Leaderboard

Done and family fed. All enjoyed. The vote was that the rubbed were better than non rubbed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi - thanks for the feedback and all the guidance on getting me set up and though the cook It took a little longer than I thought and with the feedback I will put the Thermoworks sensor more in the middle next time to see if the temp readings are more synched. I can't comment on the effectiveness of charring the hickory since this was my first time using chunks of wood (previously with my gas grill I would head the ribs in the oven at 225 for several hours and then finish on the grill (no wood chunks, I would use some liquid smoke in the sealed pan during the oven step). Another lesson - I cooked too much food so we will have having leftovers - I also definitely like the St Louis cut - very meaty and less fat than the full spare rib cut (not sure if that is universal or just the packaged ribs I got (Smithfield vacuum pack I think). For the wine pairing fans - I had a nice 2008 Syrah that went very well (both during the watch the grill and the eat the ribs phase) Cheers

Persian shish kebab.

Sromboli Outback Kamado Bar and Grill

All really helpful, thanks. The gadget angle is one that will take time to explore. I remember reading about the journey some of you have had with getting the MEATER and thinking I'd watch and wait. If they finally come with the block it means they are genuinely on their way with this. We spent yesterday evening cooking on our current grill and it helped me reflect on a lot of stuff. We could have got the fire going earlier with a weed gun and we certainly needed better char - the batch we started with took ages to get going. We were only able to grill for the whole meal, more juggling would have been required to cook a big joint low and slow. And I just know that the KK wouldn't have dried out our beautiful home made chipolatas and that I would have avoided unnecessary blackening of the chicken wings. I'm going to work to refine my accessory list over the next few weeks but @5698k is right. Making the decision to go with the two KKs is the only one that really matters. And, as @Paul noted, I am going to use the fabulous food we'll cook on the KKs to draw others into our cult...

@tony b naan was made on a kk baking stone. The side walls of my kk are already too dirty to slap anything on it. The naan was the best we have had from our house so far, but it was using fast rising dough and we subbed buttermilk instead of yogurt for some extra tart. Want to do the same recipe but with a home grown levain. Speaking of bread fermentation, here is a photo of a BLT (with pickled onions) with bread from the kk from this morning.

Nice job on that virgin cook. And, NO, it doesn't stay pristine and white for very long - maybe 2 cooks at best. I was going to say that you're family will think you're crazy only until they've eaten your food - and now they've tried it, I bet they're changing their tune! Now, Dad's crazy like a fox! Looks like you got your ribs right, but in the future, use the "bend test" to check for doneness. Only sure way, as time is not a good indicator. Grab the rack about 1/3 of the way from the end with your tongs, pick it up and give it a slight bounce. If you see it crack, like in this picture, they're done. Also, when the meat pulls back on the bones sticking out of the sides about 1/2" inch or so, is another sign of doneness. Excellent choice of wines for BBQ. Big, spicy, reds like Zins and Syrahs are great with smoked meats.

I respect vegans a whole lot more than they respect me. Humanely raised, what more do they want ? Great story . If they didn't want us to eat animals why did they make them out of meat?? smirk

Ok. First day with new KK 32. Doing quick first cook. Fire started At suggestion above I pre charred some hickory. And here it is loaded up. 2 St Louis racks, 2 larger "spare rib" racks and a 5 lb shoulder butt roast So far it's been going 3 hours ...... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I usually wear glasses these days, and I always get a face full of steam that fills my glasses when I open my grill during cooks.. This cloud of moisture will condense inside the grill and even pool sometimes on the lower lip.. You will find this very common and nothing to worry about. Best NOT to peek while cooking because you loose moisture every time you open..

Carne Crosta is a nice steak rub, too.

I know a few people who do wok cooking in their kamados (not necessarily KK's). Wok cooking tends to splatter grease around a bit so I was never willing. A $88 outdoor propane wok burner solved the problem for when I need to satisfy my wok cooking urges.

I'm a little late to this party but you are about to have a ton of fun and you won't believe the moisture in your food (especially chicken)!!

Piada with burrata (1st course) and Tandoori Prawns (2nd course) both made in the KK.

Pakistani seekh kebab and Naan - both made in the KK.

A new KK? that is the gift that will keep on giving !! Great ideas from all above me there . I'm a gadget girl too and I love my digiQ DX, it also has thermo for the meat . Makes it soo easy to set and forget. PIzza stone a must. I love my steel but Pequod has it right there, wish they had the round grill when I bought mine. For the thermometers I have Range by Supermechanical for when I'm doing a ton of butts or brisket ( ribs are done when they done ) They're great remote thermos with apple app ( the only downside ) for remote viewing and alarm for done and multiple meats. I also use them for inhouse cooking, yogurt making, and brewing . Range Dial here I skipped over two pages to get here so sry if i missed somethn' . You are going to have a blast ! Remember, these cookers have multiple grill surfaces so you can cook two or more stacks of food.

Now that's thinking!!

Sounds like you're on the right track for accessories. Definitely drop the double drip pan. I've used mine only once or twice in several years. KK pizza stone over steel. If you want to do smash burgers, use a cast iron skillet or griddle. With the 21" being new, not sure what's available for it?? So not much advice there. You might want to consider the 17" round pizza stone for it, as the grate-shaped one for the 23" wont fit it. That's all I could think of. I own several Thermapens. They are the best instant read thermometers that I've found. Fast and very accurate. Another cheap add-on if you get the straight rotisserie rod, Keith at OctoForks sells a nice adjustable basket that slides onto the rod. I use mine more than the original KK rotisserie basket. I still use the KK basket, but for definitive things like roasting chile peppers, whole chickens, pork roasts, etc. The adjustable basket is for smaller items, like ears of corn and chicken pieces, etc. I'm also a gadget guy - I have the DigiQ-II controller, several Maverick remote temperature sensors, and my newest toy - the MEATER (a wireless remote thermometer - a MUST for the rotisserie - IMHO).

Sounds like a great list and I am happy to see that the baking stone is in the definite list, it is fantastic at keeping the bottom of the pizza from burning while the top bakes. I would really recommend that you add the spit to the definite list to me it is a must have there are sooooooo many uses for it. I have gone the hairdryer route and while it works fine, but with the compact blower one has much much more control over the amount of air flow and that is important when it comes to lump that does like to spark when it is first lit. I also use it to blow off the deck, the counters in the outdoor kitchen, clean out the shells in a bird feeder, etc. Time to tweak the list ? I almost forgot, there is one more thing that I highly recommend and that is a good instant read thermometer. It is in my mind essential and thermapen makes a beautiful one. http://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4 As you can see it is made in the England. While I'm on the topic of temperature, I just order a Smoke Gateway so that I can get my readings on the cell phone and make adjustments if need be. I already have the Smoke but the gateway is new and they sent out notices to owners of the Smoke before putting the gateway on the web site. This is the link from the email. http://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke-Gateway?utm_source=Nl-2017Aug26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=SmokeGatewayMessage&utm_campaign=Aug2017-Introducing-Smoke-Gateway-so-cs The link to Smoke - http://www.thermoworks.com/Alarms/Cooking-Alarms I hope you are having a great bank holiday.

I'm still going coco char over coffee lump. With coffee, that's your smoke flavor, period. With coco, you can add whatever flavor you're in the mood for. Plus the boxes are quite a bit smaller, easier to store. I find the rib rack a necessity, it eliminates the possibility of black or burnt bottoms. I have a double bottom drip pan, don't really use it much. I use a bernzomatic ts 8000 torch, it works great, or fire starter cubes if you're not in a time crunch. You have a great list, but the number one thing is already decided on, you're basically good to go. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Baking steel is currently a non-Dennis purchase. I also recommend the coffee lump. Having used both for awhile now, I prefer the coffee lump over coco char. Consider the rotisserie spit rod over the basket. You can add non-Dennis OctoForks to that for some extreme versatility.

Personally, I love the coffee char. I use it for everything but a low and slow cook. You may need a rib rack if you want to do a bunch of racks at once. I get 3 uncut racks on my main grate but if you want to do many more on one grill, the rack comes in handy. Rotisserie kit? You may find you like rotisserie cooking a lot if you get it. It is my favorite way to do chicken. cold smoker and double drip pan are certainly optional. I get plenty of smoke on all of my cooks without the additional smoker but it does have some good uses if you want to smoke cheeses or something at very low temps. I started using foil for all of my indirect cooks and if I need something to catch a lot of drippings, I use a disposable foil pan. (I do have a double drip pan). I don't believe Dennis has added baking steel to his site yet. The baking stone looks like the deflector but is much different. Get it if you are planning on bread, pizzas, etc. I have the weed burner torch and it has served me well. I have a cyber q (vs the Digi Q) and love it for those long cooks. I like gadgets in general but I think it would be extremely useful in the beginning. A lot of folks would tell you to learn your grill first but I think it takes some of the frustration out of the learning process. I like easy.

Looks yummy steak and loaf

Successful in uncrating !!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@erik6bd - very nice cook! Any leftovers for a starving Okie? Yeah, I thought so. Sure looked tasty. Kudos.

A nice smoked chicken wing, that is!

Focaccia di Recco, to christen my new KK pizza stone. (Ligurian cheese and crackers.)