First KBQ Cook: Chicken! Some thoughts and questions

[goldp18]

After two weeks of staring at my new KBQ in the garage, I finally had time to do a quick cook. Here are my thoughts and impressions.

Thoughts on using the KBQ:

1. Overall impression: damn this thing is good. I had high expectations. Very high. Based on all of the glowing reviews, I was trying to limit my expectations by forcing myself to think, "The first cook on a new smoker is a gamble. There's a learning curve. This chicken will probably be good, but don't expect incredible." I was wrong. It was incredible. It was everything I secretly hoped but didn't want to admit I expected.
2. It's perfect for the tinkerer who sometimes goes too far. I was thinking about a pellet cooker until my wife said, "But you like messing with things while they cook." I was thinking that a more calculated approach would get me more repeatable results. But with full computerized control, what would I do during the whole cook? There is a lot of fiddling with this cooker, but it's the right kind of fiddling. It's fun fiddling. Add wood here. Poke the fire there. With my last smoker, every adjustment was reactive to correct temperature or smoke. Sometimes adjustments would go too far. Temperature and smoke (the important things) are well controlled with the KBQ, so it would be tough to sabotage the cook. Fiddle and poke away, whether it needs it or not (but it will need it). I checked every 15 minutes and found something I could do. I expect attention is required every 30 mins. This is not a set it and forget it cooker. However, it's perfect for someone who values an excuse for a graceful exit to "check the smoker".
3. The flavor profile is unlike anything I've cooked before. My main cookers before the KBQ were charcoal. When looking for a replacement smoker, I wanted to experience wood burning to see if I could escape a the over smoked charcoal flavor that was sometimes present. The smoke flavor coming off the KBQ is NOTHING like off my charcoal cookers (I suppose that shouldn't be surprising). It's much smoother, sweeter, and more mild. Leftovers also don't seem to develop that charcoal smell.
4. It will spit embers. I ordered some of this and bent it to cover the fire box openings on the sides. It helps, but you will spit glowing hot embers in the area around it while you tend the fire. No flip flops.

The cook:

1. Two spatchcocked chickens rubbed with Memphis Dust and cooked with oak and cherry. Temperature set to max. The cooker had no issue hitting and maintaining 325 (it was around 50°F outside).
2. I varied the poppets. Most of the time the bottom was fully open. 5 minutes after a new log was added, I would open the top about 1/4 way. 10 Minutes after a new log was added, I would open the top fully and close the bottom. The lid was always in place.
3. I greatly appreciated being able to open the cooker and check on progress or rotate, without significantly increasing cook time. The cooker was always back up to temp in no time at all.
4. There may be something to finding the perfect size piece of wood. As I was cutting wood to size, I erred on the larger side. I think there is something to slightly smaller pieces. I found large pieces were not quite ready to break apart into a bed of embers.
5. The cooker didn't release much smell of cooking food until it was ready. It seems like all of a sudden the back yard smelled like amazing toasted chicken, and that's when it was done.
6. Somehow all of the chicken was perfectly cooked. The wings were delicious and moist. The dark meat was delicious and moist. The breast meat was delicious and moist. All of it was perfect.

Questions:

1. I used oak and cherry, but did not get the cherry wood flavor that I would have expected. I tried to use the top poppet to get some of that smoke. Does the KBQ seem to equalize different types of wood to a similar flavor?
2. What size wood are you guys finding provides the best balance? Some of my pieces were ~80% of the length of the fire box, and when they reached the bottom, they weren't quite ready to break apart into a bed of embers. Would I be better off with smaller chunks that are ~50% the length?

[EdF]

Yes, the "you can smell it when it's ready" effect really works. I've taken to using a Kindling Cracker to manage the depth of firewood pieces. It all just works!

[goldp18]

I can get used to the smell-timer. I had to get my wife to come outside and take a whiff. "Come see how delicious we are making it smell outside!" And you're right about the Kindling Cracker. I picked one up in anticipation of the KBQ and I'm impressed with how well it works. Very safe, too.

[Spinaker]

On the road now, but I will be back to visit this one! Can't wait to read up on how your fist KBQ cook went! Welcome to the KBQ family.

[Old Glory]

Wow that looks awesome!

[Spinaker]

For the wood, I would focus more on thinner pieces. For length, I found that about 80% length of the firebox is about right, maybe smaller. I try to have pieces of varying sizes. Nothing too small and nothing too big. I will, on occasion, use some really small, chunk size pieces just to beef (no pun intended) up the coal bed . I try to have my logs be able an inch to 1 1/2 inch in thickness. This will allow you to develop really nice coal bed by having logs burn up by the time they get to the bottom. I also find that not allowing any wood to rest on the bottom of the fire grate helps enormously. I will even prop some of the logs up at a shallow angle to make sure they get more time to burn, if need be.

As for the wood flavor. I use primarily oak and cherry. In my experience, the cherry wood is over powered by the oak, but I can tell it is there. Or it may be, as you elude too, be blending all the flavors together. I find that if I do a straight up Cherry wood cook, I do notice a lighter flavor that is excellent with ribs and pork shoulders. For brisket, I stick too oak, only because I am looking more for that "Texas-Style" brisket. Honestly, I don't really think the wood matters all that much in the KBQ. I have yet to find anything that I didn't like. I am not in the camp that Cherry wood tastes sweet or that apple wood gives you apple notes in the smoke. If it burns clean, it will taste great and that is all I am looking for.

All in all it sounds like you killed your first cook! I too did a chicken on my first cook, and I had the same results, a fantastic bird!

Again, welcome to the KBQ family!

[Spinaker]

It all burns and its allllllll goooood! EdF

[BBQ_Bill]

Agreed my friends.
I've not found that there is this HUGE DIFFERENCE, whether it be Oak, Mesquite, Pecan or Applewood. Oddly, most say that the differences are extremely subtle in the KBQ. In my offsets, I find flavors are more pronounced. My BEST guess is that the inverted flame system that reduces the size of the smoke molecule is it, but I really have no clue as to why most woods taste similar.

[Spinaker]

BBQ_Bill
Perhaps, some fo the flavors we think of or come to expect in certain woods are burned off while going through the flame. (totally spit-balling here)

Thoughts? docblonder

[BBQ_Bill]

The chicken cook looks absolutely incredible!
You can just SEE the super moisture in that breast meat! Wow!
-
In regards to your wood size question...
I am finding similar results that Spinaker posted.
My experience is that if the piece of wood is too short or too small, when it coals down, it gets smaller and falls through the coal grate holes right away, thus filling the coal tray faster in longer cooks.
Also, take note that length and diameter of wood for your KBQ have been worked on and experimented with extensively by Bill Karau who is just a phone call away. KBQ

[JGo37]

BBQ_Bill that's interesting. I read about people not being able to identify the wood used, and subtle taste differences.

Smoking in a Kettle the taste differences from different woods EXPLODES for me. I'll at times use mesquite on beef in the Performer and hickory on pork in the Limited without switching up for months. The kettles get specific seasoning traits that way and I love it.

I don't have KBQ experience, and probably won't have because I have an arsenal of grills I like now. I'd love to test a Santa Maria style grill with lots of different woods and evaluate that. That can be easy to do, even with a tripod over a pit. And maybe that's the purest way to do it.

This is an interesting topic. We'll have to start a thread on it someday.

I thought just now at the end of this post to clarify how I use wood with KBB. I always 2-zone. I always put a big, fist-size chunk of the wood I'm using ABOVE the briquettes in the UPPER grate, and let it smolder and reduce to coal for the entire cook. I adjust the vents to get blue smoke.

I move the chunk out of the way if it's still there to do the serving sear.

At ~ 22F tonight I did ~ 8 thick country pork ribs on the kettle racetrack outside the Vortex fuel basket. I got the GREATEST smoke ring for a quick cook - KBB & hickory in the Limited, Lucille. I had to go get it, to put my pic where my mouth is...

[JGo37]

And Chance the Boxer and I ate some more...

[BBQ_Bill]

This is not a good thing... I have NOT had dinner yet and I am looking at all this delicious looking meat! ARGGGGG!

[JGo37]

And goldp18 that Bird looks incredible!! Great job on the spatchcock too...

[BBQ_Bill]

Agreed!

[BBQ_Bill]

goldp18
I read your Thread Starter (Header) post again this morning.
After reading The cook 2) again, not only does it look like the poppet and lid method you used is very close to one I have recently used, your "heavier smoke" top poppet use sort of negates the thought that the inverted flame is THE reason behind our peception of the loss of the distinctive wood flavor profile.
The KBQ... It's a sweet smoking machine for sure!

[goldp18]

I could have been more liberal with the top poppet. For the first cook I didn't want to over do it. I used it when I was confident I was getting a clean burn. New logs were added or the fire was jostled every 15 minutes which reset the top poppet use. So it could have been open wider, or longer. Maybe an experiment to isolate the poppets: run a full bottom only and a full top only cook to compare.

[goldp18]

Thanks to everyone for the input!

Good tips on the wood size, I'll try some that are thinner next time. I really only focused on cutting it to fit in the box. I read about smaller pieces falling through so I went large. It looks like I went a bit too far (see attached for the sizes I was using). Fortunately the Kindling Cracker makes for quick work.

Spinaker You are likely right that I just didn't pick up on the cherry flavor. Since I'm so new to this cooker, I don't yet have the experience to pick up on the different nuances of the different smoke flavors. The taste is so much different than wood chunks over charcoal. I'll have to try single wood cooks to build that KBQ knowledge. Good tip on propping up wood that needs a little more time to burn.

BBQ_Bill This chicken came out unbelievably perfectly cooked throughout. Crispy skin and not a spot of dry or overcooked meat anywhere. Truly amazing cooker, but I guess you already know that. Thanks for the reminder that Bill KBQ is only a phone call away. His legendary customer service is what helped push me towards this cooker. I'm probably not the only one making these mistakes. I figure getting community input and leaving references for future KBQers seems like a valuable addition to the community!

JGo37 My experience with wood over charcoal is similar. Cherry wood has a distinct flavor. Pecan has a distinct flavor. Each could be used and combined as a seasoning. My thinking with the KBQ is that compared to wood over charcoal, the flavor is so different, I just haven't learned the flavors yet. I also trust BBQ_Bill 's input in this area.

I will have to try smaller chunks of a single type of wood for the next cook. Hooray for delicious experimenting!

[JGo37]

The 'mistakes' I learn from seem to be a bit more significant than yours. Very cool you're paying attention to details. When you start honing in on nuances of specific woods, you should keep a journal that includes T & Humidity. This URL includes 'how to taste wine', and it's applicable to woods. https://winefolly.com Click on 'Learn' and read Wine 101.

[goldp18]

JGo37 It helps to have such a large margin for error. Also these are just the mistakes I'm willing to talk about in public. Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out a little later on.