SmokeWare Chimney Vented Cap Review

Last week I was given the opportunity to do a review on the Smokeware Chimney Vented Cap made by Smokeware. Which I was pretty intrigue in doing this review since I have never heard of the Smokeware Chimney Vented Cap before and I was very anxious in try it and putting it to the test. Well a few days ago I receive the Smokeware Chimney Cap in the mail and it was well packaged so no damage would incur during transit. I would like to take this time to say thanks to Matthew Merrit from  Smokeware for providing us there product for making this review possible.

Right off the bat I like these facts about the Chimney Caps:

1. Its made of high quality 304 stainless steel and won’t rust if left in the elements like all the cast iron vents on ceramic cookers and won’t break if accidently dropped while handling;

2. It won’t prop open on you while opening the lid of your cooker ( a common issue with ceramic cookers daisy wheels);

3. The top of the chimney caps has nice size overhang which means you can cook in the rain without worrying about any rain getting in the cooker and effecting the cook and temps (which is a big bonus for me here in Nova Scotia where it rains a lots);

4. Lots of us has experience mold growth in our ceramic cooker and moisture build up inside when not used in a while. But this chimney cap can prevent this mold and moisture build up by leave the vent open slightly and it will allow a little airflow, which in turn will prevent this issue. (before doing this insure your fire is completely out or you will waste you left over lump charcoal)

Before we get deep in this review here’s the story and bibliography of the Smokeware Company which I got from there website:

Source of picture Smokeware website

“I have always enjoyed grilling, but in 2006 I got a large Big Green Egg for Christmas. That is when I learned first-hand about all the advantages of cooking on a Kamado-style ceramic grill. After grilling some steaks pittsburg-style and slow-smoking some chickens I immediately became a big fan of the Kamado grill and I found myself grilling out more frequently.

I live in Florida and we have a lot of great grilling weather, but we also have a lot of afternoon thunder showers that can show-up during the prime grilling hours. After getting rained on several times I began to look for a solution to the problem so I could keep on grilling in the Rain! I tried holding umbrellas over my grill but my arm got tired. I tried moving the grill in my garage, but I decide that was not safe. I tried a couple of other solutions but none of them seemed to work until I came up with the prototype for the stainless steel vented chimney cap. It worked beautifully in the rain and solved all my grilling weather problems. No more cook-out ruined by an unexpected Thunderstorm!

I also found that it had many additional benefits. It kept its position when I raised and closed the grill so I did not have to keep re-adjust the setting and prevented Flare-ups! Another way to ruin a good cook-out very quickly! It also allowed me to keep the vents open when the grill was not in use and that greatly reduced the mold and mildew problems that its typical in a Kamado grill that sits idle for a couple of weeks.. This cut down on the mold that would sometimes grow in my grill in the humid Florida climate. It is also easy to clean. It’s dishwasher safe or can be cleaned with steel wool and soap to keep it shiny.

After making several units for family and friends I decided to form a company and sell them directly to the public and ceramic grill dealers. The response has been unbelievable! Over the next few months we will be adding some other grill accessories so check back with us soon!

Happy Grilling!

Matthew H Merritt”

The chimney cap come well package and when you open the box you get a Nomex gasket, a fixed base and rotating cap. The Nomex gasket is to be attached to the bottom potion of the base or on the cooker's chimney to provide air tight seal on your ceramic cooker.

For Kamado Joe users you don’t need to use the Nomex gasket since they already have gasket installed on the ceramic of there vent.

I tested the fit on my Classic Kamado Joe and Large Big Green Egg and fitted on both of them perfectly!

I was also told by other users and from research that the Chimney Vented Cap will also fit the following Ceramic cooker:

1. Primo Oval JR and Primo Oval XL;
2. Classic Kamado Joe and The Big Joe;
3. Big Green Egg XL, Large, and Medium;
4. Grill Dome all sizes;
5. Steele Kamado grills;
6. Akorn Kamado.

I really loved the way it looks on my Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg. It really pimped up the look of them! It is a lot sharper on the Kamado Joe it brings out it red colour very nicely.

These caps are manufactured in china most likely to keep the cost down for us consumers.

 The chimney vent assembled

 The chimney fixed base

 The rotating cap with silicone sleeve on tab

One thing I noticed immediately is the stainless steel does get a lot hotter than the cast iron daisy wheel but this didn’t affect the cooker in any way. However it does have a high temp silicone cover on the vent adjustment tab to prevent yourselves from getting burnt. I strongly recommend using gloves or tongs to do the adjustment because the hot air and steam that comes out of the vent can also be really hot depending at what temps your cooking at. I also found some sharp edges on the chimney cap so use a little caution when installing.

The stainless steel vent was 238 F at pit temp of 475 F

As you can see in my video this cap is excellent in keeping the rain out of the ceramic cookers. It’s also a lot better then holding umbrella on top of the cooker or using the old tomato juice can with holes punch on its side.

I found it was just has easy and efficient to maintain and control the internal temp of my cookers.

I did a slow and low cook on the Kamado Joe and it maintain the temp at 225 degrees F for over 8 hours no problem. I then tried a high temp 700 degree F cook on the Big Green Egg to cook a pizza and it work perfectly for it as well. But at higher temp it causes a sight discoloration to the base of the chimney which isn’t that bad.

My verdict on the Smokeware Chimney Cap:

I am actually quite impressed with this product. I would definitely buy one without hesitation if you plan to cook on rainy days and if you don’t use your cooker often to prevent mold and mildew build up inside the cooker. It also a good ideal to use this chimney cap if you plan to leave your cooker exposed to the elements. I also found that it also improves the look of the cooker and it’s quite sharp on them. I especially loved the fact that when I open the lid the settings on the vent didn’t change like my old daisy wheel did. You can control the temp just as easy has the standard daisy wheel. The benefits of this caps outweighs the cost of this cap and for $37.95 it’s steel!

The only real negative aspect I found is the slight discoloration of the stainless base of the chimney at high temperature cook which is a minor thing and some of its edges where quite sharp which is also quite minor.

Update: I tried using the chimney vent caps in 100 to 120km/h wind gust and heavy rain the other day and it survived the wind gust and work 100% which is quite impressive :)

I hope you enjoyed this review!

You can order you Chimney Vent from here: SmokeWare Store

There website: Smokeware

Facebook: Smokeware Facebook

Contact Smokeware.net by Telephone

Phone # (855) 344-9273

Fax # (904) 395-9039

Customer Service Assistance

Email: support@smokeware.net

Sales and Dealer Inquiries

Email us at sales: sales@smokeware.net

Mailing Address

Smokeware.net

P.O. Box 1655

Ponte Vedra, FL 32004-1655  

Happy Grilling! J

BBQ Chicken Cordon Bleu on the BBQ!

Today I decided to cook something a little different on the BBQ. I decided to make some BBQ Chicken Cordon Bleu. These are pretty tasty and worth the effort put into making them. I would say these are moderately easy to make. You can do this on a gas grill has well but I prefer the taste of smoke that charcoal gives. Let’s start grilling shall we! 

Ingredients:

• Freshly ground black peppers
• Slices of cooked ham
• Skinless chicken Brest halves
• ¼ Cup bread crumbs
• ¼ Finely grind-ed corn flakes (if you don’t want to use corn flakes you can go with ½ cup of bread crumbs instead of a ¼)
• Dizzy Pigs Tsunami Spin or you can use your favorite BBQ rub

Direction:

Place your chicken breast between two sheets of saran wrap and pound or roll your chicken with a rolling pin until the chicken breasts reaches approximately 1/4 inch in thickness;

Source: Youtube user Making Life a Little Better

Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with pepper and rub. Place 1 Swiss cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast;

Now carefully roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick;

In a bow you want to mix the bread crumbs and grind-ed corn flakes and 1 TBSP of Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin or your favorite rub;

Coated them with the bread crumb and corn flakes mixture;

Now place in fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors to be absorbed;

Meanwhile pre-heat your BBQ to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for indirect cooking or you can use Grillgrates which will provide a semi-direct cooking surface;

You want to cook them for 30 to 40 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I turn them ounce in the middle of the cook;

Turn in middle of cook!

I then place a slice off Swiss cheese on top of each and cook them for another 2 minutes or until melted;

It’s now time to remove the toothpick and serve them immediately.

Bonne appetite and Happy Grilling!

Dry rub Pork Tenderloins on the grill!

Today we will cook a dry rub pork tenderloins on the BBQ. These are quite tasty and easy to grill for any beginner. We will be making our own rub today as well. You can use a charcoal grill or propane grill to cook these but a charcoal grill is always preferred! Let’s get cooking!

Pork Rub Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp freshly ground red pepper
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground chipotle Chile pepper
• 2 tbsp dried minced onion
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup paprika
• ½ cup granulated garlic
• ½ cup kosher salt

Direction:

Mix all the ingredients very well. Store in air tight container.

OK it’s now time to prep and cook the pork tenderloin. You will need our rub and one onion peeled and sliced.

In a large zip lock back add the pork tenderloin and a generous amount of rub. Shake the bag till the tenderloin are evenly coated;

Now put the tenderloin in fridge for 1 hour so the rubs get well absorbed by the meat;

Meanwhile pre-heat your grill to 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit I will be using Grillgrates to give me a semi indirect surface (If you don’t have Grillgrates you want to cook them indirect);

It’s now time to add a chunk of apple wood to the hot coals for a little smoke flavor and place your tenderloins on the Grillgrates and place the slices of onion on top of them;

Smoke them for 30 minutes, then increase the temp to 375 Fahrenheit for another 20-30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 160 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want the center to be pink stop at around 160 degrees Fahrenheit. I also flip them in the middle of the cook.

place slice onion on top

starting to smoke away

Ready!

Happy grilling and Bon appetite!

My top 6 BBQ Christmas gift accessories recommendation.

 Here’s my top 6 BBQ Christmas gift accessories recommendations. If you have a love one or friends that is avid BBQer and don’t know what to get him. I have put together my top 5 recommended BBQing accessories to make your shopping a lot easier for you. These should help you in getting pointed in the right direction in finding you outdoor griller there perfect gift.

1. Grillgrates: are definitely my number one must have grilling accessories. These GrillGrates interlock over any size grill. Unlike other drop-on-the-top grates that are made to use for vegetables, fish and other small or fragile foods, the Grill Grate is designed to catch the escaping juices, and have them sizzle below your food, not cause flare-ups that can dry out your meats. Holes allow the fat to drain out, and you don't have to worry about marinades, sauces or rubs causing fires.

Source of picture: www.grillgrates.com

Furthermore it delivers those perfect grill marks you're always looking for to sear, sizzle, radiate, and protect. Its raised rail design allows for more surface area contact which in turns give you way better heat conduction to get perfect sear lines, while juices collect in the valleys where they steam or sizzle adding more flavor and moisture into your food.  Another huge bonus is that it eliminates hot spots and provides even heat distribution for perfect grilling.

One of my favorite things about them is that you can put wood pellet or chips in the valley of the Grillgrates to provide a little added smoke flavor of your meat. Which is the perfect way to add a little smoke flavor to delicate food such has fish. Also this allows anyone with a gas grill to be able to smoke there food. They are non-stick which perfect for delicate food such as salmon fillets.

Source: You tube user Grillgrates

You can flip your grates upside down and use them to grill buns, or to cook the perfect burger.

Source of Picture: www.amazingribs.com

They are very easy to clean and to maintain. All you have to do is brush the carbon off after each cook with a wire brush. From time to time wash them in hot water and mild detergent.

You can order Grillgrates here: Grillgrate Store

2. Thermapen: are the Cadillac’s of instant read thermometers. They are very fast and will give you accurate reading every time within 2 seconds flat. I found that lots of cheap meat thermometers take for ever to get accurate reading and lots of them are always off by a few degrees. This is one of the accessories that I wouldn’t cheap out on. These are used by Pitmasters world-wide and pro chefs in restaurants. They are made with a bio master anti-bacterial additive and they are splash proof. It has a long slim probe for taking temp in large piece of meat and large easy to read temp numbers. The company actually has excellent customer service and stand behind their products one hundred percent. Food safety is extremely important to me this is why I don’t cheap out on a meat thermometer. They are very easy to clean.

You can order a Thermapen here: Thermoworks Store

3. Griddles: A good quality griddle gives you opportunity to expend your cooking limitation of your propane BBQ, Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, and any charcoal grill. This griddles gives you a large enough cooking space to cook a few eggs, bacon and sausages at the same time. The griddle allows you to cook food such has pancakes, crepes, eggs, hash browns, Quadzillas, stir-fry, etc,.. with ease!

I highly recommend buying the ones made by The Little Griddle Innovations because they make the highest quality griddle and have a wide range and sizes of them to fit any BBQ. Also they are made of 14 gauge 430 stainless steel which is pretty heavy duty stuff. You can also visually see the quality and craftsmanship that was put into the making of their high quality griddle. They are very easy to clean and use!

You can order here: Littlegriddle Store

4. Looftlighter: I strongly recommend the Looftlighter because it can ignite anything from charcoal to wood with the touch of a button within 60 seconds. It also eliminating the use of lighter fluid which gives you the added bonus of not worrying about toxic fumes and you don't aft to worry about your food tasting like lighter fluid or chemical taste. It's also a lot safer to use then Lighting chimney and lighter fluid. Using the Looftlighter is also more environmentally friendly.

You can order here: Looftlighter store

5. BBQ Tongs: All BBQer's out there knows that a good set of BBQ tongs is very important to have. I strongly recommend tongs that are at least 16 inches or more in length to protect you from the heat from the hot grill. It's also equally important to have a good insulated handles so it doesn't radiate the heat in your hands. You also want tongs that are light in weight and has a comfortable grip in your hand. Good tongs allow you to grip on to small and large items without crushing even the most delicate foods.

6. BBQ Gloves: Well I definitely say a good pair of BBQ gloves are a must have when BBQing. You need them to handle hot grill grates, pizza stones, heat deflectors, plate setters, griddles, charcoal chimney, etc...

The best pair of BBQ gloves I ever used are definitely the BBQ Bravo Gloves due to the fact that they are pretty well insulated, good quality leather, and they are long in length offering protection to your arms from heat as well!

Source of picture: freds music and BBQ

Source: Freds Music and BBQ

You can order them here: freds music and bbq store

Enjoy and happy grilling!