Hey Smokin Steve, this video is 5 years old but it still helps rookies like me even in 2023. Great job, I like the way you took your time to cover as many tips as p[possible along the way. Thank you, I like saving $ on the diffuser.
Glad to be of any help that I can. Thanks for watching and keep on Smokin’!
5 років тому+10
Equate 91% Isopropyl Alcohol Antiseptic, 32 fl oz from Walmart Costs $2.50 for a 32 oz bottle use 2 oz to spray over charcoal costs 16 cents to start your smoker Generates just CO2 and H20 when it burns - nothing else Can drizzle down the center of coal bed to start a cylindrical fire that burns from the center out to the edge for smoking or spray over the top of coals for a hot searing fire no better or cheaper way to start a charcoal fire
I appreciate this video so much I learned so many things that I would have never thought of. Using cotton balls with alcohol to light the charcoal, and using peanut oil for the cast iron grates. Thank you so much for putting this out there.
Thanks for watching and glad to be of some help. I have fun putting these videos together and I try to help others the best I can. Hope you subscribed and share with others. Thanks again for watching and enjoy Smokin’ and Grillin’ and all those good eats along the way.
Sorry to be offtopic but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..? I was dumb forgot the account password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me
@Michael Dalton I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later with my results.
Great video, in Australia our Akrons come with the smoking stone and rain/dust cover! It's a great little BBQ and a lot cheaper than a komado joe. The only thing I have found wrong is the thermometer is a long way out. But in saying that I use my Maverick off the grate not high up in the dome
Smoking Stone is extra here in U.S. and yes the dome temp probe is way off and even if it was accurate it is so slow to react to temp changes that by the time it would say you reached your target temp you would actually already be way too hot, probably over 100 degrees. Glad you enjoyed the video
Thanks for making this video. I've had a little bit of a hard time staying below 250F. I didn't realize you had to set the dampers so low. I've been afraid of smothering the fire at those settings.
These Kamados don't require much air at all. Your vent settings may vary from mine somewhat. There are so many variables, but if you're running to hot, you need to close dampers down some, You want to creep up to set temperatures without overshooting. It takes too long to bring temps back down after it gets too hot.
I'am Your Newest Subscriber I Bought That Same Grill Used For 50.00 I Have Ruined Alot Of Meat With Mine It Is Hard To Keep The Heat Down Mine Likes To Stay At 400 Degrees
It’s all about damper control and the amount of coals you have lit. There are 2 things that effect temps and that is air and amount of fire and the amount of fire is controlled by the amount of air. No air ... no fire! Less air ... less fire. More air ... more fire and more heat. Try to follow my Lighting and temperature control and I think you’ll get it figured out. I don’t think it’s a problem with the grill unless you have a bunch of air leaking in other than the dampers. This grill is so efficient that very few coals need to be burning to get the grill up to temps. Go out and light the grill and practice regulating the temp without any meat. It’s really simple and once you get it you’ll understand the concept. Good luck! You can do this!
Great video! I've been having trouble figuring out how to control the temperature as it seems I always overshoot my goal temperature during cooks. This helps explain it perfectly! Keep on smoking!
SmokinSteve, Thanks for the great info!! I tried the cotton balls and alcohol for lighting the charcoal. I LOVE IT. What a great and inexpensive idea. I appreciate the tips you provided. Looking forward to looking through your other videos
When lighting the Akorn, the Weber cubes absolutely do not impart a waxy flavor. It would be impossible to do so.. Not sure what he's talking about. I've been using them for years. And you only need a half of one at that. Use what you want, just not fluid. And close down your dampers sooner or you'll to.will take off.
This was a great detail video. I too, use alcohol and cotton balls to light my grill. Your details of getting the temperature just right will help me. I have had my grill for over a year and have yet to figure out how to get the temp just right. I will use your suggestions for the damper as well. I look forward to you doing a video for different types of meats, chicken to briskets.
Thanks for watching and I hope that I’ve helped your journey in mastering temperature control. I think you’ll find that it is pretty easy if using what you learned in the video. I do have a lot of other videos on UA-cam that you may be interested in watching, several different cooks and recipes ... etc. Thanks again for watching
No not necessarily ... but it's always nice to have a secondary probe just to get a quicker reading. Sometimes it takes the Akron thermometer a lot longer to react to temp changes which could create problems when you're trying to reach your cooking temp.
Time for some math. I have a 17# bird for tomorrow what time should i start the grill to get the bird done for 530pm what temp should I shoot for? Thank you Sir. I’m over in Davenport
I don't cook by time ... I always go by internal temperature of the meat. The time can fluctuate depending on the temperature you're cooking at, the size of the meat, any fluctuations in cooking temps, and any stall period that may take place. Always best to use internal temps of the meat to guarantee doneness and to get it the way you want it.
I have the same Akorn , along with the Akorn Jr. Absolutely love both. I like using the ceramic stone in both. A 12lb pork shoulder, can be fork tinder in about 4 to 5 hours . If I use my offset stick burner it's about a16 hour cook. This was a great video, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience.
The Akorn is an awesome smoker/grill. Water tends to collect in between the outer shell and the ash pan. Make sure you dump water out occasionally or the ash pan will rust on you
Nice ... hope the turkey turns out awesome for you. Smoked turkey takes on a whole new flavor and the family won’t want it any other way. You will be on the hook from now on. Thanks for watching and I hope the video helped.
There should never be any need to add any lump charcoal during a cook If it is loaded up with lump charcoal. This smoker is so efficient that the lump would last for probably 24 hours or more. After your cook you simply shut the dampers to stop the air flow and the coals stop burning and they can be used for another day...... No Worries.
@@bnmcamp70 yeah …. These things don’t require much air at all to get up to temperature. For example you only need to light maybe 3-6 pieces of lump charcoal to smoke at 250° and the top and bottom dampers will only be open maybe 1/8 of an inch to maintain that temp. I was really shocked when I first learned this. Some people struggle some with temp control and the dampers, but it’s really easy if you go by what I say in the video.
Great video sir. How long will the coal last that you lit in this video? I like smoking pork butts in my electric smoker, but it won't work anymore. I have this akorn but have only grilled on it, never smoked on it. When I do a butt, I'll smoke it for at least 12 hrs at 225°. How long will the coal last. And will I need to reload it while cooking? Thanks.
You shouldn’t have to reload the lump charcoal if you load it up in the beginning. The Akorn is very efficient and doesn’t need much charcoal lit to cook at low temps. I would use lump and not briquettes. If you keep temps at 225 you should have no problem with your charcoal lasting the whole cook.
Fantastic video sir 👏 ! May I ask where did you get that drip pan? 13 inch or 12 inch diameter? I saw something similar in amazon for like 29. That's a little expensive. Thank you Sir!
I use a pellet grill now and it’s not as much trouble to use and the food even turns out better. I’ve had several different grills over the years trying to keep my UA-cam channel fresh with new content. I think I’m done buying grills now, I’m really happy with my recteq grills.
Ive got the same cooker....i think ive been igniting faaarrr too many coals lol oops. I could never keep it below 300....i was also lighting a chimney full lol
You're going to love it! A bit of a learning curve, but it's pretty easy if you take temps up slow and don't over shoot your set point. If you do, you could be in for a long day trying to get temp back within range. Have fun with it and enjoy!
Thanks for the video, I just bought an Akorn used for $180. It was used maybe 5 times, soI was excited to get it home and get it next to my Char Griller Smokin Champ. Your video helped me a lot with managing the temps and getting the fire started.
Thanks for watching and I’m glad I was able to provide some help with your new cooker. I think you’ll love using it … it really holds temps nicely without using much fuel. These things are so efficient that it’s unbelievable. Enjoy!!!! I see a lot of awesome food coming off of those grates.
Good questions ..... To put the fire out you just simply shut both top & bottom dampers to snuff out the air from entering. This should put the coals out and cool down after a short period of time. For your next cook you can just add more coals to whatever you have left from your previous cook. As far as cleaning goes you really don't have to do it very often when you're using lump charcoal, but if you're using briquets I'd say you might have to clean it each time you use it because briquets just make a whole lot more ash than lump charcoal. I hope this helps
I always use left over lump coals. I may add to them when I think the cook will take more, but yeah there is no need to get rid of what’s left over, just add to them when necessary.
Late to the game and just bought the Akorn. I just wanted to let you know I’ve looked at some other videos and this one was the most beneficial to me as a beginner.Thank you for taking the time to share this.
Thanks so much for this great video. I feel confident enough now to tackle a brisket this grilling season. Special thanks for the cotton ball/alcohol and Weber grate (#7441) tips.
Thanks for watching and glad to have been some help. Keep on Smokin’ and enjoy all those good eats along the way! Never quit learning! ... that’s my motto.
I was just gifted a kamado akorn that's already been seasoned along with a whole bunch of barbecue accessories including the temp transmitter that you talked about. This video has been super helpful as a beginner and my favorite tip was the cotton balls. Subscribed. looking to learn from the greats 😎
Thanks for watching and subscribing. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised how efficient the Akorn is. I was blown away by how small of a fire and how little air was needed to get to temps. You’re going to have a lot of good eats coming from that cooker. Happy Smokin & Grillin and enjoy all those good eats.
I am very late to this video but just found it. One question what kind of pan are you using that you wrap in foil to Crete the diffuser in the akorn Thank you for everything and this amazing video
Great job explaining step by step! I’ve had the Akorn Jr for alittle over a year now and love it. I know it’s smaller but I’ve always wondered if I could smoke something as I had an offset smoker but it took up too much space so I got rid it. I will definitely look into the ceramic heat defuser Chargrill offers or makeshift one like in your video. Thanks for the video!
Out of all the videos on youtube Steve u have the best way to setup for low and slow. can u please answer a question for me does the wind ever effect when u are slow smoking at all on the Temperature
Good question... since the amount of heat is dependent on air flow then yes wind can definitely cause more or less air flow thru the vent dependent on whether the wind is strong or hardly none at all. The more air or oxygen that enters the fire the hotter it will get. So this would require shutting the dampers even more to keep at set temp.
Thanks, Steve! I've got one of these on the way, and I've seen people say it's tricky and takes a bit of trial and error before being able to get successful smoking temps. You offer a big help showing how it's done!
Thank you for explaining everything in such detail. I just ordered this grill and know nothing about the dampers grates Temps or lump charcoal! Thanks again! Ps I subbed
Good luck with it .... it’s an awesome grill and you will have it figured out in no time. It’s really quit easy after you use it and learn how it performs. Have fun and I’m sure you’ll be fixin up some good eats soon!
Have fun with it once you get it. I recommend getting to know your grill by trying to reach a smoking temp of 225-250° and try holding it there. Then increase like to 350° and holding it there, then maybe 450° and holding it there. This will show you how the grill responds to damper changes. Remember if you over shoot your desired temp it much harder to bring the temps down. So it’s important to bring temps up slow as to not overshoot. It’s not rocket science, but there is a learning curve. The smoker doesn’t require much air at all and very few coals lit. It will really surprise you. Enjoy!
@@SmokinSteve thank you for your response! Yes I will do as you recommend. My parents had a wood stove during my childhood. What you describe is somewhat familiar to me. We used dampers to control the heat and burn time of our wood. I will definitely practice. 👍
I actually sold it to make room for other grills and smokers. It was an awesome cooker, I actually liked it better than the BGE that I replaced it with. I’ve since sold the BGE and now am using RecTeq and love them. Trying to keep the channel new and growing with different things.
Get rid of the grill grate for the acorn and buy a 19 1/2 inch grate that has the side that lifts up so you can add wood and water if needed... Its not the cheap metal that comes with the acorn.
What sort of bracket did you use to pop ur your bbq probe through? Can you post a picture. I bought the $40 smoking diverter. Wish i would of thought of the grate and pan! Jeanyus idear!
Howdy SmokinSteve! I noticed that a lot of the guys that know what they are doing have their firebox filled all the way to the diffuser brackets. The instructions that came with the kamado have a really fancy and specific diagram for low heat smoking and high direct heat grilling, both of which show only using basically enough coal to cover the grate at the bottom. Is filling it like that good for grilling and smoking? It took me ages to be able to guess how much fuel to use, but I also don't want to waste any coals. Tips? Advice? Thanks.
Don’t worry about trying to guess how many coals you need for your cooks. Just fill it up and what is left after the cook you can save for the next cook by simply closing all of the vents all the way and the fire will go out and the remaining coals are ready for your next cook. Hopefully you’re using lump charcoal and not briquettes. The briquettes would be harder to put out and they make probably 20 times more ash than lump. Lump charcoal is the way to go.
@@jeffreyheuser9503 if you can’t get your grill over 300F something is wrong. Even if you just use enough coal to cover the ash grate that will be enough to get your grill north of 400 easily. I don’t fill mine as high as he does but I use about as much as a chimney starter can hold.
You evidently don’t have enough air flow. 2 things limit the temp, that is the fuel source, that being your lump charcoal and the 2nd thing is air. Make sure you’re getting enough air and the vents aren’t covered with ash or something.
You look like the guy who yelled at me while golfing cause I walked in front of your ball on the green. You remember that? I was like wtf. Drunk college kid playing with my dad and you were with another guy
@@SmokinSteve it had to be around 8 or 10 years ago. Golf course in Naples Florida. It had to be you. And btw, I've never walked in front of someone's else ball on the green since.
That's too funny Ben, but it must have been a look alike ... I've never played golf in Naples in my life. I'm originally from Indiana and have only been in Florida full time for only 2 years, but never in Naples.
Thanks for this upload. Great tips. Wish I watched before setting mine up. I dropped the middle grate and it broke. But Customer service shipped me a new right out. Great experience so far.
@@SmokinSteve not sure what I did wrong. First time ever using charcoal. But I season my grill perfectly spent like 4hrs on that alone. I cooked my Prime ribeye Sous Vide to med rare. Dried them off. And added to 600 degree Akorn roughly 1 minute each side to get a nice seat but not over cook steak. There was plenty of smoke going. But upon eating them there was zero grill flavor. It was like I cooked in a pan. Am at a loss as to what I did wrong. Suggestions?
It’s not going to take on much of a grill taste from being on the grill for 2 minutes. If you would go at lower temp and leave on grill longer it would likely take on more of a grilled flavor. It’s kind of a chance that you would be taking - more grill flavor and cooking it longer and possibly drying it out some. It’s hard to find that balance that works for your palette and everyone else’s. That’s kind of a trade off when using Sous Vide, I rely a lot on rubs or seasonings for the grill flavor or that flavor that I’m used to and just searing or browning on grill, iron skillet, or blow torch. It’s a learning experience for sure, but hopefully you get to enjoy a lot of good food along the way.... Good luck ... thanks for watching and your input. Keep on cookin’
Hello Sir Steve, enjoy your videos a lot , I have another question , I will do my wife a brisket this weekend , can this Akorn hold the 225 for 10-12 hours? Should I Load a lot of coal for that amount of time sir? If not enough do we add more coal during the cooking ?Thank you !!!!
You should be good. Just fill it up and let ‘er smoke @225° These things are very efficient, they don’t require much fuel or air. I’ve only used lump charcoal, not briquettes. Lump is the way to go!
Just got my Akorn Jr. as a gift from the wife. Thus video was exactly what I was looking for as a beginner. Your presentation style is perfect - descriptive and to the point without too much rambling. Subscribed. Greetings from Down Under. Keep up the good work
Colin Butler LoL .... I had to go back and take a look to see what you were referring to. Yeah that noise was pretty annoying, it sounded like locusts which can really get loud and drive you crazy. Sorry about that, I had no control over those crazy bugs. 🐜 ... Thanks for watching
Nice video Steve. This video has helped me a lot. Doing 4th cook on it now. Doing a 10 lb brisket on it now at 226 degrees. Your videos rock!. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching and the comments. That’s why I do the videos to try to be some help to others. Enjoy that brisket … I know you will. Keep on Smokin!
Your presentation my friend is much less complicated than most of the others on you tube. Thanks for sharing and making It less difficult. Simply and efficient.
I would think that rubbing alcohol is not approved for any type of human ingestion. You even noted a wax residue on your food with the wax fire starters. Grain , everclear or cheap whiskey might be more suitable as a fire starter. Soaking a few wood chips in whiskey will also add a good flavor to your smoke and also serves as a good lighting tool.
Great tips, Steve. I found that a couple of times I had it up to temp, but when I put the meat on the coals would extinguish and I would have to start over. Any suggestions of how to prevent this?
Not sure, but maybe you’re putting the food on a bit too soon after it gets to set point. I always like to get it to set point and make sure it’s going to regulate at that set point and not go up or down. When you introduce anything to the grill that is colder than the temp set point the temperature will automatically drop a few degrees. It will also drop when you open the lid, but start to climb once the lid is shut again. At this point leave your dampers alone, the temperature should settle back in to the same temp as it was before you put your food on. Not sure if any of this helps in your situation, but I think if you follow these suggestions you should be ok.
Could be that my wife’s taste buds are a bit too sensitive ... I never really noticed it either, but the wife claimed she noticed it. So to keep peace in the house I had to come up with an alternative and the cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol seemed to do the trick. Thanks for watching and leaving your input. Have a good one, keep on Smokin and enjoy all of those good eats coming off of those grates.
Mr Steve. When the temp is at 225. And you wanna smoke some ribs for about 6 to 7 hours. Do you have to feed it more charcoal or will the Akorn maintain its temp ? I’m in the middle of buying one and just need some pointers. I like slow cooking.
No need to feed more charcoal at all. This thing is sooooo efficient it’s just incredible. I would recommend using only lump charcoal and not the briquets. The lump charcoal heats better and only produces 1/10 of the amount of ash. The Akorn will maintain temps with maybe small damper adjustments. Hope this helps
I bought this a month ago at Lowe's and have tried it a few times, but see I was not using enough lump coal, also like the pan idea, I'll get all that and smoke some chicken wings or something. Good information!
Glad to be of help ... that’s what it’s all about. Hope you subscribed and will watch even more. A lot of good cooks and recipes in some of the videos. Hey thanks for watching and enjoy your new smoker... you got this!
Glad to be of help…. That’s why I make these videos, trying to help out a bit and make things easier for everyone. Your kind words help make my efforts all worth while.
Thank you for this video, it answered a lot of my questions on the setup of the Akorn. I'm looking to use a wok in one over coals, so that 18 inch Weber grate with a wok ring on top looks like it'll work just fine.
Hey Smokin Steve, this video is 5 years old but it still helps rookies like me even in 2023. Great job, I like the way you took your time to cover as many tips as p[possible along the way. Thank you, I like saving $ on the diffuser.
Thanks for watching and glad to be of help
Second that. Thank you sir
Glad to be of any help that I can. Thanks for watching and keep on Smokin’!
Equate 91% Isopropyl Alcohol Antiseptic, 32 fl oz from Walmart
Costs $2.50 for a 32 oz bottle
use 2 oz to spray over charcoal
costs 16 cents to start your smoker
Generates just CO2 and H20 when it burns - nothing else
Can drizzle down the center of coal bed to start a cylindrical fire that burns from the center out to the edge for smoking
or spray over the top of coals for a hot searing fire
no better or cheaper way to start a charcoal fire
Chimney with paper towel roll down the center... Free with every paper towel purchase.
@@patrickglaser1560 you just proved his point. What you described is way more expensive 🤷♂️
I appreciate this video so much I learned so many things that I would have never thought of. Using cotton balls with alcohol to light the charcoal, and using peanut oil for the cast iron grates. Thank you so much for putting this out there.
Thanks for watching and glad to be of some help. I have fun putting these videos together and I try to help others the best I can. Hope you subscribed and share with others. Thanks again for watching and enjoy Smokin’ and Grillin’ and all those good eats along the way.
Sorry to be offtopic but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot the account password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me
@Wilder Ty Instablaster =)
@Michael Dalton I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@Michael Dalton it worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thank you so much, you saved my ass!
Great video, in Australia our Akrons come with the smoking stone and rain/dust cover! It's a great little BBQ and a lot cheaper than a komado joe. The only thing I have found wrong is the thermometer is a long way out. But in saying that I use my Maverick off the grate not high up in the dome
Smoking Stone is extra here in U.S. and yes the dome temp probe is way off and even if it was accurate it is so slow to react to temp changes that by the time it would say you reached your target temp you would actually already be way too hot, probably over 100 degrees. Glad you enjoyed the video
Thanks for making this video. I've had a little bit of a hard time staying below 250F. I didn't realize you had to set the dampers so low. I've been afraid of smothering the fire at those settings.
These Kamados don't require much air at all. Your vent settings may vary from mine somewhat. There are so many variables, but if you're running to hot, you need to close dampers down some, You want to creep up to set temperatures without overshooting. It takes too long to bring temps back down after it gets too hot.
Thanks for these vids.
I surprised my husband with a BBQ dinner for his birthday.
Not only was it my first time grilling, but he ate it all up.
Awesome! Keep on Smokin’
Good video, Steve, what size is your metal pan diffuser, 14 inch?
Drip Pan/Water Pan
amzn.to/2SPy9YB
I'am Your Newest Subscriber I Bought That Same Grill Used For 50.00 I Have Ruined Alot Of Meat With Mine It Is Hard To Keep The Heat Down Mine Likes To Stay At 400 Degrees
It’s all about damper control and the amount of coals you have lit. There are 2 things that effect temps and that is air and amount of fire and the amount of fire is controlled by the amount of air. No air ... no fire! Less air ... less fire. More air ... more fire and more heat. Try to follow my Lighting and temperature control and I think you’ll get it figured out. I don’t think it’s a problem with the grill unless you have a bunch of air leaking in other than the dampers. This grill is so efficient that very few coals need to be burning to get the grill up to temps. Go out and light the grill and practice regulating the temp without any meat. It’s really simple and once you get it you’ll understand the concept. Good luck! You can do this!
Great video! I've been having trouble figuring out how to control the temperature as it seems I always overshoot my goal temperature during cooks. This helps explain it perfectly! Keep on smoking!
Brittany Swanson I’m glad it helped. Be sure to come back and let me know the progress you made in your temp control .... smoke On!
Great video. You've convinced me to buy one, along with one of those temp probes.
Is that rubbing alcohol? or drinking alcohol?
That would be rubbing alcohol …. Thanks for watching
Try an electric starter, thats what i use. Its super easy and no need for any chemicals, i bought one for 13 bucks on amazon
Thanks for the video! Plan on picking up one of these grills soon 👍
SmokinSteve, Thanks for the great info!! I tried the cotton balls and alcohol for lighting the charcoal. I LOVE IT. What a great and inexpensive idea. I appreciate the tips you provided. Looking forward to looking through your other videos
When lighting the Akorn, the Weber cubes absolutely do not impart a waxy flavor. It would be impossible to do so.. Not sure what he's talking about. I've been using them for years. And you only need a half of one at that. Use what you want, just not fluid. And close down your dampers sooner or you'll to.will take off.
Hey Steve just wondering what the gauge on the smoker says when your digital one says 225F ?
This was a great detail video. I too, use alcohol and cotton balls to light my grill. Your details of getting the temperature just right will help me. I have had my grill for over a year and have yet to figure out how to get the temp just right. I will use your suggestions for the damper as well. I look forward to you doing a video for different types of meats, chicken to briskets.
Thanks for watching and I hope that I’ve helped your journey in mastering temperature control. I think you’ll find that it is pretty easy if using what you learned in the video. I do have a lot of other videos on UA-cam that you may be interested in watching, several different cooks and recipes ... etc. Thanks again for watching
So you ingore the thermometer on the Akorn?
No not necessarily ... but it's always nice to have a secondary probe just to get a quicker reading. Sometimes it takes the Akron thermometer a lot longer to react to temp changes which could create problems when you're trying to reach your cooking temp.
Subscribed. Just got an acorn yesterday. Looking forward to some recipes and good pointers.
Time for some math. I have a 17# bird for tomorrow what time should i start the grill to get the bird done for 530pm what temp should I shoot for? Thank you Sir. I’m over in Davenport
Steve where did you purchase the large aluminum drip pan. Thanks
The round one
Drip Pan/Water Pan
amzn.to/2SPy9YB
Thanks
I have an akorn komodo from chargriller but it only has a single damper.
How long do you cook, or smoke the meat?
I don't cook by time ... I always go by internal temperature of the meat. The time can fluctuate depending on the temperature you're cooking at, the size of the meat, any fluctuations in cooking temps, and any stall period that may take place. Always best to use internal temps of the meat to guarantee doneness and to get it the way you want it.
I have the same Akorn , along with the Akorn Jr. Absolutely love both. I like using the ceramic stone in both. A 12lb pork shoulder, can be fork tinder in about 4 to 5 hours . If I use my offset stick burner it's about a16 hour cook.
This was a great video, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience.
The Akorn is an awesome smoker/grill. Water tends to collect in between the outer shell and the ash pan. Make sure you dump water out occasionally or the ash pan will rust on you
I clean my ash pan after each cook, and keep it covered in the garage when not in use.
What type of alcohol do you use?
It’s just rubbing alcohol. I’ve found that 90% works the best.
Thank you!!! This was awesome!!
You’re welcome … I hope it was of some help. Thanks for watching
It was! I'm just waiting for all my gear to arrive and I'm hoping to cook a pork butt soon! 😃
My man, Smokin Steve, appreciate the knowledge. Smoking my first turkey out this weekend
Nice ... hope the turkey turns out awesome for you. Smoked turkey takes on a whole new flavor and the family won’t want it any other way. You will be on the hook from now on. Thanks for watching and I hope the video helped.
Thanks for the ideas on smoking with this grill, just got mine...
My thing is if need to add more charcoal you have to take all your food off ?
There should never be any need to add any lump charcoal during a cook If it is loaded up with lump charcoal. This smoker is so efficient that the lump would last for probably 24 hours or more. After your cook you simply shut the dampers to stop the air flow and the coals stop burning and they can be used for another day...... No Worries.
@@SmokinSteve ok that may have sold me on it
@@bnmcamp70 yeah …. These things don’t require much air at all to get up to temperature. For example you only need to light maybe 3-6 pieces of lump charcoal to smoke at 250° and the top and bottom dampers will only be open maybe 1/8 of an inch to maintain that temp. I was really shocked when I first learned this. Some people struggle some with temp control and the dampers, but it’s really easy if you go by what I say in the video.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. Thanks SmokinSteve!
Thanks for watching ... enjoy!
Great video sir. How long will the coal last that you lit in this video? I like smoking pork butts in my electric smoker, but it won't work anymore. I have this akorn but have only grilled on it, never smoked on it. When I do a butt, I'll smoke it for at least 12 hrs at 225°. How long will the coal last. And will I need to reload it while cooking? Thanks.
You shouldn’t have to reload the lump charcoal if you load it up in the beginning. The Akorn is very efficient and doesn’t need much charcoal lit to cook at low temps. I would use lump and not briquettes. If you keep temps at 225 you should have no problem with your charcoal lasting the whole cook.
Fantastic video sir 👏 ! May I ask where did you get that drip pan? 13 inch or 12 inch diameter? I saw something similar in amazon for like 29. That's a little expensive. Thank you Sir!
amzn.to/2SPy9YB ... 14” Drip Pan
Very nice Grill.
When my Husband passed away. I didn’t use his Grill much, so I gave it away. 😕
I use a pellet grill now and it’s not as much trouble to use and the food even turns out better. I’ve had several different grills over the years trying to keep my UA-cam channel fresh with new content. I think I’m done buying grills now, I’m really happy with my recteq grills.
Use whiskey on the cotton balls to help light the cook also..:-)
Trouble with that is, Balvinnie two barrel is a bit expensive. Meths dude, works well.
Fixin to become a smoker and really enjoyed your first lesson to me. I hope to learn a lot from you.
You’re gonna love it ... takes food to a whole new level. Thanks for watching
Ive got the same cooker....i think ive been igniting faaarrr too many coals lol oops. I could never keep it below 300....i was also lighting a chimney full lol
Yep … way too much. I would use lump charcoal and not the briquettes too.
Finally ordered my Akorn Smoker!
Great video!
You're going to love it! A bit of a learning curve, but it's pretty easy if you take temps up slow and don't over shoot your set point. If you do, you could be in for a long day trying to get temp back within range. Have fun with it and enjoy!
Thanks for the video, I just bought an Akorn used for $180. It was used maybe 5 times, soI was excited to get it home and get it next to my Char Griller Smokin Champ. Your video helped me a lot with managing the temps and getting the fire started.
Thanks for watching and I’m glad I was able to provide some help with your new cooker. I think you’ll love using it … it really holds temps nicely without using much fuel. These things are so efficient that it’s unbelievable. Enjoy!!!! I see a lot of awesome food coming off of those grates.
Nice vid! What’s your method for putting the fire out? How often do you change out your charcoal
Good questions ..... To put the fire out you just simply shut both top & bottom dampers to snuff out the air from entering. This should put the coals out and cool down after a short period of time. For your next cook you can just add more coals to whatever you have left from your previous cook. As far as cleaning goes you really don't have to do it very often when you're using lump charcoal, but if you're using briquets I'd say you might have to clean it each time you use it because briquets just make a whole lot more ash than lump charcoal. I hope this helps
Did you reuse the lump coal that was left over from your last cook in this video?
I always use left over lump coals. I may add to them when I think the cook will take more, but yeah there is no need to get rid of what’s left over, just add to them when necessary.
Great Video Steve.
What kind of pan did you use for the deflector?
Water Pan .... amzn.to/3qfSXUm
Thanks for getting back so soon. Your the man!!!
Hi Steve! Great video. Would you happen to have the dimensions for the pan you have as your diffuser? Thanks
Better yet ... here is the link amzn.to/2SPy9YB
Just got this grill from Menards, thank you for the set up tutorial Steve.
Hope you enjoy it …. It’s a great smoker/grill. They are very efficient so damper control is sensitive. A little bit will do ya.
12:54, did you mean drippings?
Because if it's still got droppings… maybe need to talk with your butcher about doing a better job.
I did .... I get my tongue twisted sometimes ... lol ...... No droppings involved, just drippings.
Cool. You sound like Hank Hill.😊
Excellent demonstration for how to bring your Akron Kamado to just the right temperature.
Thank you .... just trying to help those who may struggle with temperatures. Thanks for watching!
Late to the game and just bought the Akorn. I just wanted to let you know I’ve looked at some other videos and this one was the most beneficial to me as a beginner.Thank you for taking the time to share this.
Thank you and enjoy that new cooker
Thanks smokinSteve. This was so helpful. I'm glad I ran across this video. Keep it up!!!
Thanks for watching... happy Smokin’!
Thanks so much for this great video. I feel confident enough now to tackle a brisket this grilling season. Special thanks for the cotton ball/alcohol and Weber grate (#7441) tips.
Thanks for watching and glad to have been some help. Keep on Smokin’ and enjoy all those good eats along the way! Never quit learning! ... that’s my motto.
I was just gifted a kamado akorn that's already been seasoned along with a whole bunch of barbecue accessories including the temp transmitter that you talked about. This video has been super helpful as a beginner and my favorite tip was the cotton balls. Subscribed. looking to learn from the greats 😎
Thanks for watching and subscribing. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised how efficient the Akorn is. I was blown away by how small of a fire and how little air was needed to get to temps. You’re going to have a lot of good eats coming from that cooker. Happy Smokin & Grillin and enjoy all those good eats.
I am very late to this video but just found it. One question what kind of pan are you using that you wrap in foil to Crete the diffuser in the akorn
Thank you for everything and this amazing video
This is the Water Pan Im using ..... comes in handy for several things ..... amzn.to/2NbuBZz
Great job explaining step by step!
I’ve had the Akorn Jr for alittle over a year now and love it. I know it’s smaller but I’ve always wondered if I could smoke something as I had an offset smoker but it took up too much space so I got rid it. I will definitely look into the ceramic heat defuser Chargrill offers or makeshift one like in your video.
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching and the awesome feedback. Keep on postin those comments. Love seeing all of them and glad to be of some help to some out there.
Out of all the videos on youtube Steve u have the best way to setup for low and slow. can u please answer a question for me does the wind ever effect when u are slow smoking at all on the Temperature
Good question... since the amount of heat is dependent on air flow then yes wind can definitely cause more or less air flow thru the vent dependent on whether the wind is strong or hardly none at all. The more air or oxygen that enters the fire the hotter it will get. So this would require shutting the dampers even more to keep at set temp.
Thank you sir
Informative video, thank you! Looking forward to using this like a pro with Dad this Father's Day!
Glad it was helpful!
I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for this. Smoking tomorrow.
Thanks for watching ... Smoke On! You got this! Have Fun & Enjoy some good eats.
I made my diffuser plate out of 1/8 steel plate I was not paying for a ceramic diffuser for 40$ that would crack
Good deal ... glad it worked out for you
I just use several layers of aluminum foil wrapped around the wire rack. Seems to work for me. Maybe I’ll try the plate or bowl
Hello from Palm Beach Florida. You have taught me how to light as well grill. Thanku!
Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for the video. My co-worker gave me his Grill yesterday. I will be trying it out soon.
You’re going to love it ... a bit of a learning curve, but it’s all good!
Thanks, Steve! I've got one of these on the way, and I've seen people say it's tricky and takes a bit of trial and error before being able to get successful smoking temps. You offer a big help showing how it's done!
Piece of cake ... you got this! It’s not that hard if you’re patient and stick with it.
Thanks! Exactly what I needed!
Thanks for watching and glad it helped you out.
Thank you for the video. Very informative and good for me as a beginner smoker.
Glad I could help ... be sure to subscribe and hit the bell for notifications ... going to be having some giveaways you may be interested in.
Got mine today . Good video, really helpful. Thanks
Thank you ... have fun & get to smokin’!
Thank you for explaining everything in such detail. I just ordered this grill and know nothing about the dampers grates Temps or lump charcoal! Thanks again! Ps I subbed
Good luck with it .... it’s an awesome grill and you will have it figured out in no time. It’s really quit easy after you use it and learn how it performs. Have fun and I’m sure you’ll be fixin up some good eats soon!
@@SmokinSteve It will be here In 5 days. I've got my lump charcoa, wood chips, l and temperature probe!
Have fun with it once you get it. I recommend getting to know your grill by trying to reach a smoking temp of 225-250° and try holding it there. Then increase like to 350° and holding it there, then maybe 450° and holding it there. This will show you how the grill responds to damper changes. Remember if you over shoot your desired temp it much harder to bring the temps down. So it’s important to bring temps up slow as to not overshoot. It’s not rocket science, but there is a learning curve. The smoker doesn’t require much air at all and very few coals lit. It will really surprise you. Enjoy!
@@SmokinSteve thank you for your response! Yes I will do as you recommend. My parents had a wood stove during my childhood. What you describe is somewhat familiar to me. We used dampers to control the heat and burn time of our wood. I will definitely practice. 👍
Thank you so much for this detailed video
Your welcome …. Keep on Smokin’ and have fun
Very nice video and instructions. Thank you
Thank you and I hope it helped in your grilling and smoking adventures ... thanks for watching and the main thing ... just have fun with it!
Great video sir, thanks 👍🏾
Glad you liked it and hope it helps in your journey in Smokin’ & grillin’ up some awesome stuff.
How is the Akorn holding up?
I actually sold it to make room for other grills and smokers. It was an awesome cooker, I actually liked it better than the BGE that I replaced it with. I’ve since sold the BGE and now am using RecTeq and love them. Trying to keep the channel new and growing with different things.
Get rid of the grill grate for the acorn and buy a 19 1/2 inch grate that has the side that lifts up so you can add wood and water if needed... Its not the cheap metal that comes with the acorn.
What sort of bracket did you use to pop ur your bbq probe through? Can you post a picture.
I bought the $40 smoking diverter. Wish i would of thought of the grate and pan! Jeanyus idear!
Howdy SmokinSteve! I noticed that a lot of the guys that know what they are doing have their firebox filled all the way to the diffuser brackets. The instructions that came with the kamado have a really fancy and specific diagram for low heat smoking and high direct heat grilling, both of which show only using basically enough coal to cover the grate at the bottom. Is filling it like that good for grilling and smoking? It took me ages to be able to guess how much fuel to use, but I also don't want to waste any coals. Tips? Advice? Thanks.
Don’t worry about trying to guess how many coals you need for your cooks. Just fill it up and what is left after the cook you can save for the next cook by simply closing all of the vents all the way and the fire will go out and the remaining coals are ready for your next cook. Hopefully you’re using lump charcoal and not briquettes. The briquettes would be harder to put out and they make probably 20 times more ash than lump. Lump charcoal is the way to go.
My issue exactly Revin! Saw Smoking Steve and he says fill it, then regulate it! Most sense to me! I can't get mine over 300F!
Coal is cheap relative to buying at Rudy's BBQ here in COSPrings for $15lb lean brisket!!!!!! but it is soooooo good!
@@jeffreyheuser9503 if you can’t get your grill over 300F something is wrong. Even if you just use enough coal to cover the ash grate that will be enough to get your grill north of 400 easily. I don’t fill mine as high as he does but I use about as much as a chimney starter can hold.
You evidently don’t have enough air flow. 2 things limit the temp, that is the fuel source, that being your lump charcoal and the 2nd thing is air. Make sure you’re getting enough air and the vents aren’t covered with ash or something.
You look like the guy who yelled at me while golfing cause I walked in front of your ball on the green. You remember that? I was like wtf. Drunk college kid playing with my dad and you were with another guy
I have no idea ... I don’t recall anything like that ever happening. What golf course would that have happened on?
@@SmokinSteve it had to be around 8 or 10 years ago. Golf course in Naples Florida. It had to be you. And btw, I've never walked in front of someone's else ball on the green since.
That's too funny Ben, but it must have been a look alike ... I've never played golf in Naples in my life. I'm originally from Indiana and have only been in Florida full time for only 2 years, but never in Naples.
I just learned a lot ! Good video
Thanks so much for the feedback. Hope you enjoy your cooker!
Thank you!
Thanks for this upload. Great tips. Wish I watched before setting mine up. I dropped the middle grate and it broke. But Customer service shipped me a new right out.
Great experience so far.
Great cooker ... you’re gonna turn out a lot of awesome food using it ... Enjoy!
@@SmokinSteve not sure what I did wrong. First time ever using charcoal.
But I season my grill perfectly spent like 4hrs on that alone. I cooked my Prime ribeye Sous Vide to med rare. Dried them off. And added to 600 degree Akorn roughly 1 minute each side to get a nice seat but not over cook steak.
There was plenty of smoke going. But upon eating them there was zero grill flavor. It was like I cooked in a pan. Am at a loss as to what I did wrong. Suggestions?
It’s not going to take on much of a grill taste from being on the grill for 2 minutes. If you would go at lower temp and leave on grill longer it would likely take on more of a grilled flavor. It’s kind of a chance that you would be taking - more grill flavor and cooking it longer and possibly drying it out some. It’s hard to find that balance that works for your palette and everyone else’s. That’s kind of a trade off when using Sous Vide, I rely a lot on rubs or seasonings for the grill flavor or that flavor that I’m used to and just searing or browning on grill, iron skillet, or blow torch. It’s a learning experience for sure, but hopefully you get to enjoy a lot of good food along the way.... Good luck ... thanks for watching and your input. Keep on cookin’
Great video, very informative.
Thanks for watching
thanks Steve!!
Hello Sir Steve, enjoy your videos a lot , I have another question , I will do my wife a brisket this weekend , can this Akorn hold the 225 for 10-12 hours? Should I Load a lot of coal for that amount of time sir? If not enough do we add more coal during the cooking ?Thank you !!!!
You should be good. Just fill it up and let ‘er smoke @225° These things are very efficient, they don’t require much fuel or air. I’ve only used lump charcoal, not briquettes. Lump is the way to go!
Just got my Akorn Jr. as a gift from the wife. Thus video was exactly what I was looking for as a beginner. Your presentation style is perfect - descriptive and to the point without too much rambling.
Subscribed.
Greetings from Down Under.
Keep up the good work
Enjoy that new Akorn …. These babies are so efficient it’s unreal. Have fun and good Eatin’ coming your way
Well done. Thanks
Thanks for watching …. Keep on Smokin! Enjoy!
Do you live in largo fl area?
We did live in Largo and now are in Sarasota
love the video but God damned.. you got some NOISE going on in the backround !
Colin Butler LoL .... I had to go back and take a look to see what you were referring to. Yeah that noise was pretty annoying, it sounded like locusts which can really get loud and drive you crazy. Sorry about that, I had no control over those crazy bugs. 🐜 ... Thanks for watching
It's December right now and super cold in CT. I actually enjoyed that "noise" which reminds me of summer days.
Hakan Kilic Gotta love those summer days when your freezing in the winter ❄️ bugs and all
Life goes on even when you are charcoaling no big deal
HeatGun. Saw that. .
Grill not cheap, yet TASTE! MATTERS!
I sell propane and propane accessories I'll tell you what.
I really liked you on King of the Hill. Great Akorn video too.
Jacob Hunnicutt lol
I'll tell you whutt, Hank prefers propane and propane accessories I'll tell you whut.
Thank you 🙏 just got mine and completely burnt hamburgers lol 😂
Ooooooops! Lol
Thank you so much MY electronic smoker died on me and it's the day before a party so you just saved my event.
Glad to be of help …. What time do we eat, LOL 😂
Nice video Steve. This video has helped me a lot. Doing 4th cook on it now. Doing a 10 lb brisket on it now at 226 degrees. Your videos rock!. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching and the comments. That’s why I do the videos to try to be some help to others. Enjoy that brisket … I know you will. Keep on Smokin!
Your presentation my friend is much less complicated than most of the others on you tube. Thanks for sharing and making It less difficult. Simply and efficient.
Thank you.... I try to keep it simple and be thorough to help others in their quest.
This was great! I just got my Akorn Kamado and this video was awesome. Thanks Steve!!
Glad you enjoyed it ... enjoy your Akorn and smoke 💨 on!
What kind of alcohol was on the cotton balls? Rubbing alcohol or liquor?
Rubbing alcohol... about 90% ... Lights good!
I would think that rubbing alcohol is not approved for any type of human ingestion. You even noted a wax residue on your food with the wax fire starters. Grain , everclear or cheap whiskey might be more suitable as a fire starter. Soaking a few wood chips in whiskey will also add a good flavor to your smoke and also serves as a good lighting tool.
Joe C is that what you use?
@@joec2174 you do realize he isn’t drinking the alcohol? Alcohol actually burns off as it is lit and therefore leaves no taste on the food.
Great tips, Steve. I found that a couple of times I had it up to temp, but when I put the meat on the coals would extinguish and I would have to start over. Any suggestions of how to prevent this?
Not sure, but maybe you’re putting the food on a bit too soon after it gets to set point. I always like to get it to set point and make sure it’s going to regulate at that set point and not go up or down. When you introduce anything to the grill that is colder than the temp set point the temperature will automatically drop a few degrees. It will also drop when you open the lid, but start to climb once the lid is shut again. At this point leave your dampers alone, the temperature should settle back in to the same temp as it was before you put your food on. Not sure if any of this helps in your situation, but I think if you follow these suggestions you should be ok.
I've use the weber lighter cubes for years and still to this buy them and I've never had a wax taste to my food.
Could be that my wife’s taste buds are a bit too sensitive ... I never really noticed it either, but the wife claimed she noticed it. So to keep peace in the house I had to come up with an alternative and the cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol seemed to do the trick. Thanks for watching and leaving your input. Have a good one, keep on Smokin and enjoy all of those good eats coming off of those grates.
I can’t wait to get one of these this weekend!! Thanks for sharing.
Have fun with it and enjoy all that awesome food that’s going to be coming off that cooker 😊..... Thanks for watching👍
Your smoking chips, did you soak them in water first or anything?
No soaking at all.
Mr Steve. When the temp is at 225. And you wanna smoke some ribs for about 6 to 7 hours. Do you have to feed it more charcoal or will the Akorn maintain its temp ? I’m in the middle of buying one and just need some pointers. I like slow cooking.
No need to feed more charcoal at all. This thing is sooooo efficient it’s just incredible. I would recommend using only lump charcoal and not the briquets. The lump charcoal heats better and only produces 1/10 of the amount of ash. The Akorn will maintain temps with maybe small damper adjustments. Hope this helps
@@SmokinSteve thanks for the quick reply. And yes I rather or prefer wood than briquets. I can’t wait to make some ribs.
I bought this a month ago at Lowe's and have tried it a few times, but see I was not using enough lump coal, also like the pan idea, I'll get all that and smoke some chicken wings or something.
Good information!
Have fun with it and enjoy all that awesome food ... great cooker/smoker
Be sure to season your grates or they will rust.
Good point .... I use peanut oil to season the grate and apply a thin coat between cooks. Always looks brand new.
I was so confused about how to use this smoker I just got but you totally cleared it up. Thank you so much! Incredibly helpful
Glad to be of help ... that’s what it’s all about. Hope you subscribed and will watch even more. A lot of good cooks and recipes in some of the videos. Hey thanks for watching and enjoy your new smoker... you got this!
Thank you! This video helped me out so much! These type of basics videos help me out a lot .
Glad to be of help…. That’s why I make these videos, trying to help out a bit and make things easier for everyone. Your kind words help make my efforts all worth while.
Thank you for this video, it answered a lot of my questions on the setup of the Akorn. I'm looking to use a wok in one over coals, so that 18 inch Weber grate with a wok ring on top looks like it'll work just fine.
Glad it was helpful!