ALDI KAMADO

[Gigasonix]

2 minutes ago, j-loe said:

Got it, thanks. Yes, I was worried about it cracking by adding the hot coals with the chimney.

I've struggled to get it up to temperature and to get the coals properly going hence was wondering if a chimney would help at all. Guess I need a bit more practice!

 

If the charcoal is burning and the vents and the front and the top are fully open then you get get it to 400c quite quickly.

is the fire bowl definitely aligned so the opening is lined up with the front vent?

Have you checked that there is no ash blocking the vent or the grate in the fire bowl?

what charcoal are you using?

[j-loe]

2 minutes ago, Gigasonix said:

If the charcoal is burning and the vents and the front and the top are fully open then you get get it to 400c quite quickly.

is the fire bowl definitely aligned so the opening is lined up with the front vent?

Have you checked that there is no ash blocking the vent or the grate in the fire bowl?

what charcoal are you using?

That's an interesting point about aligning one of the holes in the bowl with the front vent - I didn't think of that (or missed that in the manual). Will try it. I was using some basic coal just as I have loads leftover from my old BBQ.

[Gigasonix]

1 minute ago, j-loe said:

That's an interesting point about aligning one of the holes in the bowl with the front vent - I didn't think of that (or missed that in the manual). Will try it. I was using some basic coal just as I have loads leftover from my old BBQ.

There is only one big gap in the fire bowl. So if you look through the vent at the front you should be able to see in the centre of the fire bowl underneath the cast iron grate.

If you can only see the side of the fire bowl or lots of ash then that’s probably the issue 

[vk2003]

The first 2 times I used my kamado (cure and spatchcock chicken), I struggled to get above 150C, and wondered whether there was something wrong with my kamado or technique. 
it was the latter….

 Basically I didn’t put enough fuel in. When I did the brisket, the firebowl was a lot more full (some of the taller pieces were almost touching the deflector plate). I didn’t struggle at all to get up to temp, and at the end, simply closed all the vents, and the unused coals are there to be used again next time, so they won’t be wasted. 
FWIW, and this maybe entirely the wrong way, so //flame suit on//, this is how I learnt to do it through research and trial and error:

1.  Fill bowl, ensuring small air vents aren’t clogged with small pieces/ ash. You shouldn’t use briquettes that you would use in a kettle type bbq, but instead lumpwood is far better.

 2. Add 2-3 wood wool lighters spread around Bowl and mostly buried under coals. 

3. Vents fully open. Lid open. Light firefighters. Leave lid open for 5 mins whilst they burn out - you can smell the accelerant in them. 
 

4. When flame/ smell almost gone, Put in deflector and grill surface, install grill level thermometer

 

5. Close lid, both vents fully open (bottom vent is perforated holes rather than drawing back both vents covers, and top vents is swung open for a few minutes before swinging it closed but leaving Daisy wheel fully open)

 

6. Monitor temp and try not to overshoot!

 

 Hope this helps. I also found this (free) enthusiast written handbook useful:

kamado-book-of-knowledge

HTH

Vishal 

[Gigasonix]

6 minutes ago, vk2003 said:

The first 2 times I used my kamado (cure and spatchcock chicken), I struggled to get above 150C, and wondered whether there was something wrong with my kamado or technique. 
it was the latter….

 Basically I didn’t put enough fuel in. When I did the brisket, the firebowl was a lot more full (some of the taller pieces were almost touching the deflector plate). I didn’t struggle at all to get up to temp, and at the end, simply closed all the vents, and the unused coals are there to be used again next time, so they won’t be wasted. 
FWIW, and this maybe entirely the wrong way, so //flame suit on//, this is how I learnt to do it through research and trial and error:

1.  Fill bowl, ensuring small air vents aren’t clogged with small pieces/ ash. You shouldn’t use briquettes that you would use in a kettle type bbq, but instead lumpwood is far better.

 2. Add 2-3 wood wool lighters spread around Bowl and mostly buried under coals. 

3. Vents fully open. Lid open. Light firefighters. Leave lid open for 5 mins whilst they burn out - you can smell the accelerant in them. 
 

4. When flame/ smell almost gone, Put in deflector and grill surface, install grill level thermometer

 

5. Close lid, both vents fully open (bottom vent is perforated holes rather than drawing back both vents covers, and top vents is swung open for a few minutes before swinging it closed but leaving Daisy wheel fully open)

 

6. Monitor temp and try not to overshoot!

 

 Hope this helps. I also found this (free) enthusiast written handbook useful:

kamado-book-of-knowledge

HTH

Vishal 

I would say my method is very similar but I haven’t used wood wool lighters. I use natural lighters without any accelerant and I didn’t know that wood wool lighters contained accelerant

[vk2003]

2 minutes ago, Gigasonix said:

I would say my method is very similar but I haven’t used wood wool lighters. I use natural lighters without any accelerant and I didn’t know that wood wool lighters contained accelerant

I think they contain a wax. The ones I have are billed as natural…

[AdamG]

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🍻

[Dan_K]

1 hour ago, vk2003 said:

5. Close lid, both vents fully open (bottom vent is perforated holes rather than drawing back both vents covers, and top vents is swung open for a few minutes before swinging it closed but leaving Daisy wheel fully open)

That’s a point I wanted to ask. Most people talk about finger/finger and a half. 

On the AK the perforated plate has A/B/C printed on it. I’m assuming the design is keep that plate shut and use the outer plate to control.

Does anyone actually use it like that?

[vk2003]

15 minutes ago, Dan_K said:

That’s a point I wanted to ask. Most people talk about finger/finger and a half. 

On the AK the perforated plate has A/B/C printed on it. I’m assuming the design is keep that plate shut and use the outer plate to control.

Does anyone actually use it like that?

Yes! The solid plate is used as the draught controller. I have found I measure in terms of number of (lines of) holes visible. For example for running at 150C, I have found that I need ~1 line of holes and the top vent cracked open about 1/5th of a segment. 
It’s imperative that if you change a vent setting, give it a good 10-15mins to equilibriate before trying to tweak again. 
When you’re cooking for several hours, a few minutes here and there at an off target temp isn’t going to make a big difference!

I’m sure that someone on this thread mentioned that the lower vent is like the accelerator, and the top vent like a brake. I think that is quite a good analogy

[AdamG]

1 hour ago, Dan_K said:

That’s a point I wanted to ask. Most people talk about finger/finger and a half. 

On the AK the perforated plate has A/B/C printed on it. I’m assuming the design is keep that plate shut and use the outer plate to control.

Does anyone actually use it like that?

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)🤔

[Gigasonix]

1 minute ago, AdamG said:

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)🤔

What happened to the perforated plate? If it was missing you can call the help line and they should send one to you 

[AdamG]

2 minutes ago, Gigasonix said:

What happened to the perforated plate? If it was missing you can call the help line and they should send one to you 

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

[YorkshireSmoke]

Any tips for getting to really high temperatures for pizza cooking? I fully cleaned out the kamado yesterday, lit with maybe 2 thirds of the bowl full of charcoal, left for at least 30 mins and the dome temperature seemed to stop rising at around 320C. Both vents were fully open.

I had a 15” / 38cm pizza stone on the grill, which didn’t leave a huge air gap around the edge. But the total gap would be at least as big as the inlet vent, if that makes sense.

So is the stone too big, or am I missing something else?!

[glentini]

Anyone used the Asda pizza stone on this year's Aldi model?

[Sluggy]

1 hour ago, YorkshireSmoke said:

Any tips for getting to really high temperatures for pizza cooking? I fully cleaned out the kamado yesterday, lit with maybe 2 thirds of the bowl full of charcoal, left for at least 30 mins and the dome temperature seemed to stop rising at around 320C. Both vents were fully open.

I had a 15” / 38cm pizza stone on the grill, which didn’t leave a huge air gap around the edge. But the total gap would be at least as big as the inlet vent, if that makes sense.

So is the stone too big, or am I missing something else?!

Forgive my ignorance but why would you wanna cook pizza on it 🤷

I have an Ooni pizza oven and it’s far more efficient at cooking pizza than a bbq or anything else. 
12” pizza in 45 seconds with a good back breeze, maybe a minute on a mild day, all on a pint or pint and a half of wood pellets.

Had it up to 600c two days ago with this current wind. Couldn’t turn pizza fast enough.

Not knocking just genuinely interested??

 

[wolfylee]

24 minutes ago, Sluggy said:

Forgive my ignorance but why would you wanna cook pizza on it 🤷

I have an Ooni pizza oven and it’s far more efficient at cooking pizza than a bbq or anything else. 
12” pizza in 45 seconds with a good back breeze, maybe a minute on a mild day, all on a pint or pint and a half of wood pellets.

Had it up to 600c two days ago with this current wind. Couldn’t turn pizza fast enough.

Not knocking just genuinely interested??

 

I'll jump in here to state the simple fact that not everyone who has a kamado also has an Ooni. 

[Monkeybumcheeks]

I said the same Wolfylee, but my post was deleted for some reason?

[Dutchy]

19 minutes ago, Monkeybumcheeks said:

I said the same Wolfylee, but my post was deleted for some reason?

Not sure why your post was deleted. There is only 2 people who could do this, 1 is @Wade and the other is me @Smokin Monkey?

[Monkeybumcheeks]

@Dutchy ....Perhaps I lost Internet connection when I posted my comment? I do live in the arse end of nowhere 😁

[Sluggy]

2 hours ago, wolfylee said:

I'll jump in here to state the simple fact that not everyone who has a kamado also has an Ooni. 

Yeah, I seem to be good at offending people here, apologies.  
 

I was implying it might be better to get a pizza oven rather than struggling with a kamado. 
Right tool for right job and all that, but yeah you’re right! I’ll see myself out 😉

[AdamG]

7 hours ago, Sluggy said:

Yeah, I seem to be good at offending people here, apologies.  
 

I was implying it might be better to get a pizza oven rather than struggling with a kamado. 
Right tool for right job and all that, but yeah you’re right! I’ll see myself out 😉

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🤔

[Stephane]

Hello, 

Received the Aldi Kamado a few days ago, did our first cook with it and so far so good!

However, I ordered the Onlyfire charcoal basket from amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07G3X9DV2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&th=1) that has been recommended here, which arrived today, and it doesn't fit. It is just a few millimetres too large for the firebox. The amazon description gives a diameter of 14 inches, but mine is about 5mm wider.

So my question is whether the issue is with the basket or the firebox? Would really appreciate if someone could send me the measurements of their firebox inner diameter! 

 

Thanks! 

[nbr_uk]

On 4/23/2022 at 8:33 AM, vk2003 said:

The first 2 times I used my kamado (cure and spatchcock chicken), I struggled to get above 150C, and wondered whether there was something wrong with my kamado or technique. 
it was the latter….

 Basically I didn’t put enough fuel in. When I did the brisket, the firebowl was a lot more full (some of the taller pieces were almost touching the deflector plate). I didn’t struggle at all to get up to temp, and at the end, simply closed all the vents, and the unused coals are there to be used again next time, so they won’t be wasted. 
FWIW, and this maybe entirely the wrong way, so //flame suit on//, this is how I learnt to do it through research and trial and error:

1.  Fill bowl, ensuring small air vents aren’t clogged with small pieces/ ash. You shouldn’t use briquettes that you would use in a kettle type bbq, but instead lumpwood is far better.

 2. Add 2-3 wood wool lighters spread around Bowl and mostly buried under coals. 

3. Vents fully open. Lid open. Light firefighters. Leave lid open for 5 mins whilst they burn out - you can smell the accelerant in them. 
 

4. When flame/ smell almost gone, Put in deflector and grill surface, install grill level thermometer

 

5. Close lid, both vents fully open (bottom vent is perforated holes rather than drawing back both vents covers, and top vents is swung open for a few minutes before swinging it closed but leaving Daisy wheel fully open)

 

6. Monitor temp and try not to overshoot!

 

 Hope this helps. I also found this (free) enthusiast written handbook useful:

kamado-book-of-knowledge

HTH

Vishal 

Thanks for this Vishal! My Aldi Komado arrived today - I've done a couple of small curing burns and was surprised I couldn't push the temp above 170, I'll try the method you suggest.

That ebook will come in useful too

Cheers, nbr_uk

[vk2003]

10 minutes ago, nbr_uk said:

Thanks for this Vishal! My Aldi Komado arrived today - I've done a couple of small curing burns and was surprised I couldn't push the temp above 170, I'll try the method you suggest.

That ebook will come in useful too

Cheers, nbr_uk

Let me know how you get on. Hope you find the higher temps a bit easier to achieve.  
 

cheers

 

Vishal 

[sotv]

11 hours ago, Stephane said:

Hello, 

Received the Aldi Kamado a few days ago, did our first cook with it and so far so good!

However, I ordered the Onlyfire charcoal basket from amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07G3X9DV2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&th=1) that has been recommended here, which arrived today, and it doesn't fit. It is just a few millimetres too large for the firebox. The amazon description gives a diameter of 14 inches, but mine is about 5mm wider.

So my question is whether the issue is with the basket or the firebox? Would really appreciate if someone could send me the measurements of their firebox inner diameter! 

 

Thanks! 

@Cruiser52G has bought one of these, from an earlier post, hopefully they'll see this now and help you with any questions you have