What do you wish you knew sooner about Kamado Cookery?

[Killer Kamado 10]

I thought smoking meats was a mysterious, complicated process, so I avoided it for far too long. By happenstance it slowly became less mysterious so I started to actually look into it. The process is dead simple. Mastering the process though... 

[WoodyT 81]

33 minutes ago, Killer Kamado said:

  Mastering the process though... 

 

Is part of the Fun process ..

Make alot of bad food to learn to make Good food .

[JeffieBoy 905]

Don't be so quick to toss out the mistakes...

[BobE 189]

Cook more and use less gadgets.  A jar of cotton balls soaked in alcohol; simple, cheap and easy way to start a fire.  

[grill seeker 80]

small adjustments and wait longer before I make another.

[shuley 3,061]

The only thing I wish I would have learned earlier was how awesome kamado cooking was.  I feel like I wasted years on my gasser.  Everything else I learned, I feel like I earned?  Maybe that's a weird way to phrase it but I'm ok with the fact that I had to learn specific things.  It made it more memorable. 

[arclite 51]

Cooking a pork shoulder on a Kamado is a guaranteed home run with family and friends.

[Chris Topher 468]

19 hours ago, shuley said:

The only thing I wish I would have learned earlier was how awesome kamado cooking was.  I feel like I wasted years on my gasser.  Everything else I learned, I feel like I earned?  Maybe that's a weird way to phrase it but I'm ok with the fact that I had to learn specific things.  It made it more memorable. 

 

I was a looooong time devoted gasser, too (still am on chili night... ). I wish I learned about kamado cooking earlier. My prior experience with coal-fired barbecue and grilling was limited to cheap-o kettles, disposable grills, and cruddy public park grills. Also, I had no experience with lump, only briquettes, so I had a negative outlook beyond gassers. 

 

A BGE-owning buddy showed me the light...

[TexasBlues 165]

to be patient...

 

with my fire

 

with the edibility learning curve...

 

and with myself... in MY eyes, I am a complete (insert adjective of your choice here) stumbling thru the educational process that is kamado cooking... in reality, my family has yet to turn down a meal made with fire in any way, shape, or form... even things i would be reluctant to give to my ex-wife

 

and of course, finding this forum which is a goldmine of info

[fbov 336]

1 hour ago, TexasBlues said:

to be patient...

 

with my fire

This. Fires need to mature.

I knew briquettes needed to ash-over before cooking, I learned lump needs the same thing.

- When using a chimney, all the lump needs to ash-over before dumping

- When lighting in-situ, wait for the thick white smoke to clear before adding food (or smoking wood)

 

HAve fun,

Frank

[Bgosnell151 1,377]

To save more money as a kid and study harder so I had a better job.  This would give me more money and I would have my KK.  

[CentralTexBBQ 1,584]

That the biggest part of cooking for me is confidence. So, whether cooking a brisket, a pork chop or a hot dog– (with all due respect to the ladies and to quote the great Vince Young engineering the comeback against USC), "Let 'em hang low!" 

[lnarngr 261]

Temps can be difficult to control precisely. But cooking hotter only means quicker and that doesn't always mean with less wonderful results. Within limits of course. I have learned, "don't sweat it"! 

Also, I want to second the previous thoughts! All Valid! 

[Churchill Fan 6]

Small adjustments & don't chase the a precision temperature. If the grill settles in the ballpark of the temp you were shooting for, that's good enough.

 

Electric starter is a nice, cheap, mindless way to start charcoal fairly rapidly.