Goldens' Cast Iron Cooker

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lunchman

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May 12, 2010
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Dom
It's been quite a long time since I've posted to this forum, figured since I received a new toy today that some folks might be interested in, some pics would be nice.

Quick background: I've had a Bubba Keg and a Bayou Classic Cypress ceramic since 2010, use them all the time. Due to a misaligned hinge, the BC suffered a fatal lid crack a few weeks back so it was time for a replacement. I opted not to get another ceramic, leaving a handful of choices. After some research I chose a Goldens' Cast Iron Cooker (Columbus GA), which arrived today.

No cooks on it yet, still sitting in my garage, but I'll hopefully get it good and dirty this weekend. There are only a handful of reviews on this cooker, lots of conjecture re: cast iron, rust, surface temps, lump usage, etc. that only owning it can put to rest. I'll report findings as I put it to use. There are a good number of videos on their Facebook page.

OK, some pics. The cooker (top vent not yet installed) -







Cast iron firebox with optional divider plate for indirect cooks -



Cast iron split grates (shown with one of the two extra I purchased so they can be racked for items like ribs.) Flipping them over with feet up allows the grates to be closer to the fire -



Searing plate / diffuser -



I ordered it directly from Goldens, arrived on a pallet today, drop shipped in an eighteen wheeler to my door.

Weight: 460 lbs according to their website. Well packaged, only a small amount of assembly to do which was easy. The hardest part was the concern of rolling it off the pallet on a temporary ramp, but that went well.

I'll answer questions if needed as I get time on it during the next few weeks. Needless to say I'm psyched to have a brand new toy and will post more details on how well it grills, smokes, does over-nighters, holds temps, uses lump, etc.

-lunchman
 
Very interesting. All of the design aspects look to be well thought out and executed. I can't wait to see it in action.
 
An update for those who were following this thread. The cooker had arrived missing a few parts and with damaged parts thanks to the trucking company unboxing it and "strapping" it to a rickety pallet. Goldens sent the missing and replacement parts which was fine. I can replace a damaged caster wheel. They even included a nice t shirt and hat.

When I finally got it out into the sunshine a few days later there were far too many deep scratches in the powder coating on the lid. I sent pics to the folks at Goldens and within an hour received a phone call that they were shipping me a new cooker. No questions asked, no back and forth discussions, just a simple "New cooker is on its way to you." This is the type of customer service more businesses in the US should exhibit.

The damaged one was returned this week, the replacement arrives on Monday. I'll get to see how these are actually shipped from the factory in Georgia.

The folks at Goldens have been in constant contact with me via email and phone. They have been outstanding to deal with.

As soon as it's assembled (handles need to be attached to the cart with the cotter pins, that's it for assembly), I'll be anxious to get some cooks on it and post more reviews.

-lunchman
 
Sorry you have to go through the inconvenience of having another cooker shipped, it's great the company stepped up to make it right. If it cooks as well as the customer service they are providing, you have a heck of a cooker. Looking forward to seeing the new one getting dirty.
 
I have been itching to try one.I will use you as the determining factor after you do a few cooks with it.I am about tired of the frailty of ceramics.Good luck.
 
That's a cool looking cooker!

I hate to hear of the trouble but it sounds like they are on the ball!
 
Replacement grill arrived today, it's all set up on my back deck (one step up from ground level so ramps a friend brought over came in handy). Due to work constraints I wasn't able to do much with it other than add a load of lump and do an initial burn-in. Probably best to let the factory oils burn off before I put food in it. I took it up to about 450-500, seemed to hold temps well.

Yeah, the cast iron lid gets hot but that's expected. My other Kamados do too, this wasn't excessive. I'll use my IR gun at some point to take temps and compare it to the Bubba Keg.

Tomorrow I expect to have more time and will put it to work for dinner. I think a pork loin is on the menu but perhaps I'll grill something up that will help season the CI grates, more than I was able to do in my oven last nite.

No time for pictures today. I'll keep this thread updated as I get cook time on it over the next few weeks.

Something I get to experiment with: On the website some of the pictures show a daisy wheel for the top vent. Mine came with a flat plate which swings open. The flat plate was a new design change, but Goldens sent me the daisy wheel as well at my request. Currently I have the flat plate attached. I'm used to both styles, the Bubba Keg uses a daisy wheel, the Bayou Classic used a flat plate. Not a huge deal, but at least I have a choice.

Not sure if I mentioned the grate diameter: 20.5". A good sized area to grill on.

More later.

-lunchman
 
This morning I'm seasoning the cooker, using the typical method you guys would use for seasoning an offset smoker. High temp cooking oil on the inner surfaces, used Pam canola on the dome. It's running at about 275-300, I'll let it go for a number of hours. I'll need to season the second pair of grates and the sear plate at another time.

Some pics of it in action, coming up to temp, there is smoke coming out the top vent -



Grates and dome taking on a nice patina -





A view of how well the lid is balanced -

The spring is enormous -



And does its job quite well -



When it gets to within about 4" of closing it gently closes. Nice.

It seems to be holding temps pretty well. As with most Kamados, the dome temp is lower than the grate temp, but I'm used to that. Thermometer was reading about 300, grate temp with the IR gun was shy of 400. It'll take a few cooks and experimentation to get used to its controls. First cook should be dinner this evening.

-lunchman
 
After letting it season from around 7 am with temps holding steady around 350 from mid morning to mid afternoon, it was time to start grilling. A lone pork loin wasn't going to suffice. I added lump, opened the vents a bit and brought temps up to about 425.



I racked the grates, one high, one low, since I wanted to get a nice sear on the CAB top round I'd picked up. Plenty of room on the upper grate for the pork loin and roasted carrots in my CI casserole, potatoes on the lower grate -



Added the CAB top round steak -



And plated, rare just the way I like it -



The pork loin is tomorrow nite's dinner -




All in all, I'm quite pleased with the purchase. Lots of room on the grates, the ability to go legs up or legs down with them is a plus. It holds temps quite well. At some point over the next few weeks I'll try an overnight low n slow, we'll see how it compares to the Bubba Keg which is downright stingy on its lump use, easily going 16 hours. That'll be tough to match but I'll put the Goldens to the test.

With the smaller cart with handles only, there's obviously no place to put plates, hang utensils, etc. but that was a conscious decision on my part. I've got plans to build a barbeque table between the two grills, matching a patio set I recently built.

I closed the vents to shut it down for the nite, temps are dropping as expected.

I'm impressed with this cooker and it's nice to finally get to use it.

-lunchman
 
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