AdamG

The main reason I bought a kamado was its ability to cook a wide variety of things with great results, a jack of all trades so to speak. Pizza, low and slow, stir fry, steaks, bread, rotisserie roasts, cold smoking, curries and slow cooker style dishes all done better than the oven and hob I have in the house. One kamado that takes up little space is my benefit rather than have an Ooni, a pellet smoker, a spit, a charcoal grill etc...and the biggest reason is the wife wouldnt let me haha🤔

With the kamado joe you will get a longer warranty, a better quality product and a higher chance of not having a damaged/defected one on delivery. On the flip side you can get just as good results from the Aldi kamado since its down to the user rather than brand to get great cooking results. If you plan on kitting out the aldi one with the dual zone cooking grids etc would there be a big price difference? When I got mine, it worked out roughly £900 to kit out the Aldi Kamado with everything I wanted (this was 3 years ago, so im sure things have changed)...in the end I went with a Monolith Kamado pro 1.0 for £1200. A lot of money I know but this included everything I wanted, longer warranty, all stainless steel metal and better quality materials overall. I dont believe it cooks any better but I do plan to have it for many years and would like the warranty and support to last that long aswell if I ever need it. I think ultimately it comes down to wether you would be happier with having a better quality product or saving money and getting the same cooking results. The Aldi Kamado would be the clear winner IMO if you didnt want extra accessories. If I was to buy a second one I would consider all brands including the Aldi Kamado, my most important criteria would be as long as current accessories fit into it rather than brand. My kamado is 3 years old, zero problems and looks almost new once i give it a clean, Im happy with my investment and expect it to last for many years (so far its basically cost me £400 per year). Hopefully my opinion help get you closer to a decision👍🍻

I have not seen one before either, looks delicious though😁🍻

Its a different brand of kamado so it never came with one

My bottom vent does not have a perforated plate behind the solid plate and thats why i use finger adjustments, however since yours have the perforated plate then use the holes as a guideline as they will be a much more accurate (and universal) way of measuring your vent settings.😁 I did originally plan to scribe some lines on my vent to help....but yeah, my memory to do things is like a sieve (or in this case, the perforated plate haha)🤔

You can take that flame suit off now vk2003 because thats very similar to me.👍😁 Only thing I would add is to have a quick look to make sure there is a good glow in the charcoal once the fire lighter has gone out...more of an assurance that its established a burn, but not really necessary. I feel if I stop checking then sods law will kick in and bad luck will snuff it out haha 🔥💨🤔 Never had a failed light yet though🍻

If I wanted to get beyond 350C then I would load the charcoal in by hand. I would also only use the biggest pieces to maximise airflow (roughly same size as my hand). I would create 3 hotspots when lighting, in a triangle formation so they eventually join together. Leave vents fully open (maybe remove top vent completely). If i wanted to use the deflector plate then i would also install them in a higher postion, allowing more hot air to escape the fire box. If you have a charcoal basket you could also remove the cast iron grate that sits under it to promote more airflow.😁 Just remember to burp the grill at high temps🔥👍 Regarding the gasket, I would personally be happy with a partial refund and get some more felt gasket to patch it in. They do eventually need replacing in time anyway. Regardless the felt gasket needs either patching or replacing so you can get a nice tight seal. Im not sure if this would cause your temps to steadily climb but I can imagine it would lose some fuel efficiency.

350C or 350F?

My first time I got the temp to around 120C and left it abit, then raised it to 150C and left it, then 200C and left it. then finally to 250C but this was more of a learning curve for me....then about 10 cooks in with a different brand of lumpwood, it snuffed out due to the excessive dust in the bag blocking the charcoal grate. I had to stir it to loosen the dust, then clean it out and finally start from the very beginning. I like to make sure there is minimal dust/ash before lighting, make sure the burn is established (glow means go) and the temp raises to at least 70C (lowest reading on my dome thermometer) before loading anything in. Just to eliminate the chance of snuffing it out.😀

Welcome to the forum!👍

I have not used Big K red bag before so I cant say if its that or not (although it should be at the very least useable). What you could try next time is to hand load any bigger chunks into the firebox until you cover the bottom, then gently pour some more on top (any unused chunks can be used next time). Light your wood wool starter and shut the lid with both vents fully open (while there is still a flame ignore your temperature probe as it will be a false reading at this point). Once the flame goes out keep an eye on your temperature and wait until its reading 100C (just for the purpose of this cure, it will change depending on desired cooking temp), check you have a nice glow in your charcoal, then load your deflectors, drip trays, cooking grids etc and close down the vents, about 1.5 to 2 fingers gap on the bottom, big hole closed and small holes fully open on top vent. (my brand of kamado is different so the vent settings may differ slightly, but this will give you a starting point for your kamado). At this point just leave it for an hour or so to see where your temp lands and becomes stable. If its about 160C then you can open about half a fingers width on JUST the bottom and then see where that lands after an hour. You can get a general idea of your vent settings while doing your curing process. My first time I tried landing on different temps to get rough vent settings for future cooks. Hopefully this all helps to get you started in the right direction. If someone with an Aldi Kamado see's this then they may be able to give some better advice👍😁

Hi @Dan_K Sounds like a few potential things could have gone wrong with your cure. Taking an hour to get up to 100C is a long time and this would suggest either you closed the vents too soon after lighting (almost snuffing the fire), too many small pieces have blocked airflow or something else has happened. Did you use lumpwood or briquettes? What did you use to light the charcoal? Also did you add in the deflector plate as soon as it was lit? thanks Adam

Just had a look at the link and seems like great value. They also look nice and big aswell. Saved them as a seller on ebay ready for next time👍 Thanks again! 🍻

Managed to get another cook in today and made a point to take more pics... Everything ready Buttered garden pea's with paprika and cayenne potatoes🌶 whiskey oak smoked and whiskey flambe steak 🔥 some macaroni pasta aswell since my daughter cant eat a full pack, even though i had not planned to have it🍻

Thats a great picture pittmab! Sounds like you have been busier than me😁, all sound delicious. What are you planning on using the chicken stock for? I want to get another cook in today....but not sure what just yet🤔

Anyone else managed to get a cook in over this bank holiday? I managed to get 2 cooks in myself so far. Some cod on the friday... Also got some ribs done Sunday aswell. I need to remember to take more pics lol.🍻 Would be great to see what others have cooked😁

I have not heard of those before, I will check them out👍. Upload some pics if you get chance😁🍻 Thanks

I get my wood chunks,chips and dust from smokewoodshack aswell and its always been really good stuff, so they get a 2nd vote from me👍

Welcome to the forum!👍🍻

I may have to try the chicken in breadcrumbs soon, looks great!👍🍻

This is definitely something that can catch alot of people out and create a game of 'chase the temp' 👍 Keep the cooks and pics coming....and dont forget to send leftovers my way😜 Adam

Looks great vk2003! How it burns can be slightly different each time, i have had it were its burned a line right through the middle and sometimes just one side. I would not worry too much about it. I always hand load the bottom layer before tipping the rest in to reduce the chance of suffocation (this has only ever happened once but it was due to awful lumpwood producing alot of ash and blocking the firebox grate holes). If i want to increase the temperature quite significantly after a good steady temp, I always give the charcoal basket a shake with some welding gauntlets (a good stir would also help if you dont have a basket). For example, in your case once I was ready to raise the temp, I would have took the chicken out to check the coal, stirred the coals after noticing the 'hole' in the middle and make sure I can see some of the holes on the firebox bottom (if its a very long cook i would add some more lumpwood if needed) . Then load grills and food back in and then adjust vents. Should take roughly 2 minutes total. I only do it if im raising the temp by quite a lot, otherwise i dont bother. I only do it to guarantee its going to get hotter but its not required as it rarely struggles to raise temp on its own. But considering its your first cook, I think you did a very good job!🍻 How did you find setting the vents for the first time? My first time I was paranoid I was going to overshoot massively....and it took me a while to get to cooking temp due to being too conservative haha

Looks great @pittmab🍻😁

Welcome to the forum👍

I agree.... @Icefever you need to change your name to Firefever so we can get some sun hehe😉🍻