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Sweet corn on the cob homegrown purple & yellow fingerling potatoes with homegrown rosemary, truffle salt & Parmesan filet Mignon, reverse seared and finished on the cast iron pan marinated with sure shot sids gunpowder rub and topped with a balsamic red wine reduction sauce served with a Lucas & Lewellan Cab my boss sent me for hitting my Q1 sales targets. Super tasty. I usually say I’ll make a sauce then get too busy to ever do it but this was great. I used some Aussie gelatin that @Basher sent me and honestly it was a restaurant quality cook. I need to do this more often. Tasty

Again Focaccia di Recco. The secret is to nail the dough consistency so it rolls paper thin without sticking to the board. And to find the right cheese, a local problem.

Imaginative minds, they all look good. Scotty, beam me to Bashers house for pizza, then to Toney's before he pulls that steak, and then back to Enterprise, once home beam Trobles plate to my quarters and then have Seven of Nine join me for Dinner in my quarters. Oh, Geezz

As you all may have read I got a new truck a little over a week ago. A Ram 3500. Well you can't have a new truck without a new trailer. Today we picked up our new Grand Design, Reflection 337rls Unfortunately as bad luck would have it I picked up a hitch hiker on the way home from the dealer. My TPMS did it's job and with a few roadside air refills I was able to limp it back home. I'm a little bummed about a ruined brand new Goodyear Endurance.

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Nice evening last night so did some outdoor cooking. Last minute trip to the market and they had some nice salmon filets ready to go on the grill. Accompanied by grilled proscuitto-wrapped shrimp with dijon-champagne aioli, broccoli and cole slaw, with a 2011 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir. Pretty nice dinner for spur of the moment.

Pizza Sunday. I was playing around with a different flour for the dough- one of the ancients. I think Farro. It was ok, not great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Chinese pot sticker dumplings with crispy chilli oil and black vinegar. Yum.

That’s funny but it is also too easy. My retort would be to tell y’all to let @Troble have some fun. MSG is his equivalent of a quick fumble behind the bike sheds before taking his girl home to ask her father’s hand in marriage.

Country style pork rib marinated in Shio Koji and Dinosaur BBQ Wango Tango. Direct, main grate, peach wood, 325F. Plated with orzo with homemade pesto (grew the basil, too) and sauteed green beans & shallots, with a side salad.

Some of the best whole hog that I've ever had came from a cookout at a local brewery for their 1st anniversary. They hired a local "legend" - Carl Blake from Rustik Rooster Farms, who raises only heritage breed hogs, to cook 4 different breeds for the cookout. Amazing. Plus, he did them all in La Caja China knock-offs. The Man!

When I tried the white corn masa harina from Masienda I thought it was OK. Today I tried their blue corn masa harina and I am super pleased with it. The tortilla came out strong and supple and tasty. I was extra happy because tonight’s dinner turned into a Nigerian-Mexican mash up. We have been ordering online from restaurants who are now shipping meals nationwide for you to experience their food and help them keep going through lockdown. A friend of mine had raved about this Nigerian place in North London, Chuku’s, and so I ordered some of their Nigerian “tapas”. I didn’t realise I had to order wraps to go with a couple of dishes on the menu and so held them over until tonight when I had time to make some tortilla. Wow. So Mexican’s weep when they taste a great corn tortilla? That’s nothing on this Nigerian weeping at tasting authentic Yoruba flavours in a Mexican blue corn tortilla with home made pickled onions. #Mash UP!

Go easy on the MSG Troble, it’s cheap, it tenderises, it preserves, and it tastes good. However, still rated as a possible carcinogenic here but most concerning can be its effect on the nervous system. I have many friends who can’t sleep after digesting MSG and others who react with a nervous tic. Some friends get severe hangovers- I’m sure MSG is the excuse for this side effect. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think the forum just had its Superbowl moment. I'm not saying that @tekobo is Tom Brady. Oh hell, that's about all I know on American Football so I'll stop there.

Nice trailer! Sad about the ruined tire though. That sucks! 😢

Wow Charles nice looking rig!! Sorry about the tire bummer. Your going to have lots of fun in that set up. Hello

So you melted the ice on the rink and made a swimming pool, that's wonderful news. I think you'd be the one teaching me, I'd love to eat your eats.

@Basher I’m going to follow his directions to see what happens. The guy is known for doing the best whole hog in the US. I’ve never used or cooked with MSG before and I know there’s some negative beliefs about it but I also don’t plan on cooking a whole pig very often and that is also the reason im doing a test cook. In the book Rodney devotes 3 pages to the discussion on MSG, I read it and decided I’d try it but I pretty much try everything at least once in my life...we’ll see how it goes As for sleep issues, it’s currently 1:30am PST and here I am on the couch writing you.....

Let me be the first if I am to say congrats to you Forrest, a beautiful child. Blessings and best wishes to you and your family.

Soooo. I have learned a lot today. We also had a lot of fun. Had friends arrive at 15 minute intervals to have a drink, make up their sandwich and go, making way for the next couple. Seven different couples were seen. Hurrah. What did I learn? Trying to pull the sternum together with thread didn’t work for long. The stitches burst and the stuffing came out. Luckily it just landed in the tray beneath and cooked off very nicely indeed. Next time I might stuff a bit of foil in at the top to keep the stuffing in the lower section which wasn’t quite so hard to keep shut. The pig shrank during the cook and started to twist within the cradle. I should have tightened up the prongs when that started to happen. If you want a pretty looking presentation pig then cook it on the main grate or maybe on the spit rod. The prongs on the cradle do bite into the meat. Don’t be disappointed if the skin doesn’t seem to be crisp when you take it out. The skin crisped up while it was resting, strangely. I also learned that rotisserie piglet is INSANELY DELICIOUS. Kidney stuffing was loved by all, salsa verde and a celeriac and apple salad and soaking your bread in the pan from under the meat was all that we needed. Unpretty pictures, very very tasty food.

...made it as far as my house. I’ve looked at previous KK whole pig cooks and I see that most people cook them on the main grate. This little piggy fits nicely on the 32. However, I would like an all round crispy skin and so am planning to try the rotisserie cradle. It fits nicely. Planning to cook this pig tomorrow. It’s a discounted present from the farm that I have been buying from and sharing with friends all through lockdown. Planning to have friends come and pick up a pig sandwich tomorrow afternoon when it is ready. Two by two so we do not violate the Rule of Six in the garden. I used the eat my books website to find out which of my cookery books have suckling pig recipes and now have the fun of choosing one. Wish me luck!

I committed to make babyback ribs for my wife’s book club’s lunch, so I was up at (arrrggghh) 6 AM to get the 32” KK up to temp and have the ribs done around 12 or so. In the past I have used the 2/1/1 method, cooking at 225* to 235*, usually using Dizzy Pig’s Dizzy Dust for a rub. I usually put the rub on the night before or at least a full hour before cooking, to let the meat “ dry marinate”. This time I resolved to use Cookstons’ rub and sauce, and selectively borrow some of her method. Melissa, by the way, won Memphis in May with her ribs 2 years in a row, and I have watched her on some of the bbq competition shows and the woman knows how to cook. Cookston does her ribs at 225, but uses 2 hours free/2hours wrapped and then unwrapped “ until tender”, 30 minutes or so, basted with sauce. She uses grape juice for the spritzing and wrap, and cooks meat-side down for the wrap. I had resolved to cook at 250* to make sure I could get the meat done and tender in around 4 hours, so now I just had to do that and keep it from drying out. So having the meat side down in the wrap made a lot of sense to me in terms of assuring a good moist, not dried out, rib. I did that, but I use apple juice ( grape doesn’t seem right.) it also makes sense to me that using a light mustard slather before the rub (see photo) would be a good idea, so I did that. Melissa’s rub is ground much finer than Dizzy Pig and draws the moisture out much faster. You could go 30 minutes before cooking with this. The smell and flavor profiles are very different. I was out of apple wood so I used plum and pecan. I stayed with the 2/1/1 method but applied a thin layer of Cookston’s bbq sauce about 20 minutes before finishing. I usually serve my ribs “ dry” with sauce on the side, but this time I thought I’d go wet. After I applied her sauce, which is quite dark, almost black, and I smelled it and it was very strongly of Worcestershire and something else.. star anise?- and I did not like that so I used my own sauce for a final coat and also served some on the side, warmed. so in the photo below, you see the ribs slathered, then with rub, on the smoker at a halfway point, just before the wrap, then brushed with Cookston’s sauce on the grill, and finally finished with my sauce. I am pleased to report that the ribs had nice moisture, and were perfectly tender with good tooth and nice smoke. I like Dizzy Pig better than Cookston’s rub, and do not like her sauce at all, but that may be a notion of personal preference. I have to remember to restock apple wood....

@Syzygies @tekobo I’m simply trying the recipe from the person who’s most well known for smoking hogs and I’m gonna report back on my thoughts after I eat it. @Syzygies maybe you should let the James Beard foundation know that Rodney Scott is a cheater 😀 https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/food-drink/article210780499.html

Looks and sounds delicious.

GrillnBrew: Fun to track it, even if it doesn’t get here any faster. We’re getting the terra blue; what color is yours? If it’s autumn gold, wanna swap??

Yup. For example, Japanese Kombu seaweed. I love a good Pinot Noir wine, and I understand there's alcohol in there. Still, I avoided parties in college where they poured grain alcohol into punch. MSG is cheating. Just because everything is sex doesn't mean you can't include a bit of romance.

Definitely a major upgrade. Mrs skreef is really into all this so I have to give the Mrs what she wants after putting up with me Really sucks about the brand new tire. Local tire shop will have me fixed up later today. A little screw will not stop this show.

...!! That is a rather significant upgrade!

You just didn't know it. It's naturally occurring in a lot of foods, like mushrooms, aged parmesan cheese and soy sauce - can you say "umami?"

I know you don't actually think I sold all my grills. Only two grills left on the porch that is. 16" Komodo Kamado, Primo Oval Jr, LG Konro, and special side burner setup have all been cleaned up and are in storage in a spare room in the house. What's left on the porch is my 19" Komodo Kamado and my Blackstone Pro series griddle. Let's not forget my picnic table with a large rectangular hole in the middle where the Konro use to reside - LOL I guess this is a testament of what grills I use the most.

Looks pretty tasty!

I understand the feeling. I just bought my 2nd Big Green Egg and I still have my KK stuck on the Cali coast do to the container getting flagged for a physical search who knows when I will get it... I’m keeping my eggs and my KK will be my main work horse. I have to sell my Kamado Joe due to space, just listed it: https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/63618491 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@tekobo I’m doing a test cook tomorrow with pork butt. I went out and bought some MSG today per Rodneys recipe and I decided to also inject the pork shoulder but realized I had no apple juice at home after I just went to the the grocery store, the butcher and a Asian market to score the MSG. So I improvised and used beer and apple cider vinegar. Will be putting the pork shoulder on tonight hopefully if I don’t fall asleep to early. I plan to test the hog seasoning as well as Rodneys BBQ sauce on this pork shoulder then assuming everything works I’ll do the pig on Memorial Day when all my crew are fully vaccinated and able to come over. I’m sure I’ll mess up but we’ll learn together here. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for this board and group that welcomed me in. You all helped me survive 2020 for the record pool season opened today at my house. @MacKenzieif you get too cold you should hop on a flight to San Diego and come teach me how to cook on my KK in person!

That's the only way to find out, try it.

That pizza looks GREAT!

Ha! The cheeks on this little piggy were sooo tiny. As for the brains? Don't weird me out. I love eating giant land snails from Africa because I had them when I was growing up but can't cope with brains or sweetbreads or squirrels for that matter. I am planning a post on @Syzygies' and my hero, Mr Fergus Henderson, but I have to admit that there are some bridges I have not managed to cross yet. If only! All that preparation and I couldn't work out that I needed to clamp the piggy more tightly as it cooked? Really??? I did have some butcher's twine but it wouldn't go in the eye of the needle. I am not sure that was necessarily the solution. I had to pull the flaps of the chest tight and I think there is a direct conflict between cooking your piggy until it is nice and soft and trying to tie it tight under pressure. I'd be interested to find out what others have done or what competition bbq folk do if they indeed try to stuff their piggies. Tee hee. You are silly. I didn't need Mark to tell me that this was a joke. Hey Troble, we are super grateful to you here too. Do you know how many families and friends have been made happy with chicken shawarma and tacos al pastor across the world? Awesome job. Looking at the photos from the cookbook that you posted I am thinking about how to cook a pig flat on a KK. That would be the ultimate crispy skin experience I think. It reminded me of pig that I saw in a kitchen in Sao Paolo and I just went back to find the photo (aren't searches amazing these days? less than a minute to find all photos from Brazil and show me the ones from Sao Paolo). I always wondered how good that pig would have tasted when it was ready to eat. Have fun with your cook and we look forward to following your journey.

Wow some awesome cooks everyone .I have a picanha sprinkled with sea salt and purple crack on the go. Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

You did an outstanding job although I think you'd trigger a great many tofu toting vegans and PETA types if you ventured near Instagram with some of those pictures. You might find that the pig was not the only thing with a fire lit beneath it! Approaching ambitious cooks with expensive, high quality ingredients adds some pressure not to mess it up and that's been my justification for having the cookbook collection I have - you get a sense of direction if you have several recipes from reputable sources to compare. I think you take the same approach with your research and prep and it's a proven formula. You know I posted my pint/chips interpretation of the COVID regulations in the UK? I don't quite know how to go from pint and a sausage roll to full pig. I'm a way off from a vaccine sadly. Current estimates are around July. The enjoyment of food shared with those who appreciate it is genuine reward for the effort. I second your sentiment. In the words of Dick King Smith (the film Babe was based on his book) although I may be misremembering the quote 'That pig'll do, that'll do' 😄

Thank you all for being so kind with your comments, particularly when the results were not the sort you would choose to post on Instagram let alone on a forum such as ours with people who are obsessively good at cooking. The arrangements were complicated by the COVID restrictions and we managed the risks carefully. All bar one couple had had their first vaccines and the young couple who hadn’t had taken a lateral flow test. We had one couple stay with us for the whole time for 2.5 hours while others cycled around us, building their own sandwiches to go. Two couples ended up together in another garden eating their share while another were able to dash back to customers in their shop with their bounty to eat when they had a lull. One couple were late for their slot, arriving after everyone had gone and didn’t leave until I threw them out at 2200, having sat around the Solo stove for hours. What none of the pictures can convey is how much joy and pleasure one little piggy can deliver. I get a rush from hushed wow’s and the quiet that descends when people are eating and loving their food. I wasn’t sure about putting the pig’s kidneys in the stuffing but the sweet soft onions and the herbs and spices turned that stuffing into a thing of wonder. Only one person didn’t have some and that was on account of the bread crumbs and his being a coeliac. Here is to life and the great love that friends bring.

At the end of the day - it's the taste that you remember, not how it looked. So, what lucky bastard got the cheeks? Did anyone try the brains? If you still have them, mix them in some scrambled eggs for breakfast in the morning on toast!

Took advantage of the nice day. Prime Filet marinated in the Shio Koji with lots of fresh cracked black pepper and minced garlic. Dusted with Gunpowder before going on the KK - lower grate, 350F, post oak & mesquite wood chunks. Roasted potatoes with Peruvian Green Crack Sauce, chimichurri for the steak and sautéed zucchini & mushrooms with a hit of Chili Crisp.

To be fair, if I was doing it, I'd be re-enacting a scene from ER which would annoy the hell out of my wife. Better than Lord of the Flies though!

I lay in bed for half an hour this morning, trying to decide on how to proceed. Would I be more likely to get crispy skin on the spit rod than in the cradle? If I was to use the spit rod then I could use the double drip pan under the pig, no problem but that would change how I configure the fire basket. Decisions, decisions. I got up and I decided. As you will see in the photo below, I used the divider that comes with the 32 on the left and I added in the divider from my 23 on the right. Coconut shell briquettes in the middle to make sure that I had enough fuel for the whole cook. Afterwards I piled some charcoal on top for a bit of a smoke flavour. Next I tried different configurations of grates and roti cradle and decided to use the half grate that comes with the 32, with its foil wrapped Dennis tray on top to catch the pig juices. The main rationale for this configuration is to avoid having fat dripping directly on the coals during the cook. I may go for a high heat spin without the tray at the end, just to add extra colour and crispness if needed. I went and rescued the pig from it's undignified slumber in the dry ager. This is why I need a larger dry ager like @Basher's. I took @Braai-Q's advice and took the cloth wrap and label off before preparing the pig for its final journey. It came with its kidneys and I had a couple of pig's kidney's in the freezer. I made up some stuffing, loosely following Fergus' recipe and adding a bit of fennel and Panko breadcrumbs to long sweated onions, chopped pig's kidneys, pig mince, sage and garlic. The sweated onions had to come to a marmalade like consistency according to him. Next I raided The Husband's tool room for the upholstery needles and tools that he put aside for butchery. I wished I had watched more closely when I saw people sewing up pigs on telly. In the end I used a tool, that I think is called an awl, puncture holes in the skin so that I could pull the needle through. Had to resort to a curved needle when trying to pull the sternum tight. This is where it started to get real. Pleased that I decided on the cradle. Nothing like locking your pig in with a few turns of an Allen key to make you feel on top of the world. The piggy wasn't spinning as smoothly as it should so I swapped the motor out for a stronger one. We also switched it on and off to get it to rotate clockwise, reducing the chances of the end fitting rotating outwards and locking the spit in place. Here is the piggy, one hour into the cook. Temp 150C. Looking good.

@tekobo I think the chances of crispy skin will be hampered by the label and sleeve that the pig was supplied in. I think you might need to remove these elements first... Never let it be said that you don't go the whole hog! Ok. I'll stop. A couple of the books I've got start with 'Once you've finished digging the pit and have the banana leaves in place....' so I've always been put off the scale of the endeavour. Plus the fact that there are just two of us and a lack of socialisation is limiting the larger scale cooks we'd do. Outstanding suppliers of pork in Suffolk and when you do the next, let me know and I'll give you some names.

Here’s photos from Rodneys book on whole hog this is southern BBQ style. Rodney was featured on Netflix chefs table BBQ and has won James Beard award

This is my little sukling pig, traditional sardinian recipe: only salt and myrtle leaves

WOW! All I can say. I seriously can't wait to see the pictures of this little piggy taking a spin around the KK. Just about nothing better than crispy pig skin!

HURRAY! Fingers crossed, I'm scheduled for my 2nd shot on Monday afternoon.

The 16 just wasn't getting used very often. The porch was very crowded. Now I have space to breath.

Since it's "not on the porch," I assume that you didn't count the wood-fired pizza oven in this accounting of grills?