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Hello All my name is Troy and I’m in the process of getting a 32 KK cobalt blue pebble....I’m originally born and raised in San Diego and lived here my whole life except for the one year in 2007 where I sold all my possessions and traveled around the world by myself and found much inspiration from the food and culture I experienced on my trip my parents lived in the house I grew up in for 40 years and my wife and I moved into it 5 years ago. Being in San Diego I’m very lucky to have incredible weather, produce and seafood and I cook outside at least 4-5x/week. We have a natural gas fire magic grill that we inherited along with a killer double side burner that I use for wok cooking my wife’s favorite Peruvian recipes (she’s from Peru). I also purchased a 22.5 WSM about two years I ago and I’ve mastered brisket cooking on that thing and I mostly make brisket, pork butt, whole roasted chickens (with Peruvian green sauce), baby back ribs, whole turkey, and I’ve messed around with a few tri tips. But my wife says I’m obsessed with my cooking.....reading this forum for the last 4 days it looks like I might’ve found the right group to hang out with We recently contracted with a landscape designer who should be submitting our design for review around New Years and we’re doing a massive backyard remodel to help unlock the potential of our backyard. this deadline has forced me to make a decision on my smoker and while I was originally thinking I wanted to get a lone star grill so I could do true Texas BBQ with real wood I decided on the KK because it’s the best and because of the versatility. I already cook so many different types of food and I really want to make pizza with my 4 & 2 year old girls as they grow up. Heres a quick rundown of what I’ll be cooking Brisket, ribs, chicken, pizza, bread, corn bread, buttermilk biscuits, Moroccan clay pot, gyro and my “holy grail” adobada tacos (I saw how you guys have been doing gyros meat and I think I could do the same thing with pork shoulder/adobada rub. I tried it once in my WSM and it looked good tasted good, people loved it but it wasn’t authentic to me.....I was toying around with getting a true Trompo on my gas grill to do Adobada/gyro but I think this can be accomplished with a KK/diffuser I have a few questions.... 1. I never cooked seafood in my WSM because I didn’t want to have my meat taste like fish. I’d like to cook whole fish on my KK and I cook salmon weekly on my gas grill with a plank. Is there any concern with cooking seafood in the KK and having the fish stench cross contaminate? 2. Is the rotisserie that comes with the KK sufficient if I want to roast pork shoulder adobada style? Or do I need an Octofork? How would one go about getting a diffuser to fit my 32? 3. What other accessories are “must have”? I’m gonna get the cold smoker...do you need an extra charcoal basket? What it used for? I’m also leaning towards getting the basket splitter/reducer 4. I think I’ll need to invest in some cast iron pots for the KK I can see myself cooking risottos, chili and chicken soup low and slow on that thing is there a preferred brand of cast iron? 5. Where does one find the yakitori grill or the thing basket that could hold a whole fish? I want to cook whole fish as well as grill octopus on the KK 6. I’m planning on constructing a small gas grill with fridge and side burner for quick cooking if needed I’m sure I’ll use the KK 80% of the tine but sometimes I need to grill up some chicken real quick for quesadillas for my kids and like I said I have been using my gas grill for my salmon in the past. Is is sacrilegious you have a gas grill with my KK? My KK won’t be in the US till February and my backyard won’t be done till May so I got lots of time to research but any ideas on how to integrate this thing into a backyard would be appreciated. When it’s all said it done it’s gonna be great. My parents were there 40 years and I plan to be there 40 years with my KK so we’re doing it right. anything I’m forgetting? I’m really excited to be part of this community, you guys seem to really take care of each other and are passionate about your cooking Troy

Finished early today .so prepped some nice pork ribs .was still 38c but no fire ban .....And plated.. Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

I had an outdoor kitchen built and I am not kidding I wish I didn’t have my gas grill. I use the Evo for breakfast and Komodo every weekend. No regrets whatsoever! Worth every penny in fact my wife’s cousin who bought my old KJ is considering switching! I haven’t quite nailed down my pizza yet. I think I have to heat soak the stone some more. Suggestions? Oh yea the power burner is for brewing beer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't stop building the arsenal. In the beginning I thought the 23 would do me fine until I wanted to do larger pieces of meat, such as a the whole pig and entertain larger groups. That's when the stick burner came into play and it sits in the yard with 3 Kamados. The management of fire in a stick burner is a challenge, it requires one to maintain a constant temp by adjusting vents and adding fuel on a continuous basis. For precise temps and guaranteed dependability you bought the right tool and you can sit back in your chair and let your gadgets and attachments bring you to perfect cooks. Sometime I like a change, I credit this like most here to the desire and drive towards that holy grail, the satisfaction you receive with the end result and how you got there. The pursuit of happiness maybe, because you realize that you only get one ticket in life, so it's best to surround yourself with the toys you like. Think of it as broadening the horizon and you just made the big leap...the only downside is, you gotta wait 2-3 months. Congratulations

Thanks @Paul If I had to make the decision today I’m going no grill w/extra storage. I have 3 weeks to decide but I do know that cobalt blue cooks the best! 😀

Very similar to building a kegerator out of a chest freezer. Two things go watch out for: 1. Freon lines, before drilling make sure you know where they are so you don't drill through one and ruin the "fridge", same for any cord keepers. 2. Grommets for the holes, don't want those power cords to get cut through with the vibrations from the "fridge" turning off and on. While the expanding foam "should" lock down the cords, I'm a better safe than sorry kind of guy. Seemed a little strange to drill the hole so high on the side, but for an instructional video, makes it easier to see what is going on, also could be avoiding the freon lines. If I were going to do this, I would probably come at it from lower down and would also ensure that none of the power cords were laying on the bottom of the fridge in case of liquid spills.

No burn-in?!! I bought a used 23 KK and still did the burn-in. It was just the right thing to do. Welcome to the forum @Lars.

My memory of folks that keep their gassers as standbys or safety nets wind up using them as a storage compartment for their KK accessories. That's not a dig on gassers rather, a compliment to KK performance. It will be interesting to see how often you use the gas grill. Anyways, welcome to the forum @Troble. You're going to love cooking on your KK!! @tekobo is correct. The food off a cobalt blue KK is a cut above!

Consider it a trophy Tony for going the extra mile. Have to say that the added prep on Dennis's part saves him alot of phone time and his customers,.. peace of mind.

Thanks @tekobo sorry to write such a novel but I’m beyond excited and I’m still months away. I’ve literally spent all my free time the last 5 days reading this forum I agree with you on the charcoal vs gas. I’m just really nervous about designing a yard with no gas grill, we currently have a pre-manfacuteted is hand with the fire magic that’s been years old and I’m considering not having a gas grill at all when we tear up the backyard and just using my KK, however since I’m getting the 32 I feel like I need a safety net gas grill in case I need a quick cook. my current plan is to build a built in with a high heat side burger (for work cooking) along with a fridge and counter space for prep/serving and just rolling with my KK as the only grilling source

Hey they Troy. Welcome. You sound like you will fit right in around here. I don't have the answers to all of your questions but I am sure others will chip in soon. Here are the ones I can help with: I have cooked fish and octopus on my KK and have never had an issue with residual smells from any of my cooks in the KK. If there is stuff stuck to the grill at the end of a cook, I scrape it off and into the fire and when I return to my cooled down KK all is well with the world. I do wash my grill grate after every cook but lots of people don't and I don't recall anyone complaining about smells. My must have accessory was a second KK so that I could mix up my cooks. You seem to already have a good arsenal and may not want that. Real must haves are the basket splitter, the hot/cold smoker, the rotisserie fitting and the half/warming grate. I think the half grate comes as standard with a 32 and has been a game changer for me with my 23. I like Lodge. I also use La Chamba clay pots. They are less durable than cast iron but have a charm and I imagine they let more smoke into your cook. Not sacrilegious to have a gas grill but I have been experimenting with charcoal recently (as opposed to coco briquettes) and find the charcoal fast to light and it comes to temp in the time you are prepping the food. You can cook low down, close to the fire, without having to warm the KK up fully and switch off the KK just like you would a gas grill. I am loving the flavour you get from real charcoal and you don't get that with a gas grill. Welcome. You are right to pick cobalt blue pebble KK. Food tastes best out of a blue KK.

Was prepared to do the burn-in. Do not mind not having to do it. 😉

Kinda sad actually - the burn-in was a "rite of passage" for KK owners.

I thing nice burgers will do the trick on friday🙂 i think it will arrive 1pm. 🙏 Talking to Dannis and burn-in not needed on the new models. Just out of the box and start cooking. 😀

I recall Dennis saying that at the factory the KK's are brought to 1000 degrees if I'm not mistaken. For what duration I'm not sure...so if this is a partial treatment and the remainder is your responsibility is anyone's guess. All I know is my burn-in was pretty easy, no poking tiles and limited solvent. The smell was there for quite some time and white residue was prevalent..I believe it could all be attributed to the denim blue color and square tiles I chose...yah that was it..superior color and square tiles. And for those living on large islands it could take longer Tekebo..you know, it's all based on science

A tad colder, but I did manage to get in a chicken cook for dinner last night. Both were spicy - on the left was a teriyaki (Adoboloco) and the right was mango habenero sauce (blend of Dinosaur and Melindas). Direct @ 375F over peach wood. I slashed the skin on the teriyaki one to allow it to penetrate better while marinating.

Yah, what Bruce said ! I'm speechless, that belongs in a magazine...you and Mac must have the same camera. It ain't fair

Summertime ribs, I remember when, those look good. Tell me ( a fire ban ? ) does it mean you can't even strike a match? You don't have to cook in the garage, do you ? I watched last years news and recall the devastation to property and human life, much like California. Let's hope it's a little easier this time around.

Oh wow that looks deeeeeeeliciois!

To easy mate have had a bit of practice .to be honest Ora does it all Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Aussie it’s starting to look like you can prepare and cook these blind folded. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This gets better with age. Dropped a bit into some pasta with just some basil and olive oil and a few olives. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Turned out great Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Had a nice flat iron steak for dinner last night. Direct, on lower grate, with mesquite chunks. Pulled an "Aussie" by mixing together several rubs, plus a healthy dose of purple crack for good measure. Plated with a 2x baked spud and a load of mushrooms.

I totally agree with a tfb concidering we have had over 40c degrees in the past few days which have caused bad Bush fires north of Perth . You can use gas bbqs but no charcoal.bbq that may cause spark . Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk