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Don’t know how I missed this post, but here’s the chart I consult for my back yard. My skies are Bortle 4. https://www.cleardarksky.com/c/CfMtnOvrVAkey.html?1 Our local astronomy club also does observing from a local microbrewery close to this location (Bortle 3’ish): https://www.cleardarksky.com/c/FnMtnObkey.html?1 I know you saw this one on Instagram. Post it here for the locals too.

When I bought my KK Denis told me to use my heat deflectors for stepping stones LOL!

Trying to avoid Thanksgiving dinner burnout. Grilled a Prime NY Strip for dinner last night. Direct, lower grate, mesquite chunks. Rubbed with Cowlick and Gunpowder. Repurposed the green bean casserole by sautéing some spinach and mixing it in - creamed spinach green bean mashup! LOL! Nice baked spud. Sautéed mushrooms and chimichurri on the side.

Text expander/ canned heat deflector info: I've learned it's easier to give people what they want than to educate them. I supply them because people coming from the glazed-pot Kamado world think they're very important. The glazed-pot Kamado's lose heat through their walls and having more thermal mass inside the grill helps reduce temperature drops when the ambient temperature changes. Because KK's are so well insulated, this is not a factor. That being said I have not use the heat deflector in one of my grills for probably 10 years. I'm confident that using foil to create your indirect area then putting your drip pan on top of the foil on the lowest grate gives you a much better performance.. i.e. less airflow, less evaporation, and more retained moisture in your meat. https://komodokamadoforum.com/topic/10026-heat-deflectors-in-the-kk/?tab=comments#comment-121321

Yup I couldn't resist. The newly released PKGO. PK's latest addition, a table top version for camping or tailgating. Can be used as a single unit with a lid or used as two open top hibachi grills. Dual top and bottom vents. Even comes with a probe port in the back of the lid. Should make a great addition to the Travel Trailer. Had to try it out with a few quick burgers for lunch. "Hi my name is Charles ........ I have a problem ........."

Had check to see I was on the right site, mentioning leather here draws attention. Taking on heavy pieces of meat is a cinch with one of these. 18 inches long, made of rugged steel and in some instances will out perform tongs. Besides Tekebo, it'll look sharp next to that whip on your belt

This is a good point. I've got a pair of welder-type gloves which are suede. Great for the wood fired oven - need to use them even with the extra long tools that I have as you don't want to get hands too near the oven mouth when it really gets going. However, pick up a cast iron skillet off the grill and you've really got to put it down very quickly. A mid forearm pair, that you could pick up and hold ( for 1/2 a minute anyway) a hot skillet, in subdued non-80's disco colouration would be good. A bonus would be not having to get matching leather trousers and a whip.

Gosh. Thank you @Tyrus, @BOC, @tony b and @jonj for your glove recommendations and comments. I have a pair of long tongs for handling logs and coals so am all set there. I told The Husband that I would like a pair of BBQ gloves for Christmas and I was worried, like Jon, that I would end up with a pair that would be too gaudy for me to want to wear. I have found the Geekhom's on amazon.co.uk and the all black ones look good. I have also find the RAPICCA gloves. They look like they would go well with a pair of black leather trousers and a whip!

So near and yet so far. The MOL Treasure will be going by near Portsmouth, where I live, in the next hour or so on its way to Rotterdam. Should be heading back my way in a day or two. The Husband says there is no point going down to the sea front to see if I can see the ship go by. He reckons it will be about 20 miles out at sea. Boo.

I thought that I had just about kicked my habit and then Tekobo posts this! 😄 I literally have hundreds of cookbooks. Most are in boxes in the basement. I actually have a bookcase in my kitchen for the majority of the ones that I actually refer to. I periodically go through them and swap things around. I need to do that again soon, as I have a stack of newer cookbooks that need a home, with this one now on the way! Plus, the huge stack of printed out recipes from the Internet, as well.

Egg salad with KK bacon for breakfast.

Salmon Sunday, Truffle salt, Dill, Parsley and a shake of Salmon seasoning. If you don't have any Truffle salt in your arsenal....you should. Cajun fries and ketchup, cauliflower rice, & zucchini. Oh this is one of the better Rieslings, accompanied with a meal or alone.

I looked at a lot of these about 6 months ago. There was one pair that I recall giving the most heat resistance and had a “chart” of hold time. I think they were called Cool Bebe if I can read my own notes. I went The other route because I wanted something that was on the east to wash off grease, etc since I really wanted a couple of pairs for food handling and rest prep. @tekobo, I like that you are already coordinating outfits with your future gloves. Shows true commitment! Good news for the forum, I know nobody wants a look at me in leather chaps with a whip. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Today I used the pizza dough recipe recommended by Mac Roberta’s Pizza Dough Recipe - NYT Cooking (nytimes.com). It was simple (made up the dough in my mixer) and a huge success. Homage to Italy - home made strachiatella cheese topped with lardo. Super yummy start. Loosey goosey - sliced cured goose atop a hot tomato sauce

That was a close call, jonj. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

I cant seem to remember but i did mine for around 7.5hours ..........not sure i did it right ........need to give it another try at Christmas

After 4 years, I almost used the heat deflector Thursday, but decided against it. Everything came out great.

I am hoping you will help make the title of this post a reality by posting what you have on your Christmas present wish list. I would very much like a decent pair of heat proof gloves/gauntlets. Any recommendations you may have in this department would be gratefully received. Here are things I would recommend: Cookbooks Dry: Non-Alchoholic, Cocktails, Cordials and Clever Concoctions by Clare Liardet - we take three days a week off alchohol and this book helps keep me on the straight and narrow. There is a danger that you end up ingesting more sugar through the use of syrups and juices but this still feels like a healthy choice. La Grotta Ices by Kitty Travers - awesome. Inventive flavours for home made ice creams and sorbets. Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes by Cortney Burns - this is a recent purchase and I am intrigued by the interesting techniques and flavour combinations. One to report back on but fun for the adventurous cook. The next two are books that I would have added to my Christmas list if I had not been impatient. They are on their way so I can't yet tell you if they are any good yet but they are: South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations by Sean Brock - others on the forum have recommended Sean Brock's books before and this one looks like it contains a lot of grill action and will help with using the produce from our allotment in new ways. Kitchen Secrets by Raymond Blanc - I could not resist a book that one reviewer said had helped her master pastry by explaining the "why" as well as the "how". Kit Brod & Taylor Bread Proofer and shelf kit - so versatile and it folds and packs away neatly when not in use. Great for temperature controlled bread dough proofing. Also works for making yogurt and an intermediate step when making burrata. I have not had as much success with making koji but that was not the proofer's fault. Solo Stove Bonfire - great for sitting outdoors late into the night. We will be testing its efficacy as temperatures drop at the same time as we have been barred from meeting up with friends indoors. Outdoorchef accessories for use on the Solo Stove Bonfire - I got the two part cast iron cooking grid and the plancha griddle plate. They both work well when placed on top of the Bonfire for cooking. Grain flaker - a bit esoteric but I am looking forward to making my own flakes to go on top of loaves and also flaking groats to make oats. Very difficult to find. Mac pointed me at the FlicFloc but it has been unavailable for months. I ended up buying the Eschenfelder Grain Flaker. Pacojet - this is a seriously expensive toy but what a toy. We bought a "new in damaged box" Pacojet on eBay during the lockdown at a much reduced price and we are loving it for making ice creams and sorbets. They are unbelievably good. Other uses have been to make and freeze horseradish cream, basil pesto and truffle butter. These are all things that are difficult to preserve in good condition so freezing them and using the Pacojet to drill out a portion at a time is a preserver's dream.

@Tyrus I don’t own Truffle salt but you’re making me think I’m missing out on something. Good looking meal. I love me a good Riesling @tony b you’re one day ahead of me. I’m doing one more dinner of thanksgiving tonight then moving over to steak tomorrow. Excellent cook as always

That would make light work of marshmallows.

What I'd like to know is when they say the glove can handle 800 degrees I want to know for how long? If it's only for a few seconds that's not enough for me.

Thank you very much for sharing the recipe and your greaseproof paper tip @MacKenzie. It made the whole process so much less stressful than normal. This will help me get my pizza game down before my KKs arrive. It is sooo disappointing to heat soak a KK, build up everyone's excitement and then end up with nasty wet, sticky dough and guess the continent shaped pizza.

One of the key design features to look for in BBQ gloves is length. You want the gloves to come at least half-way up to your elbow, if not further, for picking up hot grates, smoker pots, rotisserie baskets, etc. Similar could be said for meat-handling gloves. You definitely don't want to pick up a spatchcocked chicken and have hot juices run down your bare arms! OUCH!

Nope, not one lick!

Clearly, Mac hasn’t lost her touch.. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Space Invaders! 👽

I swear this is my last one - LOL Of course Lang offset smokers is only a few hours drive from my house. Right down where we like to go camping...

What The Man said!

As long as you have it probed up Eggary and monitor the internal temp I think you should have a handle on it. Otherwise as an alternative set your KK to a more modest temp of 400 and run the same conditions. This is what I'd do, keeping in mind that I wished to stay as close to this process as possible. A few weeks back I had some chicken approaching the ex:date in the frig. It was a little late at night but I thought I might squeeze this on the KK while I watched a movie before bed. The movie ended and I retired for the night. The next morning realizing my misfortune I opened the lid and found the chicken quarters slightly warm to the touch, the skin was drawn in like that of a mummy but, the color was a pleasant dark brown. I only used what I had in the basket for coals at the onset so after the cooking had passed, a drying process began leaving a delicious Marinated chicken jerky as an accident. So, you never know until you try, but if you have a plan your chances for success are greatly increased.

No, you do not need to use the heat deflector, put it into storage, most of us never ever use it. It will take a lot longer to heat up your KK and burn up a lot of charcoal in the process. Have fun with the pizza.

Under normal circumstances I might agree with you but the grate is 17" x 12" which is more than enough space for just me and Mrs skreef camp grilling. Definitely more usable space compared to my old Akorn Jr. and about the same usable space as my 16" KK. And I can actually carry this - LOL

Who here wants to play Santa Claus?

I think this might be a first world problem but when it arrives, I can say with certainty that as a proud male of the species, I will also not read the manual. I think what amused me reflecting on it later was what an utter idiot I was in not recognising the situation I found myself in. That was the point of the story. Nothing to do with name dropping. I'm entirely unbothered by all of that but I am always held in awe of someone who has attained a level of knowledge and craft skill to those sort of levels in any discipline. Particularly when you have an appreciation of what it took to get there. On a slight segue, you should check out Rick Beato on Youtube if you play. He does a technical song analysis - 'Why is this song great' and he deconstructs songs by their elements. I know he has done a few Led Zep tracks, you might enjoy. Great to have something cheerful to look forward to.

Dennis is the King of Kamado’s

Small matter of darkness and the fact that the Isle of Wight is between my vantage point and the ship means that I will stick to tracking the ship online!

I have (and most often use) the Geekhom gloves. I originally bought some of the long fabric gloves with fluorescent orange silicone strips, but they were just to gaudy to use, even for me. The Geekhom gloves are completely silicone on the outside with the insulating fabric inside. I probably wouldn't use them to pick up a hot coal, but I don't think I would try that with any gloves. My current understanding is tongs are a uniform requirement and I don't want to be kicked out of the club. At least not for that.

Suggestions for gloves Tekebo. The black glove is called Geekhom and are long insulated high heat rubber and can be found on Amazon. The grey gloves beside them are sand textured welders gloves and could be bought at a local welders supply house. In the package next is one glove made from chain mail with a thermal lining I suppose. Funny little picture in the corner shows an ax and knife resistance for sword play and jousting. Made by Batex and the whole package is written in German. Only one glove in the package unless I misplaced the other and although it's marked XL my delicate hand won't fit. Sorry Cinderfella. As far as deciphering the German writing goes, no can do unless it was presented on a menu . The last is a thermal glove manufactured in China with German origins I believe. For me this is the most comfortable fit and has a sure grip because of the raised bead work.

That is a picture you can really be proud of. Fantastic.

I have been using Cowboy at least for the past year or two in all my applications and really haven't experienced an off flavor or lighting issues. I'll make a purchase at BJ's wholesale club similar to Costco for $18 at 34lbs a bag. Sometime other brands are purchased when I see a value choice such as Big Block, Royal Oak and Rockwood, all with good results. Cowboy lump is a product put out by Royal Oak in Atlanta, I know this because of an issue once regarding small size pieces in a large bag required me to call the company for a remedy, They sent out a coupon for a replacement. The better choices are your South American hardwoods but, if you can work it,, Cowboy will suffice. I used Cowboy for my Turkey and did notice the white smoke at the beginning and for some time afterward. Like you I grew impatient, however I sped the fire along and sat back till it cleared choosing to play catch-up at the end by raising the temp. Although you can burn briquettes in a KK your best choice available will always be lump. And as far as quality is concerned, I can't argue...Cowboy isn't at the top but, I have learned to work around it's drawbacks and adjusted to it's shortcomings. Hope your next KK experience is better.

with the lid closed, it looks like a alien smiling

1952 For straight up grilling they are top of the class and the build quality is right up there. For low-n-slow....... Well I had 2 Boston Butts on the main grate of my 19" table top KK today. Just finished chunking the meat up. A chunk of the bigger butt (26 oz.) is vacuum sealed and in the freezer labeled Camping - St Augustine, FL - Christmas Break. Just needed charcoal searing while going camping to compliment my CampChef griddle/burner setup.

To me cooking in the KK is more like cooking in the kitchen oven, the fuel is lump and once you get within about 50 degrees of your desired cooking temp, start closing the vents, mainly the top vent until you settle at the desired temp. By then the smoke should be good so put your goodies on the grate. Unlike the kitchen oven your cooking temp. will remain stable and not a lot of air passing through the KK if you keep the lid shut and you should. The result will be a much moister cook than the oven.

Thanks. Just order South on Amazon. Will be here Monday. I'm a HUGE fan of Sean Brock. My usual problem with trying to cook out of his books is getting the ingredients. He has access to so many unique and heirloom products that are key to his cuisine.

Pizza night here. Made two loaded pizzas so there will be some for a snowy day. Pizza Crust.

@Tyrus - your computer is hiccupping on the Forum, dude! 🤣

You left out the most important one - have plenty of adult beverages on hand!

^ +1! Go, Suzy!!

We will be looking forward to Ms S's cook.

Practice makes perfect so they say.

Ha! Some sales agent. I can confirm that paying for five KKs from Dennis empties your wallet but does give you lots of pleasure. As does helping others to make the right decision for them. Pushing the boundaries always helps with the "see, I only got three and didn't get that awful colour you didn't like" argument. At 100kg the 16 is not likely to be a beach accessory but I am hoping to take it on stay-cation in the UK. I hate using rubbish bbqs at holiday homes. Yay! I can't wait. In fact, might start practising with a drink tonight.