waiting for KK dance methinks.

[MacKenzie]

Strike up the band.......

 

Edited December 21, 2017 by MacKenzie

[Jon B.]

Sweet!!!!!!!  The fun is about to begin 

[tekobo]

Oh yes!  What fun.  Everything happened so fast.  The first KK was already being wheeled down our alleyway by the time I got out and they were both deposited, in quick succession, in our garden.

Now I know why the delivery company were so reluctant to deliver to our narrow back road:

Then I had a bit of a panic when I realised I hadn't got them to orient the boxes the right way for the ramp to work.  That is, until we realised the ramp wouldn't work because the delivery company had put an additional pallet under the KK pallet and so the ramp wasn't up to the job.  

Disembarkation option 1:  the boys tried lifting and realised they needed to respect these KKs.  

Disembarkation option 2: not the right level

Disembarkation option 3: bingo!  That's why you buy two KKs.  So you can screw your two ramps together.

A bit of fun bashing out the box under the KK and then a quick run down the ramp, supported by a winch.

Much easier with the 21"

And here they are in situ.  Better shots when it is light tomorrow.  

Off to light a fire.  Yippee!  I think the first cook is going to be some no fuss chicken wings.  

[MacKenzie]

Awesome, soooooo glad to hear that the docking has been a success.    

You will be able to sleep easy tonight.  

Edited December 21, 2017 by MacKenzie

[MacKenzie]

Don't forget the pixs of the first cook.  Notice how white the interior is, better get that in your pix too because that won't be there for long.  

Edited December 21, 2017 by MacKenzie

[Grant]

What a day!  Congratulations!   Can’t wait to see more pics tomorrow.   I’d love to see a few detailed pictures of the new 21”.   

 

[Pequod]

Beauties for sure! Same thing happened with my 23” where they inserted a palette under the KK palette and I noticed after they’d left. 

Now show us some cooking!

[Bruce Pearson]

Let the fun begin’

 

[tony b]

Game on! Can't wait to see them in action. Why just the wings - do the whole bird!!

[tekobo]

What a great day.  I am so happy that I didn't wait to get everything just right before I started to cook.  I love the way the KKs look, I respect and adore the engineering but they are here to provide me with food and I don't want to be scared of them.

We lit coals in the 21" and after first stabilising at about 140degrees C I took it up to 160 and put the chicken on.  I had hoped to get it hotter but went with it anyway.  What did I learn?  First: step away from the damper!  Leave it alone and let the temperatures settle.  Second: put more char in the bowl.  The KK's efficiency may be legendary but it can't cook on a grapefruit sized pile of coals.

Dad and The Husband bailed out at about 9:30pm and I put their wings, drumsticks and thighs in the indoor oven.  I held out until 10:30pm by which time the wings were more like they had been in a long slow sous vide than a BBQ.   Very tasty.  I have left the rest in to cook in the ambient heat from the remaining few coals.  Will "pull"(?) them soon and shut the machine down.  The 21 feels like a good size for a greedy family of 2-3.  I look forward to trying the 23 tomorrow.  

The photos reflect a less than perfect cook but I am OK with that. Any advice on corrective actions to take gratefully received.  @Grant, I will definitely show you some detail on the 21.  I think it is worth a separate post, comparing it to the 23 and generally getting to know it.  

Come on baby, light my fire:

What was left after the rest of the chicken went into the IDK

Plated in honour of our Brazilian holiday, with fried rice, beans, farofa and chilli.

[jonj]

Wonderful!

[MacKenzie]

I would have hung it out to the very end, my motto, never give up.   You are so  correct fill up that charcoal basket right to the top. Once the cook is done shut the vents and the fire will go out and you'll have some nice lump left for the next cook. It will light easier too although you may have to top it up with lump. One of the great things about the KK is that the grate is a nice distance from the fire so you can do direct cooks without scorching the food. 160 or 170 C should do a great job on the wings. It takes some practice to learn how to control the temp. Key thing is give the KK time to settle before making vent changes, next thing you know you'll be doing it with your eyes shut. Sometimes I even drive into town to do a short errand knowing that the temp will be stable.  

BTW, I'd like to know how you got all those boxes unpacked sooo quickly.  

Edited December 22, 2017 by MacKenzie

[Pequod]

Good start! 

As for advice: always run with a full basket of lump and just top it off before each cook. Spend some time getting to know the vent settings. Once you’ve got them down they are very repeatable for a given temp...will always be the same. 

[MacKenzie]

The more I look at that plated dish the more hungry I get.  

[Grant]

Wow!   I’m loving your mentality.   Let’s admire the beauty and white interior, but more importantly, let’s see how it cooks!   Thanks for the pictures, and I can’t wait to see your comparison to the 23.  

[Bruce Pearson]

Tekobo great first cook looks tasty to me. Looking forward to more wonderful cooks.

[Stile88]

Congrats your kks look stunning first cook looks so delish

 

you had fun all day for sure

[5698k]

I would love to offer encouragement, but if you listen to Mac, I can’t improve on that. I will endorse the...always fill your charcoal basket advice, there’s no better single thing to be said at this point.


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[MacKenzie]

Why am I thinking about this now? LOL After you have closed the vents and the KK has cooled down, indicating the fire is out, loosen the top vent a tad and move the locking handle to the first position. This will relax the pressure on the gaskets and help preserve their longevity. If only I could do that to myself and not just my KKs.