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Showing content with the highest reputation on 07/20/2018 in all areas

  1. I had an 8 lb Boston butt that I’d rubbed the night before and it was time to see what I could do. I had a “false start”. Let me explain. After the initial lighting and closing the lid the grate temp peaked at 120f and then slowly dropped to 115. I was puzzled and opened the lid, removed the grates, the diffuser, and charcoal basket to discover the fire had gone out because I had failed to remove a piece of plastic film directly below the firebox which was blocking the lower air intake. My friends were unimpressed with my fire building skills lol. I restarted the fire around 9:30 pm, got the temp up to 235F and cooked that butt over night and got the IT up to 203F around 11:30 am the next morning. I wrapped it in foil and put it in a cooler for another 2 hours til my friends could come back for their sandwich rewards. The guys WERE impressed with the lunch, which included some pickled red onions, homemade North Carolina pig pickin sauce and (optional) KC style sauce and some homemade Asian slaw. All in all, a fantastic start to a future of fun and delicious BBQ’n!
    4 points
  2. Knowing I’d be leaving on Saturday July 7 for vacation at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland, I was very happy to get my delivery on Thursday July 5th, just in time to uncrate and set up my new pride and joy. I didn’t realize just how big it really was and how much 500+ lbs was to handle until actually doing it. Fortunately for me Dennis was quick to point out the leapfrog plywood method to roll the grill across my lawn and having read others’ descriptions of the whole uncrating and setup process on the forum, it was accomplished in relatively short order thanks to the help of 3 friends.
    3 points
  3. Was looking for a quick and tasty dinner so thawed out some previously KK cooked meatballs. Then pre-cooked the mushrooms, add some cherry tomatoes and fresh from the garden spinach. Started my fire with just 3 small pieces of hardwood and a little softwood. One thing for sure that SoloStove gets a good fire going quickly. Once that was going I moved the burning wood to the Konro and added the leftover coffee lump from Wed's cook. We were off to the races. The pot lid in the background fits my stove. Ready to grill. Added some Green Pepper Monterrey Jack cheese to the mushrooms. Plated. I liked the crunch on the meatballs. Tasty.
    2 points
  4. @tekobo - Here's Meathead's take on the subject: https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/grill-and-smoker-setup-and-firing/how-control-temperature-indirect Note that he refers to the two zones as "convection" and "radiant" heat zones. In reality both forms of heat transfer are present throughout. What he really means is that on the indirect side, convective heat transfer dominates over radiant, while the opposite is true on the direct side. Getting the radiant below a threshold is what my post above was all about. To your point, what you suggested should work fine. I still want to do the test with the XR50.
    2 points
  5. My question to @Pequod was really about wanting to understand the definition of "true" two zone cooking. In practice, that is pretty irrelevant and I think I have learned something useful from this thread - thanks @Scott.W for starting it off Dennis' illustration showed the difference between indirect and direct cooking. Pequod's description of how he uses his 23" reflected mine i.e. cook on indirect side on the main grate and then switch down to the lower or sear grate for the direct cook. He also talked about increasing the temp when he came to do the sear. I generally just keep the same med-high temp through out. Now I think I am going to try something different. Use the lower grate throughout. Cook on indirect side at medium temp and then crank up the heat and move the meat to the direct side. No hassle and, for the level of accuracy/finesse that I need, I think it should work.
    2 points
  6. Rubbing alcohol it is we get taxed to the max on percentage down here .I'm going to drink it Outback kamado Bar and Grill
    2 points
  7. I'm going to have to disagree with ya here my friend.. Craig aka Meathead at AmazingRibs.com once said only the Primo could create two zones.. I made up this little video to demonstrate how the clearly the two zones were created in a 23" KK. Probably should of cranked it up a bit but it definitely shows TWO ZONES
    2 points
  8. Thanks @Pequod, I can feel something pushing me towards the smoker. Not bad if it is the only thing I missed off my original order but now want. Oh yeah, and a 22" table top and/or a 42", just for the hell of it. Waiting for that lottery win. The goat that comes with the 42" will come in handy. Lovely looking brisket @sfdrew28. How much did it weigh? I think it was you who was puzzled by how fast my briskets cook. I assume it is must be because my briskets are smaller but I don't know by how much. I have loved my good brisket cooks but I suspect that those of you who can buy larger (and grain fed?) briskets get a different taste experience.
    2 points
  9. Okay all...I started the cook at 9:30 pm and it took off the Wagyu brisket at 2:30pm so a 17 hour cook. The temp held most of the night. I did have to add a bit of lump around noon for the final stretch. The pellets seemed to work real well although they did go out towards the end of their burn. Excellent bark and very juicy point. I chopped up the flat for sandwiches and stuff in the future. Flat was on the tinfoil. Overall, extremely pleased with cook. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    2 points
  10. What??? When did I miss this? Or am I just getting old and senile?? I didn't know you had a Konro. By the looks of it it's a fairly new acquisition? Anyway awesome meal.
    1 point
  11. Ah...the joy and wonder of true two-zone grilling on display. Didn't even use the basket splitter. Just piled the lump to the side, letting distance squared do it’s thing. Simmered the brats in beer on the indirect side, then onto the direct sear with some corn. All done with the flick of a wrist and some tongs. Brats are done! Back to the indirect side to stay warm whilst the corn cooks direct for awhile longer. No grates were moved. Just some more magic with tongs.
    1 point
  12. Another great plate. Can’t wait to get my Konro. Although, since my wife likes fondue so much, I’m thinking the Konro is for her. Yeah...that’s it...can't wait to give her the Konro!
    1 point
  13. Guys Y’all are all a wealth of info Thank y’all! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  14. I think this horse is dead, we can stop kicking it now - LOL!!
    1 point
  15. Very nice demo but when you look at the 23 if we split it in half its 11.5 inches where as the 32 is 16 split in half and of course the 42 is bigger with that being said if i split my grill which is the 23 i really dont have a lot of room to have a hot side and cool side when i had my large bge you could do the same thing split the grill but it never felt like being 2 zones unless i blocked the one half with a half moon stone very much like kjs divide and conquer system but even then there wasnt much of a cool side .. i know you hate this comparison but the primo being the shape it is gives more of a 2 zone then the kamados your 32 and now 42 are elongated just like primo i know you cant compare kk with primo but what i am saying is the footprint so help me understand i get that you can split the grill on the 23 but to me the 32 and 42 or more truer 2 zone to me in my opinion
    1 point
  16. Aussie, you say you won a free trip to China, all expenses paid.
    1 point
  17. At the risk of wading into an engineering discussion with a liberal arts degree, it seems to me one of the benefits of the 32 is the split grate configuration. I think it would be nice to have the availability of a split / half grate (either the main, mid or both) accessory for the 23.
    1 point
  18. The prize for winning the Guru Italian challenge was a set of Grill Grates. Me and Brad (from Grill Grates) came up with a good configuration. They are sectional so they can fit my 16" main grate or any of my 19" grates. I won't post the full review I did but I really like this after market set of grates. Allows for direct heat grilling while keeping most of the drippings from going down into the KK. They also come with a kewl grate tool that allows you to get up under your food and lift it straight up to flip. (perfect system for whole fish cooks) Anyway here are my initial cooks using the Grill Grates. Really small leg quarters (it's what I had). Burgers using the grate tool. The back 2 are feta burgers. Whole fish. This system with the grate tool worked really well for flipping the fish without tearing up the skin. Lastly a few chicken legs on the 16" Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
    1 point
  19. 91% clear rubbing alcohol. But just go raid your liquor cabinet. Technically anything over 100 proof will light but grab some 151 or higher for better results.
    1 point
  20. I bought the biggest single outlet pump from Fluval. About $25 USD. There are lot of smaller/cheaper pumps on the market.
    1 point
  21. Yes that should work. You can't see them in the picture but there should be two connections on the back side that look like the connection on the right side. The valves control the air going out the back side connections. I believe Dennis is currently supplying a pump but not sure if it's compatible with your electricity. If you have to buy a pump get a decent sized one outlet pump.
    1 point
  22. These scams get better by the day and pray on the vunerable .there is one going on in Australia that targets Chinese people saying they owe money and can get deported if they don't act now I got a phone call the other day an auto bot in Chinese and hit record on my phone played it back to a chinese lady at work and she just laughed apparently I owe the Chinese government heaps and my visa will be cut off and I will be deported back to China if I don't pay now lol Outback kamado Bar and Grill
    1 point
  23. Looks great. Great cook up. Thanks for sharing. You kinda forget how clean the insides are when new hahaha Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    1 point
  24. I’ll get a little technical for a moment, but I know @tony b is a recovering engineer, so let’s roll with some Engineering approximations and others feel free to ignore. (Once an engineer, always an engineer!). Radiation decays with distance squared. So, in a Weber, where the distance from the coals on the direct side is, say 6”, and distance on the indirect side is say, an average of 18”, the radiative heat transfer rate is nearly 10 times less on the indirect side vs the direct. Do the same math for the grates of a 23”, where the main is about 18” from the fire, the middle grate is about 12”, and the sear grate is 6”. For the main grate, the distance to the fire is about 18” on the direct side, and (doing a little Pythagorean thing), about 22” to the middle of the indirect side. Repeat this for each grate. Here are the results: Main grate: Radiative heat transfer on the indirect side is about 2/3 that on the direct side Mid grate: indirect side is about 1/2 that of direct Sear grate: indirect is 1/5 of direct Comparison between main grate indirect and sear grate direct: about 1/13 of direct I’ll skip directly to the results for the 32: Main grate: indirect side is 1/2 of direct Mid grate: indirect side is 1/3 of direct Sear grate: indirect side is 1/8 of direct Another data point comparing indirect side main grate to direct side sear grate (I.e., the 32’s two-zone configuration): 1/16 of direct Last, take a closer look at Dennis’ video. First, that’s the mid grate of a 23. Per calcs above, radiative heat transfer on indirect side is about 1/2 the direct side. Notice something else? The paper is browning fastest from conductive heat transfer via the grate itself, not radiative, which is why we go to the direct side (unless using conduction via a steel of CI to sear). What does all of this mean? The definition of “two-zone” is somewhat subjective, but it starts with a differential in radiative heat transfer between two sides of a grill. Let’s say the magic ratio of indirect:direct is 1:10. The Weber achieves this. A high (indirect)/low (direct) 23 and 32 both do this. The difference, then, is in the convenience and grilling area for the indirect and direct sides. For the 23, you have to remove the food and the main grate to get to the sear grate. For the 32, you simply flip from the main half-grate to the sear grate without moving anything. For a Weber, same thing...flip to the direct side or use the cold grill technique. A concluding comment: in my subjective opinion, the reason I say the 32 is a true two zone grill and the 23 isn’t comes down to convenience for two zone grilling. With the 32, I can complete a two-zone cook without ever moving any grates and without ever worrying about having enough room. The 32 is a two-zone machine.
    1 point
  25. Funny, but they sent me some of the sugar coated fennel seeds too! Must be their version of a "lagniappe." My Nigerian Maggi cubes came yesterday, so now I'm set to whip up the next incarnation of my suya rub recipe and see if the 2-3 changes I have planned will find that magic sweet spot (Je ne sais quoi?")
    1 point
  26. Duroc's are one of the "normal" breeds around here. I look for either Berkshire or Red Wattle. The other heritage breeds are Mulefoot and Black Swabian, but both are very hard to find retail, as most of it goes to high end restaurants.
    1 point
  27. Interesting. I'll amend my statement to: The 32 and 42 have two BIG zones. Big enough for a goat. A good, and not so hard to do experiment, would be to put a 23, 32, and 42 in split (50/50) basket configuration and place a grate level probe at the midway point of each half on the main grate. Dial in so that the indirect side is the same on each -- say 250F. What is the reading of the direct side probe? Or flip it around -- dial in 450 on the direct side of each; what is the reading on the indirect side? My intuition says the temperature differential between direct and indirect sides is greatest with the 42, then 32, then 23, but by how much? With my Maverick XR50, I could get readings at four points on the main grate of my 23 and 32, but somebody would have to send me a 42 to measure that.
    1 point
  28. The brisket weighed 15 pounds before trimming so about 12-13 at cook time. I found soaking the smoker in brewers wash overnight worked the best. Effortlessly cleaned the next day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  29. In a 19" (most people have bigger KK's) a smoke pot doesn't work really well. I bought a nice small 1.5 qt CI pot and drilled my holes. The problem in a 19" table top is not really enough space in the fire basket to accommodate the small smoke pot. It worked really well one time. The next two times it didn't and so I gave up on it. I didn't preheat the CI ahead of time and that probably would have helped. The only real pain with the smoker is cleaning it. There are numerous products that help. ZEP 505 cuts rights through the build up and one day I'll order some brewers wash. Dealing with the air pump is about as much effort as dealing with the rotisserie motor and both are just not an issue. One day I'll have them both cranked up and do a smoked rotisserie cook.
    1 point
  30. What amazes me is that people fall for those scams. Greed gets the better of them I guess...
    1 point
  31. Picked up my Konro today and just had to do my Suya cook as the first cook. Yesterday I broke up some of Dennis' coffee and coco lump. This is just a sample of what I did. The 3 cookers. I happen to have some very well dried softwood and hardwood to start my fire. In the bottom of the SoloStove I put some of the softwood and a couple of pieces of hardwood, set that burning then added some coffee wood for this cook. I actually took some of it out before lighting and it worked just fine. Once the coffee wood was going I moved it to the Konro. A little air from the blower and the fire was good to go. Prepared some beef tenderloin for this Suya cook and let it marinate for a few hours prior to lighting the fire. Plated. Yum, almost on the edge of mouth over-burn for me. Perfect. Next might be chicken. The coals were still going after this cook so I used tongs and put them back into the SoloStove inside the KK and shout the KK down.
    1 point
  32. I had some posts on hot smoking with this thing when it first came out. Not gonna look them up and force them on you, but summarizing key points: Both give you clean smoke. Temp range: smoke pot is at its best from 225-275F. Cold smoker has no limits. Smoke intensity: cold smoker is controllable throughout the cook. Smoke pot is set, forget, and accept what it gives you. Smoke duration: Unlimited with cold smoker because you can refill anytime. About 4 hours with the smoke pot. Ease of use: Smoke pot is dead simple. Cold smoker requires power, tubes, attachments, etc. (but worth the minimal hassle). Both have their place, but the cold smoker is super versatile.
    1 point
  33. We are having the best summer ever here. I learned about square foot gardening from @MacKenzie just before I took over a new plot at our allotment. It has been great. The best bit is succession planting so you have just the amount you want rather than a massive glut. The only problem is that the summer squashes didn't get the memo. We have a LOT of squash at the moment. Here is a grill full of home grown produce: \ The revelation of the evening was the peas in their purple pods on the top left. Pick them up and chew/suck the peas out of the pods like edamame peas. Delicious! Kept the veg warm while I cooked the marinaded octopus. My mother had never heard of people eating octopus. She asked if I was really talking about the things with eight legs. I was. And here they are plated. Had another. And another.
    1 point
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