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I just bought two bags from Walmart, one was great and the other had a ton of small pieces, chips and dust.

No, controlling the air coming is the biggest factor on these for low and slow. At least in my experience. Maybe grill some hamburgers at high temp and get some good greasy smoke up there! I recommend grilling them in/on cast iron skillet, over the heat deflector. Once I started cooking them in my skillet, my daughter told me they were the best burgers she’s ever had.

the top vent will allow smoke to escape when closed until you’ve used it quite a bit and a good layer of creosote forms.

This is the felt I used: FireBlack34 for Big Green Egg Small Medium & Mini 3/4 x 1/8 Black Hi Temp BBQ Smoker Gasket 15 ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015DAI8K0/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_glt_fabc_KCRJFS4DYMVD8QX1FN5A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I figured it out, you have to push the valve in and turn at the same time or the thermocouple will not change gas flow to turn up past low. Big difference in temp!

I tried mine last night with a pizza pan as a drip catch and I could not get the grill to heat above 400. Are you keeping the top vent closed when you use the gas insert?

John, really can't thank you enough for all the time and effort you put into this site. Your knowledge and insight is invaluable! EXTREMELY glad I found the ultimate guru!

I cut my lava stone with a set tile saw. It was pretty easy, just go slow and make sure you have plenty of water flow. I've cooked multiple times with them and they hold up great. Love the versatility now have being able to have a side for searing and indirect heat.

Once I opened the fire starter port I was able to get the temps up to 700° and quick! Thanks for sharing that!

I bought a Professional S a few months ago, so I assume it is the new style fire box. I can’t say if it’s better, but I still have a hard time reaching high temps. I assume it is a low airflow issue.

So I did the same thing with the felt around the ash tray and knobs. It brought the temp down in half the time when shutting it down! Now it takes much longer to get the grill up to 400 or higher. Any suggestions?

CaptnCook- 2 questions: 1- are you able to maintain lower temps now (225-250)? 2- did you do anything with the charcoal starter flap?

I have a wet tile saw, so I cut my lava stone in half. Then I just build the charcoal up on the opposite side of the firebox. Not as sexy as the setup John uses, but it does the trick.

Hello all, I'm a kamado convert that has only grilled on gas and smoked with electric. I bought the Vision Grill model S. I've cooked a couple times on it so far - burgers came out great. Smoked some ribs and learned what not to do. Excited to keep trying new recipes and learning how to control the temp. I've been reading posts for weeks now, this site is great!