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First things first, I can’t say enough good things about Geo, the gentleman I purchased my KK from. He ran me through the ins and outs of use, shared stories and overall was a pure pleasure to deal with. On top of it all he kept adding items, an unused pizza stone, the spare parts kit, the torch and hairdryer he used to light the KK. The “few” boxes of charcoal turned out to be 9 boxes of regular extruded and 9 boxes of extruded coffee charcoal. To give you an idea of his generosity, the roti motor and spit were packed away (Geo is in the middle of a move) and should be found in the next couple of weeks, Geo offered to have Dennis ship me a new motor/spit combo, rather than wait. The nice thing is I will get to visit some more with Geo when he finds the spit and we meet up. You could tell that Geo really loved his KK and was happy (hopefully) to recognize that he was sending her off to a new home where she would be much loved and well taken care of! On to the saga of the delivery: Items needed: Truck and Trailer with long ramp Two 4x8 sheets of 1/2” plywood Misc wood scrap to make stand with (more later) and Pry bar / block of wood to lift KK (slide stand under KK) 3 ratcheting tie down straps and minimum of 2 people to load/unload Adult beverages for after everything is in place. My wife was pretty adamant that she did not want two grills on the back patio, I had to agree with her, so the old K #7 was going to a friend, so out with the old: The beauty of having to move the old K #7 out was it gave me a chance to test the strapping down and what to watch out for when hauling something like this. If the K #7 got damaged, no big deal, if the KK did I would have cried like a baby! While most people get to track boats across oceans, I only got to plot the drive from my home to Geo’s, a quick 75 mile trip to Granbury Tx. I hadn’t driven out that way and it was a really pleasant and beautiful drive! When we arrived Geo got to see that backing a trailer is not one of my strong suits, he shared a quick tip on putting your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and then moving your hand in the direction you wanted the trailer to move in. Probably everyone knows this, but first time I had heard it and it worked like a charm when I had to back the trailer into my drive way. One thing Geo had reminded me of was that when you transport a KK you want to take the weight off of the legs by putting something under it. So I built a quick stand out of some scrap lumber I had. Pretty simple, 3 2x4’s and an 11 x 16 piece of 3/4” plywood, net result is a stand that easily slid under the KK and provided a reasonably stable base for the KK to sit on. The KK has 4” of clearance, so you will need something slightly higher than that, the stand was ~ 4 1/4” tall and worked great. To lift the KK, you place a block of wood by one of the front legs and carefully put a pry bar under the leg and using the block against the pry bar, use leverage to lift the KK. Be sure you are far enough under that you don’t damage the tiles/pebbles (I hear Pebbles cook better BTW :)). When I strapped down the K #7, I was able to simply loop the ratcheting straps around the K #7 and attach fore and aft crosswise, as is obvious from the diagram below I”m no artist, but I think you can see how I strapped it down on the trailer. Black line is the first strap and the green line is the 2nd strap. The straps attached to the side of the trailer at grill height, so around the K #7, ratcheted tight and off we went. This worked beautifully on the K #7, not sure if it was that the finish was rougher so the straps had more purchase, or if the body was wider, but no slippage at all during the 20 mile ride to drop off. I think the KK is more tapered and the finish is significantly better, so of course 5 miles down the road from Geo’s, when we stopped to check, the straps had slipped a little. We adjusted them and headed down the road, a few miles later we hit some railroad tracks and the trailer hopped a little and I noticed a new wobble, so we pulled over and adjusted again. You know how they say 3rd time is a charm? They lie! Just before we got to the highway (say 25 mile from Geo’s house, 50 miles to go) we pulled over and checked and again the straps had slipped, so we had to figure out someway to hold up the straps! What we came up with was using a 3rd ratchet strap to hold up the two main straps. We attached one side to the bottom middle left tie down on the trailer and passed that over the top to the right side and down to grill height, we then looped back over the top to the left side, created a loop and then back over the top to the right tie down. We passed the two straps (shown in the diagram above) through the loops in the 3rd strap and ratcheted those down tight. On the looping one we only ratcheted it down snug, it is not intended to keep the KK from moving, only to hold up the other two straps. I didn’t want to put undue pressure on the lid of the KK, as I didn’t want to mess up the gasket, hinge or anything else. And voila, 75 miles later safe and sound at the house! \ Next we had to get it off of the stand and then off of the trailer. We were able to lean the KK off of the stand onto it’s back wheels, we then placed a couple of 2 x 4s under each front wheel and pull the stand off. Pulled the 2x4s out from under the wheels and then it was the typical moving via plywood around to the back yard and onto the patio. Luckily my side yard is pretty flat with only a slight downhill slope right to left, so it was put down a piece (be sure to overlap slightly), roll on to the next piece, rinse and repeat 8 or 9 times and just like that the KK is on the patio. One person could have rolled it across the plywood, but it was much easier with two, one to push and one to guide it. Be sure to push from the base and not from the lid or pull via the handle. It was a hot day, so once everything was unloaded off we went for some ice cold libations and a quick bite to eat where we regaled our wives with our feats of derring do! (they didn’t buy a bit of it). So lessons learned, KK folks are some of the nicest folks around, Geo in particular is a true gentleman and a pleasure to meet and work with. The KK is more stunning in person, pictures truly don’t capture the true essence of the KK. Two reasonably mobile older gents can move a KK up a ramp (on plywood) into a trailer. Secure the ratchet straps so they don’t slip down and avoid large bumps in the road! Once I clear a little more space on the patio, I will be able to put the side tables on and begin to enjoy the new KK!

My latest version of a tomato pie cooked in the Wood Fired Oven. I started with a King Arthur Detroit Pizza dough. Stretched it into a Lloyd's Grandma pan. Brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with King Arthur Pizza seasoning.    Add a layer of sliced mozzarella.   A layer of sliced Roma tomatoes. A little salt and sugar then into the Wood Fired Oven. Here is the graph from this cook. The little downward bleep between D and E is when I rotated the pie. Coming out of the Wood Fired Oven. Let rest a few minutes then slice and serve. Not a bad first attempt for my newest idea. Will definitely do this again.

Here you go Bruce. Looking good...carved.. And plated .. Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Went to water my veggie garden this morning and noticed that my chive plant was in full bloom. I know that they are edible, but can't seem to think of a way to use them that's worth cutting them off??

Tomato Pie Cook thread:

Nothing to see here. Move along. Just another perfect sourdough boule in my steam oven.

Thanks for the tip, MacKenzie - I'd never thought of using my chile rack for chicken legs either. Too bad that I didn't see your post in time for last night's cook! Chicken legs marinated and injected with Uncle Dougies, the thigh was rubbed with baking powder and salt and put into the fridge for several hours, then rubbed with Slap Yo Daddy rub, and finished with a homemade BBQ sauce. Cooked direct @ 350F with cherry wood chunks. Plated with some nice pasta in fresh basil and butter sauce, heavy black pepper and Pecorino Romano. And Yes, MacKenzie, I'm having a lot of fun cooking this weekend! Our weather has finally turned the corner after all that rain and storms.

A man after my own heart! I hope to replicate this plated photo later today!

You got it right. Kamado cooking, and Komodo Kamado cooking in particular, is all about versatility without sacrificing much (if anything) on quality. You can probably make a better pizza in a Wood Fired Oven, and a better brisket in a stick burner, and better bread in a bakery steam oven, but you'll not find a cooker better than a KK for doing ALL of that with quality within an inch or two of the specialized cookers.

Hang on, Bruce, I just took a rack of ribs out of my freezer for smoking tomorrow. Pictures will follow - promise! Speaking of pictures - last night's cook - a nice tri-tip from Trader Joes, done Santa Maria style (Oakridge Santa Maria Rub) with chunks of post oak and mesquite woods, basket splitter, started on the indirect side @ 250F, until an IT of 125F, then onto the lower grate direct over the coals to add some more color and crust. Plated with potato wedges in the air fryer with garlic & rosemary oils, dusted with spicy seasoned salt. Had some of the yummy tomato aioli leftover from the night before, so onto the spuds it went. Had some chimichurri in the fridge, as well, so it went on the meat - guess I was feeling "saucy!" Finished off with a nice red wine. Bon Appetit!

Hope the new addition does you well, it sure looks nice. Enjoyed your adventure through the badlands of Texas and meeting up with Geo,,hats off to ya Geo for being so generous. Oh by the way, the pebble thing is a misconception but, for the time being will let you run with that, you know, since it's your first day and all. That you'll have to prove with evidence...pictures of fantastic cooks will do

CK, that does look tasty.

Sorry I'm a little late to the conversation but, I have been laying a floor down in the stick burner house/pavilion for the past few days. Keeps the rain off my head, and the rain off the Lang 48 when doing a cook, and you know how that can be. Staying up all night is not a consideration for me anymore either, never was really, however, a long cook during the day or getting up early to do so ain't so bad. If I'm doing a brisket on the Lang I can get the time down to 7-8 hours, a 14-15 lb brisket running around 275 with a nice clean smoke, 2sticks/45min starting with a small charcoal base. Easy to clean later, steam cleans itself as you hose it down and you brush it to knock off any remainder, then it empties out the drain valve into a bucket. I like it,.... like it now more than ever with a floor and a roof over my head. Having a stick burner is a plus, having a 23 KK is a convenience. Now, I don't have the Guru set up because when cooking I'm generally around the yard. If I leave for 2-3 hrs and the KK is purring along I don't feel the need to hurry back, that's how well it's engineered and when I return it's generally where I left it. I like a little work with a stick burner, you feel like your doing something, it's primal and part of the big plan. And on the opposite side of the coin is the relax side and here the KK shines. The people here LOVE their KK's and especially all the add ons they buy and research that make it hands free to run,.. almost. If you haven't noticed, cooking is just about a science here. It's a cooking tool of the 21st century, you won't regret making the choice because you'll know exactly what I mean when you see it as you open the crate. As long as you care for it, it will last longer than any ceramic cooker out there, and it looks so damn nice. I'd say it's like comparing a newer Porche to 68 GTO, the Porche is hands down the better car but, something about that Goat wants you to come back and give it one more ride. Were all moving forward, keep them both, you won't be looking back.

Used my chili rack to do some chicken thighs, it worked.

Thanks Bgrant and Pequod. I am really I interested in the versatility of the KK. I have always loved running the fire on my offset, but staying up all night doesn’t hold the appeal it did 15 years ago.

Yum yum yum looking delicious Aussie.

Looking good, indeed, Aussie!

Oh wow! Thanks for that info.! I’ll have to check our Home Depot!

Interesting enough I was at a Home Depot today that rents tools. They had a small tow behind bucket lift. That would be way more than capable to lift it and maneuver it in place even with the dome attached. $195 rental for 4 hours. As long as the rental place was reasonably close you'd easily have that accomplished in less than 4 hours.

Tony, you are just having too much fun.

Whew! I have missed your ribs Aussie. Don’t get me wrong I love all your cooks, but it’s been a long time. I’ve been waiting to see another rib cook lol but where is the finish pictures? I bet they were too good and you ate them before you remembered to take the plated shot Have a great day Aussie

This cook ended up melting tender. Cooked the shank at a slightly higher temperature wanting to melt some connective tissue. The main part could be cut with forks

Well, when it rains all day, you go to Plan B. Lobster roll (butter poached lobster w/tarragon, thyme and Old Bay) and shrimp salad (butter poached shrimp with a mayo dressing of dill, chives, red onion, celery and Old Bay). Both seafoods were cooked sous vide. Paired with homemade potato chips cooked in the air fryer, with rosemary olive oil, Old Bay and flaked sea salt. So what pairs with that – Bubbly! Trader Joe’s bubbly is decent and it’s like $13!