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So, its August and the time of year when zucchini plants are in hyper-drive. What could be worse than a saute of onions, fresh young zucchini, garlic, ripe tomatoes along with a kiss of dry sherry turned into the base for a Neapolitan pizza? Exactly: Nothing! A few rounds of Calabrese sausage a friend and cafe owner here in Reno made (Calafuria) atop a thick layer of ratatouille along with browned shiitake mushrooms and covered with a mix of whole milk mozzarella and apple wood smoked provolone. Oh yeah, and a drizzle of EVO then baked over Dennis' CoffeeChar lump; thanks again @Bruce Pearson!

We just got hammered with a rain storm..... but I was able to get my dinner cooked in time. I love me some tri-tip and when I saw this 3.5 pound monster at the supermarket yesterday, I had to grab it. I hit it up with Lanes Ancho Espresso and brisket rub. I usually do my own custom santa maria style rub, however, I wanted to try something new. Like all Lanes rubs, this is a game changer! Cooked to and IT of 135, 145 on the end for my wife and younger son. Grilled some asparagus at the end of the cook. I absolutely love tri-tip, it is very difficult to find up here in Canada but man it makes the times that I find it all the better.

charles, leave the grate out and load it up. open the lid and place in the grate and shut it right away. I have done this with my KJ for cold smoking sausage and I will try to make it happen this fall when I do another batch

I cook a fair amount of flat iron steaks. Marinate them for a while. Cook it hot and fast on a CI griddle. Sliced thin for fajitas and what not - yummy. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to post some cooks. I’ve been using Smaug over the summer, but have had very little time for posting. Here’s a pork shoulder. Here’s two more pork shoulders that I cooked at once. And here’s a nice 12 lb. brisket, with before and after pictures. There’s nothing special about these cooks. I’ve done them before, like many of you. What all of these cooks have in common, however, is that I did the same routine for setting up Smaug for each one. I started the fire around midnight, set the vents for what’s worked for me for a low and slow cook (bottom vent barely open, top vent turned 1/4 turn), waited long enough to see that the thermometer got up to around 180-200ºF (about 20-30 minutes or so), and then went to bed. In the morning, the thermometer was pretty consistently right around 200-225ºF, which is where I wanted to be. Probably better than anything else, this shows what the quality of a Komodo Kamado grill gets you: ease of control and repeatability in your vent settings. I’m confident enough in my grill that I was able to set the vents and walk away knowing that I would get really close to my target temperature. I should mention that I’m usually not in the habit of doing cooks this way. In each case I was “volunteered” to provide food for a potluck or a party at the last minute, which is why I wound up doing the overnight cook approach. Still, it’s really nice to know that my KK grill is so well made that I can get results like this.

I love how the tri-tip swells up when you cook it. It is such an interesting cut of beef. Very tender, and juicy. Cant wait for leftovers tomorrow.

Those skewers look so good.

Love this thread - I have some pork tenderloins in the freezer that I've been wondering what to do with – now I know!

Thanks HalfSmoke, it is now on my to-do list.

@bosco I would love that, but it is still a ways off. We have to figure out what we are going to do about the outdoor kitchen first.

Congratulations! You’re going to have a ton of fun with your new KK grill.

Welcome and congratulations. Your tile choice was perfect for sitting next to the pool. Enjoy and be sure to share your experience and ask questions there is plenty of help here.