I had the same issue on mine for a minute but all I did was just adjust the clasps / clamps. they have a little wiggle room and you can get that 1/8" by loosening the screws and sliding them toward the tightest position. I did it on two and it worked.
You have way too many freaking links.. which one is for the actual Akorn gasket??? I only see 3 gaskets on the website, that are grill specific...and not for the Akorn.
I have three Akorns for over 3 years. Biggest thing that will make these at 300 degrees or more is lighting too much charcoal at once. I also only crack the vents open to a 2 ish to let heat get close, then close them to where they are barely open. This might help if the gasket improvement starts not to solve your issue.
Oh James so happy you have brought an Akorn into the fold. I have one that I was gifted (was only used once, individual didn't have the patience to smoke meat) to me by a friend and I have been having temp issues. I bought a TipTopTemp and that seems to have helped but it is a pain to clean. Would love to be able to get to the point where I can reliably dial in settings and know what to expect.
I have cooked on Akorns for almost 10 years and you only need to barely crack the top and bottom vents. A fingers width on the bottom will usually take you too high, you need to barely see the opening. The same applies to the top. I would usually only open the top to where you could slip a probe in the bottom circle of the top vent opening. At most I would usually have an 1/8th in slit at the top. This would keep me at 225 to 260 for hours depending on my desired temp. I am in Connecticut and would get about 7 years before my Akorns rotted out. I do have a small roof over them but you have to keep the ash pan empty on them, very acidic. I have now gone to the Auto Kamados, they are awesome.
I was wondering how people liked the Auto Akorns. Based off of multiple reviews I see people have had lots of issues with the controller failing on them...
I am absolutely amazed! I saw this video and added gaskets to the ash tray and body for the lid. It’s amazing how well I can control the temperature now. Slow cooking is fun now and predictable! Thanks ever so much!
There is also another fix for cheap to get even better temp control. Unscrew the 2 bottom vent screws and remove it and take hi-temp silicone and put some around the vent and reinstall and let dry. This will further help with temp control. I've had mine for a couple years and did this and add the gasket for top and bottom.
I had to do the same. I cooked the gasket behind the bottom vent when I forgot to check on my Akorn after I opened the vents to burn off some stuck on food.
I never found a reason to add gasketing material to the areas handled by fiberglass mesh, which is maybe the best feature of the Akorn. I did however gain a lot of control after burning out the O-ring seal around the top cap twice and just sealing it with RTV out of frustration. Went from being able to hold around 260F consistently to being able to hold 200F with no temp controller.
Holding up a Slo-Roller is what we call a Big Market Tease. Nicely done. As a long time viewer who has used your principles on his Akorn, I really appreciate these videos.
Thank you , James ! I'm definitely going to do this on my Akorn Jr. Still new in the box , might as well get it right the first time . I started with a cheap little Kamado from China , then bought a Char Broil Akorn Jr ; Wow ! I'm moving up with the big boys ! 😁👍 Then I was looking around and found a lightly used , Primo Round Kamado grill with the rolling stand and I am in Kamado heaven now ! 😇 I'm on a fixed income so I need to be careful with all my expenses . So I have fabricated some or most of my accessories . Your videos are a great way to learn how to use these Grills and make some of the most delicious , Proteins ever . I know it's not a Kamado Joe but , what fun is it if everyone has the same thing . I didn't get my Kamado delivered to my back yard . I had to go pick it up and put it in my van . Wow ! These are heavy grills . Putting it back on the stand was another story , no one around to help . Took a little bit of sweating and lifting and I got it in place . When I rolled it across the parking lot everyone came out and ; Hey man ! What is that ? Never seen one of those . I seasoned it and made all the spider webs and spiders homeless and now I'm ready to grill . Thank you for all the information and great videos and taking the time to make them . Eat More Vegans - Carnivore BBQ is a great guy too ! It's always fun cooking with friends .
You can add a chunk or 2 bottom base. I find a good way to get better smoke flavor of you don’t have allot of meat too smoke is too use indirect kinds like the way you would do it on a Weber kettle. I put my charcoal and wood chunks on one side kinda like the slow n sear and just put a fire starter on one side and let it go. And then put your meat on the opposite side of the grates for low and slow. Better smoke flavor.
If you have a multi year old Acorn like I do, a wire wheel on a drill is your best friend for cleaning up that surface for the gasket to stick. Wire wheel, multi purpose cleaner, isopropyl alcohol wipe and she will stick for ya.
Thanks for doing these experiments to show us ways to improve our Akrons. I hope you pulled the trigger on the auto kamado while it was on sale at Walmart for $224. I'd love to see some of your improvements and cook comparisons with it!
Yeah that $224 was too hard to pass up. I've had some severe QC issues on the bolt holes for the lid. Comes pretreated with lavalock, but the right ones only barely got screwed in before causing the little metal receptacles on the body to just spin freely. Only got through a couple of hot temp cooks & so far so good, but will keep this video in mind if the lid stops shutting completely.
I did some research on them, because I was set on getting one. Today, I found out the major stores stopped stocking them. People are complaining about the temp sensors and a lot of other things with no way to get parts from the manufacture.
Thanks! I've got the Walmart Expert Grill clone of the Acorn and yet, leaking air at the seal on the damper as well as the gasket ring. Can barely crack the top damper and it's sometimes too much.
So I have come across an akorn on a home we are cleaning out. It's in rough shape. I'm looking for someone with knowledge on what I need to do ,or explain how this even got this way. There's a film on the inside of the egg or akorn whatever you prefer to call it. Looks like a full that was on the inside that maybe should've been removed ?! I have a pic but I can't post it. Any help would.be appreciated. We want to try to bring it back to life if possible
I’ve been grilling on a 200 Char-Griller that has the smoke box on the side , been grilling almost everyday for over a year , I want a new grill is this a good investment???? Mine seeps smoke all around 😔
I am quite convinced that my Akorn Jr also has air gaps behind the thermometer and the areas where the legs screw into the body. Over the summer, I did some ~350C / 662F cooks (thin steaks, 1-2 minutes per side) and with the lid down and locked, I was certain that there were smoke leaks from those areas in addition to quite a bit billowing out of the larger seam. Perhaps my Winter task, whilst the UK inclement weather limits my uses, is to look at upgrading the main two seals like you're doing there. It's such a shame that almost everything grill-related is ridiculously expensive in the UK compared to the US and Canada. PS: I also use the smoking stone and another pizza stone to do a double-indirect cooking setup like you do with your KJs.
Hi @smokingdadbbq - I also own a chargriller Akorn, and have issue keeping low temperature for smoking brisket for exemple. My problem is that if I fill charcoal like you do it ends up temperature exceeding 250deg …if I reduce charcoal qty, smoking can’t last 8+ hours…so I have to open grills and add charcoal…do you think changing gasket and doing two stage deflection can help me ?? Any suggestions?? Thank you
wow, a little flash back to younger years - "I love it when a plan comes together". I was waiting for you to run and jump into a black van with Mr T and drive off :) Good video!
I had this Acorn for 3 years. The best Kamado grill on the market hands down (bar some rust problem, but for the price...) Usual ceramic grills need to be fired up much higher to keep temperature because heavy ceramic absorbs a lot of heat. This Acorn is insulated and made of thin metal - it needs way less fuel to heat up. Just load much less charcoal and be careful starting it - only light up a little and close vents to the #1 or less. And again - use less charcoal. With the load you do and all vents wide open you can probably melt still in it 😂 Advantages of this Acorn - it's lighter, needs less fuel, easier to use, easier to clean, grates are level with the edge, grates has window in the middle, works really great. Disadvantage - it rusts with time. Don't leave it in the open.
Great fix to make it work. I must not be a "Pro" because I just use a box knife to open my bags of charcoal.. Thanks for the tip on looking for the straight string as I might give it a try next time.
I also realized right off the bat that air leaks are a problem. Lid adjustment & gasket of this type did most of it. I also discovered an air leak at the edge of the lower vent track. I had to seal with high temp RTV. Also, my lid thermometer reads 50 degrees lower than actual temp at the grate as measured by my Maverick temp probe. Love the Akorn! For the price can't be beat.
You do realize that if you wrapped the buckle itself it would tighten the seem without trying to move the clasp up right? I would of tried that on the top and bottom prior to adding gasket material. I would of just tried wrapping it with electrical tape to see if that tightened up the seal. Just my two cents.
A little outside topic, I have seen a stainless steel Kamado Joe online. It does not appear on the manufacturer's website. Are you at all familiar with it? Is is a discontinued item? Kamado Joe ProJoe Stainless Steel Kamado Grill
Thank you! I had the same issue with my Akorn - it just wouldn’t stay below 300 even with the vent nearly closed. It I did the gasket on the ash pan and dome, now it will hold 225 easy.
Great video! Love how you explain things to make it very clear! My question is how did you measure the ring for the gaskets and what size gasket did you use? I’m getting the auto kamado and I’m wondering what size gasket I would need
it only makes sense if you make your own rubs.... for me its paid for itself, but a $20 amazon burr mill, or using the one you have to get the qty you need tastes identical
My Akorn is about 6 years old and still going. I give it maybe 1 more year before it falls apart. (Ash pan rusting). It's stock, no mods and holds temps as good as my Joe. Where did you buy yours as I want to replace it when it falls apart! 😁. One of the best grills for the money, hands down.
I did this for my Akorn!!! I've waited to write about my experience until I have had a couple of cooks on it since installing the gasket. But OMFG! This is the solution for all the things I did not like about the Akorn! It is a far more stable komado now! Very little variation, quicker to gett to the right temp. This addition was well worth the small investment.
Hi James: Love your videos, can you shoot a video about how you clean the grill grate, the charcoal basket, the firewall ring and all the metal parts...etc. Not sure how other people are doing it for Kamado Joe grills, but the clean up of the grates and cast iron can take up more than 1 hour and 30 minutes...
I have the Auto kamado, and I have a lot of problems with the temperature running away on me, I usually use a huge water pan to act as a heat sink to keep the temperature under control, I'm going to give this mod a try.
One thing I’ve learned about the auto kamado is turn the fan off auto before you open the lid. If you leave it on auto and open the lid the fan kicks in to bring the temp back up, but it stokes the coals too much and causes the temp to run away by 50 degrees or so. So shut the fan off auto when you open it. Close the grill back up, then as the temp comes back to you desired temp, then put the fan back to auto.
Drill out the rivets along the lid sealing surface which hold the inner shell to the exterior shell. Then you can pull everything out. Re-rivet back together. I had to repair mine after my friend moved it with the lid open and it fell causing damage to that top flange. Curious why you want to remove the insulation.
I really appreciate all of your videos. I recently purchased an Akorn and not to mention I live in Alaska buy after watching your videos I now use my Akorn all year and with this said I also purchased an Akorn Jr. Thanks for the videos and sharing you knowledge and experience.
I’d pay Chargriller an extra 20 bucks I’d they would just build this into the design. I know you’ve gotten a lot of comments saying they haven’t had any problems, but this fix DEFINITELY helped my temp control. Thank you.
Another cool thing about the Akorn is that you can fit a wood chip or pellet smoke maze in that bottom section and can reload them on very long cooks without having to adjust your meat and grates and deflector. Was very convenient smoking Thanksgiving turkeys the last two years to be able to add extra smoke from below. I've also used it with just a small smoke maze in the bottom to do cold smoke to cheese and salmon without any charcoals in the tub. Soon I'm going to connect a flexible chimney vent pipe from the Akorn to my KJ Classic 2 to do a cold smoker that way.
@@SmokingDadBBQ I use the open pellet maze kind and it almost never gets additional ignition. Sometimes a small ember will drop on it and start another section but rarely.
Interesting! What I am wondering is if this is just a cash grab or if it actually works. Too much editing and not enough proof that this makes that big of a difference.
I have the acorn auto Kamado will the ash tray on this current model in this video work on the auto Kamado the fan has stopped working on my auto Kamado and there is not a fix for it, so I thought I could change the ashtray to one that has the vents on the ashtray
This really works! I used one-inch gasket, which was easy to apply. Before installing the gasket I could see smoke coming out at various places between the body and lid/ash pan. Now there is no smoke at all, and I can easily hold temperatures of 250F for as long as there's fuel to burn.
Thank you for this mod. I finally installed the gaskets for my Akorn and I noticed with my first cook post hack that I could hold my temps much easier!
G'day mate. Another thing to check is that the lid may not be sitting flat. Close it, loosen the screws where the hinge bolts onto the body, wiggle the lid a bit until it sits flat, then tighten. Also, temp control will improve with a bit of grease build up in the top vent to help seal the gap between the body and the vent cap. I've had an almost identical unit (dragon kamado) for about 5 years and with only those two things it holds rock steady temps way down to 100C. Still on original gaskets as well.
For future "upgrade" videos only change one thing at a time, test and verify if you fixed it or not then change something else. I bet you didn't need the gasket on the lid because the real leak was the bottom seal. However we will never know because you did both at the same time. Would have been better to add the gasket to the bottom...run a temperature test. If it failed THEN add the lid gasket and retest.
I believe in a previous he showed a before and after with just the high hear gasket (the one on the lid) and it significantly reduced the leaks but did not eliminate it (smoke still came out between base and lid but less). I could be wrong though. Dont remember which vid
If you already bought the gasket and you already can feel that the clasps don't have a lot of tension, why not just add it since it takes 2 extra minutes .
i dont remember but in general i start dialing down the vents about 50f before my target temp to slow down how fast it arrives at 300 so i don't overshoot
Love your channel, you've got me addicted to Kamados! I tried using the SloRoller in my Akorn AutoKamado but couldn't get enough smoke flowing through, so even though the cook ran just fine at 300 without any burning there was barely any smoke flavor. Really looking forward to how you run yours!
Thanks *so* much for this video. I've had an Akorn Jr for a year or so, and while I *really* like it, I've had the same temperature control issues. I'm gonna give my little smoker the same treatment. Also, I reckon I'm ready to upgrade to the full-size Akorn now. Your videos are the reason I picked up a kamado in the first place. I'm glad you're trying out the Akorn series, and look forward to the tips and tricks you have in store.
Have the Walmart version of this grill and did this awhile back, helped keep Temps steady. Another leak is the intake due to the poor fitment. Use alumfoil to seal one end and helps a bit. Wish there was more in the aftermarket to make sealing better with the intake. Upper lid has a section that feels very hot to the touch, the internal insulation has a gap or something lol. Picked up on clearance, I'd rather have the name brand over the expert grill Walmart offers. I have yet to use a name brand akorn but I'm still satisfied with the purchase .
@@SmokingDadBBQ today I actually removed the intake and hammered the sliding end without the handle complete flat and with a minor bend. Intake seals soon much better.
