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Dee made a mac n cheese on the stove .cut the point for burnt ends .looks plain but tasted great

Lots of stuff! The green splashes were parsley and oregano, the base was deep fried cubed potatoes rolled in aioli and white crab meat and more parsley, the red sauce was a paprika ketchup and it was all topped with a raw egg yolk that was blasted with a brulee torch. Most of the dish was prepared earlier in the day so the main work was getting the potatoes fried and the scallops cooked. This was an example of a risky night. We were hosting a birthday meal for a couple who are our close friends and I asked them to invite four more people of their choice. There was every chance of crashing and burning given the next course included hanger steak (not typically seen as a special occasion cut here), raw oyster mayonnaise and deep fried oysters. I made espresso panna cotta for dessert - simple back up that would soothe anyone who had hated the previous two courses. Happily they loved it all and one 58 year old confessed to enjoying oysters for the first time in her life. So my feeling rubbish today can really only be blamed on the amount of wine I drank.

I swear I found a wolley mamoth in the bottom of mine lol

After my last pizza cook ended with me launching the pizza off the wheel and into the field next door, I decided to conquer my nemesis. My doughs were inconsistent even though I used the same recipe. I purchased Ken Forkish’s Elements of Pizza. Worth every penny I did three pies and they all came out great(they were even round). One of the best takeaways was adding the cheese after three minutes or so and everything comes out cooked perfectly.

Five slabs of baby back ribs (and the required few hot links) from a few weeks ago. I was trying out the rib rack. First time attempting to post a photo (thanks to Pequod's tip in another post) so we will see what happens...

10:50 am fired up the oven. 12:20 pm (1 hour 30 minutes) oh crap over shot my desired temp. Deck was reading 980*, dome was giving a "Hi" error. Left the door open for about 10 minutes to let it calm down before starting on the pies. Due to where that thermometer is inside the oven it's a bit deceiving. All pies were hand launched straight off a wooden peel. Each cooked in less than 2 minutes. When pulled they were put on a pizza screen to transfer to the table. First up was a Hawaiian Next was a Pepperoni. Third was an anchovy for my son. And finally a margarita. Need to get better at in oven pictures. Here is before and after pictures of the wood pile. What was used represents a 1.5 cu ft bag of Kiln dried, oak mini splits I bought at Academy Sports for $15. Wood consumption not as bad as I thought it would be. I should have had a loaf of artisan bread to go in afterwards because I had hours of residual heat left over. For first attempt with the WFO I'm really pleased with myself. It will only get better from here. On a side note: the non cooked pizza sauce was my very best to date. Just a bright tomato flavor. Thank you everyone for following along on this WFO adventure. There will be a few more pictures in the future as we put a few finishing touches on the garden area.

It depends upon how low you go in the freezer, right from 2015- Pork steak dinner, with creamed potatoes and corn. Sous vide the pork steak for about 5 hours at 139F. Put it in the fridge for the next day's dinner, something else came up. Next day seared on the KK and then put back in the sous vide bath to heat up. Plated. Other than it was a little dry it tasted just fine.:)

I have been feeling rather green around the gills today. Heavy eating and drinking weekend. Heavy use of the KK too but didn't have time to take photos. Except for these two. I am in Love with my Le Pigeon cookbook. Would you believe that this picture is of scallops cooking on a plancha? Well, you should. They have been coated in black squid/cuttlefish ink. And I plated eight of these: It is wonderfully dramatic when you cut into the scallop and it is white inside. Most importantly it all tasted great.

We had follow on pizza for lunch the next day. The Husband felt we had to defend our square cutting credentials. Here is the evidence for the defence.

I agree with Tekobo. It's one thing if you're being paid, then you should cater to the client, even if they have bad taste - it's their money after all. But, if you're doing it as a "favor," then don't pander to these fools and cook them bad food because they don't know any better. My advice, cook the tri-tips to medium, as they should be. If folks complain that it's "raw," then show them where the microwave is and say "have at it!" Then, it's completely on them when they screw it up. You never know, you might make a convert or two on what meat is supposed to taste like, versus a hockey puck! Which, by the way, would be an awesome way to present them - cook a couple of tri-tips to well done, plate them along with a ring of hockey pucks around the exterior of the platter!

Final ones for now. Five pound prime rib roast, rubbed, smoked with cherry and apple wood, then seared: and sliced: Thanks again, Pequod, for the photo instruction. Much appreciated.

Finally got around to my first "spin". Local butcher has a unique cut on country style pork ribs and it just seemed like a good fit. If you haven't smoked a pineapple before, I'd highly recommend it . 1/2 a basket of lump and applewood chips for a little smoke. 4 hrs later at 295F, basted every hour with a pineapple / habanero glaze, internal at 167F, so I dumped the chips on the coals, pulled the pan and cranked the vents for a final sear on the pork. Ready for a rest. My poor attempt at a MacKenzie pic..... The only thing I'd do different would probably be a 24 hour brine. Chop part was a little dry.... a combo bite with a chunk of pineapple fixed that. Everything on the KK worked flawlessly, as usual.

Last night - St. Louis Ribs, Garlicky Potatoes cooked next to the ribs, and not shown were Crowder Peas put up last year.

They both look delicious and they both sound delicious and I'm guessing I'd prefer the German one.

The goose breasts were ready to try this weekend. On the left is the Italian, grappa coated, cured but not smoked. On the right is the German, whisky coated, cured and hot smoked. The Husband preferred the Italian. He liked the extra fat. I liked them both. I was surprised at how different they were to each other. Goose breast is now definitely our "thing".

I go by look more than date. I've found stuff in the freezer that's 2+ years old and looked fine. I've also found stuff in there only a few months old that had lost its seal and had become freezer burned already.

I almost disregard the lower dials for temp control these days.. A lot of air can be sucked thru a small hole with vacuum but if you restrict the air leaving chimney.. that's more precise. Best bet is to make friends with those ears on the damper top. Take some notes on their position too..

Cool! Great first go. Will watch your bread adventures with interest.

Wow all these cooks look wonderfully delicious. I tried my hand at making some bread yesterday. First time I made bread. I think I over cooked it but it still tasted pretty good. My friends wife gave me the recipe it’s supposed to be for diabetics. You use Almond flour ground flaxseed in a little bit of coconut flour and honey. Next time I’ll keep a better eye on it lol

I love the way this is working: someone tells everyone what a good cook you are, then they choose what you cook and how you cook it, you cook it but are disappointed by the results and they just get the crap they have always eaten and wonder why anyone thought you were any good at cooking. Noooo. You know what is good on your KK, what you are good at and what people usually like. Challenge their tastes, mix it up and do what you think is right or don't do it at all. There is nothing worse than feeling crap after a cook when you were hoping to make people happy but it doesn't work out as planned. Of course you are also free to ignore bossy old me!

Well done tri tip...just trying to wrap my head around that...

Too late.

And a few plated for serving

No, Just made sure it was ripe and then I basted it with the habanero glaze that I was using on the pork. The smoke is the perfect "rub". I'm going to cube the leftovers for kind of a take on Al Pastor. Will put some spice on that for sure. Yeah, the split in the basket matched the split on the rotisserie perfectly. I'm sure Dennis planned that when he designed the 32".

Soaking wood chips/chunks in water is a total waste of time. Doesn't prolong the smoking process, just a bit of delay until the water steams out. If you want to prolong the smoke production, build a cast iron Dutch oven smoker pot (or at least wrap the wood in aluminum foil with a couple of tiny holes punched in.)

I was busy doing a ton of yard work this morning which led into early afternoon starvation. I needed something NOW! That is the reason one needs to have some pulled pork in the freezer and some Lebanese Mountain Bread. Once the sandwich was built I just had to melt that cheese but not cook the lettuce so out came the MAPP torch. Here we go- Now add the purple crack, sauerkraut relish and it's ready to eat. Last Sunday when I was out in the ODK I noticed these 3 eating and playing in the field. It was some cute to see the cubs rolling and tumbling over each other while Mamma ate.

Mac that is s tasty looking meal! Yum yum yum

Wow! What is the rest of the dish?

Sure, I don't disagree with you at all @cschaaf. I am not about forcing people to eat stuff they don't like. We build an instinct for what people like about the food we cook and we learn to tailor that to different audiences and circumstances. What doesn't work is being forced to cook the wrong thing for the tool and time that you have.

Beautiful.

Proof that South Side culture has been exported to the UK!

Well I am getting a guru but the more I am reading into this forum the gas attachment is not a necessary item. The double drip pan I will be using during holidays or not but I am already paying for the shipping and I would rather have it not use it a lot then need it and kick myself. I had a thought while day dreaming at work today... I know bread with steam can be done on the KK, how about a New England style steam/ bake? Maybe load the double drip pan up with moist seaweed and layer shellfish, corn and potatoes and the varying grills? thanks again for all the help and ideas. I have settled on the lighter color with charcoal tweed colors. I want the color scheme to marinate for another day or so then I will be ordering tomorrow or Wednesday!

No, Bruce, the house is off limits. Actually once many years ago when we kept bees they came up to the hives that were on edge of the lawn and knocked them over and ate what they could. That was a fun day getting up seeing this mess and having to clean it up and get the hives back together before going to work. I can remember in the rush getting suited up not taking the time to tuck my pant legs in and needless to say they discovered the open bottoms and made the most of it. Talk about sore legs. Yikes.

Bend test is still the best method for doneness on ribs. Pick up the rack with tongs by the end and give a little "bounce." If they crack, they're done. If not, keep on rocking! If it breaks completely in two, you went too far!

I think I’ll try a bread that uses yeast and has to rest and rise next time

Still working, but got a couple of weeks off starting this weekend. Now that’s the dilemma, what to cook....can’t wait. Pics will be posted

Mac do the bears ever come up to the house looking for food?

The pies looked great for the first go at it!!!!!!!

Not really happy with the bottom on these pizzas. I somewhat mis managed the fire so things should get better going forward. These are just the technicalities I need to work out but that's the fun part.

Sounds great. We lived in London for 3 years. Despite what people say, you can find some great restaurants out there. Some pubs had great food as well. I wish I could recommend places but it’s over 10 years ago now. That all said, I couldn’t handle warm beer... We had some of the best seafood in iceland. We managed to get to a restaurant and the chef said to us, don’t worry about the menu. I will cook you something up. He cooked up some fresh fish cheeks - must have been a big fish as there was a lot of flesh. We also had a few side dishes. Had some great adventures there. We also chased the northern lights. I managed to get some great shots with my digital slr at the time where digital slr’s were rare. I remember having to wrap the camera in my scarf as It was so cold. Some great sites to see in Iceland. Have fun

No dough left over but there was a couple of slices left that I meant to bring to work today but forgot them. Bummer, I could have eaten them for breakfast right about now. This is the dough recipe I used. It makes 2 x 12" pies so I doubled the recipe. I followed this pretty much to the letter except I substituted 1 tsp (per batch) of my active starter instead of using dried yeast. I also followed the other video on how to stretch and build the pies. This dough was really easy to work with. It only took me about 60 seconds to stretch and build each pie. https://stellaculinary.com/recipes/baking-pastry/baking/bread/neapolitan-pizza-dough

What fun! London is a great city to visit. You must use buses when you can and sit on the top deck so you can look around. There are online apps that plot routes and the buses have screens on board that tell you the upcoming stop so you can get off at the right stop. So...food. @tony b is wrong about the boiled meat but right about curries and fish and chips. A Sunday roast with all the trimmings is also typically British - it's the continentals who boil their meat. You can combine a trip to a gastro pub for a roast with a chance to sample the ales. My favourite casual-ish eats in London are these: Konditor and Cook - great cake shop. German. Barrafina - fantastic tapas and you sit at the counter, watching them cook your food. No appointment system but if you turn up about 15 mins before they are due to open, the queues are very short and you get seated quickly. Spanish. Nandos - casual, grilled chicken chain. South African/Portugese. Oklava - fab upmarket Turkish restaurant. I love the food here. I have also asked a friend who knows more to tell me her favourite local Turkish restaurant. If your family like grilled meat I think a typical local Turkish restaurant will be a great thing to try. Dishoom - a chain of restaurants that do small plates. Surprisingly good. Modern Indian. Kulu kulu - revolving sushi bar in the heart of Soho. I haven't been there in a long time but used to love it. There are lots of other Japanese nearby so pick one of them if you like sushi and your guide says they are better. Well, as you can see, we embrace all nationalities' food here. If you make it to the South Bank there are lots of food trucks and lovely places to sit outdoors. There are wild gardens on the top of the National Theatre and Queen Elizabeth Hall. I live about 1.5hours' journey from London by the sea near Portsmouth. You would be very welcome to come down to see the sea, our historic sites and eat off our KKs if you have time. If not, and I happen to be visiting London when you are, I can bring you a KK care package. Brisket, anyone?

Drew, a very successful cook. You must be pleased.

That's what he requested. I didn't eat a slice of that one - LOL Margarita could have used more basil. Plus I have a pizza basil trick I'll try next time.

I'd eat that!

It's a fun cook for sure.

You really need 2 or 3 things ready to go for residual heat cooks. I shut the vents down right around 2 pm. Now at 6:30 pm (4.5 hours later) and it's still at least 350*f inside there. This oven reminds me of KK's with the inner insulation layer and how well it retains heat. We'll have my cooks more together next weekend

That pineapple looks very good. I've never tried to do a whole one before. Love the al pastor leftover idea, too!

Wow, that looks lovely, and look at that smoke ring, beautiful colour on everything.

Hear yah on the corn - been buying the stuff from FL, not the same as local by a long shot, but better than nothing! Cute pics of the baby bears! Just don't piss off Mom!