Hi All,
Nice site. My name is John and live just outside of Boston, MA. I have been cooking steaks on my little webber my smokey joe for a long time, using some of the nice searing techniques I have read about, coals on one side for zone heating etc. I go fishing for blues and stripers in the summer and love bringing home those magnificent fish for the grill. I will also start trout fishing soon in April and smoke those as well. Whether fish or red meat, I love nothing more than knocking back some good ale while bbqing, particularly after fishing, and enjoying New England Summers (although make no mistake I will grill in the dead of Winter). Other than good health and family, I want nothing more out of life.
It is amazing what one can do with a simple little Smokey Joe.
But being on the small side, I decided I wanted to buy a bigger charcoal grill so I could cook for guests without needing my rusty old gas grill.
At first I thought I'd just get one of the larger Webber grills. But I decided to explore a little. After much pondering I decided to buy splurge and buy a
Chargriller Kamado-style Akorn.
I bought it for versatility and my desire to maintain temperatures for long periods without too much fiddling with vents and coals. From what I read on various web sites this grill can give me a long slow cook without too much fuss.
One drawback is that it is no good for zone heating as is. The way these Kamado grills funnel deep toward the bottom, I don't think you can sear a steak like you can with a Webber or grill it on a cooler heat zone on the side. For this reason, I was not going to buy this grill. Then I came across a video of some fellow dropping a webber grill grate in the center of the AKorn (where the pizza stone would go). I realized I could put coals on that for steaks and sear that way. What a simple mod.
So I think I am going to get great versatilty with this grill. I can smoke fish and meats in it with the coals down low. Or I could throw in the center grate and add the coals at that mid section and sear steaks (although I wonder how all that space underneath the coals could impact temperature. Still, I dont expect a problem for steaks here).
But I did not buy this grill to cook steaks and fish alone. I could do that with any of those wonderful Webbers. I am ready to step up and cook whole chickens, various cuts of pork and beef, meatloafs with those beautiful smoke rings, and all the other wonderful items you all discuss here. So I am excited to step up my game a bit, and get all the pointers I can from you grill masters. And yes. I bought a digital thermostat: The Maverick E732.
This is gonna be great!
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