New Kamado Cooker Thread

Dub

Senior Member
Ok all you more experienced folks, I finally bought an Akorn. I'm pumped up, but after getting it home and put together. As soon as I got ready to season the gate, it came down a Monsoon so I brought the grill back inside the garage. My question is what to do with the grays, I had just finished washing it with soap and water, but didn't have a chance to get it seasoned. Will it hurt anything for me to wait till tomorrow to finish seasoning it?

Before & after cooking.....and anytime in between....keep your grates sprayed down with PAM (buy the cheaper store brand and keep a couple cans in stock).
 

greasemnky20

Senior Member
Ok thanks guys. I'm gonna spray it with Pam tonight and cook it off tomorrow.
 

flowingwell

Senior Member
Here is an outstanding resource that ought to accompany every single Akorn, BGE, Primo, KJ, etc. It takes you from where your owners manual leaves off. Great resource. I didn't get it when I was starting out...wasn't written then. But it is of great value to me now.






http://www.amazon.com/Kamado-Smoker...F8&qid=1431535025&sr=1-1&keywords=chris+grove

212 pages filled with well advised tips and techniques. Ton's of great recipes throughout.



This is a great book, been cooking on my egg for awhile and I refer to this often. Lots of info for beginners and experienced alike.
 

greasemnky20

Senior Member
When I used my Akorn Sunday, I got called away for about an hour, and it got rained on, is the anything I need to be worried about? It did great and held temp fine, no rain that I could tell got inside and I dried everything off when I got it inside the garage.
 

Paymaster

Old Worn Out Mod
Staff member
It should be fine.
 

Swamperdog

Senior Member
When I used my Akorn Sunday, I got called away for about an hour, and it got rained on, is the anything I need to be worried about? It did great and held temp fine, no rain that I could tell got inside and I dried everything off when I got it inside the garage.

Make sure you drop the ash pan and drain it. If it rains really hard and the Akorn is not covered, water will collect in there and eventually rust the bottom vent assembly.
 

dwhee87

GON Political Forum Scientific Studies Poster
So, what's the best way to add wood chips during the smoke on an Akorn? For my first smoke yesterday, I had to take everything off, pull the cooking grate and the (sand-filled) diffuser pan (thanks Paymaster), and then put everything back after adding new chips?
 
It's better to use wood chunks not chips ! Chips burn too fast and become fuel ratter than just the smoke you want. I use about 4 to 5 chunks depending on size and what I am cooking and how
 

Paymaster

Old Worn Out Mod
Staff member
It's better to use wood chunks not chips ! Chips burn too fast and become fuel ratter than just the smoke you want. I use about 4 to 5 chunks depending on size and what I am cooking and how

^^^^^^This*^^^^^

Chips are for use in a smoker box in a gas grill. Buy a bag of chunks and put them in, in a quantity that will last for your whole cook. I put a couple in the center next to the heat and a few more increasingly farther away from the center. Just according to how long the cook will be.
 

mark-7mag

Useless Billy Director of transpotation
What brand of lump coal are you guys using on the Akorn?
 

RNC

Senior Member
Glad to see this thread .

My dad recently gave me one of the older clay style kamado cookers.

I'm looking forward to learning some of y'all tips,trick & recipes :0)
 

Paymaster

Old Worn Out Mod
Staff member
What brand of lump coal are you guys using on the Akorn?

I like Frontier the most. I did buy a couple bags of Vision Grills brand at Sam's the other day and must say the quality is pretty good. If the lump bags have been mishandled by the store, expect a lot of fine pieces. I think that most problem with fines is the way employees handle the product. Lot of folks like BGE brand. They are expensive and the last two bags I bought had rocks in them. The last one had a rock the size of my fist in it.
 

dwhee87

GON Political Forum Scientific Studies Poster
It's better to use wood chunks not chips ! Chips burn too fast and become fuel ratter than just the smoke you want. I use about 4 to 5 chunks depending on size and what I am cooking and how

This was my guess, and I picked up a bag of chunk wood yesterday. That for the post GAD74. You to Paymaster. Good thread to help out us newbies.
 

Paymaster

Old Worn Out Mod
Staff member
how long can you smoke on any of these types of grill i smoke butts and briskets for up to 16 hrs

I have run two 24+ hour cooks on my Akorn. I ran the cooker for 30 hours each, but the last six or so was just to see how long it would go. Started with a full load of lump and and ran at 225*. 16 hours cooks are not a problem. I have done a bunch of 14-16 hour cooks.
 

Swamperdog

Senior Member
I like Frontier the most. I did buy a couple bags of Vision Grills brand at Sam's the other day and must say the quality is pretty good. If the lump bags have been mishandled by the store, expect a lot of fine pieces. I think that most problem with fines is the way employees handle the product. Lot of folks like BGE brand. They are expensive and the last two bags I bought had rocks in them. The last one had a rock the size of my fist in it.

I use the Cowboy hardwood lump from Walmart and it works well for butts and spatchcock chickens. However, I heard through the grapevine that the BGE brand lump is just Royal Oak. I picked up two 17.6lb bags at Home Depot for $13/each. I need to finish my bag of Cowboy lump first though before trying the Royal Oak.

-Swamperdog
 

mark-7mag

Useless Billy Director of transpotation
Has anyone ever smoked two breast on the Akorn at the same time? If so, what would you do different? Would they take longer with two?
 
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