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Smoking on a BGE vs Weber kettle

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    Smoking on a BGE vs Weber kettle

    I had been using a webber kettle with the smokenator for all my bbqing. Last year I wanted to expand my tools so after researching different smokers and grills I decided to get a Big Green Egg. Overall I love it, especially for high heat griling. Also, for low and slow its so easy to keep steady for hours. however I was really surprised by how different the slow cook experience was on the BGE. The thing that I notice the most is that on the webber, when a pork butt was finished ( about 12 hours to reach around 203 degrees) it looked like that classic charred meteor with all its barky goodness. When I do the butt on the BGE, first off, it takes much longer to reach temp. about 16 hours to get it up to 203 degrees. Also, when its finished the outside isnt charred and black. Its actually still a little red/pink. Its still very good bbq but im not sure why its different. The food that is really different is poultry. Smoking on the webber turned the skin this lovely brown. when I do birds on the bge the skin does not crisp up. the temp is right but the bird gets this light pink color to it that doesnt look very appetizing. What I started doing was finishing the bird over direct heat, this helps a lot with the color and crispy skin but im wondering why this is happening and if there is anything I can do about it. Ive read that competition cooks dont like to use Kamodo grills because the coal produces a different kind of smoke? Im wondering if this may be part of what im experiencing.

    #2
    I also find that Kamados have a different taste. One of the reasons you are not getting that bark is that there is so little airflow in the kamado. This is why your dampers are always choked down, and why they can run so rock solid. With reduced airflow, you also have reduced surface evaporation. So a large meat cook at 225 F in a BGE will take much longer.

    I love my kamdos, but for me the best flavor comes from burning wood in my KBQ. IMHO, there is nothing better.

    So what can you do? Cook hotter. I usually cook at about 250 F to 275 F. The increase is temp also means more airflow, as your dampers are open wider. You will see the cook progress faster, the stall won't be as long and your bark should improve.

    As for chicken, try to cook it at about 375 F-425 F, or as they say, "Hot and Fast" Throw some wood in the fire, to get some good clean smoke and let it rip. The hotter fire will also give you cleaner smoke. Have you looked at the Smoke Pot yet? If not, check it out. And this one too.

    Comment


    • JEString
      JEString commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks for the advice! I will let you know how the next cook turns out!

    #3
    I'd like to add that air humidity has a large effect on bark too. Kamados tend to be very humid, compared to a kettle.

    Comment


    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      True story. I always forget something. LOL

    #4
    I've got a Primo. It took me a while to realize that most of the cooking instructions on this site are geared towards cooking with a kettle. Ceramics just cook differently. You have to adjust what you are doing - not much - but the humidity inside them and the considerably less airflow makes a difference. I tend to smoke closer to 275. (I haven't experimented higher yet)This will close the gap on cook times and, to my nose, the smoke smells better and creates more of smoke ring. I've cooked chicken indirectly but 400 is better for the skin in my experience. Play around with it. It's a different machine. Think about level too. Kettles cook at one level. My Primo has 4 that I'm aware of. This will allow you to cook directly without burning - play with your chicken this way. Good luck. Keep us posted.

    Comment


      #5
      Not owning a kamado, I can only give indirect advice, and that applies to cooking chicken. After cooking a LOT of chicken both direct and indirect, I've decided that high heat is best. I cook all my chicken now spatchcocked, on a set of Grillgrates, over direct heat. The Grillgrates block a lot of the heat from the charcoal and probably make it similar to cooking on your kamado at high heat with the deflector plate in place - maybe around 375F to 400F, versus a low and slow cook.

      Comment


        #6
        JEString I have been cooking on a Big Green Egg since 2010, and I have lost track of how many pork shoulders I have done. I usually cook 10 pounders at 225 dome temperature and pull them at 200. They typical cook time is 12 hours, so I am wondering about that 16 hour cook time. My first thought would be for you to check your thermometer for accuracy. Thickness of meat determines cook time, and the shoulders don’t get much thicker than ten pounders. I once cooked four ten pounders which for all practical purposes was doubling the thickness of the meat. That cook took 22 hours on one load of charcoal.

        Comment


          #7
          Keep in mind that because a kamado is so thoroughly insulated you are typically burning a smaller fire than in a kettle. So, your heat is coming more from the device itself and less from the fire. Apparently, it matters. If you go to Youtube, search for "Baby Back Maniac". On one of his videos he does a comparison cook between his Weber 26" kettle with the Slow n Sear vs his Weber Summit charcoal grill (a metal kamado). The results are noticeably different and compare with what you are describing. For as cool as kamados are, they aren't best suited as smokers. You can tinker around and mitigate some of the structural designs that detract from optimal smoking, but I think a kettle will typically produce more desirable results.

          One more thing. I had a Smokenator and I really liked it, until I got the Slow n Sear. It's much easier to use for smoking and it transforms the kettle into an optimal 2-zone cooking device for everyday grilling. That sear zone is nuclear hot. I sold my Smokenator at a garage sale last year after it had sat idle for a couple of years.

          Comment


            #8
            Question, are you using the same fuel in both? Regardless of what Meathead says, kamados run better on lump, and the kettles run better on briquettes.

            I have both a BGE and a Weber Kettle, and honestly there isn’t that much difference that I can tell. My briskets and pork butts on the BGE look like meteors, my ribs come out great on either cooker. BGE is humid, but that’s what the water tray is for in the kettle. Choke down the vents on the kettle and there isn’t much air flow there, either; I have those barely cracked to hold 240 in mid summer.

            What’s great is is having two cookers so that I can grill on one and barbecue on the other! In those instances, the Weber gets the burgers and the BGE gets the ribs.

            Any cooker comes with strengths and compromises. Learn your tools and be happy!

            Comment


            • LA Pork Butt
              LA Pork Butt commented
              Editing a comment
              I agree. I cook on both, too, and I don’t think I could tell the difference in blind test with a dome temp at 225 and both cooked to 200.

            • Ahab
              Ahab commented
              Editing a comment
              So I am in research phase of getting a new grill/smoker. . Currently cooking on a Weber Kettle and a Weber Bullet smoker. You guys are talking about the humidity inside a Kamado style. I have always been a fan of the water bowl in my Weber Bullet. Does the inherent humidity in a Kamado remove the need for the water bowl?? Not to be stupid, but what is the source of the humidity??

            • Mosca
              Mosca commented
              Editing a comment
              The water in the bullet is replacing water evaporated during the cook. Kamados have thick ceramic walls that hold water in, so they don't need a water pan. There are people that use them, but they are not necessary.

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