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Took delivery of my 32” Big Bad earlier last week (which I have nicknamed “The Cookie’n Monster” after the blue Sesame Street character), got it up into its new home on my porch yesterday, and it’s being christened as we speak with a rack of St. Louis cut ribs. This is my first post, but I lurked here for a couple of years leading up to my purchase. This forum is a fantastic resource and I’m glad to be part of it. I’m mostly preaching to the choir, but for those folks who are still considering the purchase, it is everything people say it is and more. Truly the best of the best, and a purchase for my lifetime and beyond. TNSmoker

Suya Pepper porkchops. Direct, main grate, 325F, apple wood chunks. Plated with polenta with parm & chives, green beans and a nice rose.

We started the day with Eggs Benedict (non-KK) and Mimosas, after which I decided to cook some baby back ribs for dinner. Usually I marinate the ribs overnight in Wicker's Marinade, but as this was a late decision, I used Gate's Hot & Spicy dry rub with a duck fat binder. I smoked the ribs (and later, beans) at 225°F for 5 1/2 hours (no wrap), with the temp rising to 247° at the last 30 minutes. It was a windy day and I opened the dome several times at the end adding the beans, probing the ribs for temp, etc. so had some temperature rise at the end. Also had the last of the farmers' market tomatoes and cole slaw, accompanied by a 2010 DuMOL Ryan Pinot Noir. Finished (after a bit of a rest) with still warm cherry pie made by Jackie. All in all, a pretty good day. Lewis Hamilton won his 100th F1 race in the morning, so yay! The Chiefs beat themselves with four turnovers against the Chargers in the afternoon, so boo! However, the food was good, the wine was superior, and the day was beautiful.

Wow! What gorgeous food. Mouthwateringly good. Happy birthday @Troble and @jonj!

I decided to smoke some baby back ribs yesterday and took the opportunity to try out the Billows Battery Bank. I didn't need the Billows fan or Signals control for temperature maintenance on the KK23 for this cook, but tried it out just to see how it worked. The battery pack came fully charged, with all four led charge indicators fully illuminated. My Signals unit hadn't been used for a few months so its charge level was undetermined. Hookup of the system was simple, substituting the battery pack for the wall wart power adapter on the cable. I had already had the KK heat sunk and at the 225°F temperature when I decided to try the new device, so the fan didn't have much to do initially. The battery pack has an on/off button on the top which allows the unit to discharge power to the fan (which I missed for a few seconds after hooking everything up - once pushed, the fan started right up). The ribs were a 5 1/2 hour cook to temperature and the Signals unit also was fully charged by the battery pack during the cook. All four charge leds were still illuminated after the cook so the unit didn't discharge much during the process. I don't know about the full capacity of the battery pack, said to be able to run the fan for 24 hours in the product information, but from this brief cook I have no reason to doubt it at this point. (sharp observers will note the KK temperature has crept up to 247° versus the 225° set temp. It was a windy day and even with the dampers shut down, the fire gained a few degrees at the tail end of the cook. No harm, no foul.)

First attempt at beef-ribs here tonight (or any type of ribs ever actually...) 6.5hrs, 275F a la Franklin, debuted the KK hot/cold smoker with some mesquite. Served with potato salad, cos, and Franklin's espresso BBQ sauce. Another win for the KK- no surprises there.

Someone cancelled their order so I purchased their 32" that was already on it's way to California. The previous buyer changed his mind again and decided he wanted the 32" after all. So now I'm back to square one. If there's any good news to this is that I can pick tiles or pebbles and the color I want now. The bad news is that instead of getting in at the end of October, it'll be closer to New Years Day.

Simple cedar planked salmon on a Caesar with some crunchy bread and wine.

Excellent. I did feel sad for you when I saw that your Chiefs had lost. That said, it was a good game to watch if you were a neutral-ish observer like me. Loving that birthday meal.

Cavedweller while waiting for your plug, roll up some paper tight and plug the holes with this. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I try to hold them at least 6 hours before service. It does make a difference.

Those are the plugs you're looking for - the first really popular cabled remote probe-type thermometer was made by Polder so it used to be used as a generic name for that type of thermometer. Those plugs will fit the KK port that's leaking smoke in your pics.

https://komodokamado.com/collections/21-supreme-spare-parts/products/polder-tube-silicone-plugs-6pcs

It's been done, but as Robert says, you need to discuss it with Dennis to see if he can make it work.

I’ve inquired about it, and I believe Dennis is willing, but the size of the tiles is a factor also. Call Dennis, I think that’s your best option. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Some Spatchcocked BBQ chicken, roasted carrots, Kamado-San rice. KK ran this cook at 450, smoking plum wood in my KK external smoking unit. I’m really starting to believe that hot and fast is the best way to go with super efficient Kamado style cookers. You avoid incomplete combustion and dirty smoke profiles. Really starting to love the KK external smoke unit! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For those who are not aware of the sheer size of a BB32, it is plenty of room to spatchcock a bird. even a 25 pound one 😁 Nothing fancy, just a little rub and cooked for 2 hours and 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Just another steak night but this time it was a Solo campfire cook. My first one of the year.

Just another steak night. Prime grade ribeye cap marinated in Shio Koji & Sureshot Sid's gunpowder (my go-to!), lower grate, direct, 400F, mesquite chunks. Twice baked spud with cheddar cheese, sautéed shrooms with the smoked wagyu beef tallow, simple salad & crusty bread. Decent TJ red.

Another fun mashup dinner - Japanese pork tacos! The marinade was a new one to me - yakiniku. I liked it. Various recipes and pre-made ones out there. Mine was a mix of these 2 recipes: Yakiniku Sauce Recipe | Yummly Homemade Yakiniku Sauce Recipe - WITH VIDEO - PepperScale Marinated pork tenderloin, grilled direct, 325F, with apple wood chunks. Glazed for the last 10 minutes with more sauce. Tacos with Granny Smith apple & celery slaw with chopped fresh mint and cilantro (dressing of mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, blood orange olive oil, sugar, togarashi, shiso pepper and kosher salt. The top sauce is sriracha mayo. I will make this again!!

Which one? Had octopus twice yesterday once for lunch and again for one of the dinner dishes. They were both great. I love grilled octopus