Kamado Joe - Pork Crackling with Divide and Conquer

[12x7]

Getting good crackling on your Kamado can be quite a challenge, especially if you are used to the great crackling you can get from your Weber kettle.

Urbangriller has a great technique for getting great crackling in this post http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtop ... =2&t=12861.

I have been experimenting with the Kamado Divide and Conquer. Here's something you can try if you have a D&C or have rigged up something similar for your Kamado.

* Do what you normally do with your leg or shoulder of pork, eg dry, salt etc
* I use Emberpak mangrove root - it is faster burning than the large chunks - ie each piece is about twenty cents in diameter and 10-20cm long. I put that in the middle over the firebox grill and build a mound about 10 cm high. Around this I have the previous burnt charcoal. When you add this together the combined charcoal is fairly flat about 10cm high. I make sure there are plenty of air gaps over the firebox grill. The old charcoal seems to have a temperature dampening effect which stops the charcoal overall burning too hot. This means you can open the vents more to allow more air flow.
* I light the charcoal in two places with the looftlighter. I start on the right side above the firebox grill edge and get the charcoal well lit then move to a spot of and start another spot above the left side of the firebox grill and start the charcoal so it is well lit.
* I use a half deflector in the lowest level
* For a 1.5 - 2KG piece of pork I put the grill (2 halves) in the second tier level. I use the second tier so the top of the pork is not too close to the dome as the moisture from the air can wet the rind.
* The following temps are from the dome thermometer
* I open the bottom and top vents fully open
* I wait until the temp gets up to around 150C. This doesn't take too long around 10-15 min. By this time the air is really flowing out the top and the charcoal is glowing red hot. As mentioned in Urbangriller's post the key is air flow. Around 150C I put the pork in on the deflector side so there is lots of air rushing past the rind.This drys it out and makes the rind separate and bubble.
* Sometimes around 210C I rotate the pork 180 degrees to dry out the other side
* I get the temp around 220 to 240C with the vents wide open so there is lot of air rushing past. This also seems to heat up the air but not fully heat up the dome which is important to cool the temp down later.
* When it gets to around 240C I then close the lower ash guard (the one with the holes in it) and half close the lower vent shutter in the lower vent and close the top vent and fully open its air holes to get the temp down to 170C. The Kamado Joe has a dual action top venting system.
* Found getting the temp down pretty quickly, well quickly for a Kamado is important, leaving it too long at 240C makes the dome too hot and then it takes too long to bring the temp down. Even in this configuration there is still quite a bit of air flow out the top to suck out the moisture to keep it off the rind.
* At around 170C when the juices drip down and falls on the deflector it seems to make less steam than at higher temps. At higher temps more steam/oil spray seems to get on the rind and makes it soft again after you spent all that time making it crackle which is why getting the temp down to 170 as fast as possible is important. Too high too long and it is soft rind.
* Once it settles down to around 170C I add things like potatoes, pumpkin, corn depending on how long they need to cook. I normally time it as 1 hour cooking time for every kilo of pork. Sometimes I wrap the veggies in foil, other times not. Both provide different flavours etc.
* If need be keep adjusting things every now and then so there is air flow but don't get the Kamado over 170C
* If things go well you will have some great tasting pork with crackling with real crunch and bubble and no need to do an extra step to make the rind crackle.

[Gumb]

Nicely done and thanks for the great detail, I'm sure it will help others.

[O2zi3]

i have been experimenting with this...hands down the most reliable way for me is to stick it in the oven at max temp for 15 min or so then finish in the kamado at approx 180c...no faffing and fully repeatable

another quite good way is to use the looftlighter on the rind after shes been cooked crackles up in a couple of minutes but can char it a little...dry rind is the secret

[Nath]

Great work! I usually just resort to the kettle if I want perfect crackling.



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[Gumb]

Great work! I usually just resort to the kettle if I want perfect crackling.


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Me too, I've just about given up hope of getting good crackle in the kamado. But then again, I think crackle is completely over rated, the meat tenderness and quality is far and away more important so if i do a pork roast and the meats great but the crackle is soft, I don't care much.

[12x7]

Great work! I usually just resort to the kettle if I want perfect crackling.



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Great photo Nath. Just wants me to get my Weber out and start a pork roast.

It does show some of the techniques I borrowed from the Weber roast technique for the Kamado

* Charcoal burning at the side of the meat to create air flow past the rind, but not direct heat
* The juices drop into the drip Weber tray, and have less effect providing moisture. I try and do the same thing in the Kamado by not getting the air temp/deflector too hot to "reflect" the juices onto the rind as typically using Kamado indirect you have the deflector directly below the meat.

Nath, it looks like you are using charcoal instead of heat beads in the Weber?

[Narmnaleg]

Great write-up 84!

.dry rind is the secret

I agree. When I want crackling in the kamado I leave the top vent fully open and use high temps to let out as much moisture as possible. They are so good at maintaining moisture though, it's actually one of my favourite things about kamados.

[Nath]

Defiantly a great write up.
12x7 Yep charcoal, burns much hotter. Hardly ever use heatbeads at all


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