Leaderboard

Some pork tenderloins. Seared over the coals then finished indirect. Used my MSR smoke pot with some B&B competition blend wood chips. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As long as you have a very stable well built fire and you let your KK stabilize and heat soak completely (I would suggest at least two hours without the meat on and one additional hour after the meat is on before you go to bed) it shouldn’t deviate no more then 15 degrees overnight. No need to use a temp control device. Some tips that will help you: -give yourself a lot of time at least two hours before you want to start your cook before lighting -don’t pour your charcoal into the basket, this will restrict airflow heavily -hand select the charcoal (I like fist sized chunks) and place them in the basket -light a small tennis ball sized portion of your charcoal -let your KK come up to temp slowly and gradually -once near your desired temp you can close the bottom vent to the pencil sized hole and the top vent will prob be 1/16th-1/4th of a turn open at most to maintain smoking temps -Remember tiny adjustments on the top vent will adjust your vacuum and will drastically change your temperatures, the bottom vent doesn’t effect temperatures nearly as much -give your KK as long as possible to heat soak and stabilize at a temperature without you touching the vents -when adding the meat keep the lid open as briefly as possible, the added oxygen will stoke your fire, closing the bottom vent while opening the grill helps just remember to open it again after closing the lid. -after adding the meat allow the kk to stabilize again for at least an hour before going to bed -time is key, don’t rush this Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome! I’d love to try both of those. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shawarma & desert .... smoky

Beer bratwursts for lunch. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking good, I see the Truff. I might have purchased the Red bottle, they were side by side and I had them both in my hand but erred on the side of caution on this first pass...maybe next time. Expensive hot sauce, well at least at this store. I will give it a try at the first opportunity.

I would say a tight seal would be more appropriate. The top lid fits into the base by approx 1/4" and is a good seal. The clamp holds the lid tightly against the base lip, there is no wiggle between the inserted lid and the base wall. All in all I find the seal to be good and judging by the length of time this little unit puts out smoke I would have to say the seal is workable. Forrest mentioned that his pot ran and produced good smoke for a long time and I would have to concur with his assessment. The smoke was slow and steady and there were no off flavors associated with the meat except it penetrated deeply, but that could have been for several reasons. The size is just right and the $16 price a no brainer. Unfortunately the pot was buried so any leakage or observation wasn't seen. In the beginning the quality of smoke was poor however it cleared and produced good smoke thereafter. Lastly I would say to you, go for it, attach the screw and wing nut and see what you get.......don't leave a good thought collecting dust on the bench. What's the worst that could happen, safety goggles. That's all she wrote

Don't want to lose the Karma. I picked up these two bottles just before you made your posts. That's destiny

So I have been busy grilling and a lot of remiss with posting. A couple weeks ago I had a friend over who wanted shrimp for dinner so I decided to make paella. Mind you I have never made paella before but I have eaten my share. So I researched and research and found a procedure on Naked Whiz's site. What I found most helpful was Naked Whiz provided the pillars or the important things to pay attention to and the basic procedure this was brilliant since I rarely follow recipes. So again I am not going to plagiarize from Naked Whiz if you want the procedure go to the link above I am going to share my experience, ingredients and what I learned. I wanted to buy the sofrito but could not find anything to my satisfaction however, I did find a recipe on Pinterest that seemed like it was the real deal and I was not wrong. I cooked Heidi's recipe the night before and it provided amazing depth of flavor and I will make it again as a base for many recipes not just paella. I used canned whole San Marzano style tomatoes without the juice. For the liquid I used chicken bone broth by Kettle and Fire with 32 oz of clam juice in the bottle. I made sure this was warmed and ready to add. My ingredients included: 1 lb shrimp soaked 30 minutes in a salt brine 0.6 lb salmon soaked 30 minutes in a salt brine 3 lobster tails soaked 30 minutes in a salt brine 1/2 lb Basque style Chorizo, not my first choice, I would have preferred Spanish style and yes I mixed meats. For veggies I used 1 cup frozen peas Tops from one bunch of asparagus par boiled in the liquid Photo below shows the ingredients ready to go. Everything I read said to have your ingredients prepped and ready to go and it paid off in spades. I got the grill to 550 degrees and away I went. Saute chorizo, warmed the sofrito, browned the rice in the sofrito, added saffron, then added the liquid and cooked for about 30 minutes, added the vegetables and mixed into the rice. Then I added the seafood on top and cooked for about 10 minutes and the results were amazing as demonstrated by the beauty shown in the photo below. The rice was creamy the flavor profile was complex and balanced. Frankly, I have thought about this meal everyday since I have made it. What I learned was this dish is beautiful to look at, amazing flavor, fairly simple to make. I will definitely make this again and thanks to Naked Whiz for the procedure and all the tips. While I have a pork butt smoking as I write this I really want some more paella!

I wanted to use the new new smoke pot and pair it with something worthy of taking some smoke. This piece of meat looking like a Tri-tip and shaped like the country of Argentina was described on it's label as a Chuck Roast Fillet cut. It was very lean and unlike any Chuck I've seen before, but I thought this being a test, it was worthy of the trial. So picking up where Forrest left off I decided to use some apple pieces 1/2"x3/4"x2" long and fit them into the small pot that I predrilled with two 1/8" holes. I placed the pot on the bottom center of my 23 and covered it completely with lump. The fire was lit on both sides of the pot and after 15-20 mins began smoking. Once established and as the temp reached 200+ the smoke turned to a more suitable color. The meat was dressed with two rubs, the first a prep rub called That's Incredible and the finisher Bovine Bold by Plow Boys. As Forrest previously stated, the smoke endured for quite some time and was sufficient to do the job...maybe too much by the result. It may have been the meat being so lean or it's thickness that contributed to the amount of smoke penetration, but after all was said and done the meat was pulled off at 1/2 the size it was placed on. It was approx 9 PM when I schredded the cut. I found it able to come apart but unlike pork that has an abundance of fat and tissue this piece pulled between a cross of chipped beef and long strands as the pic demonstrates. So all in all the pot was a success in my case and in Forrest's with I'm sure other cooks to apply it's use towards in the future. One thing worth mentioning might be was I set the beef outside on this very cold day here in New England while the KK came to temp. I believe the meats cold temp contributed to the amount of smoke absorption by allowing it to remain in the smoke for a longer period, eh maybe yes maybe no, but what I do know is that it absorbed more smoke than any piece of meat I have placed on a grill...seen through the pics

Nice job @Buzilo

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Troble, your dinner looks wonderful and no doubt very very tasty.

Forrest, you don't even have your KK yet and you've pulled me into ordering the pot. That's a feather in your cap.

The 475ml MSR pot is perfect for those of who don’t want to use flour paste, don’t like large items atop your firebox, and for those who want the ability to bury your smoker pot. It’s also relatively affordable, I’m really liking mine. [emoji4] I doubt it is completely airtight and you probably will have some smoke leave the lid, however the fitment is excellent and it has tight tolerances. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I pretty much exclusively use Truff as a binder in my BBQ. It tastes great and gives my food a very slight kick and very slight umami pop. I prefers the Hotter in the red bottle but I use the black when I’m cooking for others. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you rokdok. It’s only 9 months old and I am expecting greater depth and geometry with shaded pockets as the trees mature. There are two frangipani trees around the fire pit with an extremely strong fragrance- especially in the evenings that smell like an english garden rose. The other tree I’m excited about is a Tabebuia that will look like this from October to January. https://caretransplanters.com.au/index.php/sub-tropical-nursery/25-sub-tropical/flowering-exotics/168-tabebuia-palmeri Forrest if you want to learn some sustainable gardening tips, look up permaculture techniques. I think where you are based you will have predominantly sandy soils and your challenge will be soil improvements for water retention. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fabulous garden @Basher, so lush. +1 for getting some design input - they come up with ideas that you'd never think of - once it's done it seems so obvious.

Thanks everyone! I love it. Can’t wait until summer, pool open and smoke show Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just finished my second dry aged ribeye from the Steakager - very happy with this result. It was a one pounder, reverse seared after slow roasting for an hour on the gas grill. Needed just a bit more sear but very tender and tasty. Next one will be over charcoal.

I miss my kk been at work for 12 weeks and 12 more to go

That’s not really true. Always fill your basket to the brim. Air+fuel=heat. If you control the airflow properly, your temperature will stay consistent. Perhaps you’re lighting too much coal in the first place? Even with a controller, you have to restrict airflow with the top vent..the controller only adds air, it can’t take it away if the temperature gets too high. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Decided to try to emulate the master @tony b and I did a bone in pork chop with dizzy dust. Cooked indirect and finished over fire on main grate at 350 over coco char and apple wood made some really nice roasted carrots glazed with olive oil, honey & momofoku savory seasoning served alongside roasted haricot verts with garlic powder, salt, black pepper and bread crumbs served with J vineyards Pinot Noir. Wife loved it. Said it was super tasty, but “light”. Happy wife, happy Troy 😀

Sous vide.

1st 31 day ribeye is out of the Steakager!

Gorgeous day today. Bumping 60F, sunny! Was comfortable on the deck in a t-shirt. Tossed on a Trader Joes' spatchcocked lemon rosemary chicken. Started out direct on the upper grate at 350F with apple wood chunks. After an hour, dropped down to the main grate and flipped over (skin side down) for the last 30 minutes. Plated with my "cheat" jollof rice (with a little help from @Jon B. spicy tomato oil and @tekobo Northern Nigerian chile powder). Roasted carrots and green beans. Should have staggered the green beans, as they came out a tad "crispy!" LOL!

Veeeery nice Jon. Much more sophisticated than Mac's!

Here's my beer fridge.

My cold room... 😉

KK arrival day in December was super exciting. After all the excitement of uncrating was over, The Husband spent the next day breaking down the crates and saving the wood for different uses. This is where we have got to so far. The water collecting tank that we had rigged up on the allotment leaked and, over the years had destroyed a section of the shed wall. The Husband used the wood from the KK crates to fix up the side. He also offered one of the crates as a potential table for use on the allotment. I have found a better use for it. What is better than a free packing case as a table between two flashy new KKs?

I special ordered a 32 in August. It should be here by next week. I live in South Jordan. Let me know if you are interested.