SeaBrisket

I have it on my Classic I. I needed it because we get rain most of the year here. It keeps out the rain and is very easy to clean but I believe rain is no problem for you with your style vent. It feel like it's harder to dial in temps vs the daisy wheel but that might be in my head.

Yes, it's compatible. You need to buy the mounting plate from Thermoworks.

A drip pan is another bare essential. You can use disposable ones but I recommend a good stainless steel pan over wasting.

I cooked a duck this evening and had a bit of a scare with the Signals + Billows controller. I got my coals lit and closed the lid, set the controller to 300° and headed off to the kitchen figuring 30-40 minutes of prep time was about right to get the grill stable. Finished my prep, headed over to the grill and was surprised to find the Signals reading at only 92.5°. I'd removed the dome thermometer because I've been experimenting with the setup in the attached picture so I didn't have a second reading but I felt the dome with my hands and it was clearly over 300°. I took a look at my app and it showed 91.1. While I'm trying to figure out what was wrong with my setup that was blocking the probe from the heat I realized that the temp reading wasn't fluctuating at all from the 92.5 and my app was stuck at 91.1, not updating at all while the fan was blowing away. I decided to turn off the Signals and restart it only to find it now reading 417°, which seemed about right and also set my dinner back about an hour while I cooled it down. The Signals cooperated for the rest of the cook. The reason I say this is concerning rather than just an annoyance is what if it were to happen sometime mid cook? The whole reason I got a wireless thermometer and graduated to a controller is for the peace of mind during overnight cooks, knowing I'd have an alarm should things go awry. If I were to go to bed with a butt rolling away and some glitch set the fan going non-stop I'd have an inferno on my hands in little time. I've posted about my Signals before and raved about its functionality. I bought it second hand so a warranty is not a recourse and now of course I'm wondering if the guy who sold it to me dumped it because if this issue. Despite the lack of warranty I'll be contacting Thermoworks about the issue because this represents a real danger.

I'll be doing a duck tonight following this recipe: https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/tea-smoked-duck-with-hoisin-barbecue-sauce/ I've done this before but it was when I was first learning my grill and it's been a few years. It came out good but I do remember throwing the smoking packet into the coals and watching it just evaporate. So, in a setup with the deflectors down low and the bird on the grate, where would you put a smoking packet filled with rice, delicate herbs and smaller pieces of smoking wood? Just onto the deflector? Will that get hot enough to smoke?

I believe the statistic is that it rains 150 days a year here and I cook year-round. The only reason I replaced the daisy wheel with the Smokeware is I got caught in the rain cold smoking cheese. Everything else has been fine. The bigger issue is keeping steady temperatures as outside humidity fluctuates.

@&roid It matters how you set the top vent. I was having trouble at around 350 until I closed that up to maybe 1/4-1/2". I find it typically overshoots by a few degrees initially but corrects quickly.

@&roid What issues have your read about? I know John was justifably pissed about the cost of a replacement part he lost but any functional issues?

Going bigger or smaller than my KJ has been part of my debate.

@K_sqrd I love the look of those Lodge hibachis but it must be awful to clean, yeah?

For those of you who are not collectors but wanted a little flexibility along with their kamado, what's your second grill? Looking for thoughts on charcoal grills as I already tossed the gasser when I lost all desire to use it. I've got the KJ Classic and am considering options ranging from a used Jr to a Smokey Joe or larger Weber kettle. Not looking for pictures of your third grill or your twelfth, just ideas on a little expanded grill space for cooking at different temps or when hosting.

I did two 9lb butts a few months ago on my Classic and they cooked in the time I'd expect for one. I made sure there was space between them.

A temperature probe will generally read 225 from the heat of the fire before the cooker ceramic has actually warmed up and this may be your issue. If your fan stokes the fire up high enough so the probe reads 225 but the ceramic is cold then your fire may be too big for an actual 225 cook once heat sinks into the ceramic, which itself becomes a heat source for the cook. Once the ceramic gets hot and you have too big of a fire for your target temp you'll lose control of your temperature as the ceramic continues to heat from the too-large fire.

This item is sold.