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Scored a nice tomahawk the other day Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Once I got my email it was maybe a week later I heard from the transporter to arrange drop off. Mine went from Cali to Indianapolis. It’s a fun process! You’re going to love it! Trying the rotisserie this weekend, and I’ll make a video of that too of course. Had a great conversation with Dennis this weekend and now reworking a couple of videos based on the latest information from him. Upcoming videos: - Venting explained (new, updated info) - My venting burn in - First 2 chicken rotis cook

Funny you should say that. We used clarified butter for all our "butter" frying needs, including in our air fryer. The Husband is usually in charge of making it and he buys a stack of butter from our local catering supplier. Last time he went, he decided to save himself effort and bought some pre made ghee instead. I was a little snooty at first but I have to admit that I cannot tell the difference when compared to the clarified butter he used to make. Good tip re using ghee to baste grilling food. My decision to make the pilgrimage to the restaurant Ynyshir, in Wales, was based almost entirely on seeing chef Gareth soaking his skewers in liquid butter before grilling. What could be better? Yes they are and I have taken one for Team UK and have ordered some stuff to try.

i am not sure @Basher and that is partly because all the flavours were relatively new to me. The leaves smell like a slightly anisey bay leaf to me. I have a massive bag of the stuff and will be trying with other recipes. The black bean paste included a whizzed up avocado leaf. This recipe came from the Tacos - Recipes and Provocations book that I like so much. It was for lamb barbacoa and was very similar to other marinades for lamb barbacoa that I found online. Ancho, guajillo and chipotle morita heated, soaked and then whizzed up with pan roasted garlic cloves and powdered mix of cloves, cumin seeds, canela, black peppercorns and oregano. I have some extra adobo in the fridge and will be looking for other ways to use it ver soon.

This advice is optimized for tandoori cooking, which is a reason by itself to buy a KK. The Skewer Hack vertical rack recommended by tony b arrived, and it is a true 0.25" so the Trompo King Four Spike System fits like they were designed to go together. To be clear, I am most excited about this rig for cooking tandoori in the KK. I can see a whole chicken working on the center spike other ways such as Jamaican jerk. We're likely to try Al Pastor a few times, though we love Carnitas. At the moment, cooking tandoori is something I want to do every chance I can. As various of us have discovered, Ranjit Rai's Tandoor- The Great Indian Barbecue is the definitive tandoor cookbook, written for an Indian audience rather than dumbing down for a western electric oven. It is expensive but worth it, particularly if one has an obsession with whole spices. I will soon start a thread dedicated to this book. The paella pan shown is 38cm, which is 15" rim to rim. The Trompo King drip pan is only 13" wide. Without other heat shielding such as the KK double bottom drip pan, that's not wide enough to protect the outsides of a cook from burning. I believe that the Trompo King Four Spike System was designed after the fact. Carbon steel paella pans are less expensive than enamel or stainless steel. If money doesn't matter, buy stainless. If one sees grace in saving money, buy carbon steel and accept that in this application the drip pan is going to develop character. One can find many 38cm paella pans on Amazon. I give an alternate source. Trompo King - Four Spike System - Smokeware Amazon.com - Skewer Hack Removable Vertical Rack for Home Cooking Tacos Al Pastor, Shawarma, Kebab, Brazilian Churrasco, Doner, Gyros - All Stainless Steel Durable - Easy to Use for the Oven, Barbecue Grill or BBQ - Garden & Outdoor 15" Carbon Steel Paella Pan (38 cm) | La Paella Tandoor- The Great Indian Barbecue- Rai, Ranjit

Received my shipping emails this morning, so my BB 32 is finally on the road! Have not called the shipping company yet to see what my ETA is, but I may be cooking by Memorial Day! I will have the delivery person put the grill in my garage, then I will need to figure out how to best get the grill into my backyard. My front yard is levelish, but there is a slope into the backyard and through a gate. I'm thinking either use the plywood leapfrog method and roll it on the casters, and maybe tie a strap to the grill to help ease it down the hill. Other option is to rent a pallet jack and do the same thing while the grill is still on the base of the crate, which would eliminate any stress on the casters. I will need to measure the base of the crate to make sure it will fit through my gate before I decide on that route. Either way, expect more questions and some pictures in the next week or so.

Emails received at 5:30 this morning!

The wait is almost over! I got my three emails last night and I have an ETA of the 26th of this month for arrival at the local depot. HOPEFULLY I'll have mine by next Friday if there are no delays and they can deliver promptly.

Those are interesting links. And having settled on a solution never stops me from trying alternatives. One of our favorite aspects of tandoor cooking is basting with ghee. (Another signature use is twice-cooked potatoes; sous vide chunks from a cold start at 185 F = 85 C for nearly two hours, chill and air dry, then fry aggressively till well browned in the amount of ghee one wants to eat. Salt. We actually ordered a white Dutch oven for our Vermicular Musui Kamado as a visual aid to making ghee; I'll bring the original Dutch oven to my New York apartment for a second setup.) Our tandoori requirements are being able to leave the food in a fixed position which will cook evenly without one side burning getting serious "taste of the fire" not tainted by fats burning in the fire being able to baste easily on all sides with ghee, without having to move the food being able to remove the cook for careful Thermapen temperature testing, then return it to the fire if needed. Five vertical skewers well protected by an easily removed heat deflector / drip pan of sufficient diameter seems to me to be the ideal solution. The engineer in me is synthesizing and testing by experiment what I've learned from others on this forum. I'd be eager to try a better solution but it absolutely has to pass my set of requirements.

@Syzygies: And this is why I stress keeping the bean-molasses mixture to a simmer or below.

Is it strange that I am still tracking that ship even though my Komodo is off loaded and on it's way to me lol

For me, the killer ingredient for baked beans is molasses.

I got mine too !!!!

Emails received!

I have been watching and wondering with this thread. Why is @Syzygies so excited about a weird prongy attachment to the Trompo King? Can't he just cook tandoori on his KK grates like everyone else? There must be a reason.... I looked around the KK forum and found lots of fun stuff about clay pots that you could put into your KK, to slap naan on the outside and cook your skewers on the inside. Hmm. Interesting so far. By coincidence I received a £15 off code from Aktar at Home. I applied that to one of the tandoori BBQ boxes for delivery mid June. Enough time to find a solution to this tandoori cooking conundrum. This post from @_Ed_ had a reassuringly simple solution - skewers direct into the belly of the KK. I wandered off to find good quality long skewers and found this UK tandoor site and their interesting prongy solutions. Seems like @S is onto something with the prongs. https://tandoor-adventures.uk/collections/accessories-for-tandoor-and-bbq?page=1 And then a random search for tandoori skewers came up with this interesting contraption: https://www.souschef.co.uk/products/thuros-t1-stainless-steel-bbq-skewer-attachment?variant=31473519362106&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7pKFBhDUARIsAFUoMDaZWjmoclweHuL8ClyFDf2LnXY6wSNBhOY-RoyfUJ0oXlCIZDZHf6oaAug2EALw_wcB Could work well, close to the fire in a KK. All good fun. Opinions on all of the above and other stuff welcome!

received email today with delivery instructions. my KK was picked up by freight company yesterday. WOO HOO.

I love watching the Taco Chronicles on Netflix. The tacos that everyone seems to like best always have the word "fat" used liberally in their description. I sit there, salivating, as the folk stuff tortilla, meat and all those exotic toppings into their mouths. The Husband and I have a fantasy post-COVID trip planned in our heads. We will eat tacos until we burst. Until then, I have to make do with what I can make at home. Yesterday was our freedom to have six friends in the house at last day. We did. Started the day putting this dish in the KK. Mostly lamb belly strips on the bone, marinated overnight in adobo sauce. The sequence is hopefully self explanatory. Avocado leaves lined the bottom and the top of the dish and it cooked for about 12 hours at about 140C. I pulled the bones out with a pair of forks and our guests pulled the wonderfully soft meat out of the greasy swamp with tongs. I also cooked buttermilk marinated lambs kidneys and lamb neck fillet - first indirect and then I abused them on the direct side. First outing for homemade masa tortillas. A great success. I didn't have time to document it properly for @Syzygies' nixtamalisation thread but I shall do so when I try it again. Suffice to say that 500g of corn, with a bit of dry masa harina added to the masa, made more than enough tortillas for the six of us. Here was the production line. And to finish it off? No pretty taco shots. This taco with a smear of black bean paste, sitting on my greasy plate says it all. My Texan girlfriend was one of the guests and she would have wept with joy if she wasn't so busy eating instead.

They say that to this day in that area on a hot summer day you can still smell the molasses that soaked into the bricks and cobblestones.

No stranger than me looking at the KK website every day even though I already bought one. I'm ready to stare out the window at my grill on the patio.

Hi @Troble. It appears avocado leaves are used in the southern states of Mexico and that they are leaves of the Mexican avocado. The version that you have in the US may be toxic. See this article for some interesting information. http://flavorsofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/02/avocado-leaves-secret-mexican.html

Good point, i was so excited about getting my shipping information I didn't check that first lol

I already see you listed as an Owner.. I don't think you need to contact her otherwise since you already have access

I can't wait for those videos! I'll be watching the venting videos closely.. especially with it having new updated info from Dennis. Sounds like they should time up perfectly for when I get mine

Received my emails early this morning, need to call the shipping company to see what my ETA is. Might be cooking by Memorial Day!

@tekobo great work. I have to say though I have never heard of avocado leaves being used for flavoring, I’m going to crack a few leaves open and smell them, we always recycle the avocado leaves into mulch for the trees as avocado trees really love their own leaves especially when they are younger and developing roots, but in a few years I will have more excess avocado leaves than one knows what to do with. If they can be used for cooking I’m all for it but as mentioned I’ve never heard of them imparting any flavor into food

Has anyone else received their emails yet?

@tekobo nice work. Looks legit to me. How did you make the adobo sauce?

@jonj thanks. I’ve never made baked beans but thought that some combination of onions, bacon and Worcester would work. Your description works for me perfectly and I was wondering if getting dry beans and doing it the day before was worth it. Thanks for answering that. I’m gonna make these next weekend with my pig

Did I say one needs a grate? One doesn't need a grate! (I've come to my senses.)

Tekobo that looks delish. What flavour do you think the avocado leaves imparted? I tasted some lamb ribs at this relatively new restaurant in Brisbane. https://agnesrestaurant.com.au/eat/ they were so good. Steamed in a light vinegar then sugared and finished over fire on the grill- that’s what my taste buds said. I’ll be trying it soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Troble, my BBQ bean recipe is not very sophisticated and I pretty much make it up as I go each time. The basic components begin with canned pork and beans, with the “pork” and liquid removed, then rinsed. This is just to get basic cooked beans for the dish – I have made them in the past starting with dried beans and cooking the day before, but found it not to be worth the effort. I sauté bacon (or pancetta), chopped onion and minced garlic (to taste), then add the beans, some of the same kind of marinade I’ve used on the meat (about 1/3 cup or if I have just used a rub instead, a healthy sprinkle of it), some molasses (about 1/3 cup), a dash of Worchester sauce, and some of the BBQ sauce I plan to serve with the meat (about 1/3 cup). All this is basically to taste. I sometimes added some cayenne or crushed red pepper if I think the meal will need some spice. This typically results in a pretty loose mixture, which I heat on the stove to just a simmer, then transfer to my bean smoking pan and place in the smoker for 30 -45 minutes (depending upon the smoker temperature) to gain some smoke flavor and thicken to the right consistency. If left in the smoker too long, the beans will dry out. When the meat comes off the smoker, I carve off some of the edge meat with bark and add to the beans. That’s it.

I'd planned this cook for Sunday, but it rained 4.25" so it was postponed to today. Two slabs of baby back ribs and a pork loin, marinated in Wicker's for 36 hours, smoked at 225°-245° with hickory chunks, no wrap. With BBQ beans, grilled corn and a 2011 Merry Edwards Meredith Estate Pinot Noir.

Plenty of shots of meat coming out of KK's that look like purple lipstick smoke rings.. Look at Tony's post recently.. And this ColmenaBBQ on Insta.

Farmer's sausage for dinner, tasty and easy especially when the sides are already done.

@DennisLinkletter

We've been buried since last June.. Please excuse my not spending much time here. Sai wanted some Pastrami so I grabbed two brined brisket pieces from the freezer. I have a German butcher here who sells pastrami and I've talked him into selling me uncooked ones.. uncooked piggy bellies for bacon and shoulders for ham too. I soaked them in fresh water a half hour to reduce saltiness.. hit with pepper again.. Some coffee smoke at 235º no wrap because I fell asleep.. pulled at 205º the thin flat with little fat was typically a bit drier than it would have been wrapped but the thicker piece as you can see is heavenly.. I love when meat gets this oyster shell look.. Yes it tastes as good as it looks..

The shipping companies won't let me ship any charcoal from Indonesia because they consider it semi hazardous cargo. At some point a bean counter decided that if ships were over X full they didn't want to take semi hazardous cargo. All ships are full and they won't take any.. That being said, I'm working with a company in another country that can still ship on one line.. Keep your fingers crossed.

@Forrest - I just did a chuck roast (similar to cooking brisket, just smaller) and had a nice smoke ring. I'd suggest a stronger smoking wood for brisket - I use a combo of post oak and mesquite in the smoker pot. If you have any of Dennis' coffee wood chunks, toss one of those in the mix, too. Upfront confession - these pics are from a previous chuck roast cook. I had a dinner guest for this last one and didn't want to mess around with "food porn."

I had intended to sous vide this steak but then I thought I should do something I haven't done in a very long time - a reverse sear steak. The greens and radish are from my cold frame. The moisture was dripping from the radish it was so fresh.

To celebrate "Mask Liberation Day" (my name for the 1st day after CDC drops almost all mask wearing requirements!) - what else? Steak night! Prime grade NY Strip, direct, lower grate, mesquite chunks, dome at 400F. Plated with sautéed shrooms, roasted Yukon gold spuds w/green crack sauce and a nice salad with blue cheese dressing! And a decent bottle of red to go with it!

Pulled it after 20 hours when it was probing like butter 205-208 in the flat. Planning on a 5 hour rest. DBD pan got me a whole bowl full of tallow, the most underrated KK accessory imho.

Smack that all on the floor, smack that... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’s about to go down.

Chicken thigh dinner-

Road kill yum Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

I have been wanting a donair for some time now and today was the day. Did the donair meat 2 days ago, the pita bread yesterday and the sauce today. The build- One last thing, some Silk Chili.

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....