Well I did my first pork butts on the KBQ. I also threw a brisket on there just for good measure. This cook was quite a bit warmer than many that I have been doing lately. It was about 30 F last night, even into the late hours of the night. (Unseasonably warm) However, the KBQ still ripped through this cook in about 5 1/2 hrs. I would say my average cook temp was about 240 F. Again, that fan is running much more, causing a lot of air flow through the cooking chamber. Which speeds the cook considerably. I wrapped everything, except one butt that was done already, at about 4 1/2 into the cook and everything was done by that 5 hr mark. I was amazed. I took one picture just before I wrapped everything up. Not the best but you get the idea. The bark on those suckers is looking pretty amazing.
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Well one thing you have to remember is the temp I am cooking in. Below freezing. When the air is cold, that fan runs a lot more than usual to keep that chamber warm and up too temp. So basically, your getting a convection oven. I am assuming that is why I can cook them so fast. When it was in the 50's I had a brisket take 10 hours. Koy SchoppeComment
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When you guys are referencing temps are you going by the dial on the KBQ or measuring temps in the chamber?Comment
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alecksjaycubs the dial will get you in a range. It has no marker so it is best to still use a thermometer.Comment
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alecksjaycubs my maverick died so I've been a cheapo instant read thermometer. Ib stick it by the fan. I've I hit my range, I'm good.
I'll be getting Meathead thermoworks kit soon.Comment
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I just found this post. I originally posted in another area of the website. This blog has allot more posts on it. Awesome.
I received my KBQ last week and did my first smoke with it last Friday. For my first one, I did 2 11lbs. briskets, and 2 racks of pork ribs. I put allot of TLC into the preparation of the briskets, but very little for the ribs. In fact, the ribs were an after-thought – I just slapped some rub on them and threw them in for the last few hours of the cook. With that said, they all came out great. My wife and kids said it was the best ribs I’ve ever made, and the brisket was the most tender. Not bad for my first try on this smoker.
I agree with the comments written on this thread in regards to design, smoke quality, etc. of the KBQ, so I’ll try to limit my observations to what hasn’t been said yet. Here’s my thoughts on it so far…
Operation:
Temperature knob: It appears that the smoker may run hotter than what is shown on the temp knob (my knob has degrees on them). To get the smoker at 250 degrees, I only had to have the knob dialed to 144. Not a big deal as long as I can cook at a lower temps if needed.
Firebox: You guys weren’t kidding about how hot the firebox gets! I initially used hot pads to lift the lid off the firebox and the hot pads started to smoke! I then switched to my thermal gloves (that are good for up to 450 degrees), and I felt the heat through those as well.
Firebox lid: Besides getting hot, the lid can be tough to remove. When I’d lift the lid, the whole firebox would lift with it! I attribute this to the force caused by the heat inside the box and the fans. I started experimenting by moving the lid to one side when closing it; And for opening it: moving the lid side to side as I lift the lid. This helped. I may just leave the lid off for now on and call it a day.
Noise: The KBQ can get a bit noisy. The convection fan isn’t bad, but when the draft fan kicks in, I can hear it from about 75 feet away. It doesn’t bother me, but I wonder about the buyer who lives in the city with a small lot and snooty neighbors. I know my neighbors mentioned the convection fan noise from my GMG grill when I first got it, and that’s about half the noise level of the KBQ. If they complain, I’ll have to hand them a rib or two. That should shut them up!
Smoke: From what I read, I thought it would have a smokier flavor than what it produced for my first cook. I had the smoke selector set to mostly a clean smoke. Next time, I’ll experiment more with the dirty smoke setting.
Possible improvements: grease tray, taller legs (or adjusting legs), and a place to hang the tending hook. Maybe even another “KBQ†stamped through the other side of the firebox (just to make it even cooler).
Questions: has anyone made modifications to the smoker? Do I need to do anything about the ash in the tray to force it into the bottom of the firebox, or will it fall into the bottom naturally? Any additional tips or tricks anyone have for the KBQ?
Overall, I’m very happy with the results and my purchase. It does give a much better flavor profile than my pellet grill. More of a flavor associated with old style BBQ. I like it! Plus, it has a cool factor of 10!
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I agree, the firebox lid fits very snugly. It's not a problem in my case because I have a CampChef dutch oven lid lifter. I can remove and replace the lid with relative ease. No hot hand involved. One thing you're going to really love is when you do the first major cleanup of the KBQ. The hardest part is dragging it a couple of feet out in the yard before blasting it with water. Thank goodness for stainless steel.
Here's a link to the lid lifter. http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Prof...2?ie=UTF8&qid=Comment
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Great tip. Thanks Oldsteve!Comment
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What's the size of the mouth of the firebox?Comment
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KBQ, I'm interested but a bit put off by your warranty: 90 days parts/labor/shipping, 2 years on parts but the customer is responsible for finding someone to replace the part or shipping it back to you for repair(and presumably, you shipping it back to the customer). Since this is a fairly complicated piece of machinery beyond the average backyard cook's technical capability of repairing and shipping costs are not insignificant for those of us who don't live on the West Coast I 'd like to hear your reasoning for this very limited warranty and if you'll consider exceptions.
For example: I buy your smoker, 3-1/2 months later a circuit board fails. I have no tools, no idea what a circuit board is or how to remove and replace it, so what do I do? Do I ship the smoker to you for $210, you replace the circuit board, charge me for labor(at what rate?) and ship it back to me for another $210? So I end up spending 2/3 the cost of a new unit(plus labor) for a "warranty repair"? Let's say I don't have to ship the whole unit back, only part of it so maybe it only costs $40.00 each way plus labor. So my "warranty repair" now costs me only $80 plus labor? Is that any way to treat your customers? Do you think you'll get recommendations or repeat business from customers who've had problems?
I've run a small service business for 15 years, I've had customers call me with problems years after my warranty expired and I've always taken care of them at no charge if they had a legitimate issue. It just goes with the territory, you sell a product or service, you stand behind it.
I'd like to hear from you on this subject before I order one of your smokers.
Thanks,
BillComment
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I did my second cook on the KBQ last weekend. Here’s how it went…
Cleaning tip for the exterior of the smoker: I used Magic Eraser. Then an all purposes cleaner. Worked slick and brought the smoker back to “show room†condition!
Heat range: Before getting started with my cook, I played around with the temps to see what the smoker was capable of. At its lowest setting, it stabilized at around 130 degrees. I then cranked it up to its highest setting. It was at 400 degrees and climbing when I brought it back down to normal temps. Since I normally smoke foods between 185 and 275 degrees (and rarely go past 325), I was completely satisfied with the range. The outside temp at the time was 38 degrees (I live in Minnesota).
Firebox lid: the lid didn’t stick as much as in my first cook. In fact, it only started sticking during the last hour when the outside temp started dropping. I think the extreme difference in temps between the outside air and the inside of the firebox causes it.
Tip for opening the door: once in awhile opening the door is difficult, and the handle is slippery when using heat resistant gloves. I started experimenting with using the end of the poker to assist with this. Stick the end into one of the holes of the door handle and pull (while also pulling the handle with the other hand). Works pretty well.
Food placement: for this cook, I smoked pork ribs, chicken wings, and bacon wrapped jalapenos poppers – all at 250 degrees. Since I wanted the wings and poppers to cook at a higher temperature, I set those items lower in the cooking chamber and put the ribs toward the top. I then finished the wings and poppers by searing them on top of the firebox (while the ribs were sill cooking).
Smoke settings: I did more of a dirty smoke this time. I had the top setting at fully open and the bottom at 80% closed. A few hours later I noticed that the levers had moved a little. Must have been caused by the vibration of the draft fan or maybe from opening the lid off the firebox. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on this and possibly use small metal clips to secure them in the future.
Results: The wife and kids liked everything - especially the wings. Not only did the wife think it was the best wings I’ve ever made, but the best she’s ever had! In my opinion, those types of comments are reserved for Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque located in Stillwater, MN - but I accepted the compliment anyway!
Conclusion: I’m addicted to this thing, and can’t wait until my next cook!
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After a couple of cooks when I first got my KBQ, I noticed that the dampers had seemed to moved on their own. Well it was just clumsy me not being careful when adding more firewood. It doesn't take much of a bump to move them. I now check every time I add more fuel.Comment
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