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Salmon grilled indirect with mesquite wood chips. Homemade pesto and multi colored quinoa with sweet onions, carrots & celery

Forrest, if it is copper sulfate, it will stick to the metal and should be easily wiped off. It wouldn't affect your smoke or your flavor and definitely not get into the food. Not a cause for concern, more of me being a science nerd and getting excited when I saw you had done a chemistry experiment. Now I have to try to duplicate it when my smoker pot shows up.

Sorry for not being as clear as I could have been @Bruine. The problem I had on previous cooks was that the juices ran into the bowl of the cake tin and burned up. When I came to slice it wasn't an attractive destination for my nice juicy meat. My solution was impromptu and rather crude. I rolled up foil and put it in the bottom of the bowl like so: With this last cook some juice and fat from the chicken skin collected on top of an around the foil. When I was ready to slice I pulled out the foil, leaving a nice amount of liquid. It was just perfect to toss the chicken slices in while doing the crisping. Extra tastiness.

Thanks all for your kind comments. First I must give credit where credit is due. To @Troble for introducing the concept and leading the way with shawarma on the rotisserie and then on to this vertical cooking method and to @BOC for encouraging me to make my own Trompo King. Spices used came from this pack from our local Meditteranean store. Tasting the powder on its own is yak but super tasty when spread liberally on the chicken and cooked. I have to admit that I am not sure about the temp or the timing. Temp was approx 180C-200C and timing between half an hour and 45 minutes before I started slicing. @Tyrus this is a home made contraption. The cast iron tray at the bottom helps to keep the vertical spike in place and provides a fire shield during the early part of the cook. I considered @Forrest's suggestion that you sit your Trompo King on a double drip tray to avoid burning the juices. That would work for the cooking phase but not for the crisping up phase. My foil solution was clumsy but effective. Next try will be troble's adobado and I will see if an alternative idea appears. In the meantime here is my completely free re-purposing of a cake tin that I had only ever used once or twice to make cake and now have used for vertical roasting at least ten times. Works a treat and cleans up beautifully after each cook.

Sunterra SANTA MARIA 36" CART 3601-36DSICRT CD1 Lone Star Grillz Santa Maria My neighbor has this style of grill built in, in his back yard. The other end is a pizza oven. Then his other equipment. My old POSK was #2 but he got rid of it long ago. His collection now rivals Jay Leno's garage. So he loves the Santa Maria grill but he doesn't use it much. I'm a big fan of adjustable height grills. They simplify timing your fire. While my 23" sees duty for centerpiece cooks, my hybrid Solo Stove rig sees frequent use for preparing ingredients or grilling a single steak or two sausages... I can set up and light a wood/charcoal/isopropyl mix in a total effort of 90 seconds, go in to manage everything else I'm cooking, and time my return for grilling. With an adjustable grate, what's at stake is how long the grilling takes, not whether it works. Solo Stove Ranger ($215) Breeo Outpost 19 ($129) Harbor Freight Service Cart ($38)

I just put some beef ribs on (I believe they are plate ribs) they were on sale at my local grocery store. Using my 475 ml MSR Syzygies styled smoke pot with B&B comp pellets. Will update in the mornin these are going over night. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great chicken schawarma a couple of nights ago. Two new innovations for me. I kept the skin on alternate boned out thighs and I put foil in the bottom of the pan to stop the juices burning. Pulled out the foil when I came to slice the meat. Delicious.

@tekobo fantastic work. Try the shawarma recipe that I got from Padma that I posted in the beef section it’s my favorite to date. Gonna try it on chicken soon im very excited to see your adobada tacos!

I can't comment about the temperature behavior of other kamado grills since KK is the only type I have used, but I can confirm Basher's comment about Komodo Kamados. Typically, my KKs, once heat-soaked, will return to their vent-set running temperature after absorbing the temperature shock of the "colder" added grates, baking stone, steel, drip pan, etc especially if added after the KK achieves the target temperature. However, if I try to hurry that restabilization by initially overshooting the target temp, or adjusting the top vent after adding the cold grates, stone or steel, it is almost certain I will overshoot the target or be chasing the target temp the entire cook.

Especially if you let it heat soak fully. I have noticed most Kamado’s that haven’t fully heat soaked for over an hour once you add any stones or deflectors the temp is going to settle and stabilize at a lower temp even with the same vent settings. Of course every Kamado is different and the KK’s are best at retaining heat so that point may not be necessary or even detrimental with a KK, thanks for pontning that out Basher. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve never had an issue getting my grill to temp..except when I used charcoal that had a lot of fines. I dump my charcoal, but if a particular bag has a lot of dust, I stop using it. KK’s don’t need to be as hands on, their insulating qualities make your cooking life so much easier. Bottom line..good airflow, good charcoal, your KK will do exactly what you want. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

CONGRATS! You chose a beautiful color.

@tekobo Looks great! Not sure who posted the wings too, but well done. Love the food on this forum. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That shawarma looks amazing tekobo! What rub / marinade did you use for the chicken, and how long does it take to cook? I’ve got one headed across in the mail as we speak. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is that a tree configuration for sheltering the meat Tekebo. I see a cast iron bottom a SS bowl and the center post. So I'm guessing it's best to insulate the meat a bit higher or is that for convenience when done. Haven't tried the skewer yet, looking to have a successful go first time around. Let me add a nice job, so sorry the pic misdirected me.

I wrote this up while ago for a friend. Hope it helps. How to get Kamado hot 500F°+ -Remove any items or debris from the lower intake vent (e.g. ash catcher, small charcoal pieces, etc.) -Make sure the bottom of your firebox is well aligned with your lower intake vent. -Store your charcoal inside away from the wet elements. Only use dry fuel. -Use lump charcoal, it will get a lot hotter then briquettes or extruded charcoal and produce less ash. -Don’t blame your brand of lump charcoal, all major lump brands are capable of producing high heat temps for cooking pizza. -Deliberately build your fire: * Keep in mind small pieces of lump burn hotter however they also restrict airflow. * Larger pieces won’t burn quite as hot but they promote airflow. * Airflow = Heat * Airflow restriction is the primary factor preventing you from getting your Kamado to pizza cooking temperatures. * Do not pour your charcoal directly into your firebox, small pieces of lump can fall into the bottom of your firebox and block free airflow. * Lay your lump charcoal out in a wide mouthed bin. * Sort your lump by large, medium, and small pieces. * Discard any really small lump pieces and the dust that settles at the bottom. * Deliberately build your fire box to promote free airflow. * Start with large chunks (fist size or larger) place them one by one at the bottom of your firebox until you have a complete layer of large chunks on the bottom of your charcoal basket. * Now light your layer of large lump pieces. I prefer using a torch until I get a visual flame coming off of two spots of the large lump pieces. * Once your large lump is lit continue building your lump pile by using medium pieces on top of the large lit coals, lay them on top in such a way they don’t interlock with each other and block airflow. * Fill your firebox to the brim with medium lump atop the large chunks at the bottom. Cooking at high temperatures requires a lot of fuel. If you do not use enough lump your fire will run out of steam. * Optionally, you can place some smaller pieces of lump at the very top of your charcoal basket on top of the medium pieces. Don’t use too many small pieces and ensure they don’t fall down into your firebox. * Again, light several more spots on top of your now fully filled firebox, I recommend lighting until the charcoal is glowing in at least four different additional spots. * Once your fire has been built for airflow and is lit remove any platesetters, fire deflector plates, or any larger objects in your Kamado blocking the free airflow of convective and radiant heat up into the dome. * Close your Kamado lid. * Open your bottom vent completely. * Open your top vent nearly fully open, the more your top vent is open the stronger vacuum airflow will be created making your fire burn hotter. However, if you completely remove the top vent then you also allow some of the hot convective air to escape rather then being trapped in the dome so there is a fine balance, explore this with your own grill. * I like to let the grill heat soak for at least 1/2 hour at a temperature of 50 degrees above my intended cooking temperature. * Time is your freind, I recommend starting this process 2 hours before your intended cook time. Rushing things will lead to unsatisfactory results. * Once you’ve allowed sufficient time for the dome to heat soak open you grill and set up your pizza cook with your stone and deflectors if you are using such, close lid once again. * Keep your grill lid open as minimally as possible. You will lose some heat after installing your deflectors, let your Kamado stabilize once again at your cooking temperature for at least 15 minutes without adjusting vents. * Place your pizza on your stone. * Check on your pizza as infrequently as possible, you want to retain dome heat for cooking your toppings. * Burp your grill dome before opening. *Additional tips -You can pre-heat your pizza stone in your oven while you grill is heating up. -An infrared temperature gun is a good idea, this will allow you to determine if your stone is to temp before placing your pizza on. -A fan such as the BBQ dragon, a hair dryer, or leaf blower can force air into your lower vent speeding up this whole process. Getting your Kamado hot too fast can put additional stress on your ceramics. -Beer helps Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When not grilling and brewing, my day job is a chemist, that is why that residue on the lid of the pot caught my eye. I was incorrect when I said there shouldn't be any copper in stainless steel, it is used in some grades, so that would explain the copper sulfate as I guess the grade of SS used in a sink strainer is not quite the same as that used in the smoker pot. I am familiar with the bluing, and yes that is quite normal, and I think it is great that you guys did jump in with your explanations, shows how helpful this group can be, so thanks for that. And passivating, I remember doing that with the brass ball valve on my first boil kettle before upgrading to all SS parts, I can still smell the vinegar.

Here is the rest of the story-

It's a good precaution to cover the holes, but as I found with the solid pieces unnecessary. I do burn pellets in my home and actually I'm just finishing my 5th ton of those little critters from burning them in my Harmon stove. I realize from observation that within the confines of the Harmon burn pot the ash can restrict airflow, once the fuel is consumed the ash being so fine covers the holes and slows the fire. So yah, the drain net is a good idea for pellets, however wood chunks and chips maintain there form throughout the burn and I think it's something you can leave out for there application. From the pics you gave looking off your deck I didn't see many trees, maybe a lone cactus in the distance. Here in the Northeast wood is abundant, especially when a grandson has tree business to remove them, so filling a little pot or even the offset stick burner is not a concern with all kinds of smoke profiles. Think of it as fire management, think we covered the bases grasshopper.

Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa with roasted red potatoes and Peruvian green sauce

African night at tony b's. Wonder where that idea came from? Peri-peri chicken thighs, main grate, direct, 350F, coffee wood chunks. Served up with jollof rice, side salad and pita bread. Lovely Vouvray to balance the spicy foods.

To celebrate the tease of an early spring (it was 45F), threw some snags on the grill and made some coleslaw to get me in a summertime mood. Our local supermarket (HyVee) makes good bratwursts. These are bacon-cheddar and jalapeno-cheddar. Color on the coleslaw is from the purple crack. Trader Joe's tater tots done in the airfryer, with Peruvian green sauce (the other crack!) @Troble will catch the beer homage!

Post Oak smoked (Syzygies foil method) burgers then reverse seared over a soapstone. Delicious! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I decided to do an experiment using pork shoulder and Shichi-mi tōgarashi. I thought the flavours would lend themselves to the dish and would give me the basis to use leftovers for Okonomoyaki. Well, the results weren't quite what I was hoping for and I decided that I would make a pork pibil and set about creating a citrus cure (the togarashi has orange peel in it). It worked beautifully. So a togarashi rub on its own. Meah. The taco pork pibil recovery was a winner though. I know my KK well and couldn't figure out why my temperatures were coming up high. I realised that the rubber bung where I had put my Fireboard probe wasn't back in. I realised this as I was watching the graph on my app. I went to sleep pondering why my temperatures were higher on settings and then at 3am, I woke up, ran downstairs and checked it. Sure enough, in the dark, I had not realised I hadn't put the rubber bung back in. For those of you with new KKs, how are you finding the stainless steel upgrade? @rokdok and @tekobo

Boneless leg of lamb. Marinated in balsamic vinegar with garlic, cumin & mint. Started on the rotisserie but finished on top grate. Cooked over coco char with mesquite wood served with garlic & olive oil cous cous along with roasted baby potatoes with garlic, thyme, rosemary, red onion and truffle salt homemade Tadziki with fresh dill grown from seed in my herb garden

Did some bone in chicken thighs last evening in the dark.

Snuck in one more cook before the snow returns today. Pre-marinated pork loin (local market has been running a BOGO special on them.) This one was roasted garlic and black pepper. I slathered on some Dinosaur BBQ Wango-Tango. direct, 350F, peach wood chunk on the coals. Plated with a nice pasta and side salad.

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Peach wood smoked pulled pork, used the Syzygies smoke pot modified method. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Inaugural cook on the new KK. Happened to be mother in laws birthday and also doing the burn in all day. Never really got it under 500 for the cook but managed to make it all work flat iron steak marinated in Worcester sauce, garlic and Montreal steak seasoning, reverse seared started on half grate finished on lower grate, over coffee char and mesquite wood. Served with homemade chimichuri grilled asparagus dusted with olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper slow baked sweet potato served with Labneh. Had to be served separately because even though I slow baked them in the oven for two hours like normal, these bad boy were gargantuan and took a little longer than normal, ended up being dessert to the main course. Served with a Justin cab

Finally got warm enough here (15F) to fire up the KK last night for dinner. First time in a week and a half! Flat iron steak, marinated in shio koji for 2 hours. Gunpowder rub. Lower grate with chunks of post oak and mesquite. Plated with roasted smashed potatoes, with Peruvian green sauce, sautéed mushrooms, and a nice salad of greens/radicchio, orange slices, pomegranate seeds and pistachios with an orange mint vinaigrette.