Kamado Joe - Low and slow without dirty smoke

[SlapYomommabbq]

Hey everyone, I'm fairly new to the site, but I'm very grateful I found it along with its wonderful recipes and community. I feel like the recipes and guidance given as really help me step up a lot of my cooks and overall knowledge. I've been smoking food as a side hobby since I was 18 years old, I'm now 36. I started with a cheap offset smoker from home Depot. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and within two to three years that smoker was falling apart due to poor quality and being exposed to the elements. I never got a chance to truly master that offset. After that I purchased a propane vertical smoker, which did not last long. When I purchased my first home I bought an electric masterbuilt smoker. I used all of these with very little knowledge of proper meat preparation and knowledge of good/bad smoke. Because of this I believe my cooks would always vary in quality and I never knew why. When I decided I wanted to get a bit serious I bought a Backwoods party smoker, I believe this was a mistake as it was just too much for me to use as a single person without a family. Again, using this without the proper knowledge of meat preparation and still not knowing the difference between good and bad smoke made my cooks continue to vary in quality. The quality varying in my cooks plus the sheer amount of charcoal it took to use the backwards smoker really deterred me from mastering this equipment. Eventually I heard about kamado Joe's, how easy they were to clean, and how efficient they were on fuel. I've had my KJ for about 5 years now and I absolutely love it. I never truly learned to find tune my vents so most of My cooks that I wanted to get low and slow would end up around 240 to 275. I'm embarrassed to say that just last year is when I started really learning about good and bad smoke. I do understand the basics of fine tuning the vents now. Using the bottom vent for large changes and the top vent for small changes. I also learned recently to let the colas heat up for 45-mintues to an hour to avoid bad smoke and to also let the dome of the KJ heat up. With all the new recipes on hear that have turned out really well I've been focused on lower temps, specifically 225.Ive also been using a Thermoworks Billows to really help me maintain temp on longer cooks. My issue is that I'm still getting bad smoke, usually 20-30 minutes after I've put my meat on. My smoker is relatively clean, I've been doing clean burns about once every two weeks. I really clean the ash out before every use.i have a charcoal basket to help with airflow. I'm just now sure what I'm doing wrong. I also fill the basket about 1/4 full, which I know is enough to get me through a 7 hour cook and possibly longer.

Regarding the bad smoke, my questions are:

1. Am I using too much charcoal? If so how do I add more mid cook without creating bad smoke? I've tried this in the past by getting a small amount of coals really going in a chimney before putting the in. I usually end up with bad smoke.

2. Should I not be using the billows for long low and slow cooks on the KJ? For context, I usually have my top vent BARLEY open/per a lot of recommendations on using the billows and not overshooting your temp.

3. Is the KJ capable of maintaining these low temps without creating dirty smoke. I've heard Smoking-Dad mention on YouTube that the kj has a hard time maintaining these lower temps due to the KJ being too efficient, which causes the fire to choke.



I'm sorry for the information overload, I'm just obsessing over this inconsistent dirty smoke issue and I'm trying very hard to create consistent cooking environments.

[Lynn Dollar]

Paragraphs are your friend. Organize your thoughts. Group them into smaller paragraphs and more people will read your entire post.

[Johnny Booth]

Hi Lynn, I found both of your responses to be lacking as they provide no new information. Next time try staying relevant to the topic presented, and try to add something to the conversation. Maybe use AI to come up with some new thoughts. 😛

[Lynn Dollar]

I asked Grok on X to rewrite your post, here's what I got, is this what you're saying ?


Here's a more concise and polished version of your post:

Hey everyone,

I'm relatively new here, but I'm thankful for finding this site with its amazing recipes and community. It's really helped me elevate my cooking skills and broaden my knowledge. I've been smoking food as a hobby since I was 18, and now at 36, I've gone through quite the smoker evolution:

• Started with a cheap offset smoker from Home Depot; it didn't last long due to poor quality and exposure to the elements.
• Moved to a propane vertical smoker which also didn't last.
• Then got an electric Masterbuilt smoker when I bought my first home, but still lacked the knowledge of proper meat prep and smoke quality.
• Invested in a Backwoods Party smoker, which was perhaps too much for a single person; it was inefficient and still resulted in inconsistent cooks.
• Finally, switched to a Kamado Joe (KJ) about 5 years ago, which I love. However, mastering the vent adjustments for low and slow cooking has been a challenge. I only recently learned the difference between good and bad smoke and how to manage vents for temperature control.

I've been using the Thermoworks Billows to help maintain temperatures, aiming for 225°F, but I'm still encountering bad smoke about 20-30 minutes into the cook. Here are my current practices:

• Clean burns every two weeks.
• Ash removal before every use.
• Using a charcoal basket for better airflow.
• Filling the basket about 1/4 full for long cooks.

My questions regarding this bad smoke issue are:

1. Could I be using too much charcoal? If so, how can I add more during a cook without causing bad smoke? My past attempts using a chimney starter haven't been successful
2. Should I not use the Billows for long, low, and slow cooks on the KJ? I keep the top vent barely open as recommended.
3. Can the KJ maintain low temperatures without producing dirty smoke? I've heard from Smoking-Dad on YouTube that the KJ might struggle with lower temps due to its efficiency, potentially causing the fire to choke.

I apologize for the information dump, but I'm really trying to solve this inconsistent dirty smoke issue for consistent cooking results.

This version condenses the narrative while maintaining the key points and questions, making it easier for the community to respond effectively.

[SlapYomommabbq]

Yes, this is broken down well and is exactly what I'm asking. Apologies, I wrote this quickly on my phone.

[bbqLuv]

I love AI as it makes me sound smarter than I am.

[Mosca]

Welcome!

First, you can actually use either vent to fine tune a kamado. The upper one is easier, though, because you don’t have to bend over!

Second, don’t get hung up on 225°. I never use it any more, unless a cook is going too fast and I need to stretch it out. The lowest I go is 250° for ribs. Otherwise, you can do briskets at 275°, and pork butts don’t care what you do them at!

Third: but that’s doesn’t answer your question. I’m not standing right there with you, but: if you’re at 225°, AND it’s early in the cook, when you open the lid and put the meat on, and probably take some time to get the probes right etc, you’ve dropped the temp by opening the lid, and also introduced a big cold thing in there. Kamados work by “heat sink”; the walls get hot enough to overcome stuff like that. But early in the cook, even though the temperature has stabilized at 225°, and the coals are burning clean, the walls haven’t heated fully yet. So the temperature drops, and the smoke goes cold. Solution: add 15 minutes to your burn-in. You’ll get more coals burning (more slowly, but a larger area, so less volatile), and the walls will be closer to the same temp as the air in the cook chamber.

But here’s something you didn’t ask: 15 minutes or so of dirty smoke is no big deal over an hours long cook, as long as it’s not diesel coal-rollin’ oily black. But white smoke, or slightly gray smoke is fine. As long as it isn’t puffing like Reading & Northern engine 2102!

I use a fan and controller on my BGE, but I do it because I like gadgets. Before I got the fan, I loaded it up, set the vents, and let it coast at 225°; it sat right there until it ran out of lump, something like 20 hours later. BGE, KJ, KK, WSCG, Akorn. Doesn’t matter, they’ll all do that. Once the vents are set physics takes over.

What I said about heat sink: have you noticed how, for the first couple hours or so of a cook, your probe temp and your dial temp are different, sometimes by as much as 10-15°? And as your cook progresses, eventually they are spot on each other? That’s heat sink. All the volume inside the shell is the same temp, no hot spots, because the whole KJ + the area around the meat is evened out.

[Mosca]

Put the heat deflector in as soon as the flames go out, and let it warm up along with the shell. I don’t think that’s the source of your issue, but there’s no reason not to.

[jfmorris]

I will second everything Mosca said here. Especially the part about NOT getting hung up on 225. I do more cooks at 250-275 than I do at 225 these days on my kamado.

[Henrik]

Solid advice here. I have used a kamado for years. Skip 225, run at 275. Low flow, high moisture needs higher temp. And yes, get the deflector in early.

[klflowers]

I agree with Mosca about the smoke quality. I use a WSM for almost of my really long cooks and in the early stages of most of my cooks I get billowing white smoke, normally when I load the product on the smoker. It always settles down though and the majority of the cook exhibits that thin wispy blue smoke. And don’t get caught up with 225. My WSM runs at about 250, and my Bronco likes 235. Both work just fine. Now if the smoke is dark smoke, there is a problem somewhere.

[SlapYomommabbq]

It's definitely not dark smoke. I just feel like it's hard for me to tell if it's dirty smoke or if it's blue smoke. It's so cold here now I think that may be a factor in my trouble identifying it.

[klflowers]

SlapYomommabbq you would be able to tell if it was dark smoke. Blue is kind of a misnomer; the grail is a light wispy smoke rather than billowing smoke

[LA Pork Butt]

Okay, I’m going to piggy back on the Mosca post. I’ve been cooking on a Big Green Egg for fifteen years, and I can confirm what Mosca wrote. Here’s what I would add.

First is it safe to assume you are using lump charcoal? If so don’t hesitate to fill it to the fire ring. I like stacking it. First a layer of large filled in with a layer of medium and topped with small. As to wood I like to bury a fist size piece of wood in the center. As the wood burns the impurities are burned off as the smoke passes through the burning charcoal. Instead of lighting the charcoal in the center I like to light it just to the front of the wood chuck because the fire tends to burn from the front to the back.

As to temperature for cooking low and slow the dome temperature of 225 is closer to 200 at the grill level. So, you can figure on a 25 degree variance from grill to dome. As the temperature goes to 300 and beyond that variance is less predictable. As Mosca pointed out anything between. 225 and 275 is just fine.

Before I started using a controller my bottom vent was set at 1/4” and top vent barely open for 225. When I used a Party Q blower the top vent (a daisy wheel) was a little more than barely open. I now use a Smobot which works with bottom vent 1/3 open and the controller opens and closes the top vent to draft air as necessary. IMO there is more oxygen contributing to a cleaner burn. That being said you don’t need one to get a clean burn. Your billows can accomplish essentially the same thing as my Party Q.

As Mosca indicated heat soaking your Kamado helps with the cook. I allow an hour to heat soak and stabilize my fire before I put the meat on. Heat soaking your Kamado will improve your cooks.

Don’t hesitate if you have other questions.

Let us know how you are progressing.

[LA Pork Butt]

SlapYomommabbq Kamado’s are meant to burn lumps charcoal.
On a really long cook using briquettes you will probably get ash clogs. In addition, I think lump burns cleaner than briquettes becauase there are no additives to bind it together. I think if you stack your lump as I suggest you will get a consistent burn.

[SlapYomommabbq]

I will definitely try your stacking recommendation. My biggest obstacle has been brisket. Always turns out overly smokey and its so expensive to practice with. Have you had success with brisket on your BGE? If so, what temp do you prefer?

[Sweaty Paul]

I agree with LA Pork Butt about using lump charcoal. I cooked with briquettes once and noted considerably more ash than with lump. I'm able to do several cooks with lump and not clean the ashes out. That said they tend to be shorter cooks because I'm too picky to leave any ashes prior to a long cook. Subsequently I am a lump guy in my Primo XL while I use briquettes in my PK and and on my Weber kettle.

[LA Pork Butt]

I don’t do a lot of brisket and have had mixed success. If you are using Select grade it will be difficult to get good results. Choice or Prime will produce good results. I do a lot of Boston Butts. It is probably the most forgiving piece of meat you can cook.

I most often have cooked my briskets at 225, but oddly enough my best was a turbo brisket injected and cooked at 300. If too much smoke is a problem maybe you can practice on a Boston Butt and nail the right amount of smoke. They usually go on sale in my part of the country for $.99 a pound.

One BBQ guru contends that meat quits building a smoke ring when the internal temp reaches 140. You might factor that in. When you gauge your use of wood.

[Oak Smoke]

Sweaty Paul +1 on the 300 F temp for brisket. It’s a win, win deal. You’ll get a reduced cook time, great bark, good moisture retention, and a shorter stall that way.

[RolfTaylor]

SlapYomommabbq writes:

> I don't do briskets often on the smoker. For me they always come out pretty disappointing. It is my absolute favorite barbecued food, so I would love to master it on the pit. I just get so discouraged due to the cost. <

You are in the right place to learn. You may want to practice different techniques on pork shoulder. Cheap and hard to mess up. But definitely might help get you up the learning curve. Even at many BBQ joints brisket is often not that good!

[Sweaty Paul]

Oak Smoke Thanks for the info! Will definitely be trying!

[LA Pork Butt]

For most of us, getting better with our cooks is a matter of experimenting and keeping notes on the cook.

[Mosca]

LA Pork Butt does the stacking differently than I do; I just dump that stuff in there. I always use lump. But I have had situations where my fire struggled because of dust and shards, and once in 15 years where it cratered, just burned a hole right down the middle and went out… but my alarm went off, I relit the coal, and the brisket was excellent. It just cost me the hours from 3:30AM to 5:30AM in sleep.

I’ve found that the less I fiddle with brisket, the better it is. It’s a big hunk of beef; cook it. Trim it, rub it, smoke it, eat it. I’ve injected, wrapped in foil, wrapped in pink paper, white paper, separated the flat and point, cut all the deckle out, bought Wagyu, everything. Now I get a nice looking prime brisket from Sam’s Club, trim it pretty judiciously, specifically cutting off the really thin part of the flat, that inch or two at the end that’s going to overcook anyhow. I go by the internal temperature in the thickest part of the flat underneath the point, and ignore the temp in the point. The point will take care of itself. I’ve landed on “foil boat” for wrapping, mostly because it’s easy and it preserves those juices, that I use for other stuff.

Start checking it with an instant read thermometer when your set thermometer reads 195°; different parts are going to be done at different times. Check it lots of different places. Some briskets will get done at 200°, some at 203°, some at 205°, some at 197°. Some cows are fat, others are strong, they’re all different. The set thermometer gets you there, but the instant read tells you it’s done when it goes in “like buttah”. If you’re poking and thinking, “Is that like buttah?” Then it isn’t. Because once it goes in like you’re sticking it into butter, a lightbulb lights up, you think “OH,” and your brisket is going to win awards.

I hope this helps.

[jfmorris]

I am with Mosca in that I literally pour lump in from the bag - usually B&B Oak lump, over a couple of wood chunks that I pre-place in the fire bowl. I fill the bowl to the top, then light a single starter cube I nestle down in the middle if doing low and slow, or 3 scattered around if doing higher temps (300+).

[Sweaty Paul]

jfmorris so you have wood chunks in the bottom and coals on top and not with wood on top of the coals? Appreciate the help in advance.

[jfmorris]

Sweaty Paul yes. On my kamado, I nestle the wood chunks down under the bed of charcoal. I feel I read that in some guidance I had when I first got my SNS Kamado, or elsewhere. Since I am lighting the bed with a starter cube in the top/center, maybe it delays the smoke a bit until it burns down some.

[JCBBQ]

Sorry if I’m repeating as I haven’t read what others said but as an owner of Primo XL kamado I’m hear to say shoot for 275. Kamado’s are very efficient so under 250 the smoke profile isn’t very good. Also it takes a good 45 mins to an hour to properly heat soak the rig and get to the clean smoke you’re looking for. Can’t be in a rush.

[Mosca]

I know for certain that competition steak contestants swear by PKs, and definitely preheat them. I went to a class where that was one of the points made.

[LA Pork Butt]

@RisRis Mosca is correct preheating is important. Weber provides the guidance of 15 minutes before beginning to grill. I would think because of the thickness of the PK you might want to go longer (maybe 30 minutes) but I doubt if 60 minutes would be necessary. I always wanted to get a PK, but no space.

[Sweaty Paul]

@RIsRIs I preheat my PK for maybe 30 minutes to make sure the temp is stable. It really dials in well to 225-250 and holds like a champ. Once I hit my temp I wait 30 minutes then start my cook. The aluminum doesn't seem to take as long to get thoroughly heated through and saturated. It seems to work well for me. Good luck.

[rmeugene]

I don't own any type of "egg", but I read most every post on the site. I came here just to "say", don't worry about being random or a need “to be concise” in your thoughts, especially as a new poster to the site. Those that want to read thru your post and answer/ask follow-up questions will. This particular community/site is not one of those "this has been asked a million times, read the other posts". Although always good to read/inform yourself, don't be scared off to just grabbing a chair, pouring a beer, and asking away as if "we" are sitting around a bonfire.

[Mosca]

That’s right. EVERYBODY has questions. EVERYONE is new at SOMETHING. (Or, thought they had it figured out but actually didn’t. That’s me, most of the time.) Plus, sometimes the answer changes, as folks figure out new things, and as new products come onto the market. So, ask.

[SlapYomommabbq]

Thank you! Writing is definitely not my strong suit. Especially when I'm in a rush to get my thoughts out.

[RolfTaylor]

Amen

[Spinaker]

Welcome! Thank you for your support to our community, it is great for you.

You should not need to add charcoal during the cook. Fill your firebown up completely. Then light a very small fire to start and let that work its way through the firebowl. Once you do this, then ad the billows and let it rip. On a full load you should be able to cook for a very long time.

Another thing to consider is charcoal. Buy a good brand of charcoal. This will do wonders for you. Look for B&B, FOGO or Kamado Joe Brand. These have a good mix of large and small pieces. I avoid Cowboy and Royal oak for long cooks. They have a ton of small pieces and dust. They are fine for hot and fast cooks, but you want a better and bigger lump for long cooks.

The fire being choked out by low temps is not something I have ever encountered. The KJ and any Kamado will roll right along at low temps with no problem. I would encourage you to look at getting a Kick Ash Basket. They allow for more airflow and prevent the bottom vents from being plugged up by ash and small pieces of lump. (Another reason to use FOGO, B&B or KJ Brand)

Check out this thread. This is a single best thread for learning your kamado! This has helped many people understand all the small things that make kamado cooking great.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/charcoal-kamados/other-kamados-and-misc/179353-taming-the-savage-kamado

[realdocBBQ]

I would add Jealous Devil lump to the suggestion box. It's very good.

[Spinaker]

I hear good things. I have just never used it. Thank you for the endorsement, I appreciate it. It is on my list to try.

[Sweaty Paul]

+1 on the Jealous Devil lump.

[LA Pork Butt]

I am curious. You said your briskets were disappointing. In what way? Too, much smoke? Tough? Dried out? Over cooked and falling apart? What is wrong with cook will inform the adjustment. What size briskets do you typically cook?

[SlapYomommabbq]

Yes, the smoke is a bit overwhelming and the flat is dry. I believe I the last time I chose a brisket with a very uneven point and flat. I get USDA choice briskets from Costco and they are usually around 19lbs.

[RolfTaylor]

I usually start my medium big green egg about 1 hr before I intend to start my cook. Generally the shell is pretty warm by then, though mostly white smoke. That's not perfect, but generally I have blue not too long after that.

As far as dirty smoke. To me that is grease smoke, That leaves nasty flavors. That can be an issue with something like a pork shoulder rendering. Slightly less grease smoke with a drip pan than if it drips on the coals directly.

As far as "too much" smoke flavor. Most folks put only a relatively small amount of wood in. That should be used up within a few hours (less than 4). In other words, for low and slow the wood smoke should be over long before the cooking is done.

While I have seen a very few exceptions, the consensus is no briquettes in Kamados, just lump. That does add another variable though, so after a short period of experimentation stay with one brand. There's good info here in the "Fuel and Fires section. However Naked Wiz's site is probably the best place to decide which lump you want to try: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/

Meathead is pretty big on perfection by reduction of variables. The nice thing about briquettes is that you can count them and use the same number each time. While I appreciate the concept, I use lump. I suppose one could weigh your lump to get consistency. That said, if you have a large BGE or KJ equivalent, it is pretty rare that you are going to use all the charcoal in one burn. I definitely concur with others that just fill the firebox. Whatever is left will go out once you seal the vents, so no waste in any case. I also find the used charcoal is easier to re-light so that's an advantage too. Just be sure to stir it up before you empty the ashes.

Slapyo - Given your new found resolve to improve your results, you have found the right place. Lots of very good information on this site, especially if you join the pitmaster club (or accept the free trial).

Welcome.

[klflowers]

One more thing I'll add. It has probably been mentioned somewhere in here. I did choice briskets with some success for years until I got a prime one - mainly because that was all that Costco had at that time. Same method but the results were head and shoulders above anything I had ever done. I realized that for me grade matters.

[SlapYomommabbq]

I think that is my next step. I've located a butcher shop about 45 minutes from me that sells prime briskets for a price that isn't ridiculous.

[Mosca]

SlapYomommabbq Sam’s Club prime packers are excellent. They can be oddly butchered, but even after trim they’re still a decent deal. They’re $4.98/lb locally, vs $4.28/lb for choice. I’ve never had a bad one. And there’s usually half a dozen you get to pick from, so it’s not like “Here’s your brisket, sorry for the skinny end and small point.” You get to decide.