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Pizza party - two Publix dough balls and two from home - all with simple toppings for the kids and friends. Cooked at 550-600 for 7 minutes. We start them on parchment and then pull the parchment and rotate the pizza at the 3 min mark and then finish. Very simple, but always a crowd pleaser (in my world the crowd is a bunch of 4-8 year olds most days). The first home made dough on the KK stone, a decent start, will adjust the hydration on the next run or turn up the heat a bit. Cheers

Stick with the original, the first, the essence of the beginning and that was your square tile. Time tested and true, the foundation and it was a trail blazer. Genesis...........need we say more. If you do choose the dark side and have any doubts you are always welcome to return. Amen

So far I've tested 10 different types of lump. I have 3 more I will test, KK CoffeeChar, Jealous Devil, and Fogo Brazilian Eucalyptus. I now have those 3 in my possession but it'll take a few weeks to get through the tests. My opinion (so far) using the normal lumps available: All the lumps tested worked reasonably well under all circumstances but some worked better for different situations. Most people don't really care but some of us do. Marabu is a really hot burning, very dense lump. It's best used for extended high heat cooks such as multiple high heat pizzas especially if you were having a large pizza party. It is sized properly for use in a Konro grill and is probably the only reasonably good substitute for Binchotan. Used for normal cooks in a kamado can be problematic befause it's hard to light and takes a little bit more airflow to keep it going. South American hardwood trees are denser, harder trees so they make a harder lump compared to North American trees. South American lump burns better and lasts longer. When I finally get through burning all this extra lump I have laying around the house (I have a good bit leftover from all these tests) I will NOT be buying lump made from North American hardwoods. Most people just measure lump by cost without taking in other factors. The cheaper the better, but....... If lump B costs twice as much as lump A, but lump B burns twice as long as lump A did it really cost more? There is more to lump than initial cost. You have a KK so paying a few dollars more for better lump is probably not an issue for you. One thing to note is none of my tests took the flavor profile of lump into account. It was simply how well it burned under different circumstances.

I just got done chatting with a customer service agent and asked if there will be any adapters for the KK. He referred me to the adapters that are available now. I informed him that those adapters won’t work with the KK. I just received email asking for pictures of the KK and the fan port. So fingers crossed that Thermoworks will soon make an adapter to fit the KK.

Oh that made me laugh a good one. LMAO FOTF - falling on the floor - that is. Hey, I was giving you credit for being a Yankee with good taste. Truth be told I'm a Yankee, I just knows better - Hellman's be damned............ @MacKenzie better watch out or I'll send her a bottle

Work has started...... then the wife and architect gang up on me and the project is now much bigger.

Whoa, Dude! I was born in South Carolina - just because I live in Iowa doesn't make me a Yankee - bite your tongue!

Charles, thanks for your view here. It really is about energy content isn't it? I have watched your tests with interest and look forward to the others you are planning. I am with you, I am only buying high energy content charcoal now. It is readily available via online and the Ace. I burned some Fogo Quebracho this week and took note on how dense it is and began to ponder how to measure density. So I spent a little effort in researching a practical way to measure density of various lump but have not come up with an easy way to do so. Naturally, there could be a broad spectrum in a particular bag but it is quickly evident that these lumps from South America are more dense and have more energy content than what one gets from North America. Thank you for all your charcoal observations, tests, and your posts on the topic.

I have only ever used cocoshell briquettes in my KKs and they have been great. Looking to get a new grill soon and was in the market for "ordinary" charcoal. I happened to see a TV programme that included this company showing how they make charcoal sustainably in the UK: https://www.oxfordcharcoal.co.uk. When I rang them up they mentioned the fact that they have some Cuban Marabu too. That sparked (tee hee) my interest because I remembered seeing you folks talk about Marabu. I was going to go all in and buy some for the KK as well but I now see from your earlier posts, @ckreef, that you think Marabu charcoal is too sparky for the KK. Oh well, I might buy a bag of Marabu to try out in the konro and will also try out their locally made charcoal. I've paid no attention to your recent char burning experiments Charles because I thought I was all set with my cocoshell but I am now on a mission to try these single species charcoals. Hard to imagine how alder char differs from wild cherry char but that will be the fun of exploring.

I'm going to break down and ask, what is Dukes?

This is more of an informational post for one that's interested in a few spices that worked out extremely well together on a piece of farm raised salmon. While at a farmers market I came across a product called truffle salt... and it was good. In conjunction with another called Garam Masala with some pepper grind it turned an ordinary piece of fish onto a level of it's own. Works well on steak too. For a 3oz tiny jar it was $14 but, well worth it for the distinctive flavor it imparts. Now I used to make a mixture of salt, pepper, brown sugar and dry dill for an overnite draw on the salmon but personally thought it was always a little salty. I will change my ways after tasting this. SO if your of a mind to try something new or have already well, here's the web site for the truffle salt is www.grind-gourmet.com. Kick it up a notch and by the way Purple crack works well with too. Used apple chunks and smoked it for around an hour or longer, actually I went by feel or give on the fish kinda like steak on the med rare. So keep it under your hat, mumz the word.

Here are a few pictures of my KK 23 to give you an idea of the condition. One quick question I understand there is a venting / burn in protocol for a new Komodo Kamado . Since this one is 4 years old but essentially unused should I do this any way . Been in Colorado dry climate the whole time.

Let's just hope that they don't burn up all the forests down there to clear land to grow soybeans to sell to China!!