"Big Red" Kamado Kooker at Menards

[LoveMiBeer]

Chicken on big red.

 

[yelnoc]

I saw this at a newer "super" Menards in Marion, IL killing time waiting for 17th St BBQ to open. I have an older Komado and a pellet grill so I don't need one, however it looks like a good alternative for someone that can't afford a $1-2K smoker. Question is can it stand/reach temps of 600* +. As far as making it indirect it doesn't take much, but a pizza stone that you "shape to give you max coverage works. Just as important is a drip pan. These are kind of small, but do look promising as a starter smoker.

 

[Walkabout]

I was out and about looking at stuff and saw this year's version of the "Big Red", but in brown at Meijers and black at Lowe's. I didn't check Home Depot, but now there are three sources for this kamado all priced at $299. After using mine since last year I can say it was a steal, and, once you "tweak" it, does a great job. The new ones have better seals and the vent cap is not the flimsy SS they had last year.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I was out and about looking at stuff and saw this year's version of the "Big Red", but in brown at Meijers and black at Lowe's. I didn't check Home Depot, but now there are three sources for this kamado all priced at $299. After using mine since last year I can say it was a steal, and, once you "tweak" it, does a great job. The new ones have better seals and the vent cap is not the flimsy SS they had last year.

Do you have a link for it?

MC

 

[Walkabout]

It's made by Char-Griller but it's not on their website. Here's the link to the one at lowe's:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_131712-4976...uct_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=Char-Griller

 

[virtualfriday]

My looked terrible after only about 3 months outside, looks like its a 10 year old faded piece of junk. Anyone ever get a cover out of Chargriller? It is easy to use and I like the way it cooks.

 

[Walkabout]

Red always seems to fade when exposed to strong sunlight. I'm going to repaint mine with tractor paint from TSC. Their farm implement paint is bullet proof and is designed to be outside all the time. I might go with "John Deere green"...

 

[virtualfriday]

I was going to repaint mine but thought the powder coat finish would have held up better. I have a felt gasket at the ashpan and another on the lid contact surface and it seems like I still have an air leak? Has anyone found any other leaks?

 

[Walkabout]

I think it's the vent cap, that may be why this year's model is totally different. The new one is heavier and seems to have a much better natural seal. I replaced mine with a 35 year old cast iron one that I saved from my first Kamado. I'd order one of the new ones from Char-Griller.

 

[virtualfriday]

Thanks. I will give it a try. It just seems like you should be able to shut it down quicker and control temps easier.

 

[pickles]

Just saw the new version at Meijers. It's definately reengineered. It has a "cast" metal top vent (looks like pot metal though). Picture shows a cut away of the sides and it actually contains insulation between wall. Gaskets look similar to the old ones (only going from memory). No price tag on it. The sign say you can get an optional ceramic place setter.

 

[tjwgrr]

Just purchased the Char-Griller Kamado from Lowes over the weekend. The ash pan now has an oven door type gasket similar to the lid gasket. I looked down through the vent cap with both the lid, and the bottom air vent closed and saw no daylight.

The top vent cap has a silicone o-ring where it meets the top lid, and the whole mechanism is very tight.

Fired it up for the first time yesterday afternoon- after seasoning the grates, I made pork-chops. They turned out awesome! After some initial skepticism, my wife gave her overwhelming approval of my purchase soon after her first bite. My first Kamado- lots to learning and experimenting ahead.

FYI- my Lowes has grill covers from Char-Griller in stock- around $25.00- seems like good quality.

 

[Walkabout]

I just got my Menard's sale flyer by email, the Big Red is on sale for $249. Check it carefully to be sure it's this year's model, not leftover from last year. If the vent cap is black metal it's a new one.

 

[FrankLis]

Question: Is it not unusual for the Big Red Kamado to take 2+ hours to cool to 200 degrees from 450? I seasoned the grill and after closing the dampers, it took about that long for the grill to cool enough that I was comfortable with wheeling it into the garage. (Had the garage door cracked open a bit to ensure air flow until the charcoal died.)

I bought my Big Red from Menards yesterday. It must be a "newer" model--the ash pan gasket is similar to the top lid gasket. The floor model at the store had a felt-like gasket in the ash pan.

In a pitch black garage, I placed a high-intensity flashlight in the grill and looked for light "leakage". There was no light escaping through the seals but there were a few hairline leaks where the welding job was shoddy or absent.

Mine had a significant gap between the ash pan damper and the ash pan--about 1/8". It looked like a manufacturing defect--someone dented the pan. I managed a bead of high heat silicone to seal it.

Also managed to squeeze in a bead for the damper on the lid.

I am guessing that air manages to seep through the rope seals as the burning charcoal creates a vacuum...

Any thoughts from you more experienced BBQ-ers?

BTW, this is my first kamado style cooker.

 

[virtualfriday]

Its normal for me and I have upgraded the lid and ashpan seal. Must be some other leaks we have not found.

 

[reichmeats]

Ordered one from lowes. can't wait to post pics! glad to hear about the upgrades from lastyear's model.

 

[Walkabout]

I just discovered something bad with last year's model, the inside of the ash pan is not heat resistant. I took mine off today to clean it and found that, since it's the same powder coat as the outside, that the hot ash/coals that fell on it cracked the paint. One other thing is if you don't have a cover and leave it outside, water leaks in and makes a puddle in the ash pan. Well, the water got under the cracked powder coat and started to rust the steel it's made of. Good thing I had a can of heat resistant paint in the garage. So, if you have one of last year's models you better check for this and if the new ones are the same you'll need to make an aluminum foil liner.

 

[reichmeats]

Picked mine up last night... The top vent is a huge upgrade to lastyear's model. The ash pan seems to be better with a porcelain coated tray inside... Did the old version? Seems like they made all the right changes.

Has any one bought the smokin stone, if so where? Can't find it on the chargriller web site.

 

[JMSetzler]

I picked one of these up at Lowes on Thursday and made a couple video reviews of what I have if you are interested in taking a look...

http://youtu.be/OmWZ7h-aZdw - Walkaround Review
http://youtu.be/h-Wifp2CKiE - Seasoning Burn
[ame]http://youtu.be/jxyZasR9aF0[/ame] - 7lb Boston Butt Cook

It has an air leak at the lower vent but I'm not 100% concerned that it's a problem. I haven't made up my mind if I'm going to remove the vent and seal it up yet or not.

 

[reichmeats]

Struggling a bit to get it under 300 degrees without it putting out the coals. Any advise? Also, the thermometer on mine is off approx 50 degrees.