First Cook....Leaking?

[Ken]

Here's some shots of my first cook on the C&B Performer (see original post "I Think I Got a Good Deal?" for more details.)

Marinated spatchcock chicken, cooked indirectly.  Added hickory chunks, put the lid on, and walked away until Polder reached 165.  About two hours.

One thing I noticed is a lot of smoke leaking out of the lid.  Not remembering my very first cook on my 1980's something Kettle (or even knowing how to cook correctly back then), do you think over time this will diminish and will it seal up better?  Seems like a lot of smoke loss.....

Other then that, I love the added features of the Performer over my old Kettle, (gas ignition, table, ash catcher, lid holder). 

I am happy!

Marinated Spatchcock Chicken



Finished Product



Leaking Lid

[Sonny Roach]

Sweet deal!! And the chicken looks pretty sweet too. have to try that really soon.

[mwmac]

Try sitting the lid on a flat surface and checking to see if it rocks or is otherwise out of round.  Careful squeezing  should enable you to get it flat.

[Ken]

Good one mwmac, I'll try that. 

When sitting on the bowl I can slide the lid back and forth horizontally about 1/4 inch.  Being a brand new the bowl and lid there's no grease build-up.  I guess this is within specifications?

[Bman]

When sitting on the bowl I can slide the lid back and forth horizontally about 1/4 inch.  Being a brand new the bowl and lid there's no grease build-up.  I guess this is within specifications?

Yup, sounds normal to me.  When it's sitting together, does the lid 'rock' back-n-forth on the base?  If not, there isn't anything to worry about.  It's a (clean) metal to metal fit, so it ain't gunna be air tight.  Plus, a lot of smoke in the early stages of the cook will make it look worse.

[Ken]

Lid does not rock while on bowl.  Placed it on flat concrete floor and it's totally flat.

I guess I just need to break this bad-boy in and do some more grilling to season it up and fill in the lid seal.

Thanks,

Ken
 

[Peaspurple]

You'll be fine after a few cooks. You just need to get a lil goodness built up on the inside.

[kendoll]

Sounds pretty normal. My 1996 OTS does the same (and it has plenty of 'build up' .

Nice score, and great looking chicken! The sking looks soooo crispy!

Ken

[Johnpv]

Speaking of getting better seals, has anyone tried going the Nomex route?  I've seen some folks elsewhere mention buying the Nomex sealer for like a big green egg and using it on their Kettle instead.  Has anyone here ever tried that?

[Heyjude]

A Perforemr is never going to be air tight. Once it gets a buld up it will seal better. Temps will also hold better. Try turning the lid while cooking. You may be able to find the sweet spot and get it to stop. 

[MaxBobcat]

Yep, I think you've figured it out.  it's new, so no gunky goodness to fill the cracks yet.  Give it a few more cooks and it should be perfect. 

Your spatchcocked chicken looks nice.  I used to spatchcock, but have got a lot better results (better cook throughout) by spatchcocking and then halving the bird.  I like it better and it's the way you have to do it for IBCA comps anyway, so it's good practice for me.

Cheers