John Setzler

I think they only sell direct and on amazon

The problem is not the money. The problem is that i don't want something as large as the 215. The DZ-260C was about the same size as the 215 and it's problematic for me. This Avid Armor is not giving me space, size, or weight issues.

I would toss the poultry. It's gonna be freezer burned significantly on the inner cavity. The butt may be OK... worst case scenario you can take that butt and ribs and grind them into ground pork and repackage and re-freeze it. The ham is cured so it may be good also.

Yes it is. The powdercoating does not hold up. It has not been corrected. The kontrol tower works perfectly after the powdercoating comes off the contact surfaces.

@Rob_grill_apprentice I'd seriously consider the Avid Armor instead.

@Jonathan moving to the Kamado Joe forum

@ThomasinFrance moving to the Kamado Joe forum

@Chagovatoloco moving this thread to the 'other kamados' forum since it's not about cooking....

If I remember correctly, Kamado Joe will send you a touch up kit to fix it. They won't replace the dome.

Agree 100%. Thanks for posting this.. I'm gonna post it elswehere.... The 'problem' with the average debate about brines vs marinades is just that simple. They are not doing the same thing. Brining is putting salt into the meat. Marinading is adding flavor to the surface of the meat. Simple as that.

It held up fine. I just retired it and bought one of the Avid Armor chamber sealers. I am not willing to make any statements about how long I think that DZ-260C might last. When I made my demo / review video on that sealer, I was clear that I thought it was a gamble at $350. There are a few things I don't like about the DZ-260C in the long haul... 1 - the motor is not maintenance free. It requires periodic oil changes. I dont' know how frequently that needs to be done but I did mine after a year's worth of use just about a week or so ago... Here's what the used oil looks like compared to the new... I don't know of that's good, bad, or otherwise. There is no documentation regarding how frequently this should be done. 2 - the teflon tape on the sealer bar keeps wrinkling up which compromises the seal after a while and it has to be replaced. If you replace it after a certain amount of use, there will be no issues with it. 3 - the vacuum pack quality is inconsistent with this sealer. It's acceptable at any rate, but its inconsistent. I didn't know why until I got this new one that resolves that problem. So, my answer is that if you are willing to gamble $350, then I don't think you have anything to worry about on the DZ-260C. I don't know how you would ever be able to get warranty or service on them if you needed it.

@mike echo I have been vacuum sealing for quite a while. I have also been through at least 3 different models of the FoodSaver. The most recent one I have right now is a V3860 which isn't all that different from yours. It's an older model of the same concept. In the last year, I have moved most of my vacuum sealing to a chamber sealer rather than a channel sealer like the FoodSaver for several reasons but that is not part of your question here.... I use my vacuum sealer for two primary purposes: 1 - Sealing leftovers to go in the freezer 2 - Portioning bulk purchases Leftovers are obvious. Vacuum sealed foods last longer in the freezer because freezer burn is minimized or eliminated completely. It's also easy to package them in serving sizes that suit your needs. Some of the bulk purchasing I do that find their way into the freezer include ground beef, pork loin, pork tenderloin, whole ribeyes, strips, and beef tenderloins that get cut down into pieces. I like to vacuum seal soups, stews, chili, and homemade stocks also. These aren't as critical to vacuum seal but I just tend to do it rather than use ziploc bags. Chamber sealer bags are cheap compared to ziplocs and foodsaver style bags so I just go that route. The foodsaver style units are not quite as good at working with liquids but you can do it with a little practice. You just have to stop the vacuum and start the seal before the unit sucks the liquid up into the chamber. I buy Caputo 00 pizza flour in 25kg bags. I like to portion that out into smaller vacuum sealed bags to extend the shelf life of it. THAT, however, is not something you would want to do with a foodsaver. I ruined my last one by letting flour get sucked up into the pump. The COVID-19 grocery panic has got me started on a project here at the house where I will have a 30 day (or more in some cases) supply of some essentials stored away in vacuum seal dry storage or in my freezer. I sealed up 5lbs of rice in 1 cup portions this morning. I will be doing the same with some all purpose flour sometime soon (again, avoid that with the foodsaver.) Having leftovers in vacuum seal bags make them easy to reheat, especially if you have a sous vide circulator. A pouch of brisket or pulled pork just gets tossed into a 165° sous vide bath for 45 minutes to an hour and it's ready to serve and its almost as good as it was fresh. Don't buy foodsaver brand bags. The cheaper alternatives work fine. I buy rolls on Amazon that are a lot less expensive. The only problem with the cheaper 50' rolls I have bought on amazon is that they won't fit inside your sealer unit until you have used about half of the roll. The diameter is too large to fit. There appears to be some cheap options on amazon where the rolls are only 25' long so that would work....

Buy a classic or another 18" kamado. It's a lot less expensive and it will do what you need it to do.

I'm a huge fan of my PK Grill.