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We've already harvested 100 pounds of tomatoes this year, well ahead of our usual pace. Warmer nights in the early growing season. Shown: A quarter of this haul, cooling after 30 seconds in boiling water to loosen skins. We slice, salt, partially dehydrate (to 25% or so by weight, still "gooshy"), and freeze in vacuum pouches. We haven't opened a can of tomatoes in 15 years; when I need coconut milk for cooking Thai, the hardest part is finding the can opener.

Had some time off work yesterday so I made a Chicago Deep Dish Deluxe pizza for dinner in the Wood Fired Oven using a Lloyd pan. I started with a traditional Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Half way through cooking I pulled it out and added shredded mozzarella, green peppers, and pepperoni - now it's a Deluxe version.

Very nice, MacKenzie. Last night's dinner was a Korean BBQ Chicken pizza. Slathered the chicken breasts with gochujang and seasonings and roasted indirect @ 350F, along with an ear of corn (direct). Ramped up the KK to 400F in the dome and heat soaked the pizza stone for an hour. Par-baked the crust. Then sauced with a mix of tomato paste, gochujang, and honey. On goes the chopped chicken, cut off corn, and mozz. Sprinkle of sesame seeds on the outer crust. Back on the stone until the cheese is nice and melty. Topped off with some kimchi and green onions. Another lovely night on the deck to eat outside.

Welcome, Alan! You'll soon receive scads of advice. Let me help you cut to the chase on which things are fact and which are opinion: Facts: Call Dennis and discuss your needs. You'll get sage advice and no pressure. All KK's are built to the same high standard, so you can be assured you're getting the highest quality cooker regardless of size. In spite of #2, irrefutable anecdotal evidence says that pebbles cook better than tiles. Opinions: Which accessories to get. Which brand of lump to use. The exact nature of the reason that pebbles are superior. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!

Thank you all for your comments. So today I made my 1st successful Pizza’a on the KK. Two days ago I tried the King Arthur dough recipe and wasn’t happy with the results of the dough. It seemed dry and really didn’t raise much. I used fresh yeast and followed the directions very closely. After looking at the dough I just decided to toss it and go out for pizza. Back to the drawing board today and followed a recipe out of an older cook book I have called “The best recipe Grilling & Barbeque” from the editors of “cooks Illustrated”. The good news is that I was 100% happy with the results. I was able to get my KK up to 525F and hold it there for some time. Made 2 small 8” pizzas. First one was made with the 4 cheese garlic spread my wife buys locally for stuffing mushrooms. I then sautéed some mushrooms in EVOO and added some balsamic Vinegar along with some fresh rosemary from my herb garden. The second one was my take on a magherita (SP?) fresh tomato, garlic, basil and parmesean cheese. Attached are some pics! Best, Paul

Bruce, as promised here are some pixs of my garden. One radish plant went to blossom and this is the blossom. Lettuce that was munched on by a groundhog. Not much left of the peas after two groundhogs had them for lunch. I live trapped them and they are now no longer anywhere near my garden. Global basil. Garlic chives are in blossoms at the moment. Peppers are starting to form. Plum tomatoes. Should be a good harvest. Potatoe plants are in bloom. Rhubarb. Pansies in the corner. Tomatoes are in cages, onions to the right. Yellow beans are going to be ready very soon. I love those things. Wax begonia in the ODK. This was the garden a few short weeks ago.

Joining in as an enthusiast. I own many grills - kamados (SOBs), wood burners, charcoal burners, and yes, one gas grill. I am beginning my studies on KK and trying to decide which one I might spring for. I have a decent spot for one and now on to learning more about it so I could "buy once". Thanks in advance for the help! Alan Gulf coast of Alabama (Lower Alabama)

Browse the Forum and then ask questions of the members. And in the end, call Dennis!

Thanks, all. I did save one piece for lunch today.

If you really want a very high temp sear on a steak, take your upper grate, flip it upside down and place it on top of the charcoal basket handles - that's the "sear grate" configuration. There's a substantial difference in temperatures between the sear grate and the dome thermometer of several hundred degrees! So you don't need to crank up the dome temperature much beyond 400F to get a good sear on the sear grate. Another tip, flip the steaks about every 15 seconds, turn 90 degrees after the first 2 passes if you want the "classic cross-hatched" grill marks without overcooking the steaks.

CK, that is one fine looking pizzz.

Oh my goodness, Tony that pizza looks delicious.It has my mouth watering.

Congrats! If it comes off with shop rags, go for it. If it's just cosmetic, call it a life well lived. I took a rag to mine for comparison, and what came off was dry powder, and not so much. Make a pizza at 500 F, and declare it clean. Grates are an interesting question. The best degunking tool is a 3/8" wrench (shown) with a rounded opening that matches the grates. Some people never clean grates, but that can get sketchy after a slow & low cook. Some of us plug the hole in a metal water heater pan to make a wash basin, and use the scrubbies one finds in the painting aisle to clean while hosing down and soaking. I've heard tell of leaving grates in a trash bag with ammonia, but even if this did restore a "new" look, what would be the point. I happen to own an electric pressure washer, and I like using it on my grates after a messy cook. It makes me feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger wielding a flamethrower in Commando (or Jiarby lighting a fire with his flamethrower, for a more local reference old-timers might get).

And two leftover slices for lunch hit the spot - oh I'm sorry I was talking about myself - LOL

WOW! That's killing me right now. My stomach is rumbling after seeing those pics!

Let me check my stash tonight and I will send if I have any. Will let you know.

TY Bruce. It's probably my favorite pizza. Very tasty and very filling. Easy to make as it only requires a 2 hour rise so from start to serving it is about 3 hours.

Looking awesome @MacKenzie. Jealous of your haul @Syzygies, my toms are still green and vulnerable to blight. A few more weeks....

Mine also!

I'd like to send them to the moon. LOL

Looking pretty tasty Tony, must have been not much left lol

MacKenzie, your photography skills are amazing!! Those are magazine quality pictures.

The very first of my swiss chard and I can't wait to have it again. Tekobo, how's your breakfast coming along?

OK, So here are the pics as promised. The chicken turned out very good.....over shot the temp of the bird slightly but it was still very good. We liked the roadside Chicken recipe as well. The pic of the plated food also includes what we call Zucchini casserole. It’s basically sliced zucchini, tomatoes, onion with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. It’s a staple side dish that typically OD on by the end of summer! Overall I liked the rotisserie cook and plan do do more of this! Paul

Mission accomplished.

Now that I have had it for a couple weeks and made a few things...its really impressive how much better this cooker is than the Traeger that I had before. Temp control is simple...almost too simple. My favorite food so far is Turkey and I don't really like Turkey. I spatchcocked a 12pounder and cooked it direct with a light spice at about 300. Smoky, juicy Turkey. Beef ribs are slow cooking tonight at 250 and smell yummy. I am really happy I jumped in and got the KK.

Yep - this is the one from San Francisco

I'm having a terrible year for tomatoes. Plants were stunted due to all the rain and cooler weather we had in May. Most of the plants are barely over 2 ft tall and only a couple have started producing fruits.