Low 'n' Slow smoking.

the_shaving_sailor said:
Rami get the char-griller acorn from Bunnings it's cheap but a top performer. A great starter.
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It s a great kamado but for smoking it s far from perfect as it is so thermal efficient that is extremely difficult to keep a low temp without extinguishing the charcoal But great for pizza (I raised the temp to over 400C) or steak
 
It all depends on what you want. If you want good smoked meat without the fuss then a gas smoker or pellet smoker is the go. If you want something cheap but still good then a weber can work great using the snake method. Kamado Joes are ssomewhere in between in ease of use and flavour. For the best smoked meat possible then an offset is the way to go. You burn real wood in them instead of smoldering heat beads or charcoal so they need to be watched pretty closely but the flavour of the smoke is miles ahead of a charcoal or gas/pellet style smoker.once you get started the smoker acquisition disorders can be real.
 
You could try the Hark offset, on sale about $950, the fornetto upright will set you back about 275-300. If you are testing the waters try a cheap arse Weber and experiment with charcoal and smoking chunks. If you like it, step up to a custom jobbie.
 
DamDam said:
It s a great kamado but for smoking it s far from perfect as it is so thermal efficient that is extremely difficult to keep a low temp without extinguishing the charcoal But great for pizza (I raised the temp to over 400C) or steak
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I disagree. I have one and it's the first time I've heard of its thermal efficiency being mentioned as a negative! If you are trying to go for low n slow, then fill the fire bowl in a cone and just light the top 2-3 pieces of charcoal at most with a butane torch. Leave the bottom vent open about half a pinky's width and the top vent a match width. Monitor the temps over the next few hours to see where it settles and adjust ("tap") the top vent accordingly. You will soon have it down pat and will know it by eye forever more. Mine has gone for around 36 hours on one load of charcoal like this - the fire very slowly works its way through the whole load of charcoal. No adjusting or stoker etc.

By the way, they often come with a washer between the top and bottom sections of the top vent. You'll want to remove that otherwise the top vent won't close enough to keep the temperature low enough. Works with Heat Beads and charcoal but of course charcoal is much better.

By the way, I also have had a Weber Performer, various kettles, offset, spit, etc and none of them get used anymore. The fuel consumption was just too much / too expensive for regular use. Tending the fire in an offset is fun for a Sunday afternoon with mates but is not an option for an overnighter and smoking big cuts takes time. Once you go for an insulated steel kamado (clay is not an insulator...), you won't want to go back. The only upgrade from here would be a Komodo Kamado but that's not going to happen... The other thing to mention is that there is really no need to go quite that low n slow. I've had great results from 8 hour sessions with the right cuts at higher temps. The trick is to get the meat to temperature quickly and then hold it there to give it time to convert the collagen to gelatin...

All that BBQing gave me health issues though so now I'm only doing vegan stuff - which is surprising good on this thing I have to say. Can't beat the versatility and the price speaks for itself...
 
hones
RazorPlay said:
I disagree. I have one and it's the first time I've heard of its thermal efficiency being mentioned as a negative! If you are trying to go for low n slow, then fill the fire bowl in a cone and just light the top 2-3 pieces of charcoal at most with a butane torch.
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Honestly it s very hard to stay bellow 120C/130C for 18 hours let alone 110C

My setup :shame:
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nP1DLm
 
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DamDam said:
hones


Honestly it s very hard to stay bellow 120C/130C for 18 hours let alone 110C
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Clearly a case of YMMV! I have no problem keeping it below 110C. I can just light it, sight up the right vent position and walk away knowing when I come back the next day the temp will be right in that zone...
 
RazorPlay said:
Clearly a case of YMMV! I have no problem keeping it below 110C. I can just light it, sight up the right vent position and walk away knowing when I come back the next day the temp will be right in that zone...
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The fact I usually use Gidgee charcoal does not help for the low
 
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