How long do you wait until you put your meats on?

It partly depends on the fuel for me, generally 30 to 45 minutes from the moment I light it. I want the heat to soak into the ceramic and the visible smoke to diminish. I generally add smoking wood just prior to adding meat if I am doing a low and slow cook.

Smell the exhaust, you will know when it is ready.

Most of the discussion here on waiting for the temp to settle has been geared towards waiting for the VOCs to burn off of the charcoal. This is a semi-religious discussion, however, since some folks use the "minion" method of burning their lump during slow cooks where the outer charcoal does not even become ignited until well into the cook. This tact is at odds with having a concern with the VOCs burning off!

There is another reason to get the egg up to temp before you put the food on, however. One of the chief advantages of the ceramic grills is that they hold heat and use very little fuel, hence requiring much less air draft over time to cook the food. The tendency for food to dry out is far less in a kamado-style grill for this reason. Keep in mind that when you are trying to get the egg up to temperature, this is the time when your dampers are opened the *most*, and you have the most air flow. If you are concerned about your food drying out, you should endeavor to optimize your process so that the dampers are as closed as possible for most of the cook.

Don

the VOCs are gasses. in this case "volatile" doesn't necessarily mean they can igniote, but that they readily become gas. they are quick to evaporate.

just because the fuel is unlit doesn't mean its VOCs can't be driven off (by the heat in the cooker) as well as carried away by the draft.

the VOCs don't hang around waiting to be burnt off, they can be carried off on the draft.

open a fresh bag of lump. there is a faint petrochemical smell. that's mostly VOCs.

you could pour the lump on the ground and it would air out all by itself. heat accelerates this, and the fact that there's a draft in the egg helps too.

another consideration is that unburnt lump is in contact with 1200 degree lump when it lights. this is already an efficient fire, and there's no sooty smoke when the new lump starts. just as a candle wick burns continuously, so does new lump burn when ignited by adjacent lump. a candle doesn't start each section of wick with a smokey fire until the 'new' wick is fully ignited.

VOCs are gasses. they are volatile in the sense of the word that they readily become gaseous. "volatile" is often used to mean "flammable", but that's not always the case, and the fact that lump VOCs are also flammable doesn't mean that is what "volatile" means in this case. it means they readily vaporize, and are easily carried off.

by the time your "new" lump atches fire in a low-and-slow, the VOCs are long gone. driven off even more by the heat, and carried out on the draft

Great answer , I was wondering about the continued self igniting charcoal and vocs during the low and slows as well. I like this explanation.

stripstike wrote:

the VOCs are gasses. in this case "volatile" doesn't necessarily mean they can igniote, but that they readily become gas. they are quick to evaporate.

just because the fuel is unlit doesn't mean its VOCs can't be driven off (by the heat in the cooker) as well as carried away by the draft.

the VOCs don't hang around waiting to be burnt off, they can be carried off on the draft.

open a fresh bag of lump. there is a faint petrochemical smell. that's mostly VOCs.

you could pour the lump on the ground and it would air out all by itself. heat accelerates this, and the fact that there's a draft in the egg helps too.

another consideration is that unburnt lump is in contact with 1200 degree lump when it lights. this is already an efficient fire, and there's no sooty smoke when the new lump starts. just as a candle wick burns continuously, so does new lump burn when ignited by adjacent lump. a candle doesn't start each section of wick with a smokey fire until the 'new' wick is fully ignited.

VOCs are gasses. they are volatile in the sense of the word that they readily become gaseous. "volatile" is often used to mean "flammable", but that's not always the case, and the fact that lump VOCs are also flammable doesn't mean that is what "volatile" means in this case. it means they readily vaporize, and are easily carried off.

by the time your "new" lump atches fire in a low-and-slow, the VOCs are long gone. driven off even more by the heat, and carried out on the draft