MacKenzie Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 Tekobo, you can use the deflector stones as stepping stones in your allotment. They will be far more useful there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 2 hours ago, tekobo said: We are now discussing the difference between 2.86% and 2% - a big difference when you compare the numbers directly but when considered as a proportion of a 100, not so much I'm sensing some serious math skills hiding underneath this BBQ exterior? I underestimated you - my bad! 2 hours ago, tekobo said: They were delicious and the husband made an awesome sauce with stock and the nasty bits. That would be "tasty" bits in my book, but I suppose that's an English equivalent term, as they aren't very visually appealing typically. Not to be confused with "naughty bits!" LOL!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) Deleted duplicate post. Edited December 31, 2017 by tony b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 And so it begins. "Is it a BGE?". I overheard The Husband say they are the Bentleys of BGEs. I suspect he'll be saying that a few more times tonight! Here set up has gone well so far. On the 21", two shoulders of lamb on the main grate are sitting above two trays full of potatoes on the lower grate and going along nicely at 130C. Chicken on skewers for later grilling on the 23". I've dropped cod in cazuelas and chipolatas in basket in favour of the easy life and instead have salad and an enormous vegetarian curry to go alongside the grilled meat. Pics tomorrow probably, off for a nap now. Have a great new year's eve, wherever you all are. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Looking forward to pics and happy new year to you tekobo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Tekobo, a very happy New Year to you. Your cook sounds lovely and I am looking forward to the pixs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Happy New Years, Everyone! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Happy New Year, Everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 Happy New Year. Sorry to fans of pics. No pics in this post. This is a serious story and we all know serious writers don't use pics. The big cook yesterday was in the worst weather possible for us in England but nothing challenging by some of your standards. Driving rain and strong winds. I spent the evening in knee high boots and an all enveloping Swedish rain coat. Thermometer challenges heightened the tension. I don't yet have a power supply in my "ODK" and the rain meant I could not safely run an extension cable to use the CyberQ Cloud. One of the thermometers that came with the KKs wasn't working AND my new MEATER thermometer wouldn't pair with anything and I am now waiting for a replacement. So I used one of my standard meat thermometers in the roof of the 23" and bought an oven thermometer to check the temperature at the main grate level for the slow cook. So how did the evening go? Fantastically well. Get this. I had never cooked on a kamodo style BBQ before I received my beauties (names: 21" is Milk and 23" is Meat) on 21 December. On 31 December I was able to turn out a meal practically bang on time. I promised food from 9pm and the meat was rested and served, with sides at 9:10pm. I was able to showcase the versatility of these machines, with a beautiful potato dish, soft slow cooked lamb and juicy grilled chicken, all delivered at same time thanks to getting the two KKs as you advised instead of the single one that I had been considering. Most years I serve food once and late comers have to settle for cheese or a post midnight frittata. This year, having taken the first load of food off, I cranked up Milk to a similar temperature to Meat and grilled the remaining skewers of chicken on both. And this brings me to the discovery that you all rave about. In my ten days of experimenting with M&M I have tried chicken wings and whole chicken. I thought they were good but I wasn't blown away by a sudden improved "moistness" of the chicken I ate. Yesterday I marinaded the chicken thighs and drumsticks in an Ottolenghi recipe for harissa mixed with yogurt. And then grilled at high temperature (about 180C). And served. Some guests arrived after I had just laid out the second lot of chicken and I heard The Husband say to them, "you had better get in the kitchen now for the best chicken you have ever eaten". Everyone was complimentary about the food but my nephew's feedback was special. He came up to me and said, "of all the things you have ever cooked for me, that chicken was the best thing ever". That was cool coming from a 16 year old kid I have been feeding since he was a few months old. At this morning's breakfast I asked our house guests to help with lessons learned. We have at least one big party a year and noting what needs to improve helps to reduce stress the next time around. We had already assembled a list of things like having handy dustpan and brush for broken glasses and vases ready for the silly people who think it is a good idea to give you a gift of a bunch of flowers in the middle of what is the equivalent of a busy service at a restaurant. A late waking friend walked in and didn't focus on the negatives. She just said, "cook that chicken at every party". Thank you. Thank you to Dennis for creating such beautiful, efficient and easy to use machines. Thank you to you all on the forum for your generous advice and for the archive that represents your collective and diverse experiences. I am so pleased to have joined your number. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 Now, the fun really begins. Congratulations !Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 In that one cook you have experienced everything from hardships to delight. You have just gotten your professional KK cooking license. I am thrilled that it all turned out perfectly and your experience sure made for a wonderful read on our part even without the pix proof. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 So glad that it all went as well as could be expected, despite Mother Nature. Glad the advice worked for you or we'd have all looked rather silly! Sorry to hear that your MEATER didn't work. I've found that sometimes it takes several tries to get it to sync up to my phone (Samsung Android.) Other times, it does it on the 1st try. I am happy with mine overall and used it several times over the holidays. I did have to change the alarm tone it uses when it loses the probe signal, as it was getting annoying during the prime rib cook at my SIL's house (I was cooking in her conventional oven and not the KK.) For some reason, it would hiccup and lose the signal just long enough to activate the alarm (telephone ring) and was doing it about every few minutes - extremely annoying. Only cook that it's done that on. Coincidentally, I did a very similar chicken thigh dish on Saturday night - marinade of yogurt, harrisa and lemon juice. I also threw in some purple crack for good measure. Plan is to have the leftovers tonight. Now it's official - Welcome to the Obsession! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) 7 hours ago, tekobo said: Quote from Tekobo- "In my ten days of experimenting with M&M I have tried chicken wings and whole chicken. I thought they were good but I wasn't blown away by a sudden improved "moistness" of the chicken I ate." I have been mulling this over in my mind and I am wondering if when you were doing these cooks did you open the lid at all during the cook? Normally I find chicken to be very moist when cooked on the KK. So I am trying to figure out what went wrong. The only think I can think of at the moment is opening the lid which always lets a ton of moisture out. What do you think, Tekobo? Edited January 2, 2018 by MacKenzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Glad it all worked out in the end these things are pretty easy to use and do almost anything Outback kamado Bar and Grill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 15 hours ago, tony b said: Sorry to hear that your MEATER didn't work. I've found that sometimes it takes several tries to get it to sync up to my phone (Samsung Android.) Went through a list of things to try with their customer happiness people and when that didn't work they agreed to replace. Just waiting to hear when. In the meantime I have ordered a relatively cheap remote thermometer (just £15) from Amazon and will see how that works. 10 hours ago, MacKenzie said: I am wondering if when you were doing these cooks did you open the lid at all during the cook? Normally I find chicken to be very moist when cooked on the KK. So I am trying to figure out what went wrong. The only think I can think of at the moment is opening the lid which always lets a ton of moisture out. What do you think, Tekobo? My previous chicken cooks were fine, just not remarkable. I try to live by the "if you are looking, you're not cooking" motto but I may well have looked more often than I should. Will see how future cooks go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) And now for the pix. I didn't have time to take very many but these will give you a flavour. I tried to keep the fire focussed for the low and slow cook in Milk (21"). The two lamb shoulders fitted in nicely side by side on the main grate. I started off with two water filled pans underneath the lamb on the lower grate but quickly decided that the potatoes should go in sooner rather than later. Boulanger potatoes prepped. I normally grate nutmeg into the mix so I tried Purple Crack instead for a clovely, peppery flavour. Filled the pans with water once they were safely on the lower grate. Seven or so hours later I had been testing the potato dish nearer to me and did not realise that the dish on the far side was getting much drier. Happily, some people loved the crunchier ones. I would probably put a drip pan in below this next time and cook the potatoes for five rather than six hours at 130C. This was the first batch of skewered drumsticks and thighs from Meat (23"). Again, learning point that the part of the grill furthest away from me appears to be a lot hotter. At the very least need to check if there is a variation. Partway through I slipped a foil covered drip pan in above the fire to reduce fat drips and burning. There were people who loved the "burned" bits and the second batch, twice this much, looked very impressive. No photo, just dived in! Lamb getting shredded And the sake panna cotta and gooseberry jellies that we finished off with! Edited January 2, 2018 by tekobo Remove extra photo that wasn't needed. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrus Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 That looks delish. All very comforting foods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Yum yum looks pretty tasty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Thanks, Tekobo, for posting the pixs, they are making my mouth water. I am surprised you were able to get any pixs with that miserable weather you had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 9 hours ago, tekobo said: In the meantime I have ordered a relatively cheap remote thermometer (just £15) from Amazon and will see how that works. Mavericks work well, but like all the others of this style, you're tethered to a cord. The MEATER is unique in that it's the only WIRELESS probe that I know of - Essential if you want to monitor a rotisserie cook! Probably asking a silly question, since you had them on the phone - Did you check the battery to see if the probe was charged? I've read comments from some users that theirs arrived with a dead battery. Easy to check. There's a button on the wooden charging block, push it and look for a very tiny green LED to light up. Curious as to why you used water pans under the lamb shoulders? Moisture retention in the KK makes them unnecessary. And, 130C is generally well below the smoke point of most fats, so a simple drip pan to keep the fat out of the fire is all that's needed. From your pics (which were great - btw), looks like your fire was more towards the back, which could have lead to the difference in cooking between the 2 pans of spuds. The KK generally doesn't have specific "hot spots." Dennis has worked on the specific shape of this grill to promote even temperature distribution. One thing that many of us have found, your fires will have a tendency to burn in random patterns. No reliable way to predict how the charcoal will burn in the basket - either left-to-right or front-to-back. Hope some of this helps with future cooks - but you're off to a fantastic start, based on these pics!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
