I am new to Kamado cooking. This will be my first winter! What is the lowest outside temperature you would recommend cooking at? I previously had a Bradley electric smoker. If it got too cold out, there would be a lot of moisture buildup inside the smoker which would cause the wood pucks to swell and get stuck. Just trying to avoid any problems with my Primo. Would also appreciate any other tips and trick!
As always, thanks in advance to all!
Not exactly apples to apples, but I did a packer brisket last winter on a day/night that ranged between 0-15 degrees on my summit charcoal.
Other than a slightly longer warmup period there was no difference from a normal cook. My standard load of KBB didn't need to be replenished.
Id imagine a ceramic cooker might take a little longer to warm up than the summit just due to mass. But from there it's so well insulated it'll chug along happily.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
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My low was 17 on my Big Green Egg which held steady at 225 overnight. The only advice I would be to slowly heat up your primo with the grill and heat diffuser in early or bring the heat diffuser indoors before adding it to the hot Primo.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Yeah, no limit. Especially with a well built beast like a Primo.
Tricks? Not many. You can start the burn early, kamados are so efficient that a 90 minute preheat is nothing, you’ll still have 4 hours left at the end of any imaginable cook short of something like a shoulder clod. An 18lb brisket is nothing to a kamado.
A smoke pot pot is a good idea for giving a nice thin smoke.
That thing will cook in colder temperatures than you care to venture out in Omega-Man . My best suggestion is that time is on your side, so make sure it is plenty heat soaked before you cook and allow it to chug along nicely at your desired temperature for a decent bit of time (30-45 min) before you drop your meat. On occasion, the dome will want to stay shut due to cold. A burning oil-soaked paper towel or small piece of fire starting cube ignited and stuffed in the lower vent will most likely free the lid in very cold temps.
John "JR"
Minnesota/ United States of America
******************************************** Grills/Smokers/Fryers Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1 Karubeque C-60 Kamado Joe Jr. (Black) Lodge L410 Hibachi Pit Barrel Cooker Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer *******************************************. Thermometers
FireBoard (Base Package)
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********************************* Accessories Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2 Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
Bayou Classic 35K BTU Burner Eggspander Kit X2 Finex Cat Iron Line FireBoard Drive Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron Grill Grates Joule Water Circulator
KBQ Fire Grate Kick Ash Basket (KAB) X4 Lots of Lodge Cast Iron Husky 6 Drawer BBQ Equipment Cabinet Large Vortex Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum Marquette Castings No. 13 (First Run) Smithey No. 12 Smokeware Chimney Cap X 3 Stargazer No.10, 12 ******************************** Fuel FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal Kingsford Blue and White B&B Charcoal Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60 ************************************************* Cutlery Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife Dexter 12" Brisket Sword Global Shun Wusthof ********** Next Major Purchase Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
I have my BGE running right now. I think the temp is about 20 F, right now. And I would say the cold has no effect once it is heat soaked. This thing is sitting so solid, it is just remarkable. The dips in the graph are when I added the plate setter and the meat. It recovers with no problem at all, even after being open to the cold air.
You will love your Primo.
Spinaker, he put on the task of saving some of these threads. What I am finding through the first seven pages is that lots could go but some of these seem not to be replicated a lot and have solid questions and information. Thanks for your advice to folks. It is really helpful!
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