Good morning, I posted this on Reddit as well, but I really trust the folks in this forum for advice, so I'm posting here as well. I'm looking for some operating advice for the Summit Kamado.
I'm coming from both an 18 WSM (which I loved) and Smokefire EX6 (which is fine, but did not love). I'm keeping the Smokefire, at least for now, just so I have something very convenient that I can basically set and forget, as well as for sheer size when I need to cook a lot of food. Admittedly, that is rare, so if I really love the WSK I may end up getting rid of the Smokefire all together and using the WSM when I need some extra space.
Anyway, just looking for some tips and tricks when it comes to smoking or low and slow on the WSK. I'm used to the ease of the temperature control with my WSM and wondered how the WSK compares. Do you mainly just crack the bottom damper and adjust temperature with the top one? Is it as responsive as the WSM? Do I need to monitor it a bit more than I would a WSM? Also, do I need to use a water pan? I believe I put a pan on top of the diffuser plate as a drop pan, but should I put water in it like I would in the WSM water pan?? Also, can I run my probe wire over the lip and just close the lid and still keep a good seal or do I need to run the probe through the top vent?
Or how about any accessories I need to buy with it? I already have a Thermoworks Signals, so I was thinking of getting a Billows to help with temperature control, but if it works as well as my WSM did, I'm not sure I'd even need it. I've been seeing that this vortex thing is pretty popular these days, so that might be an option as well.
Also, one last thing I was wondering. It comes with a plastic bucket looking thing. Anyone know what that is supposed to be for?
I'm coming from both an 18 WSM (which I loved) and Smokefire EX6 (which is fine, but did not love). I'm keeping the Smokefire, at least for now, just so I have something very convenient that I can basically set and forget, as well as for sheer size when I need to cook a lot of food. Admittedly, that is rare, so if I really love the WSK I may end up getting rid of the Smokefire all together and using the WSM when I need some extra space.
Anyway, just looking for some tips and tricks when it comes to smoking or low and slow on the WSK. I'm used to the ease of the temperature control with my WSM and wondered how the WSK compares. Do you mainly just crack the bottom damper and adjust temperature with the top one? Is it as responsive as the WSM? Do I need to monitor it a bit more than I would a WSM? Also, do I need to use a water pan? I believe I put a pan on top of the diffuser plate as a drop pan, but should I put water in it like I would in the WSM water pan?? Also, can I run my probe wire over the lip and just close the lid and still keep a good seal or do I need to run the probe through the top vent?
Or how about any accessories I need to buy with it? I already have a Thermoworks Signals, so I was thinking of getting a Billows to help with temperature control, but if it works as well as my WSM did, I'm not sure I'd even need it. I've been seeing that this vortex thing is pretty popular these days, so that might be an option as well.
Also, one last thing I was wondering. It comes with a plastic bucket looking thing. Anyone know what that is supposed to be for?
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