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Overall Impression

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    Overall Impression

    So i've used my KBQ a number of times now, and formed some opinions. #! The KBQ can produce great tasting bbq with a clean smoke taste that has no bitterness ( only smoking with bottom poppet open). I see no reason not to place a pan filled with water in the bottom of the KBQ. Many think it helps with moisture in the meat, some don't, but having the pan on the bottom also makes cleanup so much easier so why wouldn't you one use a pan with water on the bottom of the KBQ? I have not seen any issues with dryness of the meat related to the KBQ itself. In my personal experiences, I have only found dryness of any meat related to internal temperatures being exceeded (when using a water filled pan). I also spritz any food I smoke regularly (why not, it takes minimal effort and with the KBQ you are always futzing with it (monitoring the wood/coal bed anyway) To me, the KBQ is pretty simple to use. It just boils down to monitoring internal meat temperatures. The only criticism I have of the KBQ is that in my environment (coastal),, I seem to go through much more wood than is advertised. But I deal with windy conditions often, so I understand and accept that. But for me, the reality is that I spend a lot of time tending to the coal bed and wood loading frequency. On a long cook, it is a lot of work. Is it fun? Yes, but it is definitely time consuming. In summary, I think the KBQ produces top quality bbq with great tasting smoke flavor without any hint of creosote. But understand that there is a good amount of monitoring of the firebox to maintain a good coal bed and only experience will help you learn what size wood pieces to use and to anticipate when to add the next piece to ensure that the coal bed does not break down and expose the holes on the bottom of the tray. Maybe I'm just being anal and trying to hard to maintain optimal firebox conditions. But I'm trying to reduce the variables that can affect the outcomes of a cook. I'm happy with my purchase. No regrets. I just wanted to offer some insight for those who are considering purchasing a KBQ.

    #2
    Sounds about right to me!

    Comment


      #3
      Thanx for this. I would like to have a KBQ but I know that I don't want to spend 8+ hours tending a cooker. So I'm not gettin' one.

      Comment


      • Spinaker
        Spinaker commented
        Editing a comment
        Nah, you still got it Ed!!! EdF

      • JGo37
        JGo37 commented
        Editing a comment
        EdF which came first Ed?

      • EdF
        EdF commented
        Editing a comment
        JGo37 Changing my mind, of course!

      #4
      Hi RonB, that's why I wrote this post. It would be easy to say that everything is just perfect with the KBQ, but that's not true, at least in my experience. But then again, in the world of BBQ, nothing comes easy. Great BBQ takes time and effort. That's the nature of this style of cooking. Pellet smokers are the most effortless in use, but still slightly miss the mark on great bbq. The KBQ will nail it, but at a price in terms of time and effort. Bottom line... there are no free rides in life.....

      Comment


      • Spinaker
        Spinaker commented
        Editing a comment
        Very well put. I think Bill tries to make this point to people when he is selling his units.

      • Boydog
        Boydog commented
        Editing a comment
        I think the time and effort issue is what keeps me from springing for a KBQ. I'd be sleep-deprived from cooking a brisket or pork butt. Is it possible to do a packer brisket on a KBQ in, say, 10 hours (meat on at 6 am, off at 4pm, 2hr rest)?

      • Dr. Pepper
        Dr. Pepper commented
        Editing a comment
        Boydog I do my brisket in a day. Nothing is worth staying up at night (well, almost nothing.....) Since we are taught that the smoke penetrates cold wet meat, I have taken to wrapping in butcher paper somewhere into the stall when the bark meets my approval (usually around 180-185 F), and I place the wrapped brisket into the oven at 250 until finished (rubbery, probes easily.) Run your smoker at 250-275. There are quite a few 'hot and fast', or 'medium hot and medium fast' advocates here.

      #5
      If you wanted bite through poultry skin, you will not want to use a water pan.

      Comment


      • Spinaker
        Spinaker commented
        Editing a comment
        Nah, Rip the KBQ, full force and you should be fine. Amazing smoked wings my friend!

      #6
      "Great bbq takes time and effort..".....true that

      Comment


        #7
        I have not personally cooked on a KBQ so I don't know the level of input one has to put into fire management. I can say with my stick burner I can mow lawn and do other chores and still tend the fire no problem. Can I go to the movies and come back? No. Can I run to the store to get a forgotten ingredient. Sure. Can I go to bed and hope my phone wakes me up when some set point is exceeded or not met? No and I wouldn't want to. I think people have the idea that you have to constantly be within 10 feet of your stick burner in order to make sure it runs properly. And this may be so with a poorly designed unit.

        Sure stick burners require more of your input than any other kind of cooking/smoking method out there. But imo it's also the most authentic and most rewarding kind of smoking out there.

        When I had my vertical stick burner I used a water pan in the bottom but that was used as a heat sink rather than any idea of adding moisture to the meat. I know Myron Mixon believes in water smokers for adding moisture and I think most LSG smokers have a water reservoir. I also spritz most everything I smoke. I spritz mainly for bark building as all my spritz's contain some sugar content in fruit juices or alcohol mix.

        On the flip side of the coin many of the set it and forget it units aren't always so set it and forget it. Plenty stories on these pages about electronic failures resulting in recovery efforts to save the cook. So there is at times consequences for trying not to put in the time required. In the end it's as much about YOUR time management as it is about fire management.

        Comment


        • Ahumadora
          Ahumadora commented
          Editing a comment
          Couldn't agree more. Nothing better than relaxing by your stick burner while drinking a beer.

        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Yep, great opportunity to "meditate"!

        #8
        Great write up. Thanks! I don’t have a stick burner, yet. Probably not till I retire, but I do like to sit out by my cookers, even when just using charcoal. Got to agree with Ahumadora on that idea.

        Comment


          #9
          I always use a water pan in the KBQ, but only to catch the drippings and keep the smoker clean. The water in the bottom helps the fat and rub from burning to the bottom of the pan. I don't use it to add moisture to the cooking chamber, as you mentioned, I have never had any problems with the meat drying out in the KBQ.

          There is no question that the KBQ is work. I always try to make that clear when people ask me about it. That fact that the KBQ is thermostatically controlled, does not mean that it is as easy as a pellet smoker or any other thermostatically controlled smoker. There is work involved. However, much like other stick burners, it produces amazing food that makes all that work worth while. IMHO.

          Nice write up, my friend.

          Comment


            #10
            BBQ Work! Barbeque WORK! DON'T say BBQ is WORK!

            (yet another ode to an old NFL quote...)

            Comment


              #11
              I think the time and effort issue is what keeps me from springing for a KBQ. I'd be sleep-deprived from cooking a brisket or pork butt. Is it possible to do a packer brisket on a KBQ in, say, 10 hours (meat on at 6 am, off at 4pm, 2hr rest, for a 6 pm dinner)? From my reading, a cook on a KBQ takes tending at least every 30 minutes.

              Comment


              • frigate
                frigate commented
                Editing a comment
                With any stick burner you have to tend the fire. To answer your question we would need to know the weight of the pork butt and packer brisket is. With today's thermometers in the KBQ it is far easier to control the temperature and the time to feed the fire.

              #12
              After traveling through a Char-grill Barrel (did not know what I was doing and gave up for a few years, now deceased), to CharBroil Kettleman (only good for grilling, now deceased), to a home build of the Pit Barrel Cooker (initially enthused about, but eventually realized what I thought was good smoke flavor was creosote due to incomplete combustion, now given away) and a 1st. Gen Weber Performer (grilling only, about to give away) to now owning a KBQ C-60 for about 8 months.
              Every time I use it, it confirms its superior design by the end results, of which can only be achieved by complete wood combustion.
              As to wood consumption, it is a function of species and set point.
              Species; Bill Karau's website lists the characteristics of each species of wood. Set point; increased cook temperatures require comparable energy input.
              The addition of a Water Pan is un-necessary and counterproductive.
              Un-necessary; meat is 70% water and its evaporation moistens its exterior. In addition, moisture is introduced by the normally seasoned wood and as the byproduct of combustion.
              Counterproductive; limits cook temperature due to vaporization and increases energy consumption due to the additional thermal mass.
              As to Fire Management; I do not and have not used any other type of Wood Fired Cooker. In deciding to pursue a WFC, fire management, fuel consumption, price and form factor were the primary considerations. The KBQ C-60 is superior under all considerations.
              Fire management; its Fire Box needs tending at no greater intervals than an Horizontal Offset, is a function of the setpoint to ambient Delta T. and the frequency is reduced due to its superior design convection air movement with in the Cookbox.
              Fuel consumption; reduced due to the units design, fire box efficiency and the convection air movement with in the Cookbox. All of which result in reduced cook time.
              Price; the HOS's I was considering started at $2.5K, without the desired options and shipping, totaling out to at least $4.5K. Form factor; desired HOS was approaching the weight of a small automobile and a foot print approximately equal as well, which increases fuel consumption due to the initial energy soak of its thermal mass.

              Lastly, as I compose this, there it is featured in the bar to the right as AmazingRibs "Favorite Backyard Smoker" and I have not yet mentioned its grilling feature.
              Enough for now, please chime in.

              Comment


                #13
                briancc I'm a little late in responding. I just want to mention the effect of the species of wood on the frequency of feeding. I (unfortunately) purchased a cord of alder last summer, when the seller said he didn't have the advertised oak or cherry. Mistake. It is not a dense wood, burns quickly, not hot, and leaves almost no coals. When in the past I have used oak (from the Columbia Rive Gorge, Oregon white oak, Quercus garryana) it lasts longer, burns hotter, requires less frequent refills. So, pay attention to the wood charts. From KBQ website: https://kbq.us/bbq-edu-blog/wood-selection/

                Comment


                  #14
                  I have had two KBQ smokers. I sold my first when moving houses. Upon going through the same search process before buying another smoker I came back to the KBQ again due to its superior design.

                  My results the first time around never surpassed my expectations which are lofty. The second go around has been much better. The major improvements have come from changes in my methodologies and techniques. Information gained from those such as Franklin and Meathead have helped me in understanding what I should be looking for in regards to bark formation, wrapping and doneness that I just wasn’t focusing on enough. Using my eyes, hands and temp probe have become much more reliable than the use of temperature checks for critical stages of the cook. For this I have come to understand that the KBQ is an amazing tool which does exactly what it was designed to do which is to provide a temperature controlled environment with a variable smoke flavor dictated by the person running the cooker. Yes, you need to feed the beast and there are plenty of learnings to keep a consistent coal bed.

                  i came back to the KBQ because I had faith in the design methodology which the inventor used to design the cooker. The results and quality desired has been delayed by me needing to learn and practice. As with anything, a too is only as good as the craftsman using it. The KBQ is a very capable tool and hits the design marks as intended. It is not set and forget it but I don’t think any walk away smoker is capable of the absolute quality which this is. It all depends on the goals and level of involvement which the user desires.

                  Comment


                    #15
                    I've found that, the more I use my KBQ, the smaller I tend to cut my splits. Which unfortunately speaks to your observation that running the KBQ takes some work. Smaller splits, burn faster, more tending the firebox. But it seems to be worth it in that the coal bed maintains better.

                    Comment


                    • Brick
                      Brick commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I have been using mesquite and it coals like a dream. Once the split gets black and charry throughout, you just punch it with the stick and it falls apart into coal pieces. My oak splits do not do that.

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