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Tekobo, you have a nice smoke ring on your meat.

Mine actually get hotter from sunshine than even a 700* cook. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

When I did the burn-in I was a little surprised at how hot the surface got. Yesterday I put my hand on it without a cook going and it was the same temperature. That radioactive ball of fire in the sky that we're not allowed to look at is pretty strong here!

I am still amazed by how little fuel a KK uses to do its job. This is my 16KK fire basket after 12 hours of cooking low and slow. A 3kg lump of pig. The capocollo - pig neck and shoulder. Closest US cut is a pork butt.

@David Chang I took your question seriously and devised a test for our Italian friends. I showed them a picture of your proposed cake/bread. They immediately said "columba" followed by "Easter/Pasqua". Test No 1 passed. I then asked if it could be eaten at any time of year. They said "why not, but how?" I explained that you were in Hong Kong and had the means to make it. As a further test I asked if they would eat columba now if I put it in front of them. They said "yes, but it is impossible. It is not Easter." So there you have it. A sample size of two not very catholic Italians wouldn't be offended if you proceed as planned but they remain bound by the rules of seasonal availability that prevail here in Italy.

The shape looks like a shamrock to me.

Neglected beds of Zucchini have large veggies on the vine, they're not the best once past a size and often overlooked . I scoop out the inards seeds and create the cavity where you can make the stuffing of choice. Today it was a Mexican base with a triple chesse topping and then drizzled with a marinara sauce.

Catholics are less offended than most, they are tolerant David...a piece of bread will be something they would generously break with you. A glass of wine to compliment it's direction would certainly be a comfort.

@tekobo my wife follows chinese folk religion (which basically makes me the same even though i have no idea what i'm doing in temple). but i wonder if any catholics would be offended if i make a columba (the easter dove variant of the panettone) in the middle of summer. they call this a dove, but it looks to me like the holy cross of Jesus Christ. for a city that is not catholic, they sell this mould in hk, but no where do they sell the proper flour to bake it. so i am pestering my wife who is in barcelona now to look for a 5kg or 25 kg bag of panettone flour to bring as check in luggage..

@DennisLinkletter you have a wheel in the center of this new 38 i assume the 42 has a center wheel as well will this 38 require 2 springs like the 42 looks very impressive to say the least great job Dennis

lol when times allows i usually get them have at it since now you have super powers

Being a gadget freak doesn't hurt, either.

That being said.. We must remember that 32" BB + 6" IS 38" Although that vehicle of thought obviously doesn't drive in reverse.. Sygies is cringing! 😃😁😂

When that outside temp drops 30 degrees overnight and a foot of snow magically appears a controller is worth every penny

An Italian would probably whole heartedly agree that there is no point in a panettone lesson before November. Given the lecture on seasonality that I got when I went in search of my favourite panettone in January, I reckon there must be a law that says you cannot eat panettone in a month that does not begin with Dec. Whereas I agree wholeheartedly with your approach. Free the panettone!

Sadly I agree @jonj. My MEATER Block just never worked as well and consistently as you would like. Maybe the latest versions are more reliable but I have learned to work without one. @jdbower I realise that my question was just trying to lead you into the age old debate about whether or not blowers are really worth the hassle and the wires. Your responses highlight the reasons people use them. Where external conditions can vary significantly during a cook and/or when you want to have the assurance that your cook is going as planned, then these systems are a help. I don't have huge variation in either of my locations (sheltered back garden in the UK and sheltered terrace in Italy) and I am happy taking the risk of variations in my temps (usually due to me fiddling with the top hat when I needn't). I have a 14 hour cook just starting, something I have never done in my 16KK, so I may well be singing a different tune by the end of today!

But does it come with a goat?

It can once you're used to it, but in that configuration you only have a static control of airflow. You can see from the graph below that there were some bursts early, then it was mostly stable until I started to run out of fuel. Here the fan/probe can adjust more easily to say "more oxygen = more hot" while a static configuration would have the temperature drop off. Running low on fuel is usually not an issue for real cooks, low-and-slow has a lot to work with and high temp cooking tends to be short and heavily monitored. For me it's not needing to worry about variables (many of which don't exist in San Diego with consistent weather and little rain), but once the KK is fully heated you need less airflow to feed the fire, a wind gust could create more airflow, an errant bit of charcoal may burn hotter or cooler, rain could start cooling the system from the outside, when the sun goes down you're not getting external heating from it anymore, etc. The huge thermal mass of the KK compensates for all of these pretty nicely - but a computer lets me view them while I'm in my office working during a cook.

what are the details on this ????

I saw the announcement yesterday and am intrigued. I have a couple of Meaters (1st & 2nd get.), but think they are too fussy to use.

i was gifted a lievito madre in my baking class, which is the essential stiff starter for panettone, colomba, pandoro...and i signed up for a panettone class, but that's not until november. so i figured i might as well try making this thing while i wait 4-months for the next class..

The thought of any KK owner being described as "moderate" made me laugh. A lot.

Hi there Jeff. I always claim that my KK holds temps just fine without any blowers or additional controls but I don't have any proof because I don't generally use a pit probe nor even a MEATER thermometer. If you are up for the experiment I would be curious to see the temperature trace from your pit probe with a chosen set position of your top hat and no blower.

Good panettone is one of my favourite things. Never occurred to me to try to make it. Yours looks great @David Chang

LOL, it's 6:30 am math.. After a night shift, after 10 days in Bangkok!!