I have a Komado smoker and consistently have problems with off flavors in my meat because using wood chunks. I know you have to wait after you light a fire to get blue smoke. I have tried wrapping wood in foil and placing it at the bottom of the fire. When I do that, the wood only partially ignites. I have lit the wood chunks at the same time as the charcoal and let them burn awhile. I generally use Fogo or Jealous Devil charcoal. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me.
Welcome to the posting side of The Pit! Are you using lump charcoal? Kamados work best with lump. I spread the wood chunks evenly throughout the lump charcoal (some deep and some near the top, some close to and some away from the middle) and let it ignite whenever the nearby lump ignites during the cook. Works well for me.
For low and slow smoking I light the fire right in the middle of the lump charcoal with one tumbleweed.
There are several techniques that work well. I light my lump in the center with one fire starter to start with a small fire. I want to slowly come to temp so I don’t over shoot my target temp. I generally place two or three fist sized chunks of either post oak or apple wood in a circle around the center but not directly over the fire and close the top with the vent to about half open. By then the time the kamado is up to temp the fire will be near enough to the wood to start getting some nice clean smoke. I use a Smobot from that point on to regulate the temp. I want smoke for about the first two hours then I want it to taper off. Too much smoke will give bitter off putting flavors.
Last edited by Oak Smoke; October 20, 2026, 10:53 AM.
I don't own a kamado, never used a kamado ............... however, I was at Kosmos Q store here in OKC, and a fella there told me that on a kamado, the wood chunks should be placed under the charcoal grate to get cleaner smoke.
It meant nothing to me, since I really had no idea what he was speaking to , but its been echoed by Smoking Dad's bbq , and by a member of the forum here
I started watching a YouTube channel called SmokingDadBBQ when I got my Kamado Joe because he is the most watched when it comes to KJ. He gave a tip that I wish I'd tried long ago, and it's improved the flavor of my smoked foods tremendously. He places the smoking wood chunks in the charcoal basket first, and then loads all the
I let the grill get up to temp with clean smoke. Then, right before putting the meat on the grill grates I drop 2 chunks of wood in the glowing embers. And by chunk I mean something you can hold in the palm of your hand, i.e. not fist size chunks. I usually only use 2, not more. No foil or anything, you want them to smoulder and burn. That, together with whatever flavor the lump charcoal gives you, is usually perfect for a balanced smoke flavor.
But one question: you don't mention grill temp at all. What temp are you usually running at? This makes a very big difference. In a kamado I run hotter than a kettle grill. Let us know.
Thanks DanSJr, if you don't mind try running it at 280° F next time around and see how you like it. I prefer cooking at those temps in a kamado. Builds better bark also (which is the main reason I run at 280).
Curious as to what type of wood chunks you’ve tried? If it’s been hickory or oak, maybe try fruit woods like apple or cherry, or a milder hardwood like maple. That’s all I use any more, with a little oak in some circumstances like pork butt, but no hickory any more at all.
I have two similar but different ways. In both ways I bury a lighter square on edge in the lump charcoal a little off center toward the front of the kamado. I light the two exposed corners and let it burn until it comes up to temp and the diffuser and kamado are heat soaked. In variation one I remove the diffuser and put a fist size chunk wood on the fire before reinstalling the defuser. In variation two I bury the fist size chunk of wood in the charcoal on the theory that impurities will burn off when the smoke passes through the fire. I can’t tell much difference in either variation.
Comment