AdamG

Im sure it will be fine👍

Looks lika another great option and can see some good choices by the manufacturer 👍🍻

Hi Gary, I have had a Monolith (big green egg competitor) for almost 3 years and love it, but judging by pics and posts of other users I dont think there is much difference in the food that comes of them. I have never used an aldi one personally so this is just my impression from others. If your happy with your aldi one maybe consider another one of those😜 Or see if you can go and have a look at the kamado joe/monolith/green egg showrooms to get a personal look👍

I was in your position 3 years ago. I bought a Monolith Classic in the end and love it. I had only seen a kamado in showrooms previously and was a complete amateur. One thing to add though is that I was not aware of the Aldi kamado at the time. I think all brands are suited to beginners and experienced users. How well the food comes out is more down to the user rather than the brand (thats what I think). I went with Monolith over Kamado Joe mainly because all the banding is stainless steel and it was a better bundle suited to me. I dont think there is a wrong choice between brands. The more expensive ones come with a much better warranty and should be better quality to reflect the price difference. But the food that comes out of them are going to be extremely similar. hope this helps👍

Chrisah1 pretty much covered your questions👍

Glad you enjoyed it👍 I have not tried that lumpwood sorry. I usually like to have a feel at the bags to try and see how big the pieces are on ones I have not used before...easier said than done though🤔 I may have to pick a bag up sometime to give a whirl. Let us know what you think if you get a bag in the meantime, good info for others who are testing different brands👍

3 brilliant points by Chrisah1 here!🍻 To add to the 1st point: Over a few cooks, I gradually fill an empty charcoal bag with the huge pieces to save them for pizza cooks. 2nd point: These reasons for getting a basket are generally overlooked...but are actually the best reasons to have one. The main reason alot of people get one is for easier cleanup for the next cook but thats just the cherry on the top👍 3rd point: I sometimes use the lower grate on top of my wok stand as a surface for regular pans...basically turns it into a hob lol😋

Sounds well on track to me! I always fill the basket with charcoal since none is wasted after snuffing out(eliminating the need to top up, which if not done properly can cause the ash to fall to the grid and block airflow), but that is just my preference and not a "No, do it like this!" comment lol. The other thing I do is once the temp has stabilised I leave it to heat soak for roughly 40 mins before putting the food in, for some reason...(black magic😲😎??) it holds the temp throughout the whole cook and its very rare i need to touch the vents at all. It seems like a waste to begin with but due to the efficiency (and hands off overnight cooks) I see it as a worthwhile trade off. Again these are just my own preferences and not "the right way" everything else sounds on par with what I do🔥🍻👍

Looks brill👍 hopefully one day in the distant future I can build one of these, although it wont be as impressive. I'll be there for opening day😜😁🍻🎉

I have a different brand of Kamado and different brand of temp controller and I get the same 50c difference. I think its just down to how the natural convection works. Pit temp can vary depending on thermometer location aswell, I like to keep it away from the edge to avoid a higher reading from hot air coming directly up from the sides. I also try to keep it a couple of inches away from the food to avoid the 'cool air bubble' that is around the food. I only use pit temp thermometers exclusively for low and slow (225f-250f), anything else I use the dome temp since I dont need absolute precision (and to eliminate the chance of frying my thermometers if a temp spike occurs). hope this helps👍

haha yeah, I just leave it now and never know how long the stalls start or finish, as long as the pit temp is fine then it will get there👍 I only pay close attention to the food temp once it starts getting close to my desired temp

The 3 hours has defo been the longest one I have experienced....it even dropped a couple of degrees aswell😱. As you can imagine I thought it was a disaster but it turned out just fine in the end.👍 It certainly drilled the "its done when its done" saying into me haha😆. I have a cheap cooler now so I can start way in advance, since it always seemed to take longer than expected and then end up having to crank the heat up or finish in the oven. They were the 'good' old days🤔😉

welcome to the forum! The infamous stall that troubles everyone, I once had it last 3 hours in the past and one that lasted barely an hour! It used to puts allsorts of doubts in my head lol.

no yellow fish ice?😜

looks great!👍😁

Looks good! And yes please for breakfast😋

I did some hot smoked salmon on Friday, smash burgers on Saturday and a chicken tikka masala on Sunday...nothin planned for today though1

I got the Monolith pro series 1 due to the versatility and it was a better deal at the time than kamado joe classic 2 (never came across the Aldi kamado at the time). I got it due to selling all my old DJ equipment that was collecting dust (swap one hobby for another) in the loft otherwise I would have had to wait for another competitor to enter the scene due to price. One thing I have learnt though is its all about the flexibility of cooking grids and skill level of the user. The manufacturer makes no difference in how well your food is cooked👍 The Aldi grill with all these extra options certainly seems like the best deal out of them all to me at the moment. If I was buying now then I would defo go with the Aldi kamado and either Divide & Conquer or Pro Grid System. If I wanted a 2nd kamado now I would get one instead of a Monolith Icon or Kamado joe junior😀 From what I have seen online (not seen one in person), the Aldi kamado does not seem any lesser quality than the 'Big brands' to me, nice thick ceramic which is what I consider the most important. Even the felt gasket in the pic looks exactly the same as the monolith one (which is superior to the original kamado joe felt gasket). I don't see why these shouldn't last a lifetime. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if they all came from the same factory lol😉😁

if its just the frame then sounds like it should be fine😁 I have a 'pro grid system' (monolith version) and it sounds similar with the grids etc fitting on the inside of the frame.👍

that looks like it would be a very snug fit, are you sure you would get enough airflow up the sides?(i'm not familiar with the YNNI divide and conquer dimensions, just curious👍)

My starting advice would be to try and undershoot your desired cooking temp and then slowly increase it until you reach it. This will take longer to get to your target temp but it will help you to understand different vent settings for your specific kamado on future cooks. It will also reduce the chance of overshooting....which can take much longer to cool down due to the efficiency of the kamado. Eventually after a few cooks you will be able to set your vents, leave it for 60 mins and come back to a stable temp that could be well within 5C degrees of your desired temp👍😁

looks great👍, make sure you make enough for me next time😜

I have had my kamado (different brand though) now for 2.5 years and it stays outside with just a rain cover, the outer coating is very resistant to weather. With the really bad rain we had (when there were floods in parts of the country) i got a little bit of condensation but just used paper towels to absorb it. Never had any previously though. After a good clean it looks like new and I will eventually get around to building a bbq shack sometime...🤔 My original plan was to move it in and out of the shed but once I got it...yeah that aint happenin lol. I just cover it when its dry and leave the vents open just a little to avoid mould (never had any though). Only time I dont cover is when its wet, I wait until its dried off before covering. I would still recommend getting a shelter though...which is my plan...😳🤔 Happy cooking👍🍗

When you say 'thrown away', I take it you mean thrown ice's way since he prefers it like that?😉

Welcome David, hope to see some pics of your cooks soon👍