hoogl

Hi and  @Andrebiondo

I have the older model of the Lidl Kamado and its a great wee BBQ/Smoker. I'd recommend a good quality Lumpwood don't use instant light or briquettes, They contain additives that can taint the ceramic and don't burn as well producing more ash to block the airflow.  

Have a look through this older thread. Lots of good info about deflectors - so you can get Low and slow.  I have used wood chips for smoke but i soak them in water for 30 mins then put in tin foil with some holes poked in it. 

Searing steaks is a great first cook for speed. 

I got myself this One with the Drip pan last year. But I think shipping from EU may increase the cost. From what I understand the YNNI one will be fine. Both will do a great job for a smoke. 

Any decent Lumpwood would work. Stay away from Briquettes as they have additives that can taint the ceramic and are more prone to blocking which will restrict airflow. 

I have a bag of Kamado Joe big block. Its great but i do need to break some of the bigger pieces down for it. I have also Used B&Qs/Tesco Lumpwood and had it running no problems. But yo do get better results from a quality Lump.

Welcome @Craig1874, I'm just up the road outside Glasgow 😊.

I got the Lidl Kamado a couple of years ago and love it. It's a great wee bit of kit. 

I think your standard BBQ gas that you can get from B&Q etc. Though can probably get cheaper elsewhere. you can usually get a different regulator and swap out as required. 

I'm not sure if either holds a better temp etc. But I'd imagine that some of the advantages of the BGE:

Lifetime Warranty vs 3 yr Warranty

Greater range accessories that are made specifically for the model.

Probably a bigger size so greater cooking capacity.   

I'm not sure if it's fully worth the extra cost but for many it is. I'd say get one if your determined or spend the cash on a fancy Pellet grill (or a different cooker) or a farm full of meat  

13 hours ago, sotv said:

Seems to be a price increase of £20 over the last 2 years, had a name change and a different thermometer by the looks of it, otherwise specs seem the same. Still good value with the price increase though?

This model has a stainless steel grate which I'd prefer over the older enamelled grate and it has a perforated vent as well at the bottom for more detailed control. Both are great upgrades not sure if together are worth the £20 but even at the £99 I'd definitely  buy one if I didn't own the older one. 

As long as my food is properly and safely prepared I'm pretty indifferent. 

Though for many cost is a major factor in the "quality" of food that people can buy especially with many losing their jobs during the pandemic.  

2 hours ago, Chae said:

I do wish I bought a bigger ProQ as I only got the smallest

Yeah This is why I went with the 57cm WSM. can cook less but plenty of space for more meat. 

2 hours ago, Chae said:

I just prefer making my own and then I can change what I put in if I want to.

I'm also this way. I have a base ingredients for my rubs/sauce and can add to it to change the flavour as needed. It's easy to do and more cost effective. Like my main sauce, i sometimes swap in less water for fruit juice/Bourbon/coke/Vinegar. 

20 hours ago, WestCoastScot said:

deliberating for a month or so..

I'm pretty sure I spend over 6 months debating which BBQ to get. Though the Mrs says it felt more like 12 Months . It is easy to fall down the rabbit hole.

The PitBoss look good, great capacity easy to use. Though factor in the additional cost of Pellets and availability of them can make it a little less appealing for some. (It did for me) Plus you probably won't be able to get high heat needed for searing steaks or making Pizza in if that's your thing. 

Rubs, I haven't bought one for a long time. I normally just make my own. I recently Smoked Salt so that get's thrown in one of my mixes. 

Hi , Neighbour, I'm just outside Glasgow. 

I'm a fan of Bullet/Kettle for first time users as they are both easy to use and give consistent results whilst being easy to learn. Though the Pellet/Digital ones are easy to use and also deliver consistent results though I think some have said the Pellet can give a slightly less Smokey flavour (Which many prefer)

I haven't used the ones you have said but many do favour the Pellet style. I think it comes down to what kind of cooking you want to do. Do you want to baby sit a fire? Do you feel a fan/digital method is cheating? There's no right or wrong answer just personal preference. I'd say if you have the cash available go with the biggest you can afford as you can always put less food on (though who wants to do that)

I think that's Harry Soo. I seem to remember him saying he goes under/mixed through. I usually do on top as I'm like a headless chicken, So I throw on top. 

I think either works no right or wrong way. Try both and see what you think gives better flavour. 

I'd say the best fuel is the one you have. Some burn better/longer some are cheaper but as long as it burns clean and you can Que then I'd say it's all good. 

Yeah I think we are all guilty of that. A good high heat for 30-60 mins. I usually do that then let cool and give a wash with some hot soapy water if its been a long winter before first cook. Doesn't hurt to give another burn after. 

I've used the Briquettes from Aldi/Lidl. They are ok do the job, Burn a bit quicker and produce more ash but for the price I can't complain, Especially if you are using in a minion method/Snake etc. 

I'd recommend the Aldi Kamado for £350 but I'm not sure if it's going back on sale. My gf was a little dubious of the £400 I spent on the WSM at first but once she tasted the meat she's been happy ever since. Plus a decent BBQ will last years if you look after it so It's an investment. Can do the xmas Turkey on it so more room for trimmings inside. 

They look great. I do love a good rack of ribs. I think if you are hitting 150c its still ok for a smoke. But what about placing a small roasting tin of water/sand beside the heat and that may help stabilise the temp. 

Not at all, I'll need to give it a bash. Just currently sweet talking the Mrs into extending my pocket money 😁 maybe if I do the dishes for a few days?

It's a small world.  I was just looking at Collins, Think I'm going to order some Flat Irons for next week or so. 

Aye I'm not sure if I could show you the proper way, but I could show you how I do it 😁

In a Kettle I'd do a Snake

It depends on the quality of Briquettes, but I used a charcoal basket recently and could easily got 4-5 hrs from it using heat beads.

@garybwnMuirhead? Hi Neighbour I'm over in "What's it called?"

I'll need to swing over once I stop Shielding. 

Yeah fingers crossed on a decent summer. But that's the beauty of a smoker. a wee bit of rain doesn't bother it so can cook in pretty much anything. 

Aye no worries. Feel free to ask as plenty of opinions here on

@Wade has some great experience with the Callow.

On 4/9/2021 at 1:19 PM, hoogl said:

I ordered on the 21st. Got email from XDP on 26th saying they would deliver on behalf of Aldi but they hadn't received it yet. (Fine it was pre order and didn't officially go on sale until 25th)

Email from Aldi on 29th saying they had dispatched it from their warehouse and would take 2-7 days. Had a tracking link for XDP. 

Since then 11 days have passed including 7 working days and no word. Tracking is still showing as not received by XDP. I called Aldi this morning and waited an hour to speak to someone. He advised he's emailed XDP for me and will fwd their reply. If they don't deliver in the next few days he advised me to call back.  

It's frustrating as I can see someone near me has already had their delivered and instead of using it is bloody selling it online for £450😠

So I received a couple emails from Aldi today. 

Bloody pain in the Arse. After waiting all this time and many who ordered after me have received theirs, mine is AWOL. I have read online that many believe the courier of deliberately losing their packages so they can keep it. But I have no proof. 

So I guess I'll just have to wait and hope to see if Aldi are going to sell them again or wait until next year. 

My Mrs did ask me how much a different company Kamado was as she was going to say for me to buy one. I showed her the LG/Monolith/KJ/BGE ones and that idea stopped. 

Oh well fingers crossed. 🤞

@garybwn absolutely, I usually order my Meat from John Davidsons. Though there are many other butchers available if you dont have a local butcher. Beef ribs are a great place to start before spending the extra on Brisket. 

I'd always recommend a Bullet smoker as a great place to start or a Kettle. Both can do low and slow and usually can both be used to get a great sear.  

Nightmare, Maybe time for a new wife? 😁 At least the kids are on your side. 

I debated for a long time and even though its just me and gf I went with the 57cm/22" WSM. My thoughts are go for the biggest BBQ you can afford as you can always cook smaller cuts of meat but cant go bigger. 

The Proq is great for the adaptability and there are times I think it would be easier to use that I have been able to use my WSM without the mid section so can do a smaller more kettle style cook.