Instructions / Assembly

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 fills up the firebox
halfway. 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 5 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 FIREBOX OF CHARCOAL FOR HIGH-
TEMPERATURE COOKING.
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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, the Kontrol Tower. For temperatures up to 600°F,
adjust the top vent by using just the front slider on the Kontrol Tower. If you are
planning to cook at a temperature higher than 600°F, you should also rotate
the top of the Kontrol Tower open to increase air flow. To begin, close the dome
and keep the front slider 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 Kontrol Tower slider
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.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS
FIRE