How Long to Burn the Coal Lid Up?

[DKMC2000]

How long do you typically let your coal burn in a 32” before closing and sealing the lid? 

[alimac23]

I light mine and close and seal the lid straight away, obviously open the bottom vent fully (pull it out) and I go about 3-4 turns on the top vent.

I find the draft through the KK with the lid sealed helps the fire to get going and spread, just be careful though and keep an eye on it or before you know it you’ll be way too hot.

For low n slow, it usually takes my 32 between 10-15 minutes to hit 110c and then I shut the vents down to maintain that temp.


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[DKMC2000]

Thank you.  So do you always light, seal, open the vents and then just wait for your desired temperature before locking down to hold temperature?

[alimac23]

Thank you.  So do you always light, seal, open the vents and then just wait for your desired temperature before locking down to hold temperature?

That’s correct, if I’m using lump that smells a bit then I’ll let it burn at temp for 30 minutes or so just to burn the charcoal in a bit.

I lock down just before I get to my desired temperature otherwise you can easily overshoot, you’ll get the hang of it after a few tries, it becomes quite instinctive.


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[DKMC2000]

Thanks again.  Little did I know that you can even pull out the entire bottom shelf for max flow - just give a good tug on both knobs at once, or what?

[alimac23]

Thanks again.  Little did I know that you can even pull out the entire bottom shelf for max flow - just give a good tug on both knobs at once, or what?

That’s it, just grab both knobs and the pull the entire front plate forward, max airflow and then push it back in and set your vents, you’ll be up to temp in no time.


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[DKMC2000]

That’s awesome and I’ll do that on whenever  my second cook turns out to be.  I’m sorry to to wear you out and change the subject , but what advice can you give regarding the use of the thick heat shields that came with the unit. When and how would I use them?

Edited April 16, 2019 by DKMC2000

[Pequod]

For me it depends on my lighting method:

• MAPP Torch and Blower: Light as many spots as I need with a MAPP torch. Use my Milwaukee variable speed blower to stoke those spots until they are at least fist size and can generate a flame (not just smoldering coals). Wait 5-10 minutes, then close the lid and set the vents.
• Rutland Starter Squares: Light as many as I need. Keep the lid open until they burn out (typically 10 minutes). Close lid and set the vents.

[alimac23]

That’s awesome and I’ll do that on whenever  my second cook turns out to be.  I’m sorry to to wear you out and change the subject , but what advice can you give regarding the use of the thick heat shields that came with the unit. When and how would I use them?

Sorry I completely missed this earlier. I haven’t used them once, I use a normal roasting pan underneath the food to create an indirect shield over the charcoal. Even the big cook I done on the weekend I just used the drip tray that comes with the KK and another roasting pan.


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[DKMC2000]

Okay, so that leaves me thinking perhaps those thick heat deflectors are perhaps used for regular baking type situations.  

The charcoal basket splitter was recommended by Dennis, did you by chance purchase one too, and if so, when do you use it?  They are flat metal plates that cover the basket, so I guess it’s intended for indirect heat.  If correct, the problem is that I don’t know what the real difference is between it and the big ceramic deflectors.  Any idea?

[alimac23]

Okay, so that leaves me thinking perhaps those thick heat deflectors are perhaps used for regular baking type situations.  
The charcoal basket splitter was recommended by Dennis, did you by chance purchase one too, and if so, when do you use it?  They are flat metal plates that cover the basket, so I guess it’s intended for indirect heat.  If correct, the problem is that I don’t know what the real difference is between it and the big ceramic deflectors.  Any idea?
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I do have the basket splitter, I use mine all the time to split the basket in half, I have the right hand side of the my basket covered and the left hand open / full of charcoal.

The heavy deflectors are supplied because people expect them when they buy a Kamado, in any other Kamado the grates are a lot closer to the fire and using a pan / aluminium foil doesn’t work too well as the radiant heat is still too much for low n slow.

I don’t think I’ve seen a single person on the forums actually use the deflectors as it would take longer for them to heat soak and get up to temp. There’s nothing wrong with using them at all but you definitely don’t need to.


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[tekobo]

I love being on this forum because there is always new stuff to discover.  I have the same MAPP torch and blower routine as @Pequod but I never leave the lid open.  Instead I wind the top hat to three turns to get the fire going and then wind back to 1/2, 1 or 1 and 1/2 turns depending on the cooking temp that I am trying to achieve.  It has never occurred to me to pull out the plate at the bottom.  In fact I only ever open the large bottom vent half way when I am starting the fire and it seems to work.  I am curious about whether leaving the lid up and/or pulling the bottom plate out will get me to heat and eat quicker but I suspect that inertia will see me sticking to my same old routine.  

[MacKenzie]

I pretty much do as you do and if I'm not mistaken I believe Dennis suggested to close the lid just after lighting the fire as it helps to create the draft. 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2019 by MacKenzie

[ckreef]

It is not necessary to leave the lid open. Closing the lid with the vents open will cause a bigger draft pulling air up through the coals. I never leave the lid open for any amount of time 

 

@MacKenzie I got you covered - no worries.

 

[Pequod]

30 minutes ago, tekobo said:

I love being on this forum because there is always new stuff to discover.  I have the same MAPP torch and blower routine as @Pequod but I never leave the lid open.  Instead I wind the top hat to three turns to get the fire going and then wind back to 1/2, 1 or 1 and 1/2 turns depending on the cooking temp that I am trying to achieve.  It has never occurred to me to pull out the plate at the bottom.  In fact I only ever open the large bottom vent half way when I am starting the fire and it seems to work.  I am curious about whether leaving the lid up and/or pulling the bottom plate out will get me to heat and eat quicker but I suspect that inertia will see me sticking to my same old routine.  

I don't think there's a right or wrong way on this one. Main point is to have an oxygen rich environment early on before restricting the oxygen via the vents. Lid closed with vents wide open are the same thing as lid open for a bit in my book. 

That said, my 32 is definitely more thermally agile than my 23, and I started my procedure outlined above on the 23. What I mean is...I could definitely close the lid after lighting on the 32, open all vents wide, and it will get there very quickly. But on my 23, if I close the lid after lighting, I generally need to pull the front vent panel out and/or remove the guru plug to amp up the flow. I hate pulling the front panel because I don't always reseat it fully sealed when I push it back in. Would rather leave it alone. Hence...lid up for a bit works for me.

[DennisLinkletter]

Most basic KK rule..

Temperature is Airflow..   Too hot, too much air.  Not hot enough, needs more air.

You must close and latch the lid to get airflow.  As you close the lid, the rising hot air leaves the chimney/damper top creating vacuum.

This vacuum forces air thru the charcoal and gets things going much more quickly than other grills because unlike all other charcoal grills there is no path of least resistance.
All of the air  that leaves the chimney is forced to the charcoal.. there's no gap between the wall of the grill and the firebox or holes in the firebox to let air bypass the charcoal.

It's like turning on a blower.. 

 

[tony b]

Like "The Man" said, open the vents top/bottom and close the lid. I typically do several full turns on the top and open the half moon on the left knob. Once I get to about 50F below my target temp, then I set the vents for that temperature. You don't want to overshoot, as it's really hard to bring the temperature back down once the KK is heat soaked. 

No one uses the big ceramic heat deflectors anymore, as noted - just slows down the heatup process. Either aluminum foil on the lower grate or a drip pan works. 

Be cautious about pulling the lower vent door out, as ashes can get in the door frame making it hard to close the door fully and stop the airflow to snuff out the charcoal. If you want to "turbo" the airflow, pull the Guru plug out instead. 

[Pequod]

At equilibrium, all of the above is true -- stoichiometry being what it is. The process of startup isn't equilibrium. It is all about establishing a flame front in your charcoal, which once established will grow or recede to match the airflow. The process of MAPP + Blower is to establish the flame front. Then we close the lid and let the vents/vacuum effect do its thing. With starter squares, it takes about 5-10 minutes to establish the flame front. Could that be done with lid closed? Sure, but I'm typically spending that time putting grates in, tables on, running thermal cables through the polder port, etc. And I typically want to see whether the starters have established the flame front I want -- just like we do with MAPP + Blower. By the time I've done all that and the starters have established the flame front,  I do exactly what we do with a MAPP + Blower -- close the lid and let the vents work toward equilibrium stoichiometry. No rocket science involved (although I have software for that if there was) -- Establish the flame front you want, close the lid. 

[tekobo]

I forgot to mention the one thing that seems to make the most difference to the speed of lighting - how I build the fire.  I use coco shell briquettes which can be quite difficult to light.  I find that seeding the centre of my fuel pile with part burned briquettes from the previous cook means that I can get the fire going much faster.  I just train the MAPP torch on the part burned briquettes and they take really quickly.  @DKMC2000, have fun experimenting!

 

[Pequod]

26 minutes ago, tekobo said:

I forgot to mention the one thing that seems to make the most difference to the speed of lighting - how I build the fire.  I use coco shell briquettes which can be quite difficult to light.  I find that seeding the centre of my fuel pile with part burned briquettes from the previous cook means that I can get the fire going much faster.  I just train the MAPP torch on the part burned briquettes and they take really quickly.  @DKMC2000, have fun experimenting!

 

Yup...a good example of why I monitor formation of the flame front is...lighting binchotan. If I simply MAPP + Blow or use a Rutland square and then close the lid, I guarantee you I'll be disappointed. Now once it is lit, yeah...air flow dictates what it does. But the flame front is, to me, the important indicator of ignition and when to close the lid to send it on its thermal journey to equilibrium stoichiometry. Again...no rocket science here, but I could tell you stories of igniting rocket motors that are kinda fun...

Edited April 17, 2019 by Pequod