Operating Advice for the Summit Kamado


 
GrantT said:
Just finishing up a LnS I started this morning on a pork butt. Here's what I do when not using the controller....

  1. Clean out old ash. Put 5-6 wood chunks of smoking wood spread around on bottom charcoal grate.
  2. Fill bottom charcoal area up with charcoal - I personally use lump (not a briquette fan personally). And I mean FILL - right up to where the grate/diffuser goes on.
  3. Take out my MAPP torch and focus the flame on one small area for about 45 seconds. I do the spot on the LEFT side as my fire tends to burn left to right. Light the size of a golf ball maybe - nicely glowing edges etc.
  4. Put on my 2nd charcoal grate (if you have one) and diffuser plate (or just your diffuser plate if you don't have 2nd grate). I do this for extra mass in the grill for more temp stability...not really needed. This is my "must have" option personally - saves me a lot of hassle so often!
  5. Put some air-gap spacers (1/2" copper pipe elbows) down on diffuser plate and then put my drip pan (usually with water too) on top of spacers. Prevent direct heat transfer to pan.
  6. Put on top cooking grate.
  7. Put lower vent opening to the "smoke" position - vent barely open. I never touch this afterwards
  8. Put upper vent opening to roughly 1/4 open. Close lid and walk away for an hour - usually settles right in on 225ish. Top vent a little more than 1/4" will settle in at 250.
  9. Usually have some nice smoke now...put on food etc. Over the course of the day, I will sometimes make just the slightest (and I mean SLIGHTEST) adjustment to top vent to micro-adjust if desired.
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Going to try my first smoke on my E6 this weekend. On my old WSM 18, I would run out of charcoal after about 8 hours, but could add more through the door. On the E6 this would be much harder, as I would have to remove the food, grate, etc. My question is, how long will will the E6 last with a full load of charcoal while smoking?
 
It lasts longer than you need it to....after about 12 hours or so it seems the requirement is to sweep away a bit of the ash at the bottom but not always. When I plan to smoke for 10 hours or so I actually block off a portion of the grate with a Weber basket ( learned that one from Brett ) so I don't use that much charcoal as I don't need it. I haven't gone over 12 hours yet so I really don't know. I did see a video online when this version just came out and I think they jammed it full and kept it low and if I remember right it was over 40 hours or something silly like that....
At 40 hours it wasn't really at cooking temps anymore but still producing some heat.
A bunch of us have this smoker now and if I am wrong anywhere I am sure I will be corrected....;)

The first time I smoked I filled it right up and had around half left when finished.....I wouldn't make it a concern of yours....the best way to learn is to fill the bottom up, follow the instructions laid out a few months back in this thread about how much to light and keeping low temp...ect.....and watch how long you cook for and then how much charcoal is left over......there really is no waste as most of the leftovers can be reused for next cook. You will be set for all future cooks after that one.....this one......this weekend.........
 
M Stenberg said:
Going to try my first smoke on my E6 this weekend. On my old WSM 18, I would run out of charcoal after about 8 hours, but could add more through the door. On the E6 this would be much harder, as I would have to remove the food, grate, etc. My question is, how long will will the E6 last with a full load of charcoal while smoking?
Click to expand...
Questions:

what are you smoking?
weight of what you're smoking?

with your reply i can offer back some detailed feedback from past experience.

finally, are you using briqs? if so, which brand?
or lump, like Jealous Devil?
and are you adding wood chunks? if so, how many, and approximate size of each piece?
 
Brett-EDH said:
Questions:

what are you smoking?
weight of what you're smoking?

with your reply i can offer back some detailed feedback from past experience.

finally, are you using briqs? if so, which brand?
or lump, like Jealous Devil?
and are you adding wood chunks? if so, how many, and approximate size of each piece?
Click to expand...
Just going to do ribs, maybe 2 racks. I would usually smoke ribs 4-5 hours on my WSM. I will be using B&B briquettes and wood chunks for smoke, I usually added 4-5 chunks when using my WSM. Temperature this weekend will be low 60s, not sure if that matters as much since the kamado is more insulated than the WSM.

Also, when starting the briquettes in the WSM, I usually started about a 1/4 of a chimney and put on top of the rest of the charcoal/wood chunks. On the kamado, should I start less charcoal, and do you put it in the middle or start on one side and let it go from there? I do not have my billows yet, but when I do use that does the starting location change (closer to the blower hole, or farther away from it)?

Thanks, and hope this makes sense. Used the WSM for 10 years until now, so trying to make sure I get the setup correct.
 
Darryl - swazies said:
It lasts longer than you need it to....after about 12 hours or so it seems the requirement is to sweep away a bit of the ash at the bottom but not always. When I plan to smoke for 10 hours or so I actually block off a portion of the grate with a Weber basket ( learned that one from Brett ) so I don't use that much charcoal as I don't need it. I haven't gone over 12 hours yet so I really don't know. I did see a video online when this version just came out and I think they jammed it full and kept it low and if I remember right it was over 40 hours or something silly like that....
At 40 hours it wasn't really at cooking temps anymore but still producing some heat.
A bunch of us have this smoker now and if I am wrong anywhere I am sure I will be corrected....;)

The first time I smoked I filled it right up and had around half left when finished.....I wouldn't make it a concern of yours....the best way to learn is to fill the bottom up, follow the instructions laid out a few months back in this thread about how much to light and keeping low temp...ect.....and watch how long you cook for and then how much charcoal is left over......there really is no waste as most of the leftovers can be reused for next cook. You will be set for all future cooks after that one.....this one......this weekend.........
Click to expand...
Thanks, that is a good idea. I am just doing ribs so won't be more than 4-5 hours this time. I will fill it up and see what is left. That should give me a good idea about longer cooks.
 
M Stenberg said:
Thanks, that is a good idea. I am just doing ribs so won't be more than 4-5 hours this time. I will fill it up and see what is left. That should give me a good idea about longer cooks.
Click to expand...

I would have filled it if you were doing a brisket or a shoulder and take notes from there....if you are only doing 4 or 5 hours and Brett will chime in I am sure.....I personally would put a Weber basket against one side and fill the rest and put the wood in there and gauge the left overs after....you will still have half the charcoal. Since that was your original inquiry. I use bricks often when aiming for a longer cook.....lump in all other applications.

In your reply to Brett....you asked about where to start the fire......there may be varying opinions......
After watching some online testing I took some notes and I start my fire at about the 10 O'clock position if you are standing directly in front of the E6......It seems to burn good for me from there and I can keep my meat more towards the right side of the cooker ........ it might not make a difference....this is just how I do it.
 
Darryl - swazies said:
I would have filled it if you were doing a brisket or a shoulder and take notes from there....if you are only doing 4 or 5 hours and Brett will chime in I am sure.....I personally would put a Weber basket against one side and fill the rest and put the wood in there and gauge the left overs after....you will still have half the charcoal. Since that was your original inquiry. I use bricks often when aiming for a longer cook.....lump in all other applications.

In your reply to Brett....you asked about where to start the fire......there may be varying opinions......
After watching some online testing I took some notes and I start my fire at about the 10 O'clock position if you are standing directly in front of the E6......It seems to burn good for me from there and I can keep my meat more towards the right side of the cooker ........ it might not make a difference....this is just how I do it.
Click to expand...
Thanks, will learn after doing it a few times. This gives me a good starting point. Mainly wondering about longer cooks like port butt or brisket, as my WSM would need charcoal added after about 8 hours on those depending on the outside temp. Seems like I should get much longer burn time on the kamado.
 
M Stenberg said:
Just going to do ribs, maybe 2 racks. I would usually smoke ribs 4-5 hours on my WSM. I will be using B&B briquettes and wood chunks for smoke, I usually added 4-5 chunks when using my WSM. Temperature this weekend will be low 60s, not sure if that matters as much since the kamado is more insulated than the WSM.

Also, when starting the briquettes in the WSM, I usually started about a 1/4 of a chimney and put on top of the rest of the charcoal/wood chunks. On the kamado, should I start less charcoal, and do you put it in the middle or start on one side and let it go from there? I do not have my billows yet, but when I do use that does the starting location change (closer to the blower hole, or farther away from it)?

Thanks, and hope this makes sense. Used the WSM for 10 years until now, so trying to make sure I get the setup correct.
Click to expand...
Check these out and we can add more info for you.

I started to do individually cut ribs as they cook quicker and taste better. And I can cook them using just two CB (charcoal baskets) filed with JD or KPro.

90 minutes cooked via runway method, down the center, with the CBs on the sides. This also allows easy adding of fuel if needed, of which I’ve never needed to do.

Then wrapped for 45-60 minutes and then reset the bark. Perfect ribs in 2.5 hours.

Brett-EDH

Thread 'Some football full clickers and Indy spare ribs'

Did the wings during the Niners loss. Horrible game with no players and an empty bench. Bye week coming soon so hopefully that’s our reset.

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Did them around 50 minutes total at around 375/400.

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Char siu sauce style

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Wrapped at 90 minutes in with honey.

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Will check on them after 30 minutes wrapped and sealed. Looking for that pull back and will then reset the bark which is just honey and the rib’s natural juices.
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Brett-EDH

Thread 'Chinese style St Lou ribs'

I cut two racks St Lou’s into individual ribs. Whipped up a basic Chinese spare rib style sauce (without honey, which I’ll dress on at the end) and placed them on the WSK with a low and slow light in the CBs (just lit one corner of each CB for a slower burn).

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Figuring I can save a bunch of time and get more caramelization on each rib for more flavor.

I’ll let you know if this was a good idea or not in a few hours.
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Full racks of St Lou’s

Brett-EDH

Thread '4 racks baby backs'

I think it was @EricV who just did some backs. They looked really good so call me inspired.

Not usually a huge fan of these due to the low fat content of the meat. I’ll overcome that with a butter and rub wrap, possibly, depending how this cook goes.

Running leftover JD, fresh B&B briqs, apple and cherry woods. Target is 250° for two hours then wrap then tack up once tender, say 202°F.

The greatest thing about the WSK is set it and forget it. It holds temps like a tank. Stable and predictable.

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Dinner is at 7p. For 8 people, I think.
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KPro setup for a rib session.

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Thread to this cook:

Brett-EDH

Thread 'Pork belly char siu'

Some sweet, savory, and fatty rich marinated pork belly for dinner tonight.

Bought this as precut logs and already deskinned at Costco.

Cut them into 3-4” pieces so I can get more crispy bits and edges.

Target temp will be 250-275°F. Thinking about 2-2.5 hours total cook time due to the belly already being cut up so less dense for heat penetration.

They’re in the fridge for a few hours. Likely will start at 3p with the WSK.

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Niners off to a fast start. Looking forward to a great game.
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More ribs with charcoal setup pics

Brett-EDH

Thread 'Memphis rub St Lous ribs and sides'

Been in the mood for some Memphis ribs. Read a bunch of recipes and settled on this:

www.seriouseats.com

Memphis-Style Dry Ribs Recipe

Invented by a restaurant owner from Greece, Memphis dry ribs are bathed in vinegar while being grilled over smoky charcoal, then coated with an earthy, herbal rub once they're done cooking. Just don't let the name mislead you: There's nothing dry about these babies.
www.seriouseats.com www.seriouseats.com

Whipped up the rub. It tastes pretty good. A nice balance between savory and sweet with a small amount of heat.

Trimmed up 3 racks. Tossed the trimmings into some homemade beans.

I omitted salt from the recipe and salted each rack to my liking.

Put the rub on and let it sit for an hour as I readied the WSK.

Cooking with plum wood. First time using it.

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Lit some B&B briqs atop the plum wood...
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Ribs done LAS on the WSK cook in 3.5 hours on my average. That’s running at around 250°F smoke temp, with the deflector plate installed.

2-3 chunks of smoke wood is usually plenty. 5 baseball sized chunks would be a lot IMO. As in too much smoke. But that’s up to your flavor profile desires.

I place a hunk of tallow in a paper towel and place it under three brows and then light the paper towel. That’s enough to get a few coals lit. Takes 5 minutes with the top lid open and bottom vent open at 100% to start my coals and then I’ll assemble and build my deflector plate and upper racks. Then close the lid and open the rapid vent for another 5-10 minutes.

Then I’ll rack up my ribs onto the cooker, dial down the bottom vent to the smoke icon and pop closed the rapid vent and close that to 50% open.

Then I’ll check the grill after 30 minutes on my Signals for temps.

I don’t use a billows. Not needed on WSK and a waste of $$ IMO. Some people like a billows. I just don’t see is as needed.

The WSK holds temp like a tank. It’s rock solid.

If you have fear of running out of fuel, remove one of the inverted Cans as I’ve shown in my pics and add more briqs. You’ll have plenty of briqs leftover as that’s how much briq I’ll use for a full brisket (14#) which a cook like that runs 6.5-8 hours on the WSK.

LMK if you have more questions. The WSK is easier than you think. Just learn to get comfortable with it. It’s my best grill ever. It delivers incredible food. And I truly mean incredible.

I’ve tried to post as many cooks as I make here on the forum. You can search threads started by me to see what I’ve done. It should cover most anything except tongue, stomach, brains, or grilled liver. I’ve done just about most things.

And the WSK makes amazing seafood too.
 
Brett-EDH said:
Ribs done LAS on the WSK cook in 3.5 hours on my average. That’s running at around 250°F smoke temp, with the deflector plate installed.

2-3 chunks of smoke wood is usually plenty. 5 baseball sized chunks would be a lot IMO. As in too much smoke. But that’s up to your flavor profile desires.

I place a hunk of tallow in a paper towel and place it under three brows and then light the paper towel. That’s enough to get a few coals lit. Takes 5 minutes with the top lid open and bottom vent open at 100% to start my coals and then I’ll assemble and build my deflector plate and upper racks. Then close the lid and open the rapid vent for another 5-10 minutes.

Then I’ll rack up my ribs onto the cooker, dial down the bottom vent to the smoke icon and pop closed the rapid vent and close that to 50% open.

Then I’ll check the grill after 30 minutes on my Signals for temps.

I don’t use a billows. Not needed on WSK and a waste of $$ IMO. Some people like a billows. I just don’t see is as needed.

The WSK holds temp like a tank. It’s rock solid.

If you have fear of running out of fuel, remove one of the inverted Cans as I’ve shown in my pics and add more briqs. You’ll have plenty of briqs leftover as that’s how much briq I’ll use for a full brisket (14#) which a cook like that runs 6.5-8 hours on the WSK.

LMK if you have more questions. The WSK is easier than you think. Just learn to get comfortable with it. It’s my best grill ever. It delivers incredible food. And I truly mean incredible.

I’ve tried to post as many cooks as I make here on the forum. You can search threads started by me to see what I’ve done. It should cover most anything except tongue, stomach, brains, or grilled liver. I’ve done just about most things.

And the WSK makes amazing seafood too.
Click to expand...
This is perfect, thanks. Will see if I need the billows, or just want it. On my WSM I would have a hard time keeping the temp steady, was always adjusting vents. I am loving the grill, best one I have owned so far.
 
M Stenberg said:
This is perfect, thanks. Will see if I need the billows, or just want it. On my WSM I would have a hard time keeping the temp steady, was always adjusting vents. I am loving the grill, best one I have owned so far.
Click to expand...
Billows on WSM makes sense. I wouldn’t challenge that thought or use. On the WSK, you’ll see how stable it is and billows not needed. Looking forward to seeing your success.
 
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M Stenberg said:
This is perfect, thanks. Will see if I need the billows, or just want it. On my WSM I would have a hard time keeping the temp steady, was always adjusting vents. I am loving the grill, best one I have owned so far.
Click to expand...
I have a Billows and have a Smoke X4. I bought it for overnight cooks on my BGE and have used it twice on the WSK. It works great.

Is it necessary? NO.
Do I like it, sure.
If it broke or got stolen would I replace it? maybe.

I do not use the Billows for temperature control, I use it to maintain a set temp, or in other words, I use it for a low temp safety net when smoking overnight.

What I mean by using it as a safety net is I setup the billows but don't plug it in until after the pit temp is at target temp, meat on, and everything is stable, and when I mean stable its good for at least 10 to 20 mins or when I'm ready for bed.

After it is stable, I plug in the fan and set the target temp for 5 degrees below the current temp and walk away. If (when?) everything goes well the fan will not run at all, but if the pit temp falls, the fan will assist at holding it.

I also use my TW smoke ambient probe to monitor pit temp and set low-temp and high temp alarms and if it gets too hot, or too cold the remote alarm will wake me up.

(edited to correct some grammar and misspeelings tpyos)
 
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DanHoo said:
I have a Billows and have a Smoke X4. I bought it for overnight cooks on my BGE and have used it twice on the WSK. It works great.

Is it necessary? NO.
Do I like it, sure.
If it broke or got stolen would I replace it? maybe.

I do not use the Billows for temperature control, I use it to maintain a set temp, or in other words, I use it for a low temp safety net when smoking overnight.

What I mean by using it as a safety net is I setup the billows but don't plug it in until after the pit temp is at target temp, meat on, and everything is stable, and when I mean stable its good for at least 10 to 20 mins or when I'm ready for bed.

Then do I plug in the fan and set the target temp for 5 degrees below the current temp and walk away. If (when?) everything goes well the fan will not run at all, but if the pit temp falls, the fan will assist at holding it.

I also use my TW smoke ambient probe to monitor pit temp and set low-temp and high temp alarms and if it gets too hot, or two cold that remote alarm will wake me up.
Click to expand...
What’s your overnight target temp? 225°F?
 
Brett-EDH said:
What’s your overnight target temp? 225°F?
Click to expand...
Yes, usually 225F, but if it is stable at 220 or 230 I'll just go with it.

I've started to do less overnight smokes of pork shoulder as I've transitioned to hot-and-fast, or turbo-ramp-up for pork shoulder.

I haven't smoked a brisket in a while. Time for another and I'd likely go overnight to ensure it's done on time.

Everything else I smoke is shorter, and TBH, setting up the billows isn't worth the effort on the BGE or the WSK for a during the day cook. I say "effort" because it adds a few minutes of setup time as I need to run an 120V extension cord for the billows and connect a few more wires to the smoke x4 controller.
 
DanHoo said:
Yes, usually 225F, but if it is stable at 220 or 230 I'll just go with it.

I've started to do less overnight smokes of pork shoulder as I've transitioned to hot-and-fast, or turbo-ramp-up for pork shoulder.

I haven't smoked a brisket in a while. Time for another and I'd likely go overnight to ensure it's done on time.

Everything else I smoke is shorter, and TBH, setting up the billows isn't worth the effort on the BGE or the WSK for a during the day cook. I say "effort" because it adds a few minutes of setup time as I need to run an 120V extension cord for the billows and connect a few more wires to the smoke x4 controller.
Click to expand...
sometimes i'm so lazy i refuse to light the coals and turn the oven on instead. i get it.
 
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