Which KK? I'm so new

[Czeqm8]

I love to cook and I'm just so bad at grilling compared to what I am seeing here. I am interested in getting a KK. (A giant step from a common gas grill.) One of the biggest thoughts I have is that my wife likes her steak at a much different temperature than I do. She also doesn't like much char to happen. With this in mind, I think I should look to the 32" so that I can have true separation from the fire and keep her steak off the direct heat for most of the cooking. 

 

It's just the 2 of us, so the smaller 23" seems like it should be able to handle the size that I need. I"m just concerned that with this model, I'll still struggle to keep the char off her steak and get the steak cooked to medium/medium well.

 

I'd love the opinions of experienced Kamado chefs!

[5698k]

Is your wife’s preference more or less done? The 23 is perfectly capable of zone cooking, especially if you’re just dealing with two steaks. The 32 does have some design features that make zone cooking easier if you’re cooking more proteins, so consider how much you’re likely to cook at a given time.


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[Czeqm8]

She wants medium to medium well and as little char as possible.  Me, I want some char and medium rare. 

Is that clearer? 

 

I was was thinking quick seat and then indirect heat for her and thus the 32. Can I do that with the 23?

[5698k]

I believe you can. The two zone set up in the 23 will give the results you’re looking for easily.


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[MacKenzie]

I don't think you will have trouble keeping the char off your wife's steak with the 23.

Also, I do believe you will find it much easier to cook on the KK plus the flavour will be BETTER.  

Edited August 17, 2018 by MacKenzie

[Czeqm8]

I see they do have a splitter for the fire for this size. Awesome. 

 

 

https://komodokamado.com/collections/23-ultimate-accessories/products/23-ultimate-charcoal-basket-splitter

[tony b]

Beat me to the punch - the basket splitter is the key here. When you order your 23" KK, get a second charcoal basket and the basket splitter. It's so much easier to just swap out the whole thing rather than to fiddle with the splitter parts in/out of a single basket, especially if it has leftover charcoal in it from the last cook. 

One of the benefits of the 23" is the basket is round, so you can put the fire side of the splitter either to one side or the other OR front or back. So, for your steak cook, I'd suggest putting the fire in the back and cooking your wife's steak on the front half and yours in the back half. You'll have a tad more control in that configuration. However, the best solution to your wife's steak cook (IMHO) is to just do it Sous Vide, without any sear afterwards. 

[Shuley]

I went with the 23 and there has only been one time in 2 years that I wish I had just a teeny bit more space...... And I entertain fairly frequently for groups of 20+

[Steve M]

Based on the criteria of the different steaks, you would have no problem achieving that on any of these using a reverse sear. It is the method I use 100% of the time with steaks. Cook indirect at a low temp until it reaches the amount of doneness and take it off. If you want char on the other, crank up the kk and put a nice sear. You can literally watch the needle move up in temp so it takes only the time you would normally use for the rest anyway.

The 23 is very versatile and would serve you well.

[tony b]

You will be pleasantly surprised by how much food you can cook on a 23". 

[Eddie mac]

Best advice is get the biggest you can afford you won’t regret it .I bought the 32 wish now I got the 42 

Edited August 19, 2018 by Eddie mac

[RobCordeau]

On 8/19/2018 at 12:48 PM, Eddie mac said:

Best advice is get the biggest you can afford you won’t regret it .I bought the 32 wish now I got the 42 

Yeah, I second that. 32 would have been the better choice for me, but that is based on what I cook. Regarding the char, the farther you put the steak away from the fire (upper grates), the less char/more "bake" you'll get, with most of the sizes. Plus, a piece of foil on the lower grate will keep the direct heat from the steak and bake it.  If you haven't read about "reverse sear" yet, I suggest you check it out. Basically you bake it first, then lower the steak close to the fire to get a char, if desired.

[WindyCity]

I have the 32 and love it.  I use it 90% for grilling and almost always use it with the basket-splitter as it provides a great combo of high direct heat and much lower indirect heat.  However, for me the preference for the 32 was driven entirely by the fact I'm regularly cooking for 25+.  No doubt the 23 can do this as I did it solely on a '19 BGE previously.  For big crowds life is much easier with the 32 and the trusty old BGE puffing away. 

Having said that, if your goal is a couple of great steaks cooked to different temps, I'd go for the 23 all day long.  One reason is the sheer size and weight of the 32.  There's a whole lot more everything with the 32, including two 40+ pound grates to move when refueling. 

Either way, you'll love it!

[tekobo]

On 8/19/2018 at 8:48 PM, Eddie mac said:

Best advice is get the biggest you can afford you won’t regret it .I bought the 32 wish now I got the 42 

Of course I would love the 42 if for no other reason than it exists and, as @pequod reliably informed me, it comes with a goat.  The 42 was an option when I made my choice and I still think having two KKs is more versatile than having one great big one.  I know it sounds mad to say this but I would only have a 42 alongside at least one other cooker. 

[MacKenzie]

I agree, having two KKs is the perfect situation. Well maybe 3 would be better LOL not sure.