Our Authors
Max Good
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Favorite foods: Grilled beef - pork and fish, smoked delicacies, fresh fruit and vegetables, Italian and Thai cuisine, sushi and my own proprietary Double Whammy Umami Burgers.
- Last bite on earth: My wife.
Recent Posts
Comments
The Best Gas Grills Under $500, 2015 Edition
@iamfarrah
Glad to help in your quest for Cue!
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@drbbq
It cooks different because the thin walls don't retain heat. Ceramics are excellent outdoor ovens because the heavy walls even heat out and hold it steady for long duration. Even with a firebox divider on one of your large BGE models, temperatures in the direct and indirect zones even out pretty quickly.
2-zone set ups are not always the best way to cook, but they often are, particularly when cooking a lot of different foods over the course of an afternoon or evening. 2-zone gives you hot direct radiant heat and mild indirect convection heat to use simultaneously as necessary. For example: slow cook chicken parts indirect then finish off direct to crisp the skin. Next sizzle up some hot dogs, brown then bring them over to the indirect side to stay warm. And so on and so on. Here's a short video of cooks at one of Weber's restaurants using 2-zones on their big kettles. And man - they can do this all night long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO70S-4nQts
We often have this argument with round kamado afficianados. The solution is simple. Just set a decent charcoal grill next to your kamado and you have the best of both worlds. Check out our article on 2-zone cooking to learn more: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/2-zone_indirect_cooking.html
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@brodieb666
Pit Boss is a low cost brand from Dansons, makers of Louisiana Pellet Smokers. I tested one of their Pit Boss pellet smokers and inspected that big 24" kamado at Costco. It's easy to see where costs have been cut to keep the price down, but if the price is right, Pit Boss isn't a bad deal as long as one has realistic expectations. You will notice the dampers, insulation and hardware are bargain basement quality. Still, Costco was selling that big 24" XL kamado way below list at $600. Now I hear they've dropped the price to $400, at least in some locations.
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@brodied666
Pit Boss is a low cost brand from Dansons, makers of Louisiana Pellet Smokers. I tested one of their Pit Boss pellet smokers and inspected that big 24" kamado at Costco. It's easy to see where costs have been cut to keep the price down, but if the price is right, Pit Boss isn't a bad deal as long as one has realistic expectations. You will notice the dampers, insulation and hardware are bargain basement quality. Still, Costco was selling that 24" XL kamado was already way below list at $600. Now I hear their dropping the price, at least in some locations, to $400.
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@drbbq
So you pile charcoal on one side just like with a Weber kettle - no diffuser and no firebox divider? And you achieve a direct zone over the coal and indirect zone on the other side with the single piece standard round cooking grate?
How would you compare the the separation of zones between the Egg and kettle?
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@Susan K
We changed this statement to After World War II.
I'm not an historian either. I just wanted to give a broad brush stroke picture of the origins of kamados.
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@drbbq
Setting up 2 zones on a $100 Weber Kettle or $370 PK Grill or almost any other charcoal grill is easier. All you need to do is pour the charcoal on one side. No fussing with place setters, racks, or extra cost accessories. We have produced much better reverse seared food on them than on a round kamado even with Kamado Joe's Divide and Conquer system. The issue is proximity, or distance from direct infrared heat.
I hope all can see by this article and the substantial amount of information at AmazingRibs.com regarding kamados that we love them. They can do just about everything except the round ones lack the ability to easily and effectively be set up with two distinct zones that may be used simultaneously.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@Kosmotis
YIKES! That is waaaay too much. Interesting though that replacement of the controller on the Green Mountain solved the issue for your pal.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@Kosmotis
It isn't unusual for temps to go up and down, hovering around your set point. Kitchen ovens work the same way, but they are heavily insulated and in a more controlled environment so you may not notice the fluctuations as much. The higher end pellet smokers here - REC TEC and above - have very tight temp tolerances. On the other hand, a kamado can hold very steady temps even in the hands of a cook with moderate skill, but if you've never used one their will be a learning curve.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@sassypantscooks
Pit Boss is made by Dansons, the same folks who make the Louisiana Country Smoker on this list. Many retailers are offering great deals on Pit Boss cookers. At the right price, meaning well below MSRP, Pit Boss is not a bad choice. I reviewed Their 820 Deluxe model on AmazingRibs.com: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/smoker/pit-boss-820-deluxe-pellet-smoker
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@scalfin
Many of the kamados on this list are made in China for Amaerican companies. Although I can't think of any Japanese made kamados being marketed in the USA, I would be very surprised if they didn't exist.
The Big Green Egg and Beyond: The 10 Best Kamado Smokers and Grills
@tankwatkins
We were one of the early champions of reverse sear, and what you describe is essentially the same method one would use to reverse sear on any cooker: low and slow to get the internal meat temp up to around 110F, remove then crank the heat as high as it will go, return the meat and sear fast flipping often. This is not 2-zone cooking where you have two distinct cooking zones - hot direct and medium indirect - that may be used simultaneously.
The Best Gas Grills Under $1,000, 2016 Edition
@hrfjr
Most gas grills are very well ventilated all around. Most also have holes on the sides to accommodate a rotisserie system. Whatever configuration one has, smoke just doesn't get to stay under the hood very long because of the constant vigorous airflow. We like the new burner orientation on Genesis and Spirit because it's easier to set up 2 distinct zones.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
Louisiana and REC TEC make cold smoking boxes, but we advise against cold smoking meats and fish for health reasons. Nuts and cheese are OK. Be safe, every year hundreds are sickened or worse from food born illness and that's just from foods coming out of professionally run facilities. Read more here: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/cold_smoking.html
You want smoked salmon? Try this: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/seafood/schmancy_smoked_salmon.html
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
I've reviewed a few of their models at our website: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/equipment-reviews?field_manufacturer_target_id=472
They use a puck burning smoke generator for flavor and an electric heating element to cook. Electric smokers are our least favorite smokers because the flavor is inferior to those that actually burn fuel for heat, and they typically have a limited high temp range which performs poorly for crisping poultry skin. Here's more about electric smokers: http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/smokers/electric_smokers.html
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@piepie
You chose well. Are you using GrillGrates to sear?
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@Amandarama
Use food safe pellets. All the major pellet manufacturers have their own branded pellets, but any high quality, name brand, food safe pellets like Traeger and BBQr's Delight will work.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@bdcbbq
They work - in the back yard, in competitions and in restaurants.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@quetangclan
We based the capacity on primary cook surface. Indeed the model is called YS640 for the same reason.
The Best Gas Grills Under $1,000, 2016 Edition
@Otterbean
Can't argue with your brand loyalty when it's for Weber. Be that as it may, the BBQ equipment market is large and diverse.
The Best Gas Grills Under $1,000, 2016 Edition
@Scott569
I feel it's important to include low cost models that offer decent quality relative to price.
The 10 Best Pellet Smokers
@trickle
Yoder, Fast Eddy's by Cookshack, MAK and Memphis are Made in America. Price is an important issue for most residential BBQ enthusiasts so I included a wide range for this list. Green Mountain Smokers are made in China to sell at lower price points and provide a lot of bang for the relatively low bucks. The more costly, Chinese made REC TEC is very solid, with heavy welded construction and lots of durable stainless steel components.
The Best Gas Grills Under $1,000, 2016 Edition
@Copperkettle218
Maybe a portable could get you through the next few months? Then you will have a spare for camping, tailgating, etc. If that sounds good, consider a small charcoal grill to augment your full size gasser.
The Best Gas Grills Under $1,000, 2016 Edition
@phillyrulez04
You can't go wrong with Weber.
@NorthernExposure
Thanks to you too!