What improvements would you make?

[Rollingstone]

I’m two weeks in to my SnS Kamado. I love it. I’m not great at cooking with it. Previous experience is only fast charcoal, never low and slow. So far I’ve done spareribs, short rib, and a spatchcock chicken. The flavour was amazing. But both the ribs were drier than I would have liked. Still learning. Anyway, I wondered if a thread on what improvements could be made to the cooker would be helpful. For myself so far:
1) I wish the top vent was rain proof
2) I wish cleaning was simpler - I use the kickask basket and tray, but still have to use a vacuum anyway.
3) I wish the lid opened and closed with the ease of the Kamado Joe II.
4) I wish someone figured out a way to make a closable port in a ceramic cooler for attaching a regulator fan (like the thermoworks billows) that doesn’t involve macgyvering the intake vent.
5) the slow and sear fire is awfully close to the gasket and I can already tell that I’ll need to replace the gasket sooner than I would have thought. It’s piling here and there. Anybody know how this compares to the KJ II gasket?

Anyway, those are just my initial thoughts. Overall, I love love love the versatility of this grill.

[DavidNorcross]

I have not vacuumed mine yet. I also have the kickash basket and would not do without. What is left when I pull the basket, I dump the basket and use the little fire tool that comes with the cooker and hold the basket in front of the bottom vent and rake the left over ash into the basket. Clean up is easy with this cooker at least it has been for me.

BTW, welcome to the pit!

[HawkerXP]

Welcome to the Pit! sorry can not help......

[LA Pork Butt]

Welcome to the Pit from Dallas, Texas!

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit. Sorry, but I don't have that cooker.

[glitchy]

Welcome to the Pit!

BBQ Guru makes all kinds of fan adapters for many cookers. Not sure if they work with the billows or if you can plug a Pit Viper fan into the Signals or not.

https://bbqguru.com/storenav?ProductId=14

[bbqLuv]

If you can't be with the grill you love, Love the grill you're with.
I know a good vacuuming really sucks, as it should. My vacuum sucks or it wouldn't suck up ashes.
I vacuum my pellet grill every 20 cooking hours or so. Just part of the process to getting better cooks, in my opinion. Just like cleaning the grates.

Hello from NW Oregon,
Happy Grilling to you and PBR too.

[Huskee]

I never agreed with any of your posts as much as this one!

[BluesDaddy]

I bought an SNS Kamado in early October and used it practically daily. My only real change would be to make the pegs on the shelves actual hooks, even with just a right angle bend up at the end, to keep tools from falling off so easy. I predominantly have used it with the SnS insert and have not noticed any issues with the gasket as yet. As for clean up, I bought the Kick Ash bundle with it that comes with the basket, can, and divider. The can is, IMO, a must have as it makes clean up MUCH easier. I've not used the divider yet as I've only done traditional kamado set up twice. As for vacuuming, yeah, when I empty the can I wind up vacuuming as well but not sure how you can eliminate that without a drawer into which everything falls, which I'm not a big fan of. I don't have any other Kamados, but owned an old Imperial years ago (bought it used from the original BGE store, someone had traded it in on a BGE) and then an Akorn and SnS is light years ahead. I do agree with the top vent cap. I would like it a little more substantial and rain proof.

[LA Pork Butt]

I use the can on my BGE and brush any ash or charcoal left in the firebox into the can before emptying. What little makes it below the can I am to ignored for a number of cooks.

[Mosca]

Just a note on cleaning, from a long time kamado user:

Relax. Just get most of the ash. Once or twice a year you can pull the insides and clean everything, but vacuum? In 11 years of ownership I’ve never vacuumed mine. I brush it out. The food still comes out great.