I just placed my order, I hope this thing is as good as you guys make it out to be. I'm not going to lie I'm more excited than my kids on Christmas morning. Fingers crossed this bad boy makes it here before the 4th of July.
-
-
You are gonna love it! Great flavors, and tending the fire is fun. -
Congrats. I love my KBQ. Spinaker had some good advice when I first got mine. If you get your wood worked out, the KBQ is easy. This means learning the right length and split size for the firebox, and having a good supply. He was dead on.
I now have a medium Fiskars axe and a JawSaw, so I can get the wood down to appropriate sizes pretty quickly.
I use hard maple, oak, hickory, cherry and apple. The maple and oak coal really well, but they take a long time to get going. Dried hickory burns hot and fast, so it's good for getting oak and maple really fired up, either at the beginning of the cook or if you need to quickly revive the fire. Apple and cherry are for flavor, but they also burn faster. I'm generally using at least 2 types of wood for every cook to balance coaling and heat. You constantly want coals over the holes in the coal grate. If they're fully exposed you're pulling cold air in. This will make sense when you have yours set up and get to play.
It's even more fun tending the fire than I expected it to be. And the results...wow!Comment
-
I agree with Koy that it can be mesmerizing to stoke the fire and the food tastes better. Congrats, welcome to the "club" and enjoy!Comment
-
I've got the KBQ on my wish list. Think I'll have the money by mid-summer. Too bad they (the owner of KBQ) doesn't have his own forum exclusively for KBQ owners, Amazon had some 400+ reviews so we know there are at least that many who would participate.Comment
-
SoCalTim, I suspect a KBQ specific forum won't happen unless/until Bill Karau makes KBQ his full time job. He still has a day job and this is done in his spare time. I will state that I text him a question one Saturday or Sunday and within minutes he called me. I have experienced top rate support and have read that others have had the same experience.
Isn't illegal to burn real wood in Southern Cal?
It would be worth the ticket or fine if you were in the city!
Comment
-
-
Sunday morning freshly split truck load of Cherry.Comment
-
Cherry works great in the KBQ. Burned quite a bit this past weekend, with amazing results. Your gonna love it.Originally posted by KARB2014 View PostComment
-
I'm torn, I know comparing the KBQ to the Yoder YS640 is like comparing apples to oranges ... but I can't decide which to get. It's not about the money ..
The question is 'set it and forget it' or 'work it' and watch the crazy awesome results.
Anyone have any thoughts? TimComment
-
I had the exact same battle when I got my KBQ. I knew I wanted capacity and reliability. Both cookers have that. But what it really came down to for me was the flavor and quality of food that I would be able to make with the KBQ. I had tried food off of a YS640 from a completion guy and I thought it was awesome, but I knew I could produce better results with the KBQ.
Then there is the connivence factor. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to slave all night by the smoker to give me greta results? That is when I wanted to go with the YS640. But what it all came down to was, "where can I get the best flavor possible." KBQ was that answer.
I love my KBQ, but I will get a YS640 some day. Both rigs are great. But if you want unbeatable flavor and true smoked meats. Get the KBQ.
If you want very good food, connivence and piece of mind when your doing an overnight cook. Go for the YS640.
Just my two cents.
SoCalTimComment
-
SoCalTim - I'm sure you'll find that anyone that has one or the other will have great things to say about it.
I can't speak for the Yoder, but I love the results I get on my KBQ. I've found that I enjoy feeding the fire, and it's really only every 30 to 45 minutes to just drop in another piece of wood. I also feel more connected to the cook. It's built really well with all stainless steel, and the control unit is built with components that have been proven to last for ages. The capacity is huge (60lbs).
Having briefly tried a Traeger, I can say it wasn't truly set-it-and-forget it either. Maybe less involved than the KBQ, but certainly not as dramatic as I expected.
What I can say, with certainty, is that the food that I have smoked on the KBQ cooked faster, had an amzing smoke ring, and incredible smoke flavor - and my friends and family have indicated the same. I'm not even sure I could screw it up. I don't regret my purchase at all. Hope this helps.Comment
-
This was my exact same issue I was having. I ended up going with the KBQ for three reasons. First if I need set it and forget it I have my performer and kettle both with slow n sears. Also I have my PBC, which all three are almost set and forget. Second reason is flavor. I keep reading about how the flavor is unreal. And the third reason is that I process 10+ cords of firewood a year. I heat my home all winter on wood only, natural gas is just for back up. So wood, I have a lot to choose from where I would have to buy pellets. I really hope I have made the right choice because I can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a smoker again.Comment
-
The KBQ totally delivers on flavor. My neighbor cooks really great ribs, brisket, etc.. on his Yoder YS640, but it simply doesn't compare to the stuff that I turn out. The clean sweet smoke profile from the KBQ is really second to none. You won't be sorry! I smoked on a BGE for years and while it was super easy to maintain great temps and cook on, it just can't produce the flavor you can get from the KBQ.
-
Comment