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Been pretty slow around here which is understandable given the weather in the US. My family got COVID, 4 year old brought it home from school but we’re back on the mend and I did one of my regular cooks. Grilled chicken breast cooked indirect 350 with mesquite wood. Rubbed with Chicken Shit rub. im always amazed at how great chicken breast comes out on the KK. I always “overcook” it an extra 10-15 minutes vs what I used to do on a gas grill and the KK chicken breast always comes out super juicy and moist. Mix that chicken with some Caesar salad mix from trade joes. Toast some pita and combine east l, healthy meal save extra chicken breast for use tomorrow I know you all have been cold, we hit 39 this morning but then leveled out at 78 for most of the day. High 70s/low 80s on tap for rest of the week

Congratulations! Lovely, cheerful cobalt blue. Shame you went for pebbles but you are forgiven.

Just think how cold your beer would be if the wind chill was 10 below zero 🥶

I set up my kk 42 SBB with a full firebox. Wood chunks in the bottom, charcoal on top. Foil over the bottom grate (except edges). 2 drip pans underneath. So I had both foil and pans as deflector. I started out by lighting the left side of the firebox with the thermoworks billows on the right side. The grill was a perfect 225 both at grate and dome. Brisket is pictured here both raw and just before wrapping in butcher paper. I had a lot going on yesterday so I didn’t take pictures of the briskets wrapped, being unwrapped, or after slicing but, basically, this was a perfect cook. The brisket was great. Briskets went on at 4am. Wrapped at 1245pm. Raised kk temp to 255 after wrapping. Briskets came off at about 445pm. Dinner at 630. Pretty much perfect timing. The picture of the empty grill and bottom grate is to show that the charcoal burned just like I hoped it would, perfectly from left to right. I grilled some veggies on the right side before dinner. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I didn't take photos because it was one delivery dude and me hauling stuff. It came in two crates because the lid was in its own crate. The dude unbolted one crate while I undid the other. This was done so he could help me put the lid on. He was a real big help so I greased his palm generously. Well...I had to...he didn't have change for a dollar. Anyway, he leaves happy and now I get to put everything together, which I love to do. New style basket splitter, new style rotisserie basket...all good surprises today. Two boxes of coffee char thrown in for the fun of it. The build quality can't be beat and I look forward to "burning it in" tomorrow. If any of you fret about rolling the smoker off the pallet...don't. This is my second one but it was just as easy as the first one. The pallet is CLEARLY marked with a sticker at the bottom that essentially says "roll the sucker off on this side." See? You can't mess up. There are two bolts by each leg at the bottom that you remove first thing. Then you lift the crate off. Super easy. And last but not least, the top of the pallet is the ramp you use to roll the smoker off the pallet. Aunt Bee could do it. As most people already know, Dennis is a top notch guy to deal with. He'll do anything within reason to keep a customer happy. Dennis never gets tired of talking to potential buyers or owner that don't understand something. If any of you are on the fence about buying one of these cookers, you can't really imagine how over-engineered and heavy duty every part of this smoker is. Spend the money, cry once and then you'll have something to give the grandkids one day. They're probably spoiled brats anyway. Some of these photos are grates and heat deflectors in a cabinet I have in my shop. The dog is more spoiled than the grandkids.

Good to hear that you are on the mend. Getting a bout of COVID seems to be inevitable these days, particularly with small people around!

That food looks great but think of all the free exercise you are missing out on with no snow to shovel ☹️

That's my greatest fear about this virus - losing smell/taste. I'd be devastated. Lucky that when I tested poz back in October, I was totally asymptomatic. But, I'm not taking crazy chances with Omicron.

@tekobo the worst part was losing my sense of taste, thankfully it seems to be coming back as I can finally taste my coffee this morning

Troble, you should be here we've had over 100cm in the last 3 weeks. That white stuff sure freshens things up. Those dark winter days become so much brighter and working out in that cool fresh air feels sooo gooood.

I agree with that. I'll start taking photos from this point on. I was busy "learning the pit" in the cooking process. It's rock steady and I have no worries about it.

I agree with you Tyrus. I've loved this stuff for years. But you'd probably be gun shy too if you're ready to put meat on the pit and you think there's an intruder smoking a cigar at your place. I willing to bet that I would never get another bad bag of this stuff if I lived to be 100.

@C6Billi did a couple of hours of garden work yesterday. Fertilizing, worm castings, compost, weed pulling. Picked some oranges. Also enjoyed a cold beer after being in the sun. Wouldn’t trade it.

Meat you can eat, well deserved, very nice. Snow is beginning to suck, but if you look closely and monitor the change you'll notice the days are getting longer. Over the hump and riding the slope. Better days on the menu.

I’ve cleared way too much snow over the past week so I decided to make myself a nice dinner today. Reverse sear on a 38 ounce cowboy ribeye from SRF and tater tot’s

Thanks johnny. Tony, 26 wind chill is cold in Louisiana...especially in the south. But I froze for a good cause. The KK is now officially "vented" and it'll be ready to cook some kind of animal tomorrow. The new "tool-less" rotisserie cradle is very nice. The whole thing is very impressive. And using it today made me remember something MacKenzie said a few times. Pebbles rule. I know I won't get any lip on that either. I'm really excited about cooking something tomorrow and Sunday. After moving everything and putting the lid on I told the delivery dude that I was feeling it in my back. He must have thought I was a delivery person or an 18 wheeler driver because it sounded like he called me an old trucker. My hearing ain't too good either.

That's not a dog, that's a horse! 😆 Unfortunately, big dogs like that don't live very long. 😢

In the last couple months I have been trying different techniques, sous-vide and reverse sear with a special emphasis on getting a good sear. The above advice seems to tack with what I have been seeing. At first, I was trying to get as hot a coal as I can, compliments of a hair dryer. This is how i stumbled on blowing the ash off before searing. Hotter isn't better though. I have found that the pit of coals should be of a natural disposition, which is to say at a natural equilibrium without the use of a fan, unless you plan on using the fan throughout the entire sear process, which creates an artificial equilibrium. It wasnt necessarily the blackness that was offputting about such a high heat (say 700-900f), or even the burnt pepper or garlic taste. I believe that supercharging the charcoal out of equilibrium causes it to burn less efficient and give a nasty smoke flavor. Which has become a rule: when using forced air, allow the coals to settle back down to equilibrium before using. As for the sear itself, I have found that letting the coals settle down, a quick blow with the hairdryer from below and above, and 5 minutes to stabilize at a temperature of 450-550 on my dome works best. I also use a kamado joe mini grate to sit down on top of the coals, giving an extra half inch or so of clearance from the coals. From there, I just turn when appropriate until seared to my liking. I have found getting off the coals a touch allows for no grit from the ash, and less "heat suckout" from the meat using conduction to steal heat and turn charcoal from red to black. I'm satisfied with my progress so far, but have advance plans to perfect the sear that improves on moisture wicking for more browning and searing. (hint: less charcoal, more airflow, artificial equilibrium, faster and better moisture wicking from surface of meat, less drippage and flairup, more brown, less black)

Well I am sure that 9 out of 10 members in a Facebook group would not actually own a KK but would be happy to tell us how to use it correctly and why their $30 Walmart grill is much better lol

After college and starting my business, I'm finally at a point in life to invest in a grill. I've used a gas grill for the past year. Not any gas grill but a Holland Grill. It has served me well but I need something with a bit more versatility for my family. I've considered a pellet grill but quickly dismissed it. I wanted something without electronics, augers, motors, etc. I need stuff that reduce stress in my life not add to it. Considered the Komodo Joe and others but weaned something large enough to accommodate our family but also for holidays and parties. I wanted a grill large enough to cook meats and sides simultaneously. After endless amounts of research, reading forums, and watching YouTube videos I've decided on the 32" Big Bad. I ordered it in the Cobalt Blue square tiles but wish I would've went with the pebble. Oh, well. I'll like it no matter the tile shape I'm excited to begin my journey of cooking with a KK. I have a lot to learn and hopefully plenty of time left on this planet to do so 😎 Grill is expected to ship in the next few weeks and hopefully make it to WI by early February.