Kalamazoo Shokunin Kamado KSHOK430, Use And Care Manual

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Getting to the Right Temperature
The temperature inside the grill is controlled be restricting the air to reduce the combustion. It is very
important to monitor the grill temperature as the fire is getting started because the temperature can escalate
quickly. If you overshoot your desired temperature too much, it can be next to impossible to get it back down
because of the ultra-efficient nature of the Shokunin Kamado Grill.
See the diagrams on the following pages for typical control vent adjustments for barbecue, roasting and grilling.
Tips for Success
ƒ
Use all-natural hardwood lump charcoal for fuel, or a mixture of lump charcoal and hardwood chunks
for more smoke.
ƒ
For best control of the temperature, the lower vents (supply) should typically be open more than the
top vents (exhaust).
ƒ
For cooking at lower temperatures (250 ° F and below), keep one supply vent fully closed once you
have reached temperature.
ƒ
It can be surprising how small the vent openings need to be set in order to hold the temperature and
keep it from climbing. It can also be surprising how the same small vent setting can be used to hold a
550
° F temperature as well as a 275 ° F temperature.
ƒ On breezy days, the wind can stoke the fire more than usual, especially if both supply control vents are
open. Try closing the leeward (downwind) supply control vent and using only the windward (upwind)
supply control vent to feed oxygen to the fire.
IMPORTANT:
Do not allow the grill to overshoot your target temperature by more than
50°F. Pay close attention, and keep closing down the vents to prevent the temperature from
getting too high. The kamado heats up much faster than it cools down. In some cases, you
may be better off snuffing the fire and starting over rather than trying to cool down the fire.
WARNING: Use caution to avoid a dangerous backdraft. A backdraft can
occur in kamado-style grills when a hot fire is deprived of oxygen and then
the lid is opened. The sudden inrush of oxygen can cause a massive eruption
of flame as the oxygen reaches the heat of the smothered fuel. This most
commonly happens when the vents have been closed on a hot fire, but it
can happen at any time. To avoid backdraft, open the lid about one inch for
several seconds before opening it the rest of the way.