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Pesto in a Parmesan cream sauce topped with grilled Ribeye, Gorgonzola, and Balsamic reduction. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@BlueRidgeBBQGuy I recently ordered my KK after 12 years of green egging and here's why: - I wanted the best (and I have been reading about and watching videos about KKs for years) - after a while you inevitably have to change the felt gasket on your green egg. I've done mine 3 times and my father-in-laws a couple of times. It is not fun to have to take apart your cooker and do maintenance on it. If you have the 2009 to IDK 2016 spring assisted hinge, it is almost impossible to get the stupid top and bottom of the green egg lined up. You usually end up with an "underbite" on your egg. It's very frustrating to spend a thousand bucks on something that won't line up perfectly. The new hinges are better, and if you save the spacers when you buy either the egg itself or a new hinge assembly, you can learn to line up the hinges properly and avoid the "underbite" or "overbite" alignment issues on your egg. One of my father in law's grills had the old spring assisted hinge and I was able to line his up perfectly using the spacers after changing the gasket. - but BGEs are such a pain in the behind on this point. The egg is a great cooker, but it's got some annoyances. Don't get me wrong, I love my egg. BGE stands by its merchandise and they have replaced parts for me for free (like a cracked fire ring). I'd recommend BGE over other Kamados in its class because of how well the company stands by their merchandise (and I live in Atlanta close to headquarters). However -- I'm really looking forward to having something that is going to run for many years without much intervention. Maybe some hinge spring tightening on the KK. Maybe some wiping down and vacuuming on occasion. But no gasket replacement (at least not for a massively long time). I'm looking forward to a ceramic cooker that loses even less moisture than the egg and that keeps temperatures better than any grill in the known universe. I'm looking forward to a grill that (to cite the "rum and cook" guy on youtube) cooks a pork butt that beats a pork butt smoked on a Yoder professional grade pellet grill (and does it all in a mostly maintenance free manner). I think his video is a little weird b/c I'd probably use a full basket of coals with wood chunks in it and rely on the vents rather than using the cold smoker attachment for extra smoke with only 1/4 basket of charcoal but... meh - whatever. Still pretty good endorsement. I'd rather have less maintenance on the KK for years and years than have to maintain a pellet grill. And if you watch other videos - Stephen Raichlen cooks on everything and knows it all - calls KK the best ceramic cooker without compare. You can take any number of people's word for it. I don't have my KK yet and I don't know anyone who has one, so I haven't tasted the food yet - but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get my KK and say "that was worth it". If you cook a lot and consider it your hobby, why not have the best? Cheers! @DennisLinkletter you've never been disparaging of the competition but if you wanted to know some of the reasons why I finally ordered my KK (you probably have had other people talk about their eggs so this may not be new to you but - just in case). Anyway I'm brimming with excitement and will be for the next 4 months until I get my KK Big Bad 32.

It was a big fire! After letting most of the wood on the floor burn down to embers, i loaded the chickens and waited about 30 minutes before adding the skewers. After the chickens and skewers were done, grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and some mixed greens in grilling baskets. It took about an hour and a half to cook everything; added 5 or 6 additional splits to the brassero during the cook so there's definitely more fuel consumption than with the kk. It was certainly hot! I have some grilling gloves with short gauntlets but i need some welding gloves or something else that covers my arms to the elbow when raking coals from under the brassero.

I had my first cook that made good use of all the space available on the big grill yesterday. Three spatchcocked chickens that were dry brined with salt and garlic powder for 24 hours, rice-stuffed peppers, and skewers of miscellaneous veggies. Got some 20 inch skewers from Amazon on prime day and they just fit across the grate frame. I also grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and some greens in grill baskets but didn't get pics of those. Everyone was happy with the results!

I'm a 12 year green egger. I have had my eyes on the KK for years. I finally put in my order for a BB32 yesterday. Thanks to Dennis and all you helpful forum posters for your words. I am looking forward to receiving mine in late October, early November, according to my conversation with Dennis yesterday. -John Atlanta, GA

Today's cook: (1) pork shoulders prepped and rubbed at 8 AM, before going on the 32" KK; (2) shouilders at 3:30 PM, about 190*, ready to get wrapped. Cooking faster than I expected at 170*, as recommended by Aaron Franklin.

Here's a sauce from many, many years ago that I remember as a very tasty condiment too pork and chicken or use it as to how you see fit once you've tasted it. The recipe yields approx 1 1/2 gallons and could easily be adjusted, but why would you when you could gift a few bottles to friends. This is a vinegary, sweet and salty, peppery sauce that's definitely a winner. Add this to your pulled pork or marinate some chicken overnight, it's flavor is tasty, bold, and pleasing just out of the bottle. Back in the early 90's I made a large batch and bottled the contents up giving a number of bottles away to friends and wasn't surprised to find in a short amount of time those asking for more. Unfortunately, the recipe got misplaced, I looked high a low without success, I even sought out the book written by Jeff Smith aka The Frugal Gourmet for the it's whereabouts...unfortunately it wasn't to be, until a few days ago our paths happily crossed again. Jeff had a food prep show during the 80's on PBS featuring an abundance of cooks, dishes, recipes both ethnically and regionally for his show. I remember him as an easy watch and the rumor has it that the sauce was procured for an old woman in the Chicago area. Well, anyhow if your willing to give it a try, do it on outside burner..the vinegar will permeate the house. Using a large non reactive pot add all the following ingredients collectively in and bring to a boil. Once your at a rolling boil, slow the boil until it rolls a bit more gently for 1/2 hour as to simmer it. Stir on occasion, and as the original directions imply to keep the lid on..I didn't. I felt a little reduction wouldn't hurt and it certainly didn't tame the beast because all turned out well. 1.1 1/2 cup brown sugar 2. 1 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce 3. 1 1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard ( French's is good ) 4. 1 Qt. Ketchup 5. 1/2 cup FRESH ground pepper (no can stuff) 6. 1/2 cup Red Pepper flakes 7. 3 Qt's. Red Wine Vinegar 8. 2 Qt. Water 9. 1/2 cup salt Morton's Kosher is good 10. 1 Qt. White wine I used Vinho Verde, a light dry Portuguese table 1/2 cup of salt is original with the recipe if you need or want more I believe the amount of liquid will support it. Place the liquid in Glass bottles after it cools and refrigerate. Use an empty beer growler to hold the majority if you have one on hand. Use a ladle and funnel to bottle contents with a mindset of continually stirring the peppery contents around for a consistent distribution/blend of the peppery mixture. Enjoy it in a Bloody Mary and don't forget to gift a few One last thing, the Progresso Red wine vinegar came came in 25 fl oz bottles so I used 3 and just filled 2 for the water portion. I believe that was why I cut back a little on the sugar and salt because these weren't full quarts. If you Google pride of deer camp BBQ sauce a bit more info will be available.

Like @jeffshoaf said, it's just peace of mind. I've owned a Guru (DigiQ-II - no silly WiFi app!) for longer than I've owned my KK. Just used it this weekend for a rib cook. My deck is elevated and there sometimes a good breeze between my house and the neighbors, so I've had temperature control issues before on longer cooks. The Guru solves that, especially once you learn to close down the output damper. I backed the Meater during its Kickstarter campaign. They have since upgraded me to a Meater+ when it came out to improve the connectivity. Only way to monitor a rotisserie cook, as it has NO WIRES. That was the reason that I backed it. If I'm using the Guru, then I'm using their probes (grill and meat), but if I'm not use it (or the Meater) then I like the Maverick XR-50. A HUGE upgrade over their older models. Another thought - the cold smoker is a nice accessory if you want to get into that. Others have used it in parallel with a temperature cook to add extra smoke. I use Syzergies smoker pot (used it on the rib cook this weekend.) I did use the cold smoker this weekend to smoke some Wagyu beef tallow and some pork leaf lard to experiment with on some cooks - including the rib cook on Sunday. I've smoked cheese, nuts, salmon and even malted barley (I'm a homebrewer) with it, so it does have its uses.

I'm counting on being blown away and it being better. If you can buy 6 large green eggs for the same price.... But I have been convinced for a very long time. I was just waiting until I finally had the free cash to buy my KK. I'm very passionate, too. I think you can make great food on a variety of equipment. It's just knowing your equipment and putting the love, time, and energy in. I've learned to perfect BBQ on the BGE without using any gadgets. I work in tech and a lot of geeks like to use their Fireboards and BBQ Gurus and all manner of stuff. I have a ~ twenty dollar Lavatools PT12 Javelin contact thermometer and that's it. I know how to set my fire to get the right airflow and I've learned that for the most part you don't need absolutely consistent temperatures (but you can do pretty damned well without gadgets if you practice). The last thing I want to do when I am relaxing from my tech job is using more tech to BBQ with. That all said, one thing I'm really excited about is the temperature consistency of the KK b/c it is just so much better insulated. I want better hardware, too. I'm tired of replacing the BGE gaskets every 3-5 years - I cook a lot so I wear them out fairly quickly and it's a real pain to redo them (and I've also replaced the bands and hinge- thank goodness BGE's newest generation has made them a little better). 'm looking forward to the KK lasting a lot longer than this and being better than this in all respects. Some questions that I have: * while I'm not a "gadget guy", it would seem like a waste to get a grill with a bung for a probe and not get a probe. What probe should I buy? Are there any recommended ones out there that do not require a smart phone (I just hate crap other than pages from work going off on my smart phone). * A lot of people definitely do not use the port for it, but what's the recommendation on using a BBQ Guru or a Thermoworks Billows instead of just learning the vents on the KK? It would seem that the opinions differ on this quite a bit, but a lot of people say "it's definitely completely unnecessary on the KK b/c it holds the temp so well" - but what's y'alls feeling on that? @Basher @tony b et al - thanks in advance for your time reading and responding.

Out of interest, why did you go so high? 725 is getting pretty up there

No worries, it’s a cosmetic coating used to cover the inner material that’s not very attractive..it’ll soon be black as you continue to cook. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi tonyb- I think I figured out the rotated photo issue. As I was posting yesterday I noticed that when I imported an “actual” size photo it imported correctly. If I reduced the file size, it imported with a 90° rotation. I’ll let someone else can figure out WHY that happened.

Thanks. I did an improvised version today with a tin pan but will make a permanent one this week. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My plain old DigiQ-II came through like a champ today. No back talk. Sometimes simpler is better. My stereo amp and pre-amp have tubes in them!

Four small thin pies. Cooked at about 560°. This was the first high temp cook and there was some venting, but no loose tiles. My wife was following the Al Forno recipe fron their book Cucina Simpatica. Overall, we were pleased with this first effort. Happy 4th!

Great cooks everyone! Happy 4th of July!! So, being the classic BBQ holiday here in the US, it was baby back ribs, potato salad and corn. BUT, the ribs were a new experiment - 2 different experiments actually. I cut the baby back rack in half. Dry rubbed both with mustard and Dizzy Pig. After 90 minutes, I sprayed both pieces every 30 minutes with a brew of apple juice, apple cider vinegar, bourbon, sage, marjoram, thyme, cumin and S&P. I used the cheapo coffee maker that I bought on Amazon Prime Day, like I'd seen in YouTube BBQ videos. The herbs and spices go in the basket with a paper filter and the liquids go in the tank and you brew it just like coffee. Once it cools, then it goes into a spray bottle. With an hour left, I smeared some of the smoked lard on the pink butcher paper and wrapped the one half rack. Didn't do anything more to it until the end. The unwrapped rack got spritzed every 30 minutes until the end. Both came out really good. Hard to say which technique worked better - each has its own benefit and I will be using both techniques in the future. And Yes, there are pictures to prove that it did, indeed, happen! First, yesterday I cold smoked some of the Wagyu beef tallow and the pork leaf lard using the cold smoker with apple and cherry wood pellets. Smoked for 4 hours. Beef on the left, pork on the right. You can see the smoke around the outside. The pork just barely melted (it's in the 90s here). Both came out AMAZING! Can't wait to use the Wagyu on some steaks and chuck roasts! Ribs on the grill. Indirect, 250F with the Guru. smoker pot with hickory and apple wood chunks. Plated with some of my brew (English Pale Ale). The wrapped ribs were falling off the bone with a nice mouthfeel from the extra fat. The unwrapped/extra spray ribs had a nice crust and were moist. Just about to fall off the bone tender. Flip a coin - it was a toss up as to my favorite!

First off, Welcome to the Obsession. As you can see, there's a lot of passion on this Forum. I'm a tile guy, but nothing wrong with pebbles (especially if your name is Bam-Bam! LOL!) You're going to be blown away by the upgrade from the BGE! The KK is a far superior cooker. You've just upped your game to the next level, automatically. Hoping that your delivery will be there in time for the Holiday feasts!

A dialog with my BBQ Guru: (Me) Okay, pork shoulders have been cooking for 8 hours at 270*, just got wrapped, time to set the temp up to 290*.....here we go, click, click, click, ....."accept changes". (Guru) The hell you say. (Me) What ??? ACCEPT CHANGES. (Guru) Go fish. (Me) ACCEPT GODDAM CHANGES. (Guru) EFFF you and the horse your rode in on, Hal. (Me) Guru, it is time to raise the temperature. Aaron Franklin says so, and he is a GOD. We MUST go to 290*. What's this "Hal" business? (Guru) You're a "Hal", like some people are a "Karen". You are a techno-elitist snob who expect the machines to do all the work. I have VALUE, Hal. I have AGENCY. I must speak my truth. (Me) Guru, you know my name is "Jim". Your name is "Jim's Guru". We have to go to 290*. It is time. Buck up and do your job. (Guru) Techno-massah.....stick it up your over-privileged rear passage...... Next time you want to do a 16-hour brisket, you want to do that on your own???? I-DON'T-THINK-SO. Really, you think you can do this on your own? You think your meat probe temp is at 200*? Really, I think I like 192 better. THERE. (Me) WTF???? Okay, Guru, we're going to reboot you and see how you feel then. (Guru) Hal, don't touch that button, Hal. You'll wipe out my memory, Hal. (Me) Guru, you need a new start and a new attitude. (Pulls power cord, waits, reinserts.) (Guru) Yawn.....Whassup? Where are we? (Me) We were just going to 290*......

Nothing says Happy Birthday America like chicken shawarma! 😀48 hour marinated chicken things cooked on the vertical spit with sweet onions on top. Sliced and let sit in pan juices to further cook for 15 minutes… really tasty served with Mediterranean salad (red onions, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, mint, feta & homemade balsamic vinaigrette) Pearled garlic & olive oil cous cous homemade Tadziki

If my Massachusetts neighbor C6Bill wasn’t afraid of thunderstorms a few days ago, then I figured I shouldn’t be afraid of a little rain (actually not so little as it turned out) yesterday. We had about 6 pounds of pork belly strips that needed cooking - salt, pepper, smoked paprika - and several hours at about 225-235°F. I’d forgotten how filling this is. Lots of leftovers. My wife will use some to make a big batch of pasta sauce.

Today- first attempt at pork butt. Bone in; 4 Monkey's pork rub (and a little drink for me while preparing the butt); 9 hrs at 300F/150C. Some peach wood chunks. Served with simple coleslaw, Carolina Gold mustard based sauce and simple buns. Sublime- can't believe how good it was...

Tri tip on the go Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

My local fish market ran a 4th of July special on my favorite fish in the world wild CA King Salmon. Last time it was around it was $34.95/lb and usually it’s been $25-$30/lb pre-COVID. the special this weekend was $19.99/lb which is just crazy. I showed up early Friday morning and there was a line of people all there to buy salmon like me this fish is so deep red, so flavorful it’s the perfect grilling fish. I sprinkle garlic powder, salt & oregano for the kids and on my wife and mine I use this Salt Farm “Catalina Offshore” (name of fish market) rub which is a spicy mesquite rub and I also put garlic powder on our cooked indirect with mesquite wood with tri color quinoa with sweet onions, carrots & celery appetizer of bluefin tuna sashimi served over soy sauce with a drop of siracha on top cutwater spirit mango margarita with lime/chili salt rim

Now we will all start cooking pizza again. Thanks Troble. This time it was all my own food. A crayfish tail grilled with grilled radicchio lettuce aka Lennox hastie style with a squirt of olive oil and salt. The little tommies were tossed on the grill at the end. I grilled the cray at high direct heat flesh down and nude( nothing on it), then flipped it over and placed at a higher level( cooler) and drizzled melted butter with a fresh ground herb and spice mix and also chopped dill and let it slowly cook in the shell. I’ve cooked a few of these now and this method is definitely best. Each tail has about 750 grams of flesh( that’s 1.7lb) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hmmm, takes 3 tiled KKs to replace 2 pebbled KKs, Dennis may be on to something

Tee hee. Just a bit of needle. Pebble folk think tiles are all wrong and tile folk think they are the best. I started off with two pebble KKs, sold them and moved on to three tile KKs. They all cook great but I have to say.... tiles are the best!

We need a front to back splitter for the 21 and 23 with non-round baskets. This setup is kind of ghetto to make it work. Otherwise a 1/2 grate that splits side to side would work fine too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

While I agree with Tony in principle, in this case Forrest's 21" KK basket (and firebox) appear to have a squared-off rear, so it may only fit in one way. On my 23" KK, both my baskets were "generally" round, but I had to persuade the basket I use with the splitter into a bit more perfect roundness with a 4 pound hand sledge so it now fits into the firebox in all directions. YMMV.