I've had this grill for 2 years and I always just cooked on it. Never smoked. I spent a good 4 hours with it last week with a bunch of hickory and the cooking stone, and learned a lot. I smoked a meatloaf yesterday around 275-300 and it was incredible. Great video! I should have watched this first, but I learned on my own. Still, great pointers, especially that little screw thing. Thanks!
All I can say Coach is THANKS! Have had the Akorn for a bit over 4 years and nowhere did I receive the quality advice like yours. Awesome smoker management with just a few briquettes. As you said, it'll take some serious fiddling and tweaking in the first couple of hours, but then it's smooth sailing. Advice as plain and simple as yours makes a great difference. This Thanksgiving we did a 14 lb brisket that was in the cooler after a 10-hr cook. Yes, I did start building the fire at 5 am, but it was worth every minute. That chunk of beef came out amazing. Thanks, and will recommend the channel!
Let me reply myself adding that after the 10 hour cook, Thanksgiving dinner and a good night's sleep, the following morning I went to clean the Akorn and, lo and behold, still had around 20 unburnt briquettes!
I had my Akorn for 2 years now and I love it. I just added last week a Tip Top Temp that goes over the top vent and automatically control the temp. I had it holding at 180 for over a hour. Then raised it to 200 -210 and it held it for about 3 hours.. Was never able to hold those low temps before. Anyone with a Akorn needs to get one.
Have had my Akorn for a couple of weeks. Been practicing and not getting the temp that I want. Fire either soared or went out. Searched for videos about lighting and temp instructions and your video has me cooking in the right direction. Best tutorial around. I can't thank you enough for the help.
Cooked on my New Akorn today. Your vid helped a lot I used the screw trick and she ran 250-1-2 for 4 hrs no bs . I love this cooker and I’m a huge Weber Kettle Fanatic.
Today was my first smoke on the Akorn, a Boston butt. I've watched this video countless times. Like so many, I was scared because of the possibility of not holding a low temp. I followed the video near to the letter and my pork was amazing!!! The kamado held temp with very little variance. I was even faced with my old nemesis, the windy day. Because of the easy to follow instructions, my cooker only went up 25 degrees. Went to the middle of the screw, my temp held steady between 250-275. Eight pound off the smoker just under 8 hours. I Didn't even burn through all my charcoal! I have to say that this is the first time I've felt confident about my efforts on the smoker. Using this heat method, I can now see myself on an 18 hour cook minus the nerves. Thanks, Cookout Coach, today my barbecuing was truly "next level". THANK YOU!!!
I took delivery of my new Akorn 3 days ago, thankfully not damaged.. I couldnt be happier with it so far. The best advise I have is to get a big ol bag of charcoal and practice fire management, its cheaper that meat lol.. Ive done 4 test runs with various size loads plus seasoning the grate.. and have had it dialed in at about 240 with not too much trouble (a aftermarket digital temp probe is a must ) You just have to think ahead 50 degrees or so of your target temp,, it can spike in a hurry during initial start ups..
Nice video but I never run briquettes. I run a full load of lump with the vents wide open and light it with a mapp gas torch at the 4 o’clock position. I add a few chunks of smoking wood, the deflector plate, water pan and grate. Like you when the temp hits 200 I Close bottom vent to 1/8" and the top just cracked like you showed it. Then I add the butt, brisket or ribs and my remote temp probes. Once the temp settles in I adjust the top vent to 250-260 and she’s rock solid after that. I easily do 12-16 hour cooks and still have plenty of lump left over for a few grilling sessions. I cooked on ceramics for 25 yeas and find these Akorn grills cook just as well at a third to a quarter of the price and they are much easier to transport. Just take good care of them and keep them out of the weather and they’ll last several seasons.
Hard Truth hey bud, sounds like you’ve got your setup down. I totally agree with you about this grill too, it does all of what the big name ceramics do at barely any of the cost of you just figure out how it likes to breathe you end up with one incredible deal. Thanks for watching 👍
Just bought my acorn two days ago here in Australia and used the first day, very impressed usually I use my Weber Family Q, but with it a small amount of lump wood it, it burned for 7 hrs wow, cooked Lobster and Lamb cutlets “Delish”. I’ve just watched this video on temperature and it was great and will help me in the future, thanks and keep the videos coming.
I have cooked on these for 6 years, I actually have 2 of them Your temp method is about spot on but I ALWAYS use lump. I just hate briquettes. I have recently started cooking by cracking the bottom vent to only about 1/4 inch give or take and controlling temp only with the top vent. I think it gives better temp control because when the wind blows it doesn't blow in the bottom vent and mess up the temp as easily. The wind just blows across the top vent instead of blowing in under the lump. It seems to give me a more steady temp and I do lots of long cooks. The great thing about these grills is that when you shut the air the charcoal dies out and is ready for the next cook. And the fact that are so well insulated.
Robert Phelan hey bud, thanks for checkin this out. I do absolutely love the reusability of the charcoal when you shut it down. I’ll have to try just using the top vent, I’m sure that works out great, thanks for the tip.
thanks, I wish I would have watched this yesterday. I smoked some baby backs and it took me 3 hours to get the temp back down under 300 and extinguished the fire once. I planned on dinner at six, not 9pm - but half the fun of grilling/smoking is experimentation. again - thanks for the tips
I have the Kamander, and agree 100%. The hardest thing to learn is getting ahead of it, before it runs away from you. I do almost the exact same thing and it worked out great.
First off, LOVE the HAT! My family got me one last night and I am excited to try it out tomorrow. Thanks for sharing the information and I hope it helps my learning curve! LET"S GO
Have the same exact pit, just grilled some steaks up with lump using coal starter to get it even burn, seared the snot out of them at 500 F, 3/4 min each side with 45 degree turn, bone in rib eyes. And my wife and kids said it was the best steak they’ve ever had over any steak house. The sear was so crisp to the bite, they lost it. Perfect medium rare to MR+ , butter to melt during the 10 min rest. My god this is the best grill man can own. And it didn’t take as long as you think, having the starter changes everything
Thanks Cookout Coach! I just purchased an Akorn and had trouble figuring out how to maintain the temp when cooking. This video helped me a great deal.. to the point where my first bbq on the grill of two racks of baby back ribs were outstanding. I was able to maintain the heat by following your instructions on the dampers (along with an additional external thermometer - the Akorn one is way off). Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Gary Norton that’s awesome bud I’m glad this video helped. That’s so great, keep killin it in on the akorn and if you have any questions feel free to reach out 👍
About to buy my first grill. I'm going with a Chargriller Akron. I've never grilled, and I'm nervous I'm going to mess it up. But I keep coming back to your channel for tips. Thank you so much for boosting my confidence.
Well done mate just tested your idea on temperature control and it works. I have been trying to keep temp at 250 f with my acorn for a while so this was a relieve to see this work the way you said it would. Next time I will try with water in a container and see how effective that is. So for me down under in Australia WHAT A RIPPER OF INFORMATION
Keith Winter Excellent! Glad to hear this is helping you hold those temps. If you run into any other problems just let me know and we’ll make sure to get you sorted out 👍
Super useful for me I've been using mine for years but now I have a method to aim for. I find it holds temps so well I use a very small amount of coal for a short rib cook. Was using the snake method
Great video. I have such a hard time landing and staying at 225. I've been using the Akorn for about a year now. I know its just patience at this point. You gotta take it up super slowly, once you overshoot its taken me 3 hours to get it back down and stable.
Chris Reilly you’re absolutely right, the key is to sneak up on that temp, also if you’re trying to hold it that low I’d really recommend a water pan 👍
Me too, but i find if you cook a bome in ~8lb pork butt at 300 degrees for 6 hours vs 12-18 it's still amazing. I'm learning to try not to get too hung up on EXACT temps.
I'm a new owner to the Akorn I had this exact issues first couple times of using it. Thanks for the advise I will be trying your method on my next cook.
Just got mine setup yesterday. Good tips as I have used an offset charcoal smoker for a long time and now transitioning. I knew exact heat fluctuations on the offset, now gta get used to this. Thx for the video.
@@Cookoutcoach So I have done 3 grill sessions and one smoke since I got it. I couldn't be happier, but you couldn't be more right if the temp gets away from you, it's tough to bring back down. It got to 400 just by leaving the top damper cracked a finger width and took 2-3 hours to get back down where needed for smoking. Pork butt came out amazing. Best part is that it held 200 longer than ive ever seen any grill do and it is very efficient with not having to reload with lump/wood chips. The offset smoker doesnt hold a candle to these :):) this smoking stone is legit as well!
I know what u mean coach,I'm still learning mine too,it's opening it up I hate. But I've learned to use digital thermometers Now n love them. I only snuffed out my fire 1 time. 2nd cook. I love my kamander n my wife is coming around TOO!!! Thanks good video
Just got mine today and YES, those temps run super fast. This is the first grill I ever had where this Akorn can go over 700°f if it wants to. Gonna love doing searing on this grill. Looking forward to the smoking portion as well.
You Truly are a Cookout Coach. I don’t have one of those smokers, however that could still be applied to other methods as well. Thanks for sharing👍🏼💪🏼🇺🇸
Great tutorial, thank you for posting this! One question for you: I got a multi probe thermometer and used it to track my temp, with one probe under the grill (on top of the stone) and one at the top of the egg (hung inside the vent). I was consistently seeing about a 50 degree difference in the probes. What would you control the grill to? I was more using the top figuring this is where the hot smoke was collecting.
Thanks for the great video! So I can get the grill stable at 250-275. The issue that I have is when I open it to wrap some ribs or a brisket, just having an open for the minute or so the temp goes up 50°. And I don’t have it open very long. I even try shutting the vents before I open it. Is this a issue that you have? And have you figured out a solution? Thanks and keep the great videos coming.
Very good video. Just got the Akorn few weeks ago. Seems like putting ash pan on was kind of a pain. Any suggestions? Any videos for that? Thank you and keep up the great work.
Hi Steve, I've just purchased an Akorn and ran across your super informative videos. Thanks for putting in the time to make them. I just have one question to ask, If I'm doing an 8 hour low and slow how many briquettes do I need to put in? or how high up in the bucket to they need to go. Using the above technique.
Radu Enache hey thanks for the kind words and congrats on the new cooker. 8 hours is nothing for the Akorn, but to be safe I’d fill it up about half way between the bottom and the brackets for the smokin stone. This will give you plenty of room for your lit charcoal and smoking wood 👍
New subscriber just wanting to say hey and to let other subscribers know the “AKORN” is $269 at Lowe’s (Labor Day sale, 8/30-9/5/18). Found you thru Rich’s River Smokers. Sorry I missed you guys at Weston. Just getting caught up on whose out there. I went up to check out another WV team, Loc-N-Loaded BBQ from Putnam Co. Couldn’t help but notice the hat and want to root for the home team if that applies. Enjoying the videos!
George Douglas cool man that’s an awesome deal. Rich is a great guy and I was glad I got to meet up with him in Weston. Well probably be there again next year so if you see us stop by and say hey. Thanks for watching bud.
George Douglas funny you should ask, I was planning on going to that one but I got lucky and got invited to the jack Daniels so we’re gonna go compete down there instead.
Great video. Have you ever used a Digi Q on your Akiorn?. I have had trouble with lump. I set it at 275 and it will run great for about an hour than temp starts dropping and hard to bring up. Any suggestions?
Wow! This is SO helpful. Thanks man. I've had my AKORN for two years and all but gave up on smoking on this thing but I realize I wasn't regulating my heat well...also I was under the impression that I coulnd't use briquets in it. Also, do you HAVE to use the smoking stone?
I understand you use about 15 briquettes in a chimney to ignite the rest of the coals. My question is how many briquettes do you use to smoke at 250° or 275° for 4 hours or more?
Hey, not a pro, here. But I've done my research on this subject. There really isn't a "better" option. It's all about pros and cons. Ceramic is a better insulator. You'll use less fuel. You can maintain a lower temp easier. Steel/porcelain fiber is MUCH lighter. Much easier to move around. A ton cheaper. And much more durable. If you're planning on putting it in place and never moving it, and you're certain nobody will be careless around it then ceramic is probably for you. If any of those factors doesn't apply to you, go steel.
I went thru 2 bags of lump just trying to learn how to keep the temps between 250 and 275. Was not succesful each time. I dunno if i didnt dampen it soon enough or if I might have a leak in the bottom seal. But im going to try this method and see if it works. I want to smoke a brisket this year for the first time, but i really dont want to ruin a pricey piece of meat like that.
@@Cookoutcoach hey, thanks dude. Ill give it a try this weekend and let you know how it goes. Ive seen alot of people modding this gril because they claim the seal on the bottom is bad. Im hoping that isnt the case.
Cookout coach. To maintain a 225 temp for slow cooking ribs ie: 6 to 7 hours. Do you have to keep feeding the akorn or does it maintain with what ever amount you first put in. ? Does it matter how much charcoal you put in?
Even cooking at very high temps I’ve never found the time and temp combination where I needed to add fuel to this cooker as long as it started out full, it’s really one of the most fuel efficient things I’ve ever cooked on
@@Cookoutcoach awesome. Thanks for the quick reply. It would be difficult to feed once the food is on there. I like to slow cook and my prime temp is 225 for several hours. Just needed some advise. I’m in the mix of buying one today. Thanks.
Hey coach! Enjoy your videos very much thank you for sharing all the information , one question ... have you cooked like a 12 hour brisket and how much coal did you use? Did you have to add more coal during the smoking? Thank you !!!
Hey Elvis, for a 14-lb Thanksgiving brisket last evening, I filled up the firebox and did Coach's method of just lighting up maybe 12-13 briquettes, putting them near the bottom vent and spreading the rest of the charcoal around it. When cleaning the Akorn, I returned at least 20 unused briquettes to the bag. Amazing temp management!
So for the fine tuning at around 250ish how does the top damper work....is it open=slightly higher temp close to lower the temp? I was trying it today and not getting obvious results.
How much lump/briquettes do you use for a long smoke? Say 8 hours? Also, your damper control seems spot on. My friend helped me out as I’m a newbie, and we shut the bottom damper all the way, (the air leak was enough) to keep 225. You?
Chris Olbrot hmmm it’s hard for me to say because I’ve never counted them but I would bet an 8 hour cook at 275 uses about 20 briquettes give or take. That sounds about right for your dampers, if I’m trying to hold that low I’ll usually add a water pan on top of the smoking stone
Hey coach. I've been using an akorn since spring and my problem is keeping temp from dropping. I've tried the screw setting on bottom vent and after an hour I'll check it and the temp is dropping to 100. Any advice
Raymond Clayton sure I’d pop the top vent open just a little more it sounds like there’s just not quite enough air moving through it. If you crack the top vent a little more and it stabilizes but it’s hotter than you want to cook try adding a water pan
Briquets seem to stabilize better than lump, but I hate the fine ash briquets produce because if you get a breeze and it makes it to the bottom vent, it blows ash all over the meat.
You could attempt to bank all the coals to one side, but what I would recommend instead if you’re doing something like reverse searing a steak is bring it up slow with the cooking stone in place then when it’s time to seat use some high heat gloves, remove the stone and open the vents, it won’t take long at all for those coals to ramp up to searing temps at all.
In this video you used an exterior temperature gauge. Why did you use that gauge compared to the gauge that is mounted on the smoker? And, how do you use that exterior temperature gauge
C. Coach, I was given an used Akorn Mod E16820 this past week (i'm happy as a lark) and began to deep clean that sucker. Without any owner's instructions and parts list. My question to you Coach for now, is there a parts house that you know of that stock a good line of parts per each model? I've pulled the inside wall conical liner and it has two halves spun-glass insulation that need replacing. The main cast-iron grate is broken, two pieces (60/40, I may be able to bracket-strap to service). Looks like I have all the inter cooker pieces and pizza plate. Any suggestion would be most appreciated in heading this beast into working order. Thanks, 041920.
GoatDriver Ram wow that’s sounds thorough. Well I don’t know of anywhere that will resell the insulation but for things like a new grate or hinges, a blister pack with the screws things of that nature I would give char Griller a call and see if you can buy the parts straight from them. If that doesn’t work I’d hit amazon for a 19.75 inch grate. I know there are several stainless steel aftermarket grate options and the hinge for the lid is a pretty common pice that a lot of folks buy and use to mod other smokers they have as well. But yeah, to start with I’d go straight to the source
I tried this method last night it worked really well for a few hours but then the temperature shot way up 350 375 on its own with out opening the grill or moving the the vents.
I find that when i wanted to hit 275 it would stay at 268. For a while how can I increase it .. i ended up opening the bottom damper and top.. and it dropped to 250... What was the correct way to make it go 7+ more from 268?
Been using this grill for going on 2 years and at first I definitely had a several times I lost control of my Temps. Once that happens you just lost your grill for about 2 hours or more. Might as well just choke it out and start over and that takes awhile. But your right once you master that it's a great performer, I use lump charcoal and have smoked several briskets and tons of ribs and the Temps hold rock solid. 12 and 14 hours no sweat. Opening the lid too long can create issues but as long as you know this. Just ordered the smoke X 4 and billows, see how it works.
Brad Mann you’re 100 percent right. I run a guru on it sometimes if I’m trying to do other things while starting the akorn but really when you’re used to it as long as you have a half an hour or so to settle it in, it’s money all day. Thanks for watchin bud
For you briquet non conformists. This grill is all metal vs ceramic. I bought 3 double packs of kingsford 2 julys ago. still have 2 bags and one half. enough for this summer. Works great, easy to light, and easy to maintain temp. No popping cracking and burning my toes or shirt. For me it has worked great, even stopped using a chimney and use starter fluid. Fast easy and gets the job done. Don't hate, its all pre fired wood folks, just in another form! You will be happy with either one! Just enjoy the process of grilling and smoking, get your A game on and no one will know which wood you chose! Purists will hate on me, thats ok. I have never had a complaint and I have used both in this and my trusty webber kettle which I still use......
You could get some high temp sealer or if it’s really bad you could order some new gasket material and just completely replace the gasket. Hope this helpsשגיא בוזגלו
שגיא בוזגלו that’s all going to be determined by where the patches are placed on the pan and on the body of the cooker. I think if you believe this is the issue I would just try to replace the gasket. First I would contact char grilled to see if they will send you a new one. If they won’t though a lot of people like to use big green egg gaskets to re do gaskets on their current grills
I had the same issue I bought a high temp gasket like the one used on BGE, it comes with its own adhesive, I added it to the pan and now I have no leaks at all.
Google Critic I recommend removing all the used ash after every cook just to make sure you prolong the life of your cooker, but there’s nothing about using hickory chips that mean you need to deep clean it anymore often than you would using other fuel or smoke sources
In my opinion, I would clean the left over coal out. I just did my first smoke on it and was a little disappointed when I grilled some some burgers and they were very saturated in hickory smoke. I even tried to pick the pieces of hickory out to no avail. So after that I opened them vents up and burned all that left over lump into ash. I'm not a huge fan of smoke tho. I like the taste from the lump charcoal the most
QUESTION: I've had an one of these Grills you are using for about a month. And I think the tool they give me to remove, the cast iron grill part that I cook on. I think that little handle is a really bad joke. Do you know where I can get something better. I'm not afraid to pay for it. I just want something happy to me. I can't understand why they would go and tarnish their absolute best grill ever made standing. Great performance, great metal stand, great heat retention. Then BAD hardware to actually use it. Help me fix it.
VanGilder Michael well if the grstenremover isn’t working for you I don’t know of an exact replacement, but I’m thinking a Dutch oven lid lifted might do it
@@Cookoutcoach cool, thx for even taking time to think about my issue. But, yea. I use these awesome silicone BBQ gloves. I think they are rated to 550 or more. That is the best I could think. If there was a better idea, I thought I would find it with you. So, now. Gloves will be the winner. thx
Orlando Avalos absolutely, if you’re having trouble the only adjustment I would make is start with one or two fewer coals in the chimney at the beginning. Thanks for watching
I just bought this grill from Lowe’s with attached cart for 200.00 I’m a long time Weber/indirect smoker and thought this would make my cooks easier. I was wrong, I’ve tried 4 times to get this thing to stick at 200-225 and it’s impossible. If I close both vents down real low and hold 225 the fire dies out. The only way to use this grill is at 260 and higher. I thought I researched this grill more before I bought it.
Matthew Binkley the lowest I’ve been able to hold on a pork butt is 230 but That was with a water pan and it was a cold day in January. I have honestly just got to where my preferred temp for most cooks is 275. I agree with ya, I don’t even try to run it under 250 for risk of putting the fire out. I really like this cooker but I think to really enjoy it you’ve got to just let it be itself and I think it likes to like in that 250 and above range. Thanks for checkin it out bud, if I can help ya out with anything just let me know.
I've had mine for 2 summers and have been able to hold 225 without much effort. I control the temp with the top and don't touch the bottom once i get it locked in. I found the real secret is to make sure you have a strong fire going before putting the deflector and grate on. If done to early it will take forever to get up to 225 and if done too late you are going to have a hard time bringing the temp down. I used to have the whole probe set up going, but now I know once the front thermostat hits 200 it's where I need to be, and will hold that for a few hours with no adjustment.
Kyle Loux cool bud, glad your havin a good time with it. I cook at 275 on all my pits so I don’t have to worry about fighting it for the 225 mark. My thermometer is usually off by a good bit on the dome, I speculate it’s from when I took the temps way up to do pizza back in the beginning of this year but it seems like ever since then it’s coo coo bananas so I just run my grate level probe and go off of that. Smoke on brotha 👍
Keeping the lid open for a while will help the fire get going faster if you’re using wax cubes or tumble weed starters inside of the akorn instead of using the chimney
It’s horrible at keeping temps. It’s been 2 years and some days I try for 2 hrs before I put the meat on just to get it near the range and it still jumps up if your not sitting over it for 8hrs
Cookout Coach yep water no water char coal lump coal it just jumps. I had had days were I planed on cooking but couldn’t because it would stay at 225 for beef ribs. I even lift the lid to lower the temp but it still jumps up.
I've had this grill for 2 years and I always just cooked on it. Never smoked. I spent a good 4 hours with it last week with a bunch of hickory and the cooking stone, and learned a lot. I smoked a meatloaf yesterday around 275-300 and it was incredible. Great video! I should have watched this first, but I learned on my own. Still, great pointers, especially that little screw thing. Thanks!
All I can say Coach is THANKS! Have had the Akorn for a bit over 4 years and nowhere did I receive the quality advice like yours. Awesome smoker management with just a few briquettes. As you said, it'll take some serious fiddling and tweaking in the first couple of hours, but then it's smooth sailing. Advice as plain and simple as yours makes a great difference. This Thanksgiving we did a 14 lb brisket that was in the cooler after a 10-hr cook. Yes, I did start building the fire at 5 am, but it was worth every minute. That chunk of beef came out amazing. Thanks, and will recommend the channel!
Let me reply myself adding that after the 10 hour cook, Thanksgiving dinner and a good night's sleep, the following morning I went to clean the Akorn and, lo and behold, still had around 20 unburnt briquettes!
I had my Akorn for 2 years now and I love it. I just added last week a Tip Top Temp that goes over the top vent and automatically control the temp. I had it holding at 180 for over a hour. Then raised it to 200 -210 and it held it for about 3 hours.. Was never able to hold those low temps before. Anyone with a Akorn needs to get one.
Have had my Akorn for a couple of weeks. Been practicing and not getting the temp that I want. Fire either soared or went out. Searched for videos about lighting and temp instructions and your video has me cooking in the right direction. Best tutorial around. I can't thank you enough for the help.
Cooked on my New Akorn today. Your vid helped a lot I used the screw trick and she ran 250-1-2 for 4 hrs no bs . I love this cooker and I’m a huge Weber Kettle Fanatic.
Better At-it fantastic, I’m glad the video was helpful, smoke on bud 👍
Today was my first smoke on the Akorn, a Boston butt. I've watched this video countless times. Like so many, I was scared because of the possibility of not holding a low temp. I followed the video near to the letter and my pork was amazing!!! The kamado held temp with very little variance. I was even faced with my old nemesis, the windy day. Because of the easy to follow instructions, my cooker only went up 25 degrees. Went to the middle of the screw, my temp held steady between 250-275. Eight pound off the smoker just under 8 hours. I Didn't even burn through all my charcoal! I have to say that this is the first time I've felt confident about my efforts on the smoker. Using this heat method, I can now see myself on an 18 hour cook minus the nerves. Thanks, Cookout Coach, today my barbecuing was truly "next level". THANK YOU!!!
I took delivery of my new Akorn 3 days ago, thankfully not damaged.. I couldnt be happier with it so far. The best advise I have is to get a big ol bag of charcoal and practice fire management, its cheaper that meat lol.. Ive done 4 test runs with various size loads plus seasoning the grate.. and have had it dialed in at about 240 with not too much trouble (a aftermarket digital temp probe is a must ) You just have to think ahead 50 degrees or so of your target temp,, it can spike in a hurry during initial start ups..
Midi Fun - congrats on the new cooker and you’re absolutely right, you have to sort of sneak up on that final temperature
Nice video but I never run briquettes. I run a full load of lump with the vents wide open and light it with a mapp gas torch at the 4 o’clock position. I add a few chunks of smoking wood, the deflector plate, water pan and grate. Like you when the temp hits 200 I Close bottom vent to 1/8" and the top just cracked like you showed it. Then I add the butt, brisket or ribs and my remote temp probes. Once the temp settles in I adjust the top vent to 250-260 and she’s rock solid after that. I easily do 12-16 hour cooks and still have plenty of lump left over for a few grilling sessions.
I cooked on ceramics for 25 yeas and find these Akorn grills cook just as well at a third to a quarter of the price and they are much easier to transport. Just take good care of them and keep them out of the weather and they’ll last several seasons.
Hard Truth hey bud, sounds like you’ve got your setup down. I totally agree with you about this grill too, it does all of what the big name ceramics do at barely any of the cost of you just figure out how it likes to breathe you end up with one incredible deal. Thanks for watching 👍
Same here after 7 years using it. Lump chunks work fine.. Ive done pizza at 600++ and thay takes 90 seconds per pizza
This grill works fine for me. Using the adjustable charoal grate expands your cooking options.
Just bought my acorn two days ago here in Australia and used the first day, very impressed usually I use my Weber Family Q, but with it a small amount of lump wood it, it burned for 7 hrs wow, cooked Lobster and Lamb cutlets “Delish”. I’ve just watched this video on temperature and it was great and will help me in the future, thanks and keep the videos coming.
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.
Google Critic your very welcome and that’s awesome, congrats 👍
I have cooked on these for 6 years, I actually have 2 of them Your temp method is about spot on but I ALWAYS use lump. I just hate briquettes.
I have recently started cooking by cracking the bottom vent to only about 1/4 inch give or take and controlling temp only with the top vent. I think it gives better temp control because when the wind blows it doesn't blow in the bottom vent and mess up the temp as easily. The wind just blows across the top vent instead of blowing in under the lump. It seems to give me a more steady temp and I do lots of long cooks.
The great thing about these grills is that when you shut the air the charcoal dies out and is ready for the next cook. And the fact that are so well insulated.
Robert Phelan hey bud, thanks for checkin this out. I do absolutely love the reusability of the charcoal when you shut it down. I’ll have to try just using the top vent, I’m sure that works out great, thanks for the tip.
Great video and reply - still honing in on the sweet spot of this things, but have had a couple great cooks!
lx2nv fantastic, that’s what it’s all about
thanks, I wish I would have watched this yesterday. I smoked some baby backs and it took me 3 hours to get the temp back down under 300 and extinguished the fire once. I planned on dinner at six, not 9pm - but half the fun of grilling/smoking is experimentation. again - thanks for the tips
J Callen your welcome and your right, it’s all about the journey of learning the skills 👍
I have the Kamander, and agree 100%. The hardest thing to learn is getting ahead of it, before it runs away from you. I do almost the exact same thing and it worked out great.
Scott Lee great minds think alike lol. Thanks for checkin the video out
First off, LOVE the HAT! My family got me one last night and I am excited to try it out tomorrow. Thanks for sharing the information and I hope it helps my learning curve! LET"S GO
Have the same exact pit, just grilled some steaks up with lump using coal starter to get it even burn, seared the snot out of them at 500 F, 3/4 min each side with 45 degree turn, bone in rib eyes. And my wife and kids said it was the best steak they’ve ever had over any steak house. The sear was so crisp to the bite, they lost it. Perfect medium rare to MR+ , butter to melt during the 10 min rest. My god this is the best grill man can own. And it didn’t take as long as you think, having the starter changes everything
Thanks Cookout Coach! I just purchased an Akorn and had trouble figuring out how to maintain the temp when cooking. This video helped me a great deal.. to the point where my first bbq on the grill of two racks of baby back ribs were outstanding. I was able to maintain the heat by following your instructions on the dampers (along with an additional external thermometer - the Akorn one is way off). Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Gary Norton that’s awesome bud I’m glad this video helped. That’s so great, keep killin it in on the akorn and if you have any questions feel free to reach out 👍
About to buy my first grill. I'm going with a Chargriller Akron. I've never grilled, and I'm nervous I'm going to mess it up. But I keep coming back to your channel for tips. Thank you so much for boosting my confidence.
Ironrune very cool and congrats. I’m glad you find the videos helpful and if you ever have specific questions just reach out 👍
How was your 1st season grilling?
Well done mate just tested your idea on temperature control and it works. I have been trying to keep temp at 250 f with my acorn for a while so this was a relieve to see this work the way you said it would. Next time I will try with water in a container and see how effective that is. So for me down under in Australia WHAT A RIPPER OF INFORMATION
Keith Winter Excellent! Glad to hear this is helping you hold those temps. If you run into any other problems just let me know and we’ll make sure to get you sorted out 👍
Love your CharGriller Akorn series. So informative. Thanks for sharing:)
putting closer to the vent is the key! I was struggling with temperature swings mainly with the temperature dropping after an hour
Dude... this video was worth it, and most videos are not. Good work!
John Smith thanks bud, I appreciate that
Super useful for me I've been using mine for years but now I have a method to aim for. I find it holds temps so well I use a very small amount of coal for a short rib cook. Was using the snake method
Just got my Kamado, watching ur videos has really helped with my learning curve, thanx bud keep these informative videos coming
Great video. I have such a hard time landing and staying at 225. I've been using the Akorn for about a year now. I know its just patience at this point. You gotta take it up super slowly, once you overshoot its taken me 3 hours to get it back down and stable.
Chris Reilly you’re absolutely right, the key is to sneak up on that temp, also if you’re trying to hold it that low I’d really recommend a water pan 👍
Me too, but i find if you cook a bome in ~8lb pork butt at 300 degrees for 6 hours vs 12-18 it's still amazing. I'm learning to try not to get too hung up on EXACT temps.
Your tips were 100% spot on! I was able to manage a 225 temp for hours!
I'm a new owner to the Akorn I had this exact issues first couple times of using it. Thanks for the advise I will be trying your method on my next cook.
Why didn’t I watch this video 2 years ago!! Great stuff man
Just got mine setup yesterday. Good tips as I have used an offset charcoal smoker for a long time and now transitioning. I knew exact heat fluctuations on the offset, now gta get used to this. Thx for the video.
Jarrod Evans no problem bud, hope this helps you get up and rollin smoke quick
@@Cookoutcoach So I have done 3 grill sessions and one smoke since I got it. I couldn't be happier, but you couldn't be more right if the temp gets away from you, it's tough to bring back down. It got to 400 just by leaving the top damper cracked a finger width and took 2-3 hours to get back down where needed for smoking. Pork butt came out amazing. Best part is that it held 200 longer than ive ever seen any grill do and it is very efficient with not having to reload with lump/wood chips. The offset smoker doesnt hold a candle to these :):) this smoking stone is legit as well!
Jarrod Evans glad to hear you’re having a good time with it 👍
I know what u mean coach,I'm still learning mine too,it's opening it up I hate. But I've learned to use digital thermometers Now n love them. I only snuffed out my fire 1 time. 2nd cook. I love my kamander n my wife is coming around TOO!!! Thanks good video
Rocen Rol you got it bud, glad you liked the video and I hope it helped you out bud 👍
Excellent instructions! Helped me with my initial use. Thanks much.
Thanks CC! Your tips were perfect and kept me from tossing my Akorn and going with another brand. Thanks so much! I'm now a big fan! Cheers!!! 👍👍👍
mattskiii63 awesome bud, I’m glad I could help
Just got mine today and YES, those temps run super fast. This is the first grill I ever had where this Akorn can go over 700°f if it wants to. Gonna love doing searing on this grill. Looking forward to the smoking portion as well.
You Truly are a Cookout Coach. I don’t have one of those smokers, however that could still be applied to other methods as well. Thanks for sharing👍🏼💪🏼🇺🇸
MeatHead your right, this is basically just a controlled way to bring your temp up slowly
Great tutorial, thank you for posting this! One question for you: I got a multi probe thermometer and used it to track my temp, with one probe under the grill (on top of the stone) and one at the top of the egg (hung inside the vent). I was consistently seeing about a 50 degree difference in the probes. What would you control the grill to? I was more using the top figuring this is where the hot smoke was collecting.
Nigel Marcussen I go with the one closest to where the food is, that’s the temp that I care about personally 👍
Gonna try your chimney method this weekend. I've had some weird results using the pyramid.
Thanks for the great video! So I can get the grill stable at 250-275. The issue that I have is when I open it to wrap some ribs or a brisket, just having an open for the minute or so the temp goes up 50°. And I don’t have it open very long. I even try shutting the vents before I open it. Is this a issue that you have? And have you figured out a solution? Thanks and keep the great videos coming.
I just got one. I played with controlling temp during the season burn. Thanks for the tips!
Joshua Carrico no problem and congrats, you’re gonna love that cooker
Got an Akorn on the way and this is the 3rd video of yours I've watched . Guess I need to hit the Sub button.
Great tips and information bro. A Kamado grill in one I don't have in my arsenal yet. But will keep this in mind if I ever do.
THEREALSHOWBBQ sounds good bud, thanks for watchin
Just purchased one today, excited to use. Any recommendations on thermometer to monitor temperature control?
Spencer Romstadt that’s awesome congratulations. I like the fireBoard and thermoworks products myself
I use a MEATER wireless probe, it connects via an app. Shows internal meat temp and ambient grill inside temp.
Thanks I have the Jr. It rocks when you get it right.
Nimrod awesome, I’ve got a JR on my list. Seems like a great little cooker
I really enjoy your videos Have you ever used the tip top temp controller for the Akron to control temps. Thanks
Very good video. Just got the Akorn few weeks ago. Seems like putting ash pan on was kind of a pain. Any suggestions? Any videos for that? Thank you and keep up the great work.
Sounds about how it is with my 30 gal UDS. really thinking hard about picking one of these up
Hi Steve, I've just purchased an Akorn and ran across your super informative videos. Thanks for putting in the time to make them. I just have one question to ask, If I'm doing an 8 hour low and slow how many briquettes do I need to put in? or how high up in the bucket to they need to go. Using the above technique.
Radu Enache hey thanks for the kind words and congrats on the new cooker. 8 hours is nothing for the Akorn, but to be safe I’d fill it up about half way between the bottom and the brackets for the smokin stone. This will give you plenty of room for your lit charcoal and smoking wood 👍
New subscriber just wanting to say hey and to let other subscribers know the “AKORN” is $269 at Lowe’s (Labor Day sale, 8/30-9/5/18). Found you thru Rich’s River Smokers. Sorry I missed you guys at Weston. Just getting caught up on whose out there. I went up to check out another WV team, Loc-N-Loaded BBQ from Putnam Co. Couldn’t help but notice the hat and want to root for the home team if that applies. Enjoying the videos!
George Douglas cool man that’s an awesome deal. Rich is a great guy and I was glad I got to meet up with him in Weston. Well probably be there again next year so if you see us stop by and say hey. Thanks for watching bud.
I may try to attend the Nelsonville, Ohio KCBS event in October. Any chance you’re entering?
George Douglas funny you should ask, I was planning on going to that one but I got lucky and got invited to the jack Daniels so we’re gonna go compete down there instead.
THEEE “JACK”? Well dang, I don’t blame you. Best of luck and keep the video going!
im sure this will help a lot of peeps! Good informative video
Whats New BBQ thanks brotha I hope it does help some people out
Great video. Have you ever used a Digi Q on your Akiorn?. I have had trouble with lump. I set it at 275 and it will run great for about an hour than temp starts dropping and hard to bring up. Any suggestions?
Wow! This is SO helpful. Thanks man. I've had my AKORN for two years and all but gave up on smoking on this thing but I realize I wasn't regulating my heat well...also I was under the impression that I coulnd't use briquets in it. Also, do you HAVE to use the smoking stone?
Olskool Rich hey glad this helped. You don’t have to use the smoking stone, but I’d you’re doing any long cooks in it I would highly recommend it 👍
@@Cookoutcoach Thanks man. I also find that Lump charcoal burns too hot...but I'm a try your suggestions.
Olskool Rich awesome
How about for regular grilling? I have the akorn and get so frustrated with the severe heat and not being able to calm it
need to close the top dampener quite a bit, same with the bottom. It will look like its not open enough to keep the fire going but it will.
I understand you use about 15 briquettes in a chimney to ignite the rest of the coals. My question is how many briquettes do you use to smoke at 250° or 275° for 4 hours or more?
Coach, love your vids. I’m on the fence on either an akorn or a classic kamado joe 3. Do you feel the ceramics are worth the price hop?
Hey, not a pro, here. But I've done my research on this subject. There really isn't a "better" option. It's all about pros and cons.
Ceramic is a better insulator. You'll use less fuel. You can maintain a lower temp easier.
Steel/porcelain fiber is MUCH lighter. Much easier to move around. A ton cheaper. And much more durable.
If you're planning on putting it in place and never moving it, and you're certain nobody will be careless around it then ceramic is probably for you. If any of those factors doesn't apply to you, go steel.
I went thru 2 bags of lump just trying to learn how to keep the temps between 250 and 275. Was not succesful each time. I dunno if i didnt dampen it soon enough or if I might have a leak in the bottom seal. But im going to try this method and see if it works. I want to smoke a brisket this year for the first time, but i really dont want to ruin a pricey piece of meat like that.
Geoff Peterson I hear you on not wanting to waste money. Give this a shot and it it doesn’t work let me know and we’ll figure out what’s goin on
@@Cookoutcoach hey, thanks dude. Ill give it a try this weekend and let you know how it goes. Ive seen alot of people modding this gril because they claim the seal on the bottom is bad. Im hoping that isnt the case.
Geoff Peterson yeah I dunno, I can tell you I have two and my seals are fine. But definitely let me know
Geoff Peterson - try using less charcoal, a bag is enough for a dozen fires. Less is more with these things
Cookout coach. To maintain a 225 temp for slow cooking ribs ie: 6 to 7 hours. Do you have to keep feeding the akorn or does it maintain with what ever amount you first put in. ? Does it matter how much charcoal you put in?
Even cooking at very high temps I’ve never found the time and temp combination where I needed to add fuel to this cooker as long as it started out full, it’s really one of the most fuel efficient things I’ve ever cooked on
@@Cookoutcoach awesome. Thanks for the quick reply. It would be difficult to feed once the food is on there. I like to slow cook and my prime temp is 225 for several hours. Just needed some advise. I’m in the mix of buying one today. Thanks.
Great work. Really appreciate it!
beachscribbler thanks bud, glad you like it
Have you smoked a brisket on the akorn? , and did you have to add fuel to it, because of the length of the cook
I was wondering coach if you could suggest a way to install a ThermoWorks billows fan to the chargrilled
Nice tutorial thanks for sharing
Texas Style BBQ and Cuisine hey thanks bud I appreciate you checkin it out
Hey coach! Enjoy your videos very much thank you for sharing all the information , one question ... have you cooked like a 12 hour brisket and how much coal did you use? Did you have to add more coal during the smoking? Thank you !!!
I’ve done 12-14 hour cooks with a full basket of briquettes and never had a problem.
Hey Elvis, for a 14-lb Thanksgiving brisket last evening, I filled up the firebox and did Coach's method of just lighting up maybe 12-13 briquettes, putting them near the bottom vent and spreading the rest of the charcoal around it. When cleaning the Akorn, I returned at least 20 unused briquettes to the bag. Amazing temp management!
Hello have a question I got a char griller from a friend have used it twice and I've gone through all the charcoal on the cooks what am I doing wrong
Any thoughts about the tip, top, temp devise?
So for the fine tuning at around 250ish how does the top damper work....is it open=slightly higher temp close to lower the temp? I was trying it today and not getting obvious results.
How much lump/briquettes do you use for a long smoke? Say 8 hours? Also, your damper control seems spot on. My friend helped me out as I’m a newbie, and we shut the bottom damper all the way, (the air leak was enough) to keep 225. You?
Chris Olbrot hmmm it’s hard for me to say because I’ve never counted them but I would bet an 8 hour cook at 275 uses about 20 briquettes give or take. That sounds about right for your dampers, if I’m trying to hold that low I’ll usually add a water pan on top of the smoking stone
Hey coach. I've been using an akorn since spring and my problem is keeping temp from dropping. I've tried the screw setting on bottom vent and after an hour I'll check it and the temp is dropping to 100. Any advice
Raymond Clayton sure I’d pop the top vent open just a little more it sounds like there’s just not quite enough air moving through it. If you crack the top vent a little more and it stabilizes but it’s hotter than you want to cook try adding a water pan
Briquets seem to stabilize better than lump, but I hate the fine ash briquets produce because if you get a breeze and it makes it to the bottom vent, it blows ash all over the meat.
If you try a higher end briquettes like kingsford professional, B&b orange bag or B&b char logs you won’t get as much of that ash in my experience
Can you cook food on the warming rack? Does it hold weight?
TWC yup, in fact I have a video where I fill this cooker up and I fill the top rack with two good size pieces of pork loin
How would you manage something like a two-zone fire on a grill like this? Is it possible or practical to do that?
You could attempt to bank all the coals to one side, but what I would recommend instead if you’re doing something like reverse searing a steak is bring it up slow with the cooking stone in place then when it’s time to seat use some high heat gloves, remove the stone and open the vents, it won’t take long at all for those coals to ramp up to searing temps at all.
@@Cookoutcoach okay great, thanks for the advice!
In this video you used an exterior temperature gauge. Why did you use that gauge compared to the gauge that is mounted on the smoker? And, how do you use that exterior temperature gauge
Thanks for the good advice 👍🍖
For SD CA smoking something everyday 💨
Jordan H hey bud glad i could help
So i n f o r m a t i v e. Great work dude!
FPS_Machete_[HD] thanks bud I appreciate it
My digital thermometer reads at 240-250 when the grill reads at 200. Is that around the same readings you get or does it vary from Akorn to Akorn?
C. Coach, I was given an used Akorn Mod E16820 this past week (i'm happy as a lark) and began to deep clean that sucker. Without any owner's instructions and parts list. My question to you Coach for now, is there a parts house that you know of that stock a good line of parts per each model? I've pulled the inside wall conical liner and it has two halves spun-glass insulation that need replacing. The main cast-iron grate is broken, two pieces (60/40, I may be able to bracket-strap to service). Looks like I have all the inter cooker pieces and pizza plate. Any suggestion would be most appreciated in heading this beast into working order. Thanks, 041920.
GoatDriver Ram wow that’s sounds thorough. Well I don’t know of anywhere that will resell the insulation but for things like a new grate or hinges, a blister pack with the screws things of that nature I would give char Griller a call and see if you can buy the parts straight from them. If that doesn’t work I’d hit amazon for a 19.75 inch grate. I know there are several stainless steel aftermarket grate options and the hinge for the lid is a pretty common pice that a lot of folks buy and use to mod other smokers they have as well. But yeah, to start with I’d go straight to the source
Char griller website sells EVERYTHING!
Very helpful, Thank you.
Good video Steve! Rock On!
The Root Boy Cooks ! Thanks Sal! I really appreciate it bud
I tried this method last night it worked really well for a few hours but then the temperature shot way up 350 375 on its own with out opening the grill or moving the the vents.
Thanks for the advice!!!
I find that when i wanted to hit 275 it would stay at 268. For a while how can I increase it .. i ended up opening the bottom damper and top.. and it dropped to 250...
What was the correct way to make it go 7+ more from 268?
I would just barely open the top vent a little more
@@Cookoutcoach and leave the bottom damp as it was?
@@SantosProd yup
@@Cookoutcoach appreciate it coach
Coach, what elevation are you at and what is your average humidity?
Who has best price on Akron. Do they ever go on sale
Been using this grill for going on 2 years and at first I definitely had a several times I lost control of my Temps. Once that happens you just lost your grill for about 2 hours or more. Might as well just choke it out and start over and that takes awhile. But your right once you master that it's a great performer, I use lump charcoal and have smoked several briskets and tons of ribs and the Temps hold rock solid. 12 and 14 hours no sweat. Opening the lid too long can create issues but as long as you know this.
Just ordered the smoke X 4 and billows, see how it works.
Brad Mann you’re 100 percent right. I run a guru on it sometimes if I’m trying to do other things while starting the akorn but really when you’re used to it as long as you have a half an hour or so to settle it in, it’s money all day. Thanks for watchin bud
I use matches and newspapers to get my fire going with lump coal.
Do you recommend this?
Google Critic absolutely, the only reason I use fire starters is because I don’t usually have newspapers handy 👍
For you briquet non conformists. This grill is all metal vs ceramic. I bought 3 double packs of kingsford 2 julys ago. still have 2 bags and one half. enough for this summer. Works great, easy to light, and easy to maintain temp. No popping cracking and burning my toes or shirt. For me it has worked great, even stopped using a chimney and use starter fluid. Fast easy and gets the job done. Don't hate, its all pre fired wood folks, just in another form! You will be happy with either one! Just enjoy the process of grilling and smoking, get your A game on and no one will know which wood you chose! Purists will hate on me, thats ok. I have never had a complaint and I have used both in this and my trusty webber kettle which I still use......
Forgot the cost of briquet vs lump. shop for yourself and decide...
Where did you get your smoking stone at
Good info. Thanks
Phil N Florence thanks Phil I appreciate that.
Are these temps Celsius or Fahrenheit?
I Really Want to Thank You For You video it really helped me a lot I was able to maintain temperature throughout my whole brisket cook great video
Rich Richardson that is awesome! I’m glad it helped 👍
Let’s go Mountaineers!
Nick Robinson this guy gets it 👍
Have you ever used the snake method in the grill?
How do you hold it at 225?
I have a temp problem because of a smoke leak around the ash pan. Any idea how to fix that?
You could get some high temp sealer or if it’s really bad you could order some new gasket material and just completely replace the gasket. Hope this helpsשגיא בוזגלו
I think the ash pan sits too loose and because of that it doesnt get a seal. Is there any way to tight the ash pan to the grill body?
שגיא בוזגלו that’s all going to be determined by where the patches are placed on the pan and on the body of the cooker. I think if you believe this is the issue I would just try to replace the gasket. First I would contact char grilled to see if they will send you a new one. If they won’t though a lot of people like to use big green egg gaskets to re do gaskets on their current grills
I had the same issue I bought a high temp gasket like the one used on BGE, it comes with its own adhesive, I added it to the pan and now I have no leaks at all.
Arialdis Alfonso awesome brother thanks for sharin
But how much charcoal do i use
Do you have any thoughts on the Tip Top Temp add-on? I’m thinking about getting one and wondered if you’ve tried it.
Greats vids. Keep them coming!
Jay White I haven’t tried it but I’ve had friends who have used it and I think it’ll work well on the akorn
If I use hickory chips do I need to clean out my BBQ every time?
Google Critic I recommend removing all the used ash after every cook just to make sure you prolong the life of your cooker, but there’s nothing about using hickory chips that mean you need to deep clean it anymore often than you would using other fuel or smoke sources
In my opinion, I would clean the left over coal out. I just did my first smoke on it and was a little disappointed when I grilled some some burgers and they were very saturated in hickory smoke. I even tried to pick the pieces of hickory out to no avail. So after that I opened them vents up and burned all that left over lump into ash. I'm not a huge fan of smoke tho. I like the taste from the lump charcoal the most
QUESTION: I've had an one of these Grills you are using for about a month. And I think the tool they give me to remove, the cast iron grill part that I cook on. I think that little handle is a really bad joke. Do you know where I can get something better. I'm not afraid to pay for it. I just want something happy to me. I can't understand why they would go and tarnish their absolute best grill ever made standing. Great performance, great metal stand, great heat retention. Then BAD hardware to actually use it. Help me fix it.
VanGilder Michael well if the grstenremover isn’t working for you I don’t know of an exact replacement, but I’m thinking a Dutch oven lid lifted might do it
@@Cookoutcoach cool, thx for even taking time to think about my issue. But, yea. I use these awesome silicone BBQ gloves. I think they are rated to 550 or more. That is the best I could think. If there was a better idea, I thought I would find it with you. So, now. Gloves will be the winner. thx
Great Video...Do You Think This Will Also Work For The Akorn Jr....???
Orlando Avalos absolutely, if you’re having trouble the only adjustment I would make is start with one or two fewer coals in the chimney at the beginning. Thanks for watching
I just bought this grill from Lowe’s with attached cart for 200.00 I’m a long time Weber/indirect smoker and thought this would make my cooks easier. I was wrong, I’ve tried 4 times to get this thing to stick at 200-225 and it’s impossible. If I close both vents down real low and hold 225 the fire dies out. The only way to use this grill is at 260 and higher. I thought I researched this grill more before I bought it.
Matthew Binkley the lowest I’ve been able to hold on a pork butt is 230 but That was with a water pan and it was a cold day in January. I have honestly just got to where my preferred temp for most cooks is 275. I agree with ya, I don’t even try to run it under 250 for risk of putting the fire out. I really like this cooker but I think to really enjoy it you’ve got to just let it be itself and I think it likes to like in that 250 and above range. Thanks for checkin it out bud, if I can help ya out with anything just let me know.
Thanks man and nice vid
I've had mine for 2 summers and have been able to hold 225 without much effort. I control the temp with the top and don't touch the bottom once i get it locked in. I found the real secret is to make sure you have a strong fire going before putting the deflector and grate on. If done to early it will take forever to get up to 225 and if done too late you are going to have a hard time bringing the temp down. I used to have the whole probe set up going, but now I know once the front thermostat hits 200 it's where I need to be, and will hold that for a few hours with no adjustment.
Kyle Loux cool bud, glad your havin a good time with it. I cook at 275 on all my pits so I don’t have to worry about fighting it for the 225 mark. My thermometer is usually off by a good bit on the dome, I speculate it’s from when I took the temps way up to do pizza back in the beginning of this year but it seems like ever since then it’s coo coo bananas so I just run my grate level probe and go off of that. Smoke on brotha 👍
Kyle Loux lump or briquettes?
just got one. It seems like less charcoal is better than more. But then you've got to feed it
How do I get my temp down without putting my fire out?
Does even keeping the lid open for a little while not help?
Keeping the lid open for a while will help the fire get going faster if you’re using wax cubes or tumble weed starters inside of the akorn instead of using the chimney
It’s horrible at keeping temps. It’s been 2 years and some days I try for 2 hrs before I put the meat on just to get it near the range and it still jumps up if your not sitting over it for 8hrs
3d I’m sorry to hear about your experience, have you tried the method I described in this video? If not I really think this will help
Cookout Coach yep water no water char coal lump coal it just jumps. I had had days were I planed on cooking but couldn’t because it would stay at 225 for beef ribs. I even lift the lid to lower the temp but it still jumps up.
Cookout Coach the only real option I have is either spend 350 for a flameboss 400 or 500 or buy a bit boss pellet smoker
3d id give what I do in this video a shot, if you still can’t get it to maintain temperatures, I would think there is an air leak somewhere
Cookout Coach I even closed all vents don’t matter.