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I used the TempMaster portable on the Akron this afternoon to smoke the beef and wings at 225 for about 1.5 hours, a little mesquite and pecan. Pulled the steaks off to go into the chilli and then cranked it up to finish the wings. Awesome wings and I can tell the chilli will be great too.

These are all looking good! I just put some wings and beef on to smoke. The beef will go into tonight's chili. I'm not certain if the wings will still be here by the time we eat the chili! I told my daughter I would be watching the Super Bowl tonight, she was like, 'meh'. But if I told her there was a super owl out in the yard, she'd be like 'Where?! Where is it? Let's go see it!'

I've only tried brisket once. It was flavorful and edible but a little tough and dry. I turned the leftovers into chili. My daughter keeps asking when I am making brisket chili again, family thought it was one of the best I do plan to try brisket again. Baby back ribs are another challenge for me, they come out good but not great. I think the brisket and ribs require good prep, grill control and PATIENCE! One of these days it will all come together

I don't do low and slow very often, but that may change with my new TempMaster Portable. Excellent results for this pork butt (read through all pages of the How To Cook a Boston Butt to brush up on things). 7.25 lbs rubbed with mustard and Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust, started the Akorn at 5:15 am, put the butt on at 6:05. Used KJ BB and an apple and pecan chunk. Ran the grill at 250 most of the cook. It ran a little hot the first hour but that was most likely due to me getting too many coals lit to start. After about an hour or so it settled in steady at 250 all day. Didn't peek until 2pm. At 4:00 I foiled it (IT 178) and bumped the temp to 275. Put on 4 chicken thighs for my daughter who doesn't eat pork. Butt off at 5:30 IT 195, wrapped in a cooler, thighs off shortly after. No plate shot but all of it was so good and tender. Family loved it. The TempMaster Portable worked flawlessly, as did the Akorn.

I'm going back lol but the other direction. Since I bought the Traeger my Akorn has not seen much love! Putting a Boston Butt on the Akorn tomorrow morning with the new TempMasterPro helping out. I have become used to the easy control on the Traeger. Lots of things brought me back around to the Akorn, but this post from Keeperofdeflame resonated: "Although from a cooks point of view, I enjoy cooking on the Egg more than I do the Weber. The Weber is a tool, but the Egg is always pure fun. " Setting up the Akorn tonight to light it up tomorrow morning was fun. Picking out the best lump, getting it arranged, putting in some smoke wood. Pulling out the same ol' trusty beer bottle I've been using since day 1 to make my volcano. Will be up around 6 am to fire it up

After putting a slight curve in the adapter plate it now inserts and removes easily. The grill cooled off fine just turning off the fan, but i'll prefer to have it cool down without leaving the unit in place. The storage case is nice. I already have an inverter for my EGO powertool batteries, so I have plenty of portable power.

Received the unit this afternoon. Did a thorough cleaning of the Akorn this morning, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be since its been sitting idle on the deck for the past 6 or 7 months. First impressions are very good. Easy to setup, been running at level temps (225, then 350 then 400) for the past 4 hours. I had cleaned the grate and was basically reseasoning and doing a burn in. Potatoes on now, our go to chicken thighs on shortly. Only minor issues, I did not notice that the main page of the website had a $10 off coupon code which wasn't obvious on the product page, so I missed out on that. Also I had to remove the left side screw to get the adapter on, so I'm not sure how easy it will be to switch it out if I don't want to use it. Video shows someone just kinda popping it in but I could not do that. I'll be giving it all another once over tomorrow, grilled veggies and ribeyes. Looking forward to a pork butt cook later this week. Hey Daz, let me know if there is a way to make up that missed coupon, I'd love to have the Akorn Jr adapter (should have ordered that along with the unit!).

Me too lol. While researching controllers found out a year ago i was looking into the original. But got sidetracked onto the Traeger 575. Which has been a great grill, but grilling is a journey and there are many paths, so now I have a new one

In the market for a controller, this looks really good!

Thanks for all the advice! I think I will go with a controller for now and see how it goes with the Akorn. Once the grill season warms up I'll probably sell the Traeger, and get the Masterbuilt. And then down the road invest in a ceramic kamado. I have neither the money or the real estate to buy them all Eventually, a full size kamado, the Akorn Jr and the Masterbuilt should be a nice stable.

Honestly its that thinking that has kept me with the Akorn these past few years. But, it won't last forever. Although its holding up well! I suppose I could look at a temp controller with adapters available for Akorn and KJ and see how it works out, then decide. Even if I get the MB, I would probably keep the Akorn (for sure the Akorn Jr that I also have) so a temp controller is not likely to go to waste. The KJ is appealing because of its likely longevity, and some of its accessories that would be fun to have.

I want this grill, and my wife has approved the purchase but I still keep holding off...So what's stopping me? I rediscovered my love for grilling with the Akorn a few years ago. Early last year, wanting something a little 'easier' I picked up a Traeger 575. Its been my go to grill since. I like the idea of the MB 560, getting that charcoal flavor back, low and slow or searing temps, only needing one fuel (I would sell the Traeger). Hopefully easier maintenance. Still have the digital control like the Traeger. Double-walled, decent price, capacity is ample for my needs. I bought the Akorn because I didn't want to spend $$$ on a Kamado Joe only to find out Kamados weren't my thing. Ever since I bought the Akorn, I've always thought if I knew then what I know now, I would have bought the KJ. I haven't yet because the Akorn has been so good for me. I think what I really like about the Traeger and the MB is that digital control. So now I'm thinking instead of the MB, maybe I should be looking at finally getting the KJ Classic, and as John Setzler states,"Buy a Temperature Control System for your Kamado. It's worth the investment."

After many many years and multiple pans of 'non stick' my wife wanted a set of stainless. It was a good decision. Wish we had done it sooner and what the heck bought a higher quality set (although we have been happy with what we bought). For seriously 'sticky' situations we've learned how to best use the stainless, or we do have three ceramic pans that we also use (small egg pan, medium fry pan, small sauce pan). My experience with ceramics has been iffy. None have held up as well as I would have liked, and once they start to go they are worthless. Our stainless is essentially the same as new. If we ever buy another set, it will be a high quality stainless set. But I agree with the 'set' comments, make sure it has what you want, or buy the pieces you need separately.

There is a private group with almost the same name, and a public group. The public one should still be open

Looking forward to your thoughts. They have these in my local Walmart, would love to go pick one up this weekend. But its a timing issue...my wife's birthday is next week. Happy Birthday Sweetie! Hope you like these. The girl at the store said they have 'hypo allergenic posts'. And don't they look just like real diamonds?! What's that? Oh, that! That's my new grill. Hey, what do you want for your birthday dinner? I've thought through several scenarios. None of them end well.