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I’m batching at the moment with my 13 y.o. son while wife and daughter are off to a water polo comp. My son asked for a steak for dinner so I picked up a couple of t bones on the way home, lit the fire, position the lid at 3/4 open and went for a run. Is this the perfect grilling fire? When I came home about an hour later, my son had seasoned and cooked these. I guess he was hungry and had been watching my behaviours at home after all? It looks like I may have someone to leave the KK to..... assuming it out lives me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome. When you send your son over the seas to the UK when all of this COVID stuff is over, we would be very happy to have him stay and practice his skills on us!

Tee hee. I feel like an interloper in this knife conversation but I have returned for a few reasons: 1. To thank @troble for starting this thread 2. To say that I woke up especially happy this morning. For a few years I have been dogmatic about using my two go-to knives and nothing else. It was great to be free of clutter but now I have decided that I will go into our knife store and pick out one to be a guest knife each month. We have some we bought in Japan and some that we bought direct from a knife maker in India. It will be fun to discover their various characteristics. 3. To say that we will get a knife sharpener but I don't yet know which. White smoke pending. The Husband seems to trust the You Tube guy that he found. Apparently he is a Green Bay fan like my husband. It takes all sorts.

Price ≠ quality. I think you have to be well researched to know what you're buying and what you want to achieve with a Japanese knife. I dipped my toe a while ago and quickly realised that this was such a slippery slope. It's why I said knives are a personal decision and I don't think you can decide on cost alone. Agree on the knife sharpness - I don't trust my lack of practice to not mess up a good blade which is why I use the Lansky and was looking at the TRProf. Pointless having a good blade and lacking the means to properly care for it. I feel myself being sucked into the rabbit hole again.

I don't think I would have been able to let those ribs go @Tyrus. You are a better man than me. Just as well, me not being a man n'all.

I missed lots of yummy cooks over the last few days. And some that I can't pronounce or spell - okonomayi? Hungry now. Been down my hiding-from-all-potential-sources-of-news-on-American-sport hole while I got through the late night play off games from the weekend. The wings were magnificent on Saturday night as was that smoked shoulder of mutton that I made for tacos on Sunday night. No pics. All in tummy. Who won? Tiles. Of course.

My Sister and Mom live in the same town as Tony B. We have been trying to meet up for years. My Sister and her son's fiancée have met Tony before but not me. Two ships passing in the night!!! I would come into town and he would be off at a beer conference somewhere. Tomorrow I finally get to meet the famous Tony B.!!!!! I came into town Sunday to visit Mom, gave Tony a ring and we are meeting tomorrow at his local tavern (all proper Covid rules being followed) for the introduction of a new beer. I can assure you a few KK Forum tall tales and BBQ lies will be told!!!! A quick side story........About 4 years ago we were moving Mom out of her apartment into an assisted living apartment near my sister. My nephew's girlfriend (now fiancée) rode with me in my van while the nephew drove the moving truck. It was the first time I met her and we were making small talk during the hour and half drive. She told me she was a teacher but worked part time at a local brewery/tavern. I happened to mention having a BBQ buddy in her town who was was a big home beer brewer. Mention to her that his name was Tony. She looked at me funny and asked what Tony looked like. I had seen a photo of Tony that he had posted once and did my best to describe him (he looks like a young Tom Selleck). She filled in a few of the gaps of my description and when I agreed, she says.....I know Tony. He comes in with the local brew masters club every month. Talk about a small world!!!! Looking forward to tomorrow.

You have done more things right than light the grill, Basher.

And rightfully so!!

I like beer more than kids! Does this work RD? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've had a couple of homebrews made with spruce tips instead of hops. Very nice change of pace. This was a wort rally with the brewery, so the base beer was one of their recipes that I had kettle soured and made into a German Gose. I did the one-off mango version, as well. The mango took 1st place and the standard Gose took 3rd place in Best in Show. So, I was pretty proud of that.

The Husband did say that the guy was going on to talk about blade length. I can hear the background noise from the video in the next room. Seems like he is getting drawn in. Knowing him, there will be a few days of circling round alternatives but I think we will be getting a decent knife sharpening system. Thanks for the tip.

We call that a "foodgasm!"

Thank you all. The Husband is now getting himself a coffee to get him through the You Tube video of the guy comparing the TSPROF 03 with the TSPROF Blitz. So far, he has watched 7 minutes and tells me that the potted summary is that if you have more money than God and don't want to move it you get the TSPROF 03. I somehow suspect we won't be getting that folding bed for the spare room that we told his mother we needed for our Christmas present. To contribute to the knife debate. I am very happy with having just two go-to knives - a cook's knife and a vegetable cleaver. We have four specialist knives to share - a bread knife, a jamon knife, a boning knife and a filleting knife. I sharpen them on a steel and rely on The Husband to get out the whetstone periodically. I like the idea of learning to sharpen the knives well myself and look forward to the outcome of his journey down the TSPROF rabbit hole. Our go-to knives were made for us by a nice man about four years ago. His prices have gone up by more than 50% since then but I am still very happy with mine. https://blok-knives.co.uk

Unless you're immortal, that's probably going to happen.

@Braai-Q I’ve made my purchases and this is a worthy topic. Lots of good info from everyone

I think this thread has taken on a life of its own. Sorry @Troble, hope you don't mind. I know the channel that you're talking about. Has Mr Tekobo been assigned to research willingly or was he ordered? 😆

@Basher you must be a proud papa! Grew looking steaks

I’m a Yaxell Super Gou fan.

Please give Tony a hug from me!

I'm looking forward to meeting the famous Jon B, as well.

I initially read the final word of your post as mangoable ! That is impressive Tony. I'm glad you got your firkin with the mango in though ! I've drunk some mango beer - and very nice it was too. Historically all kinds of herbs and spices were used to add flavour to beer before hops were widely cultivated. Scotland has a beer called Fraoch still made with heather tips instead of hops- it is really lovely on draught. As I type this I am really hankering after a pint of hand pulled well kept live beer served at 12 C, standing around a log fires chatting with some friends in the pub. In fact I can see it, smell it and taste it. Pesky lockdown. I like pubs. My kids asked once why it was that the photos of them are in the downstairs cloakroom, whereas I have pictures and prints of my favourite pubs displayed more prominently in the house. I haven't yet thought of an answer that combines honesty with diplomacy. Cheers. RD

Nice bark!

Indeed. I won a beer competition a couple of years back and the winner got to brew their recipe at a local brewery that sponsored the competition. I actually didn't get to make the exact recipe, as the brewery said it would be too expensive to make in their standard 8 barrel quantity. We had to cut out one of the key ingredients (mango). But they did a special Firkin release of the mango version, as that was manageable.

Wow. I'm beginning to wonder if the 196 USD I spent to have a Tojiro DP 3-Layer Chinese Cleaver 225mm delivered from Japan was chump change, and VG-10 steel is a compromise I shouldn't be making? I can imagine spending 400 USD on a cleaver (Chuka Bocho), perhaps blue or white steel, if the difference would really be apparent. Or something like Bryan Raquin's Nakira 195 if it's ever back in stock. I suspect there are some strong opinions here... Being a mathematician has trained me to hear when people fall into logical black holes. "Seasoning is polymerization, so let's use flaxseed oil" misses the other components of restaurant abuse. Getting a perfect edge on a knife? Such an obvious goal, it has to be wrong sometimes. A serrated edge is better at slicing, and serration is a matter of degree, even the edge after an 8000 water stone is irregular at sufficient magnification. I've been meaning to get a good USB microscope for knife sharpening, coffee grinding, to make these issues obvious. I certainly adjust my technique over the lifetime of a sharpening cycle, increasing my slicing motion as the edges fade. And a chip in a favorite knife? It's a feature, not a bug!

On another note, a good cutting board is as important to your blades as anything else. Bamboo, glass, pieces of granite are death to an edge. End grain boards are always good, Japanese hinoki boards are good too. There are several types of synthetic boards that are good, plenty that won’t break the bank. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Knives......talk about Pandora's box! Below is my most recent knife purchase from October. It's a 220mm tapered Gyuto. The octagonal handle is made out of cherry burl. The blade is forged from roller bearings and hardened to HRC 64. A highly functional work of art made from the most basic materials. It's a carbon knife so it requires maintenance but well worth it. If you're just starting out there a few points to consider. Stay away from any knife sets. They usually have ten more knives than you need which means you're spending money on stuff you don't need. I would really only consider stainless knives at this point in your early knife career. Carbon knives are more work to keep in tip top condition; more work than most will commit to. My suggestion is a japanese style knife from a Japanese manufacturer. A Wustof santoku (and similar) always felt and performed like a fake. Lastly, a sharp knife is THE MOST important thing. The best knife in the world is useless and more dangerous if it's dull. I know it seems incongruous to your belief but a razor sharp knife is much safer. Also, a very sharp knife is glorious to use. There's lots of sharpening options out there that range from wetstones/manually to systems like Wicked Edge/ Edgepro. Stay away from anything motorized or those cheap pull through units. They remove way too much steel and will quickly destroy a knife. I apologize for the verbose response. This topic is HUGE. I hope it helps a bit. J. Sent from my SM-G973W using Tapatalk

Troble, it was 5-6 months ago I purchased a Misen knife on line. I was constantly seeing the infomercial pop-up between videos so it was one day I decided to watch it and since then I haven't regretted that decision. Many, many knives to choose from and as Basher stated Carbon or SS, this particular knife is a high carbon stainless as described. It has half bolster allowing you to choke up higher on to the blade and a thinner blade than German knives. It is made in China though and it's cost is around $65 or less. I've sharpened it once with a Kota 1000x6000 stone and it came back pretty well. If I drop the knife., no worries the investment didn't break the bank. Handles are black, light blue and red. If your looking to purchase a Japanese or German knife someone else would better assist you there. This knife for my primary use checks the boxes and meets the need around the grill. It performs all the tasks...unfortunately, in my heavy hand a better quality knife would be a chance. Good luck,

So good to be home. I found this little pork loin in the freezer. Salted, cumin, paprika. I’ll do this at a higher temp- 400f direct and have built to fire up to the from of the basket. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For the new folks, there's a next step to this process that's important. Once you see the dome temperature drop 50 - 100F, you're pretty sure the fire is out at that point. Next, bump the top vent off its seat a bit. This will prevent it from seizing up on you as it cools down further. If this happens, it's a major PITA to get the top vent open again. You should also open the lid to the 1st position on the latch to take the compression off the gaskets. They will last much longer if you do this.