Leaderboard

I never get tired of seeing prime brisket on my KK. I’m using a dry coffee cardamom rub. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Rotisserie chooks round 1. Prime rib rub inside and out. 325-350 for 2 hrs. 5lbs each. Rosemary garlic veggies roasting under on the double bottom...learned two things. 1. Temp dropped about 50 F degrees on the dome thermometer when I added veggies. Hard to say if it was actually 50 cooler. 2. Don’t get distracted and forget to stir your veggies [emoji23] All turned out delicious. The chicken was fantastic. Cheers to all! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Back to back salmon nights. With grill shots this time

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.

Lamb choppppps

I also have this colour and it cooks perfect 👌 maybe better than the blue

Some exciting new information I discovered about the 475 ml MSR Smoke Pot: 1- I did a low N slow cook, beef plate ribs 225 F cooking temp at the grate. This cook was overnight and I could have sworn 8 hours later when I woke up I was still smelling smoke production. 2- The fuel I used was B&B Comp pellets, I stuffed the whole smoke pot full of pellets and I placed the smoke pot directly on top of the hot glowing coals. 14 hours total cooking time and it appeared some of the pellets were still brown and not carbonized. Seems like this little pot really can put out long smokes with pellets at least. Still using the sink strainer. 3- This excited me: When I went out to clean the grill the smoke pot lid was hard to remove, I had to use some force to get it off. Seems like the lid is getting an even better seal with use. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will be buying a Santa Maria grill and have narrowed down to two manufacturers and two grills that have one glaring difference. The Sunterra 36 inch Santa Maria Grill with a fire bricked lined coal box looks awesome and has some great accessories that would offer little compromise. I was hoping for split grill grates to cook at different levels/temps but I'm looking at the 36" and only the 48" has that feature. No matter, it looks solid and incredible. The other consideration is Lone Star Grillz and their 36" Santa Maria. Also a great looking grill with a steel mesh floor firebox with a claim that while frie brick has good thermal qualities they like airflow under the fire to create very hot fires controlled by dampers. They also have great accessories including the ability to add a brasserie at a later date if needed. I was impressed by the way this grill handles ash disposal, that really caught my attention. I think the steel is a thinner grade than the Sunterra but it looks like it's made to last and the price point is lower. I appreciate any advice from the group from those that may have used one or both of these grills, and especially the fire brick vs grates for the coal bed

Have this for the big bad. It can fit all grates at once, or double bottom drip and a couple grates. Great for cleaning...storing it when not in use is less great, but it may become a doggy pool. Bon Tool 11-409 Tub Utility - 36"... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016BQN80?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thx, I’ll see what I can do with my cheapo alternative. But always good to know. Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk

@5698k that’s my favorite image to see on my KK as well. Can’t wait to see the finished product

This is what I use. It’s so so good. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cageguy, I believe the Lone Star Santa Maria is 10 gauge approx 3/16 carbon steel. They offered a reason for staying away from the insulated brick which I believe was airflow/ventalation. If you purchase one with the fire brick make sure you get the grill cover or expect to store it in a pavilion set up or pull it in and out from the garage. My drawback on these is if not covered water could easily seep between the cracks and sit there on the metal for some time. My Santa Maria has a raised fire grate above a pitched floor to a grease catching bucket and I also keep mine covered and under a pavilion roof. Smoky ribs bbq did a review on the lone star 48, you can catch it on you tube. If I were to choose one of the two you suggested it would be the Sunterra. If cared for and covered, I like the brick lining, simply raise the cooking grates and shop vac out the ash. It takes alot of ash to fill one of these and you can push the ash over to a corner, I clean mine every 3 or 4 cooks. If you wanted to see some video cooks on a Sunterra 48 split with the fire brick and also the review unpacking, check out Dski Grillz on you tube. He's cooks alot on it and shows you around the block in what to expect

I'm waiting for my Santa Maria to be built and delivered so i don't have any experience yet, but i can tell you why i went with brick-lined with brassero. Of course, i could be totally wrong about any or all of these points! o Brick-lined should be more efficient for longer cooks since it will radiate back the heat it has absorbed. With a mesh bed, any heat radiating down will be lost. You'll also be heating up the metal that makes up the firebox and losing some of that heat as it radiates thru the metal. While the cooking methodology is different, i considered this as similar to how a ceramic cooker like our kk's differs from a drum or thin metal smoker like a Smokey Joe. o The added airflow from underneath should let you build a hotter fire, i decided that this is offset by the big benefit of the Santa Maria design - if you need more heat, lower the cooking surface! That extra heat from extra airflow will come at the cost of much higher fuel consumption. The fall-thru ash is a nice feature though. o I decided that i wanted a brassero because i think it will be handy for longer cooks - i initially thought about just having a wheelbarrow as a burn barrel but i really don't want to be shoveling hot coals from a one area to the grill, especially when there are others standing around. My back also doesn't like me doing a lot of shoveling; of course, there will most likely be some post - cook ash shoveling. Mine will have the brassero in the back instead of at the side of the firebox - although that will make it a bit more difficult to load it, the wood burning in the brassero will be adding to the cooking heat, especially if i decide to add a rotisserie later. Like most of my acquisitions, I blew my budget on mine:

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.

Hello Tekobo, Going to receive my cheapo Trompo this weak (the real one not available on Amazon Canada). The bottom is just a plate, so your setup interest me. What exactly was the function of the foil (you managed to keep it watertight and just used it as a vessel in a vessel?) and how you managed the change of setup when you were ready to slice? Put the juice aside or kept it when crisping the meat? Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk

@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!

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)

Some good points there Forrest. However, with a KK if you target 50deg over your desired temperature, it’ll take an hour to come back to cooking temp and it’ll be tough winding your fire up and down. I subscribe to Dennis’s instruction to shift the smaller pieces of charcoal to the outside edge and place larger lump in the middle. This hasn’t let me down. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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

Fair warning......... it's only just beginning! "These" people are expensive 😁!!!

To celebrate the last of the snow finally melting off my deck, country style ribs, rubbed with CYM and Dizzy Pig Crossroads with a big pinch of Northern Nigeria chile powder, direct, main grate, 250F with peach wood chunks. I typically find the Crossroads to be a tad sweet, so I like to blend it with a spicier component. (FYI - I kicked up the Suya rub with some of this chile spice - worked!) Plated with porcini mushroom risotto and sautéed green beans. Note the snow patch is gone!

Steak night last night. Kansas City strips with baked potato, roasted brussel sprouts and carrots (thanks for the reminder, Mac!), with a 2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pizza day: Tony b. I have a small patch of snow remaining too! Still some work too do to broil the cheese, but real good anyway. Home made sourdough pizza dough Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk

Thanks everyone! It was an excellent steak. Simpler dinner last night. Suya spice rubbed chicken thighs, direct main grate, apple wood chunks, 375F. Plated with roasted carrots and smashed potatoes. Greek salad. Nice white Bordeaux. I have to say that yesterday's batch of Suya spice that I made up didn't have the punch that the original had. I probably put too much peanut powder in it. As it kind of reminded me of Satay, but without the coconut sweetness.

Toney, that shot had everything going for it. Beautiful plate, a sunny day as the snow melts away. Troble a mountain of meat, a feast to behold. Basher that was the best ham I've seen in quite some time.

And sliced. That was cooked and rested with internal temps rising up to 68c. That’s 154f. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beef shawarma. Lamb shoulder cooked on the Komodo Kamado with the Trompo King attachment. Marinade courtesy of Padma Lakshmi Lemon juice Balsamic vinegar Garlic powder Salt Cumin Cardamom Oregano Cinnamon Allspice Nutmeg Ground cloves Black pepper Cayenne Ginger Z’atar Served with Beet/tahini yogurt sauce Tadziki Roasted garlic & olive oil pearled cous cous Mediterranean salad (garbanzo beans, cucumber, red/yellow/orange bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, fresh mint

In honor of the snow finally melting and starting to show signs that spring might actually be around the corner, a nice steak night dinner. Prime ribeye, gunpowder with heavy S&P, direct on the lower grate. Coffee wood chunks. Nice Hasselback potato with Peruvian green crack sauce, shroom & chimichurri. Note the tiny spot of snow left on my deck. There are a couple more spots, too. Should be gone by the weekend.

Rib on the bone slowly taken up to 45c( 113f) then seared down low on cast iron aka Troble style. Rubbed in paprika, chillie, cumin, salt Removed at 58c( 137f) Pretty easy cooking like this The iron plate made the initial warming period indirect, then easy sear Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cheese, pepperoni & veggie pizza

Sirloin tip dry aged for 23 days and roasted over pecan to medium, served with onions, green beans, and asparagus along with some leftover roasted potatoes. Very tender and tasty but a bit too much smoke.

Second try's a charm. Based on my bread baking recipe, I guessed a Bao dough recipe based entirely on freshly ground flour, 2:1:1 Soft:Red:Rye, and raised the hydration. Handled like a charm. Back to my advice to just cook BBQ as I know best how to do, ignore any proposed techniques from books on producing filling.

My favorite local grocery store started their 5 for $25 meat sale today and I picked up a ton of great meat. Their meat dept. is top notch! First cook was Steven Raichlen’s inside out cheeseburger, I’m sold on this method! Also a Maharaja Imperial IPA for you West Coast IPA fiends like me. [emoji482] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok, first Char Siu Bao experiment in 40 years. Needs work but very promising category. Using freshly ground flour was a distracting challenge, but that actually worked. The primary issue is a savory filling. We know how to make spectacular BBQ on a KK. And any Chinatown sports many places that make spectacular Char Siu Pork; they learned from previous generations. What any cookbook suggests is neither. Don't be pulled off your game. Make the best BBQ you know how, exactly as you already know how, then sauce it appropriately as a Bao filling. That's how any restaurant works: They respond to the equipment they have. This is an awesome way to eat BBQ.

I got on the hipster bandwagon this weekend and made birria tacos. I used Chef John's recipe. Started making as a stew but took longer than I'd planned so instead of eating a bowl added the extra liquid to thin the aus jus and went straight to tacos. I forgot to dice the carrots/celery as well. Instead of 7 guajilo's I did 4 guajilo, 2 pasila, and 1 ancho. No reason other than I had them and wanted to experiment. Yesterday my wife pickled some red onion so tossed that on today's lunch. It is cliche, but these are quite possibly the best damn tacos I've ever eaten. I wish I had a pot of this stew during the arctic apocalypse 2 weeks ago. Yesterday I mixed some with cream cheese and slow cooked bacon wrapped poppers all afternoon.

Took advantage of our "heat wave" here, too! Low 40s and sunny. Half rack of baby backs, Lane's BBQ Signature rub, main grate, indirect (foil on the lower grate), smoker pot with hickory & peach, Guru running at 225F. Sorry, I totally spaced and forgot to take the full setup picture. I disassembled everything and slathered on the sauce, put the rack on the lower grate, direct to set the sauce (blend of my house spicy BBQ and TJ's roasted garlic BBQ sauce.) Made homemade cole slaw and potato salad to go with it. Nice Rose from TJs.

Marinated balsamic leg of lamb with smoked onion salt. Seeing Trobles Peruvian Green Sauce made me think that I needed a simple sauce condiment to go with the potatoes and lamb. That was a sour cream base with Dry thyme, chives and rosemary leaves and let to sit for a few hours prior in the frig. I would assume fresh is better, however nothing was available. 2 and 1/2 hours spinning on the Santa Maria, it could have been shorter, but it was a 45 out and I thought it a heat wave, plus the fire was warm and the wine was tasty. Infusing sour cream....many possibilities, many combo's.

@Troble spotted that Pliny right away - tease! Spuds & green crack sauce - doesn't get much better than that! In celebration of the snow finally starting to melt here (we might even reach the 50s by end of the week!), marinated a nice Denver steak from Porter Rd in the liquid koji w/roasted garlic powder and black pepper for a couple of hours. Then rubbed with Gunpowder before going on the lower grate with post oak and mesquite chunks. Plated with some shrooms, chimichurri, sautéed kale and a nice Zin. The 1st course didn't make the photo shoot - short rib ravioli with a mixed mushroom brodo. Seriously good, but seriously difficult to source the raviolis (Rana, but only available as a "commercial" item - not retail! 😢)

Every picture I’ve seen of the Autumn gold is amazing. It was very high on my list of top options. For me, the investment was enough money to wait for the color I wanted...not exactly any easy swap of you still have a bit of buyers remorse thinking the other color is what you’d want. That said, I have no doubt that every option that you think you’d like you will love. I can tell you from my experience, that while you are waiting you will experience some color choice anxiety either way. The idle time to look at all of the beautiful KKs as others receive them will do nothing but make you appreciate the other colors more. That didn’t make me regret my decision, but between placing my order and receiving it my top 3 favorite colors probably changed 3-4 times. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk