Hello from Queensland Australia

[hammo1981]

Hello KK Fanatics,

I have been browsing the forum for about a month now, reading as much as i can about these amazing Grills. Like most people who are into BBQ, I started with a Weber Kettle. I have mostly used that for roasting and grilling and occasionally low and slow smoking. I have the same issues as everyone controlling temperature on the Weber kettles but my ribs still turn out pretty good as far as I'm concerned. I know that there is MUCH room for improvement. I haven't tried brisket yet but I can see that as something I would like to try later on. 

About 3 months ago I saw a XXL BGE for sale from a bbq store that had been using it for demonstrations on weekends. It was at a pretty good price so i started investigating Kamado style  Grill/Cookers and if that was something that would be worthwhile getting. So from everything I have read these style cookers can do different styles of cooking to an extremely high standard (when the person using them knows what their doing of course). The high temperature grilling and low and slow from the one cooker sounds pretty good to me. My Wife likes the idea of being able to do pizzas, and who wouldn't love all the family around for a pizza night? 

So eventually my internet browsing led me to Kamodo Kamado and after reading as much as I have on this forum I think I'm about ready to go ahead and order one. For the size of our family I think that a 32 Big Bad will be the best, we regularly have 8-10 people around for dinner and sometimes as many as 20-30 for Christmas/New Year. So far our biggest decisions are what accessories to get and what tile color! Pizza stone, Rotisserie Spit and side tables are a must for us. 

So I do have some questions that some of you might be able to help with. 

1. Rotisserie Spit or Cradle?? I've only ever used a spit type on my Weber Summit and have never had a problem. I mostly cook chicken and rolled pork which aren't terribly big, so would the cradle be better for bigger cuts???
2. I'm interested in low and slow with smoke so would the cold smoker be worthwhile? I have read a lot about dirty smoke and clean/blue smoke and i know some of you on here use the cast iron pot method. So throwing chunks straight onto the lit charcoal is not recommended? 
3. The basket splitter seems like a necessity  for 2 zone cooking???
4.  This is one for the Australian KK owners. Whats the process for importing into Australia? What are the import duties etc. I know Dennis can walk me through this but I wanted to have a rough idea of the import duties before I give him a call. 

Well that's all I can think of at the moment, any help you can give me will be much appreciated.

Cheers

John 

[jonj]

Welcome! I'll let those with experience on the 32 (or live in Australia) answer your specific questions, but I think all of us would agree no matter what your expectations of a Komodo Kamado are from your research, the actual KK you receive will exceed them. It is a terrific cooker.

[hammo1981]

27 minutes ago, jonj said:

Welcome! I'll let those with experience on the 32 (or live in Australia) answer your specific questions, but I think all of us would agree no matter what your expectations of a Komodo Kamado are from your research, the actual KK you receive will exceed them. It is a terrific cooker.

Yes I’ve heard the experience of having one in front of you is wholly different than viewing on a screen. 

[alimac23]

Hi John! 

I've just gone through this process myself and had a BB32 imported into Perth.

Dennis and his team make the whole process extremely simple from start to finish, the hardest part is choosing the colour and whether you want tile or pebble finish.

From order to patio, mine took 9 weeks, but i hit Ramadan which slowed things down by 2 or 3 weeks, the other guys from Perth have all said that theirs took around the 6 week mark, i imagine it might take about the same time to get around the top to Queensland?

Regarding the cold smoker, i can imagine it would be a useful accessory to have, but personally i just throw my wood chunks on top of the coals and wait until the dirty smoke stops before putting the food in.

The import process is fairly simple, the KK team will ship the unit and assign an agent to it that is local to you, the agent will be in touch just before the unit hits your local port to arrange the payment of import duties etc and paperwork etc. I was also able to arrange delivery to my house through the agent was really useful. 

I'll message you regarding the import costs to Australia.

 

Hope you find this useful, the others will be along shortly to fill in anything i've missed.

[BonFire]

Hi John and welcome, Alimac beat me to it but as regarding roti gear I've got both baskets but haven't used them yet (I'm sure i will though) if your cooker is out in the elements recommend getting a cover for it. 

[tekobo]

Hey there John.  Welcome to the circle of fanatics.  I know that you have researched and decided but I would like to add the idea of having two KKs.  It sounds like you cook for a number of people at once and having a second KK really increases the range of what you can do.  Low and slow at the same time as grilling, sides, desserts, all come out great on using the KK(s).  They are also so fuel efficient and air tight that you use much less fuel than you are used to and you can turn them off just as soon as you are done to preserve your coals for another cook.  Also, turning them up for grilling/searing is fast and easy.  Did I tell you I love my KKs?

Don't forget your non-Dennis accessories.  My current go-to's are my MAPP torch, leaf blower (I resisted for ages but they are great for getting the fire going), MEATER wireless thermometer and a super cheap ash vacuum cleaner.  Oh yes, and I wouldn't be without my smoke pot.  In the absence of a hot/cold smoker from Dennis it is a good, self contained way to get your smoke.

Good luck and I look forward to following your journey.  

[Tangles]

Hello KK Fanatics,

I have been browsing the forum for about a month now, reading as much as i can about these amazing Grills. Like most people who are into BBQ, I started with a Weber Kettle. I have mostly used that for roasting and grilling and occasionally low and slow smoking. I have the same issues as everyone controlling temperature on the Weber kettles but my ribs still turn out pretty good as far as I'm concerned. I know that there is MUCH room for improvement. I haven't tried brisket yet but I can see that as something I would like to try later on. 

About 3 months ago I saw a XXL BGE for sale from a bbq store that had been using it for demonstrations on weekends. It was at a pretty good price so i started investigating Kamado style  Grill/Cookers and if that was something that would be worthwhile getting. So from everything I have read these style cookers can do different styles of cooking to an extremely high standard (when the person using them knows what their doing of course). The high temperature grilling and low and slow from the one cooker sounds pretty good to me. My Wife likes the idea of being able to do pizzas, and who wouldn't love all the family around for a pizza night? 

So eventually my internet browsing led me to Kamodo Kamado and after reading as much as I have on this forum I think I'm about ready to go ahead and order one. For the size of our family I think that a 32 Big Bad will be the best, we regularly have 8-10 people around for dinner and sometimes as many as 20-30 for Christmas/New Year. So far our biggest decisions are what accessories to get and what tile color! Pizza stone, Rotisserie Spit and side tables are a must for us. 

So I do have some questions that some of you might be able to help with. 

1. Rotisserie Spit or Cradle?? I've only ever used a spit type on my Weber Summit and have never had a problem. I mostly cook chicken and rolled pork which aren't terribly big, so would the cradle be better for bigger cuts???
2. I'm interested in low and slow with smoke so would the cold smoker be worthwhile? I have read a lot about dirty smoke and clean/blue smoke and i know some of you on here use the cast iron pot method. So throwing chunks straight onto the lit charcoal is not recommended? 
3. The basket splitter seems like a necessity  for 2 zone cooking???
4.  This is one for the Australian KK owners. Whats the process for importing into Australia? What are the import duties etc. I know Dennis can walk me through this but I wanted to have a rough idea of the import duties before I give him a call. 

Well that's all I can think of at the moment, any help you can give me will be much appreciated.

Cheers

John 

Welcome John. Glad to see the Aussie contingent growing.

 

I have a 23 which is great for me. I do have a large family and when cooking for a large group I just do low and slows. I did 4large Boston butts that was served for a company function. It was a tight squeeze though.

 

One day I may get a second but the advice most people give is get the largest one that the pocket can absorb. I love my 23 but would be tempted to go 32 if I had my chance again.

 

I have the roti spit as well as the cradle. I seem to use the roti spit more often. Both are good for their own purposes. On the 32you can fit a suckling pig.

 

I just use wood chunks or banksia cones for smoking. Works well. That said the cold smoker seems to be getting great reviews. May have to get one down the track.

 

I have a basket splitter and use it often. It’s good for 2 zones as well as roti cooking. On the 23 you can use it so the back part of the kk is on direct heat for roti cooks.

 

Shipping and import duties are pretty easy and nothing to worry about. Dennis works the shipping. He can advise of shipping agents. I can ping you what I paid which was mid last year.

 

Dennis will be your friend during this process. If you speak to him about what type of cooking you will do he will advise of the best cooker. He is a gentleman and is not pushy at all.

 

Also ask Dennis if he is stocking the Fireboard thermometers. I have one and it’s great. I had mine shipped from the US directly from Fireboard . He was looking at stocking them too.

 

Pebble vs tiles is a personal choice. That said, I hear that people with pebbles are better looking.

 

I use the pizza stone all the time. It’s a great! The cover is also great.

 

Best to get all the assessories up front. Dennis may talk you out of some but you will kick yourself afterwards.

 

Feel free to PM if you have any other questions. You will also find the folk in here very helpful.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tangles]

Hi John and welcome, Alimac beat me to it but as regarding roti gear I've got both baskets but haven't used them yet (I'm sure i will though) if your cooker is out in the elements recommend getting a cover for it. 

Did you get the cold smoker Bonfire?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MacKenzie]

Welcome, I don't think I can add anything to what has already been posted about accessories.  You will love the flavour of the food you cook on this beauty.   Like everyone, I will be watching for the landing and unpacking pixs. 

[BonFire]

1 hour ago, Tangles said:

Did you get the cold smoker Bonfire?


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I had a Smoke Daddy’s Big Kahuna from the BJoe days that I’ve retro-fitted for the KK, you tried any of that Pecan yet.

Edited August 7, 2018 by BonFire

[Tangles]

I had a Smoke Daddy from the BJoe days that I’ve retro-fitted for the KK, you used any of that Pecan yet.

I see.
Yes thanks for the pecan. That wood that you gave to me is great. Might do chicken this weekend and use pecan. Though I feel like brisket. Thanks again.



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[tony b]

Just to second many other's ideas here - Your list of accessories is a good start. Only add-on would be lots of boxes of cocochar, coffee wood chunks and charcoal, if allowed to be imported to Australia??

Yes on the basket splitter! It's a "must have" in my book. 

I like having both the roti spit rod/forks and baskets - use both equally. I also got a 3rd party accessory - the Octo-Forks, but I'm not a big fan of them. I always manage to cut myself either putting the food on the forks or taking it off after the cook. Plus, you end up having to tie many food items on with silicon bands or butcher's twine to keep stuff from falling off during the spinning. Kinda defeats the purpose of them in my book. 

I was an early adopter of the cast iron smoker pot and think it's a great tool, but I did get the cold smoker accessory when Dennis brought it out. I'm using it about as much as the cast iron pot - my challenge (which you won't have with a 32") is that I only have 1 port (your 32" will have 2) - so I can only use either the smoker or my Guru fan on a long cook. And on that topic, I've owned my Guru fan/controller for many years (longer than my KK.) I use mine on most longer cooks (> 4 hours), just for the piece of mind of not worrying about runaway temperatures. Since it's a 3rd party item, you can wait until you get your KK and then decide if you want one or not.

I was an early Kickstarter backer of the MEATER wireless thermometer probes. Only way to actively measure food temperature during a rotisserie cook that's on the market as far as I know. All the other "wireless" temperature monitors have wired probes. If you don't have one the new Maverick XR-50 is a very nice setup. 

And last, but certainly not least - WELCOME to the Obsession! You'll understand once yours arrives and you start cooking on it! 

[DennisLinkletter]

           Please feel free to call me should you have any questions or there is anything I can do for you.

I have a Sydney number too        (02) 8006 0968

Dennis 
• Whatsapp    +62 818 850-860
(please leave message if no answer)

[Aussie Ora]

If you get one you are going to be so amazed .I was the first to get the spit rod and I love it but I also have the cradle .I have have not used it in a while but it's great for throwing on a chook or two with no hassle of rope lol

Outback kamado Bar and Grill

[Basher]

John did you end up buying a KK?

I’m looking into bringing a 23” into Brisbane.

I have found out Australia has a trade agreement with Indonesia so providing Dennis can provide a statement saying its manufactured in Indo, zero import duty.

GST is applicable, however, if you are registered this is refundable through an input credit.

just waiting to see what the agent charges to get it through customs and delivered to East Brisbane.

Also checking if I can get a better freight deal and if there is a better deal with multiple units. 

They look to be about 1.5m3 once crated??

i should know more within a week.

oh, also, customs don’t like wood or charcoal coming in from Indo so coffee lumps and coco char are out😪

[Tyrus]

Help me here, what is it about charcoal that Governments throw the red flag on about not allowing import. Are they afraid of drugs being smuggled in. Ok it's burnt, so bacteria and pathogens are at minimum. Dennis quoted Ramadan or maybe that was  a pause in shipping. I understand fruit and live stock or untreated products but, charcoal is one thing I felt that was out of the sphere. Is it an agreement between countries within trade laws?  

Edited May 20, 2019 by Tyrus

[Basher]

The charcoal is more about it being a fuel when freighted. Freight companies need to treat it with a higher risk.

coffee wood chunks like any untreated wood may contain borers or other insects that can become a threat to native species. Australian customs don’t like imported timber products.

[hammo1981]

On 5/16/2019 at 11:44 PM, Basher said:

John did you end up buying a KK?

I’m looking into bringing a 23” into Brisbane.

I have found out Australia has a trade agreement with Indonesia so providing Dennis can provide a statement saying its manufactured in Indo, zero import duty.

GST is applicable, however, if you are registered this is refundable through an input credit.

just waiting to see what the agent charges to get it through customs and delivered to East Brisbane.

Also checking if I can get a better freight deal and if there is a better deal with multiple units. 

They look to be about 1.5m3 once crated??

i should know more within a week.

oh, also, customs don’t like wood or charcoal coming in from Indo so coffee lumps and coco char are out😪

YEP!! Got a KK32 in cobalt blue tile ordered. Can't wait to get it. 

 

 

[Stile88]

Congrats your going to love the 32 great color choice everything cooks better in cobalt blue

[tony b]

Welcome to the Obsession! Can't wait to see the pics of the grand uncrating once it arrives at its new home.