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Baking time. tried a new bread with sourdough starter, a dash of natural yogurt and soaked seeds. 1/4 rye very pleased with the result.

I seized a rare lull in our California "spare the air" days, before the onset tomorrow of a new heat wave brings new fires. Pork belly strips, salt, pepper, pimenton over apple smoke from a smoke pot. I'll parse out the meat for either Hunan Harvest Pork or Sichuan Twice-cooked Pork. I'll make some lard from the fat in my Vermicular Musui-Kamado, to have smoke goodness in other stir fries. Yamada Hammered Iron Round Bottom Wok (1.6mm Thickness) I've lost track of how many woks I've owned over my life. These Japanese woks (round or flat bottom) are by far the best woks I've ever seen. Thickness matters. I made a wooden handle to go in the arm. I own a 33cm flat bottom, which I now realize is a bit small. Our new range will be round-bottom ready, with more BTUs, so I have a 36cm round wok on order.

@tony balas there were no Plinys at the market so we settled on Ale smith .394 pale ale. Beautifully sunny day on the cliffs of La Jolla can’t beat it I think what you said about doing a purée is the right call but when you a couple IPAs deep and it’s 11pm at night sometime you make snap decisions without thinking them through The brisket turned out good. The heat was there it needed more salt on the rib but everyone said it had a spice kick but it wasn’t too spicy. It ended up being in the cooler 8 hours which was a bit long. I think leaving small chunks of peppers on top was good cause every now and then I’d get a bit of one of those and it was spicy but since I removed all the big pieces it wasn’t too much. I’ll do it again for sure conclusion is it’s a step in the right direction but I’ve still got work to do to “nail it”

Last visit to the "Corn Lady" yesterday until next year! 😢 Here's the reason to own the half grate if you have a 23" KK. Corn on the half grate and then toss the steak (Flat Iron in this case) onto the sear grate down below. Sides of sautéed mushrooms and melting potatoes. Homemade chimichurri sauce. Steak was a bit too close to "Black & Blue" for me, but was still a tasty cut of meat.

Made some pickled pepper from the garden. They only keep for about a month in the fridge but I may not have to worry about that after tasting them. They are all jalapeño except for one habanero.

The shadow may cast a out a bit of the color but under the cap the color shines through. Of course you've seen the color Toney,,,,you slip em on everyday...unless you wear a Tux out to the coffee shop.

Tried the Cowboy steak again, reverse-sear method, last night. Built a strong fire, mostly big mesquite wood chunks, on one side of the 32" KK, got it up to 400* and cooked the steak in the first stage high on the cool side of the grill, turning it over every 5 minutes or so, for about 20 minutes till I got it to 110* interior. Took it off, rested for 10 minutes, took it back and seared it close to the fire on the hot side for 2 minutes per side, took it off, rested it again for a few minutes, sliced and served. Daneta prefers very rare, and this time I did not make the mistake of wrapping it in foil for the resting period, (last time I did, and it took it from rare to medium, which is a terrible thing to do to a steak, IMHOP) so I delivered a nicely rare steak to my happy wife. Good quality meat, but I was surprised that, for a 2 1/2", 2 lb steak really only yielded about two servings. The rest will go into the pot for soup stock. First photo is after roasting; second is after searing, and the third is the final product, served.

Ok Tyrus, I was going to settle for fresh bread and vegemite and some Mersey valley cheese. But you are right. So here’s an eye fillet with extra hot pepper spices( cos the wife and kids have gone to Noosa and I will take leftovers for lunches) I had a drama when my Meater probe fell out as I was flipping the fillet near the end of the cook. Couldn’t see it buried beneath the coals, then the Meater alarm went off. I had to pull the meat, the grills( 2 including the split grill in place) the lift the fire basket and spotted the probe lying in the ashes. hopefully it’s not damaged. the fillet was perfect- moist, spicy, with a 2mm crunchy crust.

Bizarrely, marmite has a role to play in my access to this beautiful lump of rump. The restaurant that served us the wonderful marmite butter also served mutton. My friend's teenage son said the mutton was "life changing" after he had eaten it. I asked the chef for his supplier's name. And so began a long saga. The supplier only sold to restaurants and his website said sales were "by invitation only". I badgered and begged and even threw in a bit of needle by telling him that I regularly buy from one of his main competitors. Eventually he gave in and has been supplying me with ever more wonderful old sheep for the last couple of years. When I asked for another sheep a few months ago he sent me a note about a scheme they have going to improve the welfare and sale value of old dairy cows. Once dairy cows become unproductive they rest and feed them a special diet for a further 7-8 months to get them in tip top condition and then sell the meat at a premium. Under normal circs I might have thought this was a wheeze to con me out of my money but I had seen the Netflix programme about steak which included the mad Spaniard who specifically breeds bulls/cows to an old age to deliver what they considered to be the best steak in the world. I was all in. The supplier managed to persuade me that I didn't need half of a 440kg cow and that I should try a rump first. Hung for 60 days, the aforesaid rump arrived last week. Here it is with most of the mould rubbed off and cut into steaks: I know the green from the ageing process looks off putting but I tell you, these are some of the best steaks I have ever seen or smelt. We ate some chopped up raw and had an off cut with chips for lunch yesterday. Both very very good. KK action tonight. Will report back.

My Aussie comrades are probably familiar with Bunster's sauce products- I just discovered it and their excellent Facebook website that showcases a lot of different uses by Bunster fans in various cooking applications , often using them like a glaze or slather. I just got a sampler pack delivered yesterday- can't wait to try on some of their "Shit the Bed" sauce on grilled/smoked chicken. I (accidently) got some of their PoshBlack Truffle BBQ sauce- anybody have any experience with it? Can't wait to start working my way through this assortment pack. My wife, who is spicy-averse, is going to hate me for a while.

It is the standard terra blue but they sorted out the tiles with heavy brown edges. Looks similar to the Terra blue On the in stock 19” the variation in those tiles is significant because the are dark blue to sky blue in the middle but have a splotchy brown ring that sometimes makes up the majority of the tile. Pretty for sure but I wanted more of the tiles without the splotchy brown. I asked for denim based off of an image search for kks but it is no longer made

US 10/6, DFW mid October.

Haven't brewed anything new since April because of the lockdowns and all the cancelled Festivals. I try to drink local as much as I can otherwise. In the fridge right now is an "New Zealand Pilsner," (Green Dragon) made with Moteuka hops from Lion Bridge here in town. btw - I live in Iowa and we have some nasty winters here, but I still use the KK year round. My only concessions to the weather are windchills in the negative numbers (i.e., below zero F) and pouring rains (drizzles are OK, just not a full on downpour!) So, be thinking year round use of your new KK.

Gorgeous looking pork belly, Syzygies.

i always cook ribs naked bone down 2hrs, wrap in foil meat down 2 1/2hrs. the bone helps protect meat initially, then meat down allows the meat to sit in the gathering juices olive oil, salt, pepper. hickory or apple wood turns out excellent every time.

Dennis to the rescue again. It's working.

I sure hope your Meater didn't burn up. Filet looks very tasty, I did a small slice of beef filet last evening too, sous vide though.

@tony b Thanks, I'd forgotten that, I will do. Keen to experiment with the coffee wood. I haven't done much smoking - looking forward to it. Was thinking of you when I cracked the first bottle of Munich Malt and Sauvin / Hallertauer last night - nicely biscuity and not a million miles away from Munich Helles.I wondered what you might be drinking. @Braai-Q - That is a good idea - although I would then have to get it across the lawn - at least the path around the house is tarmac / stone / brick - although I would still probably use the leapfrog plywood method. I can drum up plenty of labour - I have plenty of beer in the garage. I'll try that first , although I have a couple of farmer friends in the village and I know at least one has got one as a fall back. Forks =/- cradle - as @tekobo and you say storage of extras is a point to consider - I think they'd probably have to go down the "summer house". It's a rustic space - the irons and peels for the WFO are kept there. I've never used a spit before - I have gone for the heavy duty motor as it is waterproof. I do bone and roll quite a bit though - the jury is still out - but I said that about the tables..... @Ron Hixon I built a WFO too, a lot of joy in the building and we use it about 4-5 times a year. I enjoy the lighting bit - sit looking at the fire with a beer or two - you can use pallet - these days it is heat treated the pallet stamp tells you that, origin etc. Do you use your barbecue much ? I cook as often as I can, but when the weather gets cold and drizzly that won't be possible - but you can still use a KK- that was my initial rationale for considering a kamado, but I now see it opens up a huge vista of cooking opportunity. As for "discussion" I found that after looking at some new sofas Mrs RD was in total agreement about the foolhardiness of not getting a KK. Best RD

And we’re up and running again! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well Basher you gotta stuff that PO Boy with meat. Have to admit it looks pretty sweet just the way it is.

Thanks Dennis

I'm on it.. I'll get it live again ASAP

@tekobomakes a good point on the storage of extras. The number of steel grills and their gauge/weight does add up. I have commercial racks in the garage and have added a few extra shelves to give each item a shelf. The items don't stack very well. This may be OCD but it saves me the hassle of unpacking each shelf to get what I need which is always going to be at the bottom.

Logic is good too. One thing to remember is that you are going to need a reasonable amount of space to store all the grates and equipment that comes with your 32. You've picked a pizza stone. I didn't. Partly because I am not that good at making pizza but also because I already have two pizza steels and they are lighter to shift, heat up quicker, provide a nice leopard pattern finish to the crust and are more versatile - can use them for smashed burgers and bread and...

Nice way to spend your birthday - golf & Plinys! Unfortunately, I didn't get up to Russian River on my recent visit to Napa - the smoke was just too bad that day and I was concerned that they'd close down before we got there for lunch. But, I did score some Pliny at a bottle shop in San Jose! Never done "chunks" before. Will be interested to hear if it works out for you. My inclination would have been to puree them in the processor with the other rub ingredients to make a paste.

If I may offer a suggestion. If you have a carpark next to you, hire a telehandler @RokDok. I've included a link below if you don't know what I mean. I know they are referred to by different names but they're a forklift on steroids effectively and offer a huge range of extension. A 32KK despite its mass is light work for a telehandler. For a day's hire of £100, I reckon you could negotiate with a hire company locally to do it for half day rate and have the delivery operative lift it over for you as they'll know the equipment. Farmers all have them too so if you have a farm nearby, could be another option. Not worth the risk of damage or putting your back out. http://www.dialadigger.co.uk/telehandler.html I have both cradle and forks - they serve different purposes. If you're doing multiple smaller birds, the cradle makes sense as it does for rolled shoulders of lamb and things like that where the mass is uneven or you want to apply different rubs/sauces. I'm a bit of a convert to the cradle - if you use Weber and have the rotisserie, having a square drive shaft and the two forks, it really doesn't work as well as the hex drive shaft and frame that Dennis provides. Much smoother. There is a long thread on the merits of it which might help with the decision.

Pulled and wrapped in foil at 8am pst. Will take it off at 10am to put in cooler

Tomorrow is my birthday. My plan is to go golfing on Torrey Pines South and eat a brisket. I’ve pulled it off before. The trick is to cook it before you go, wrap it, go play your round and come back and serve. So maybe 5-6 hours after wrapping you eat it. I made my mashed potatoes tonight and put them in a foil tray....but I’m going for the gold with the brisket as some of you may or may not remember when I got my KK I said my dream was to be a to do adobada/al pastor on a spit (which I am happy to say I have accomplished) and I want to cook a Lomo Saltado brisket. My wife is Peruvian and I’ve fallen in love with Peruvian cuisine. Lomo saltado is my favorite dish. I posted pics a few months back of me making it but essentially you light pisco and soy sauce on fire and cook meat in a wok with a bunch of cumin, garlic, red onions and aji peppers (from Peru). If it’s done well the juice or “jugito” is so delicious that you will likely lick every last drop off the plate. It’s amazing I’ve tried on a few occasions to make a Lomo saltado or aji amariillo brisket using cumin, aji powder, soy sauce, garlic powder etc as a rub in the past and while it was good the flavor never penetrated the skin and it didn’t pack a huge flavor punch like I hoped for I think it was @Wingman505who was posting about injecting brisket that got me thinking....I’ve never injected a brisket before. So I took a pan and made my Lomo saltado sauce, lit the stuff on fire and let it simmer 5 hours. I also took a boatload of aji amarillo paste (which is spicy as hell) and rubbed it on my brisket. I rubbed soy sauce on there and sprinkled cumin, salt and pepper. I then took my 5 hour simmering Lomo saltado sauce and injected it into my brisket side note - the wife and I are doing a two day staycation for my birthday so my mother in law is coming to watch the kids. I made her favorite Peruvian dish (my wife’s as well) Aji de Gallina, so she has good food and does not have to cook all weekend. That leaves me completely open to go all Mad Max with my brisket. If it sucks there is a back up plan already waiting.... I say this because for some reason I got a hair up my butt about not having enough flavor so I decide to cut up to Peruvian aji peppers and put them on top of my brisket. These peppers are super hot. So I did that and then let it marinate for 48 hours just fired up my KK tonight and took out the Brisket. Removed most of the large chunks of aji pepper that were on top of the meat and then threw it on the KK at 235 with some mesquite wood. I sampled the juice in my pan and it was spot on so I’m hopeful that this may be a crazy ass experiment that works....or it might end up so spicy it’s unedible....we shall see. I’ll pull it in the AM around 10am PST and will eat it at 6pm PST. I plan to wrap it in foil in the morning. Normally I tend to leave my briskets unwrapped for the full duration of the cook, especially with the KK as it keeps things so moist. However since I love this sauce so much and I sautéed it 5 hours then injected it and since it’s gonna rest for 6 hours I want as much juice as I can in the final wrap. So contrary to my usual style I’ll pull it wrap it in foil and put it back on for 90-120 minutes to finish in the AM. We’ll have to see the temp when I wake up. Here’s progress to date

PBW to the rescue again!

Hey RD I started with a 19" and would have had a 23" but the limitations of a house in Central London meant that the width of a Victorian terrace hallway was my limiting factor. I posted elsewhere about my travails which would have involved a crane and taking down power lines. Common sense prevailed and besides, it was never going to be our long term home. That said, I never found myself complaining with a 19" in the end, it was only when we grilled that I missed having surface area and batch cooking can be a bit tedious but if you're doing anything low and slow, the capacity of the 19" is impressive and certainly adequate for two. To be honest, I ticked every box on the accessories because to order anything later at the size of 32 scale means shipping is going to be disproportionate due to the steel and scale of the 32. There are also considerations for import fees which are self evident. Answering what accessories are essential depends on what you're going to do with the KK and how many people you'll be cooking for. That said, I'd recommend getting the side tables - left and right mean that you can keep one side for raw, one side for cooked. If you have temperature probes (like Fireboard), it gives them somewhere to sit without worrying about an entanglement of cables. I have the stainless steel topped versions which are great. I'd go for the rotisserie setup which means adding the drip tray and I went for the double thickness model (weighs a tonne). If you like ribs and do them regularly, the rib rack is useful. I just use the one we have for the 19 between both as it's perfect for two and easier for storage. I'd recommend a pizza stone but with your pizza oven, you probably won't see the need but you could get a baking steel which I've been pleased with and they're commonly available in the UK. The other thing I'd add is a cover - the Sunbrella material they're made of is marine grade and does a good job protecting the KK from the elements. Great colour choices and we managed to match up to outdoor sofas we have in the same material which never happens. You can do without the cover but in the UK climate, the teak will take a bit of a battering and I just like to look after my kit, particularly at this price point. I do cook on it all year round though so it does sit in inclement weather uncovered. I think the 32 makes a lot of sense if you grill, I can just get a medium to large spatchcock chicken on to the grill of a 19KK. After it has cooked for a bit and I can split it, it's not as tight of course. The 32KK laughs in the face of such issues! I had thought of building my own pizza oven but I like the fact that on the Joy 90, you get a decent size oven of a very high build standard that you can move. I was going to build an outdoor kitchen but changed plan when I thought about where the sun fell in the garden (I did a whole lot of elevation mapping) and having everything mobile (KK + Pizza Oven) allows us to move with the weather. It makes it a bit more social versus the person cooking being relegated to where the kitchen is. What sort of beer do you brew? My father in law is obsessed with beer and while I like beer, we have a lot of small breweries near us and a great beer shop (Beautiful Beers) so it suits the lazy drinker! Look forward to hearing more of your journey... A

Beer, allotment, pig, pizza. Perfect combo. You are just missing a KK or two in your life @RokDok. I did the dancing girl/bouncing emojis in my last post to avoid going in too hard with selling the 32. I have never owned a 32 but I suspect that it is true that it gives you all you need if you are only ever going to have one grill/smoker and are going to sometimes have to grill for larger groups. Now that you are on the hook...I suggest that you consider getting two KKs at the same time if you can/want to. The tax and duty will be proportional to your spend but the handling and delivery charges to your house in the UK don't increase by much if you get more than one. That's my excuse for getting three this time. Of the three - a 16, 23 and 32 - I am really looking forward to trying out the small 16 and seeing whether it fulfils the promise of allowing me to light up and quickly grill for one or a light meal for two. You can certainly do that in a 32 with the fire basket splitter at the minimum setting but, as a clean grate girl, I like the idea of only having to wash a little grate after a small cook. I wish @Braai-Q wouldn't go posting links to pizza ovens here. It is a very pretty one too. Thank goodness all my money belongs to Dennis - for now at least. As for sofas. We had time to investigate while we were on holiday in Italy. Bought one. Now our only risk is it not getting to us before we hit Brexit at the end of the year. A good idea to get a new sofa. We are going to need something to sit on to watch telly through the coming winter lock down. Boo.

Oooh. It feels like I have put a lot of pressure on a summer's evening steak dinner. Hope I don't drink too much and forget to take photos at the critical time! The In-Laws are coming to dinner so you will see the full range from very well done to blue. @Bruce Pearson, funny you should remark on the mould. I had been thinking about it and the outcome of ageing meat. I was very surprised and impressed by the fact that, after two days in the fridge, absolutely no liquid had leached out of the beef and onto the pink butcher paper that it was wrapped in. That may be a feature of the fact that the butcher paper allows it to breathe but good nonetheless. When I had that off cut for lunch yesterday the meat was great but I ate very little of the fat because we had not properly trimmed off all the mould. What I did eat of the "clean" fat reminded me of rancid butter but in a good way. After all, cheese is rotten milk and blue cheese is mouldy rotten milk and like both. Proper KK taste test tonight.