I've been thinking of getting a Pk grill, but I am not a fan of having to divide up the limited space available to do low and slow. With that in mind, has anyone tried out the Game Changer heat deflector for the PK yet? Looks like it would allow you to use the entire grill surface for those long cooks, and eliminate the need to have to cut your ribs or brisket in half to make it fit. Let me know if you have any experience or thoughts on this. Thx
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It looks interesting. The idea of a larger grill space for indirect cooking is a desirable feature. But if you have to add more fuel, do you have to take the meat off the grill, take out the grill and then take out the "game changer" insert? That seems like more trouble than what it is worth. I would be interested to hear what users of this game changer think about the practicality of this device.-
The issues you describe (take out the grate, take out the deflector) are something you face with every kamado, except most kamados hold enough lump to go 18-24 hours without adding charcoal. Not sure that the PK will hold that much. BUT if you do a minion type setup or light the coals in just one corner, it will take a long time to burn across the bottom of the PK...
I just removed a hot deflector from my kamado last night using welding gloves, easy peasy, to convert to direct grilling... -
jfmorris The ceramic Grill Store has a Woo which holds the deflector, drip pan and grill with handles for easy removal should that ever be necessary. I love it for my BGE. -
LA Pork Butt yeah they have lots of cool stuff for you BGE guys! Less so for my off the beaten path SNS Kamado... I do have a couple accessories from them though.
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If I could only have 1 grill, I'd probably opt for a PK. In that case, I'd consider it. I actually did a DIY attempt at something similar with my PK years ago. But I prefer to use the PK for smaller cooks and larger cookers when I'm cooking more.Comment
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I have done exactly that a few times, with my DIY version. Works great, here’s a video of me doing pulled beef on the PK300 with it:
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I have something similar for my Weber Kettle. It works very well. Ribs come out exactly the same as from my BGE, can’t tell the difference, other than I didn’t have to cut the rack in half.Comment
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Just so we are talking about the same thing, is this what you're referring to?
Stainless Steel Game Changer for PK Grills - Smokeware
Love me a PK grill, terrific cookers.Comment
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I hadn't seen the GameChanger before. Looks interesting but I share briano52's concern about adding fuel. If you really load it up you'd probably have to line it with foil with holes rather than a drip pan. Also saw a comment about it not working with the stainless grate which is a definite problem for me. If I had only one cooker I'd consider it, but I have a PBC for bigger cooks and a KBQ for really big cooks.Comment
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Seemed to work in this video
Bing VideosComment
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Yes. I watched that before as well. Let’s see. Pk360 + kickash basket + gamechanger = $1,000? Have to think this one over a bit more. -
Bluetail66213 I hear you. I'm glad I got my PK Original 7 or 8 years ago. I think the price is up over 40% since then - and that was right at the limit of what I was willing to pay. I got the grill, stainless grate upgrade, extension grates (both half and full size) and Tel-tru thermometer for right around $500, and now the base grill is $599. I'd love to have a PK360 to go with it, but that will have to wait until I win the monthly sweepstakes - which will be any month now, I'm sure. -
Now you’re getting into the range of a Hasty Bake which is larger than a PK. 🤔
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I share the concerns about reloading. The current hinged grate makes this super easy so that would simply make that step more complicated. It would seem like it would be more efficient to just add the Littlemore grate like I have for extra 2-zone capacity.Comment
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Ah! But what if you have the entire main grate AND the Littlemore..... boom! Might be worth the hassle if all you have is the PK and you need more smoking space.
I would love a PK grill, but for me, while it would be a great grill, I am usually wanting more space in indirect mode than any of the PK grills seem to offer. I.e. ribs, brisket and such on a standard PK setup will need cutting down to fit if you only have one side of the grill for indirect cooking.
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Not sure, but I gather from this post that you do not have any grills/smokers and you’re shopping for one that will give you the best options for grilling and smoking. If that premise is true, then a PK360 with the identified equipment would be sweet. Plus there is additional equipment you could buy in the future, such as a Santa Maria attachment and a griddle.
But if that premise is not true and you have grills, then I would look at less expensive smokers like the Weber smoky mountains (WSM) 18.5” and 22”.Comment
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You are correct in that I am looking for that next level grill. I currently have a Akorn Kamado grill and have used it for the lat 7 years successfully, but, I do have that problem of having to cut my ribs or brisket up to fit. Even with indirect shields, I am limited by the 18" diameter. Don't get me wrong, it's a great grill, and has about the same available space as the PK has. At the moment, I am looking at either the PK300 new, the PK360, or the Keveri smoker/grill. -
Bluetail66213 - the PK360 a great grill. I cook on mine all the time. If I had to choose just one grill - it would be the PK360. There is add on equipment that you can purchase to accomplish other techniques, e.g. smoking with the game changer w/ heat shield, griddle attachment, Santa Maria attachment, etc.
I don’t need the game changer and heat shield since I have better equipment to smoke on, but just might buy it just to have it. Love new toys.
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A few people have raised concerns about refueling, so let’s address them here.
First off, I love the PK, but it’s a small grill. That’s fine by me, but if you’re gonna get/have just ONE grill, then take capacity into account also. Using it this way increases capacity a lot which is nice, but it’s still limited.
That being said, I’ve done 10+ hour cooks like this several times without refueling. I.e. fill it up with charcoal, run it at 120 deg C / 250 deg F and it will just keep on going. In other words, I think the need to refuel is greatly exaggerated 😄Comment
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I agree with you comments on the refueling, and unfortunately that issue seems to come up a lot in various videos. To me at least, the game changer would allow you to add more fuel to not only cook longer, but to also crank up the temps if needed ( think indirect wings at 400 deg) and sill have the fuel needed to accomplish that.Comment
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I love my Pk-360, however, it is small so doing even a couple racks of ribs challenging. This might help making this more useful if I have to cook for more than 3 or four. I wish that PK made a grill that was a bit bigger. Often thought a Kamado could be fun. My wife, however, doesn’t think I need any more cookers!
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