Kamado Joe - Low and slow without dirty smoke

[LA Pork Butt]

[/QUOTE]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.[QUOTE]

1. If you are using more than a fist size chunk, cut back to one fist sized chunk. If you are using that size or less eliminate the wood.

2. Look for the brisket with the fattest point available. If you can afford prime buy prime. Look for a 12# brisket if you are cooking on a Joe classic. If you are cooking on a Big Joe you can go larger, but try to avoid having your brisket extend past the diffuser. Position the flat toward the front because the Kamado will burn hotter toward the rear.

3. Consider injecting the point or separating the point from the flat and making two separate cooks or if you can cook on two levels cook both at the same time. If tenderness is an issue consider wrapping either in butcher paper or foil. It is important to let it rest at least 1 hour and preferably 2 wrapped in an ice chest. The rest is important.

[58limited]

I use B&B lump charcoal in my two kamados - 19" and 22". They excel at a temp range of 250^o - 300^o for brisket, beef and pork ribs, and pork butts. Going lower is actually hard to maintain and tends to have more of the bad smoke; for me anyway.

For briskets shoot for 10-14 pounders with 12 being the magic number. Bigger briskets are harder to cook on a kamado in my opinion and sometimes don't fit although an oval Primo should be able to handle bigger ones.

[klflowers]

As LA Pork Butt mentioned, separate the point and flat. Then make https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...-katzs-recipe/ with the flat

[hoovarmin]

I hope I'm not repeating something that has been mentioned but, if you haven't already, be sure to watch the videos on operating the KJ posted by @SmokingDadBBQ on Youtube. That's the best resource you will find on the KJ.

I'd also echo those who have suggested that you fill your entire basket with charcoal, begin with a nice hot but small fire, forget about 225 and go with 250-275, start your fire early and don't begin dialing in temps until you have absorbed plenty of heat in the dome, and make sure that you allow time for your slow roller and deflector plates to absorb plenty of heat before you close the top vent cap.

We are glad you are here. Welcome to the party!

[klflowers]

I saw some prime briskets in Costco this morning for $4.98 a pound.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Dangit, they've gone up again, then. They were $4.29 a few months ago, then last time I was there, they were $4.69 or $4.79 a pound. Now $4.98. Sheesh. At this rate, I may never get to cook brisket again. <sigh>

[FireMan]

Wow! This is the wordiest post I ever did see!
Keep 'er cookin! 👍

[SlapYomommabbq]

I'm happy to report I've had a ton of success cooking at 225°. The addition of a drip tray has made a world of a difference. It's made such a difference that it's almost hard to tell it came off of a charcoal grill, which is exciting because now I can add as much hardwood as I want to get to my desired taste.

I made beef back ribs, STL style ribs, and a couple whole chickens. Everything turned out great with no bitterness.

I'll be trying a brisket again on Saturday and I'll let y'all know how it turns out. Wish me luck fellas.

[Mosca]

So where before was there any question about a drip tray?

I don’t think I’ve ever done a low/slow on any cooker without one. You never mentioned it. I do it just to make cleanup easier, never mind that it keeps the drippings from incinerating. I buy the trays in packs of 25 from Sam’s, Ocean State, RD, Amazon, etc.

[jfmorris]

Yeah - I kinda wish we had some feedback from you before this, but good to know you found a solution. I assume you are using a diffuser for smoking in your Kamado Joe, and it was hot enough to burn drippings, causing an acrid smoke. I've never noticed this, but can see it happen. I have a nice stainless drip tray from The Ceramic Grill Store (online, all one word) that does a great job of keeping my kamado clean, and by using ceramic spaces, it is not resting directly on the hot diffuser.

[LA Pork Butt]

Also, to piggyback on jfmorris the Ceramic Grill Store also sells ceramic spacers that lifts the pan above the diffuser so that the pan temperature is closer to the ambient temp rather than hotter because of it’s contact with the diffuser.

[RolfTaylor]

More thoughts on getting very low temps in a kamado without white smoke (if that is the concern, as I mentioned up thread its the black grease smoke that worries me the most.

The key is to not get too much charcoal burning at once. Unlike most many cookers, unless grilling Kamado's get too hot if you get too much fuel burning at once. This also implies that the area of hot burning coals is going to have to spread during a cook. Since newly lit coals produce some white smoke it means you can't eliminate it, but if the fire is spreading very slowly it is not noticeable.

So first off, definitely put your fire starters all within a very small area. I put them in the middle, but other's have a preference. I start with the lid open for about 10 minutes, then with it closed and top and bottom wide open. Thne another ~ 10-15 minutes I put the regulator on and then give it another 30 minutes to get the shell up to tempertire,

You have to give it enough time to heat up the shell. If you try to do it too fast you will badly over shoot and never get back down below 300 or so. But my point here is that to get it up to 225-240 will take time especially if you don't let the fire to get too big. I usually get started an hour before I want to put the meat on. but 1.25 or 1.5 hours is even better.

once the shell is up to temperature I generally have the top regulator nearly closed and the bottom at about 1/4". Then very fine tweaking to get it in. Generally the thermometer near the grate is more useful IMHO. The thermoter in the top will read low for much of the cook, but eventually catches up.

Now, my experience is on the Medium Big Green Egg (what is the opposite of an oxymoro?).

If you consitently get too much charcoal going then perhaps something like the snake method (described here: https://amazingribs.com/more-techniq...l-grill-setup/ ) would give more control. With my Medium that just would not work as I need all firebox space for long cooks without having to refuel. There's a similar technique using a s curved baffle that would give the same effect. It is shown in Meathead's (first) book, but I can't find a link on the site.

[Mosca]

This matches my experience with my LBGE pretty closely. I use one firestarter in the center for long cooks, and three in a triangle for grilling. For the long cooks I put the platesetter in after the fire takes hold. I allow AT LEAST an hour. The dome thermo reads low for much of the beginning of the cook, but matches after about 3 hours.

I set my vents differently, but anything that works, works. Once your kamado stabilizes it will run rock steady until it is out of fuel. That’s just physics.

[RolfTaylor]

A corollary to what Mosca and I are saying is that you really do need a thermometer in the kamado. Because if you try to get the top thermometer to our target early on, then you will end up over temp later and struggling to throttle back.

[LA Pork Butt]

RolfTaylor that’s good advice. In addition to my large BGE, I have a MiniMax. The MiniMax is similar to the small, but the fire box is much shallower than the small. I’ve done low and slow cooks on the MiniMax, they tend to cook faster than on the large BGE. I think it is primarily due to the food being closer to the dome which means the reflective heat speeds the cook. I would think that might be similar on the medium but not as accentuated. Just as a side note I use a Smobot controller which cooks with the bottom vent 1/2-1/3 open and adjusts the top vent as necessary to draft air to the fire. I think it tends to contribute to a cleaner fire.

[Oak Smoke]

+1 on the Smobot! The simplest and best way to control the temp of a kamado.IMHO