Kamado Joe KJ101 Owner's Manual - page 4
The Fundamentals of Fire
Fire is the single most important ingredient in successful
kamado cooking—and it’s made from just three elements:
oxygen, heat and fuel. Learn how to control them, and you’ll
know how to control your fire.
FLAVOR COMES FROM FUEL
Only use premium hardwood lump charcoal to fuel your fire.
Combustible liquids (starter fluid, etc.) will impart undesired
flavors, damage your grill and create a fire hazard. Remember:
flavor comes from your fuel. The taste you put in will eventually
come out on your plate.
GOOD FIRE STARTS WITH GOOD AIR FLOW
Add charcoal to the firebox until the mound reaches the fire
ring. If you’re aiming for high temperatures, you can arrange
your charcoal mound for maximum air flow—large chunks on
the bottom, smaller pieces to fill in. Now you’re ready to light
your charcoal. Fire is a living thing. It needs to breathe a little
while before you begin adjusting the temperature, so leave the
dome open for about 10 minutes after lighting.
CHARCOAL CAN BE RE-USED UNTIL IT’S
GONE. BEFORE YOUR NEXT COOK, MAKE
SURE TO STIR THE CHARCOAL TO KNOCK OFF
ANY LOOSE ASH, REMOVE THE ASH FROM
THE ASH DRAWER AND THEN TOP OFF THE
FIREBOX WITH THE DESIRED AMOUNT OF NEW
CHARCOAL. WE RECOMMEND A FULL BOX OF
CHARCOAL FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE COOKING.
5
FIRE
THE FUNDAMENTALS
FIRE
FIRE
MORE AIR, MORE HEAT–LESS AIR, LESS HEAT
The Kamado Joe’s top and bottom vent system is like a volume dial for your
fire. Air moves in the bottom vent and out through the top. Open them to
accelerate air flow and ‘turn up’ the temperature; close them to lower it. If
you want a hot fire for searing, you’ll need both vents to be mostly open.
A low fire for smoking? They should be mostly closed.
CONTROL FROM THE TOP DOWN
The Kamado Joe can achieve temperatures ranging from 225°F to 750°F.
It’s easiest to reach and maintain your target temp by setting the bottom
vent and adjusting with the top vent. With the dome closed, keep the top vent
all the way open until you are 50°F away from your target temp. Then begin
closing the top vent down, wait a minute or two and make necessary
adjustments by closing or opening the top vent more.
GIVE THE FIRE TIME
The biggest mistake you can make is shortchanging your Kamado Joe on
time after lighting the charcoal. You get beautiful results from your grill
because its ceramic walls absorb, retain and distribute heat like nothing
else—but it takes time for those walls to evenly absorb heat. Give your grill
20–40 minutes after lighting to stabilize its temperature before starting your
cook. And while you’re working to raise the grill’s temperature, go slowly.
Because those ceramic walls retain heat so well, it’s much easier to increase
the heat slightly than it is to bring the temperature down after overshooting
your target.
6
THE FUNDAMENTALS
FIRE