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Lamb shoulder Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Smoked rainbow trout pressed with dill, capers and tiger prawns. And seeded sourdough. My wife hates sorting through fish bones, so this was a good way to sort this out. Followed by eye fillet steaks. And roasted lemons. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Two views of last night's "Cowboy Steak", a super thick, 4" ribeye, bone in. The previous attempt, with a 3" cut, was cooked with mesquite wood, and was quite good. Last night I used post oak, and it was also very good, albeit quite different. I did find that cooking the 4" steak was a good deal more difficult, or maybe tricky, than the 3" version. I set up the fire on one side of the KK and roasted it about 18" high over the fire, offset to the "cool" side, at 400-450 degrees, for about 25 minutes, flipping it frequently, then did the sear on the lower grill directly over the remaining fire. It was kind of interesting that in my recollection, the 3" steak cooked at a relatively even rate, and this one was wild: one minute it was testing about 89* in places, and 5 minutes later, up to 135* in spots, a LOT hotter than I wanted. Thankfully, it was big and thick enough that I managed to salvage some very rare slices for my wife, and there were some medium rare pieces perfect for me. I used the usual salt and medium-ground pepper for rub. Both steaks were prime and the flavor was excellent. Next time....I just got 4 3" cowboy steaks delivered from Snake River Farms and I expect the meat quality to be the best.

@tony b I’m glad you liked it! Try it with some of your air fryed potatoes sometime. i made pizza Saturday but thought it was too boring to post my usual pepperoni, cheese and veggie pizza did boneless leg of lamb on the spit. Mediterranean salad, cous cous and Tadziki sauce. Unlike the UK it’s been hotter than sh*t here. Was too busy hosting, cooking. Drinking and swimming to take pics but managed one finished plate pic

I eat that! I've never cooked one that thick before. I can image that it would be more difficult trying to manage it. I'd have bailed and done it sous vide, then finished it on the lower grate to sear it.

Hey Everyone I've been seeing some difference in ambient temperature readings and I just wanted to get a 'forum view' on my experience. I've had a look for information online and in the forum but couldn't find anything that answered my question. I did do some wider research and the most illuminating (and entirely irrelevant search result) was an interesting scientific paper on thermoregulation in Komodo Dragons although I did come across an interesting article on heat cycling and oven accuracy from Thermoworks that I remember using some while ago. So I did a cook yesterday - simple setup, 1.6KG topside in a foil tray in the 19KK. Centre of the grill and I used the middle grill so it was dead centre of the KK. Foil tray was a little bigger than the meat but not much and I positioned it centrally to get even convectional airflow. Popped the meat in at 200°C and gave it 30-45 mins to heat soak. I put a Meater+ into the joint and the probe tip was at the very centre - it was inserted horizontally i.e. parallel to the grill. I was aiming for rare with a target internal temperature of 50-52°C and the internal temperature at the start of the cook was 9 degrees. After I added the meat and the temperatures stabilised, the TelTru dome temperature stayed at 200°C for the entire duration of the cook. When I looked at the graphed temperatures, the ambient range on the Meater+ correlated in being constant but was much lower at 145-147°C for the same period. I know the refractory surface has a high thermal mass and should have uniform convective heat (reflected in the stability of the temperatures read from both gauges) but I would not have expected such variation on ambient when you consider that the measurement points are not that far apart. I could accept that they wouldn't be on parity because the probe is conductive and inserted into a much colder object but 55-57 degrees different? I had a look at Meater's website and they talk about their ambient sensor (FAQ quoted below) being extremely sensitive to microclimates but I don't see the air circulation patterns being that significant on a heat soaked and unopened KK. But I'm not an expert on thermal dynamics. I also can't see the meat exerting that degree of influence on the ambient sensor but I may be entirely underestimating the sensitivity. I've done an ice point check on the probes and they're all calibrated fine. I could do an ambient check in our range cooker as a control but I'm not sure the answer lies there. Can anyone offer a qualified explanation? Thanks

Hello everyone, I figured since I'm going to have a ton of questions....makes sense to introduce myself. I've been lurking for a couple of years and have finally worn down the Mrs.'s spending-force-field on a 32 BB. Research is a big part of what I do and I've recently completed my KK research-walk-about; where I look at all the various options other than the KK (at a similar price-point or less): all-SS pellet smokers, offset stick burners (including reverse and standard flow), kettles...you name it. I currently have a 15 year-old Traeger that is slowly rusting and returning back to the Earth. Before that, I had a Weber-esque classic charcoal BBQ - I got pretty good at turning out nice steaks and burgers, though nothing else. I miss that charcoal taste... On the Traeger, I've cooked nearly everything there is to smoke low-and-slow: bacon, brisket, pork butt, salmon... I like the set-and-forget nature of the pellet smoker...though I'm less interested these days in electrical components that could wear down due to weather and time. Looking at some of the all-SS pellet smokers, there were still folk on BBQ forums pulling their hair-out with controller issues. Something that rings true with my current rig. Then...the stick burners. There are models that offer BBQ trays as an extra or an attached-but-seperate BBQ pit "hybrid". Again, if you look around the interwebs, you'll see folk really happy with these - and if you look closely...you'll see spots of rust. No thank you. If I'm investing that much in a cooking tool, I came up with the following criteria: 1) I want to be able to use it often and I want to use it often (how quick does it start up, how easy is it to maintain, etc)...plus there's a happiness/pride factor... 2) it's gotta be convenient (set and forget)...with two young kiddos and two pups, I have enough babysitting on my hands... 3) produce outstanding food that is better than an oven or the stove; for small groups or the whole extended family (about 18 of us) 4) last the next 20+ years and be reliable (buying things that truly last is rather appealing: the last-tool-first philosophy) 5) do what the current smoker does and more At the end of my walk-about...only the KK ticks all the above. So, we have a few ducks to get lined up before pulling the lever...namely, we're having our deck fully replaced and extended. As part of that project, I'm highlighting an area that needs a bit more substantial substructure: where the KK will be at home. (yes, I do my homework. 😁) We're early in the build process - who woulda-thunkit that good contractors are insanely busy... I'll be sure to post updates when they happen! Stew

@Stewart welcome! I loved reading your history and criteria. I took a similar decision making process and ended up with a 32 KK that I love. I use mine probably 3x/week at least and I usually cook enough for leftovers the next day i was looking at a grill, a wood fired pizza oven and a stick burner and it’s too much space and costs more than a 32 KK. I love my rotisserie and pizza stone so I would definitely pick those up when you do order. I also installed an Ipe deck so I can already see why you appreciate good materials that last well maintained

@AJR so this happened yesterday....I got a boneless leg of lamb marinating in my fridge outside for two days that I’m planning on cooking on the spit in my KK on Sunday when my wife’s good friend from LA is driving down with her aunt and husband I wake up at 3:30am and see the power is out...COOL! Let’s see how the battery performs. I took a few screenshots through the night, but the power was out 11 hours. I was able to be completely unaffected the whole time. AC ran, cars got charged, cooked breakfast on my electric stove, kids watched cartoons and all the food I bought and prepped in my fridge was unaffected.

Don't forget the torque wrench if you really want to make sure! 🤘 👍 It sounds like you have your first cook lined up in the KK. The Yorkshires I think are a bit easier in the oven though. If you're buying one, get a Meater+ (with repeater). I think the standard Meater doesn't have the signal range much beyond the KK. Even then, I find that I sometimes lose signal on the Meater+. You may have to plan your table booking based on Meater signal optimisation!

Interesting, and coincidental. I used my MEATER+ on a rotisserie cook yesterday and got some very squirrely ambient temperature reading - very sawtooth - and not from opening the lid. I've seen a similar behavior before. I suspect it's caused by juices running down the probe and coating the end of the MEATER, where the ambient temperature probe is. Given that the meat juices are a couple hundred degrees (F) lower than dome temps, you can imagine the swings that I was seeing. It played hell with the "estimated cooking time" algorithm - LOL! But, back to your point more directly. It's not just the MEATER probe, there's always a delta in temperature readings between the dome and the grate. Typically in the 25F - 50F range. I see it with my Maverick and Guru probes, too. Proximity to the meat has a small influence. One thing that I learned a long time ago and practice consistently, is to not clamp the probe directly to the grate - you get a false reading of the air temperature. I use a wine cork with a small nail in the end that I attach the alligator clip on the probe too. I cut notches out on the opposite end of the cork for it to fit in between the grate rods.

Interestingly enough, Ipe is the decking we're going with. I built a deck at our previous house with it and it's beautiful when well maintained. I really like the contrast of the dark reddish brown wood with the stainless steel fasteners. It's interesting...the pricing on the stuff...when I did my research over 10 years ago, cedar was the cheapest, with Trex (or similar composite) being the most expensive...Ipe fell in-between. The difference between now and then is the composite stuff has dropped a bit in price...though the scratch resistant composite is still expensive. We haven't ordered yet...I kinda want to break ground on the deck before getting too far ahead of ourselves...

Welcome Stewart. I too am new to this forum and I thought I did a lot of research but it looks like you put me to shame. My research was to try and find anything negative about the grill, the company or Dennis. I looked for 3 days and may hours. Couldn’t find anything but rave reviews. I pulled the trigger on a 32 now I’m just waiting for delivery. We’re contemplating replacing and expanding our concrete patio. Most patios are 4 inches thick but I’m going 5 inches just because of the weight of the grill. I know this is overkill but so is a KK. I like things to last forever. I’m hoping to hear that my grill will be here in about 2 weeks. The wait after you order is the worst part of this process.

Got mine yesterday too! Installed immediately for its first cook last night. Looks really nice!

Look-y what just showed up. Thank you, Dennis!

Ah. Colour. @Tucker's example of having a number of different KKs in tile and pebble and then ending up with a classy pair of KKs in the same colour pebble seemed like a good one to follow. I did have a long and deep dalliance with tiles because I thought I would see if Dennis could build me a KK with a different range of tiles. My advice to anyone who thinks they want to source tiles for their KK is - don't. Dennis has a precise specification to suit his build requirements and I proposed some ridiculous options that were patently outside spec. He and I both liked these but they were way too big https://www.mondomosaico.it/prodotto/piastrella-pop-art/ . Some of you might say they are also too vulgar. I tried my Italian out on the company that sells these https://www.appianimosaic.com/mosaic-colors-tiles/ceramic-glazes-with-matt-finish-tiles but their tiles were too thick. I also talked to traditional English tile makers about cutting tiles but all their custom tiles were too thick. In the end I found a company in the UK with the exact spec that Dennis requires but a limited range of colours because they use them for swimming pools. I fell about laughing and gave up the hunt when I found out that they import their tiles from the same company in Indonesia that Dennis uses. I am back in the fold and I chose my three KK colours from Dennis' wide range and I am very very happy with my choice. You and I will have to wait and see what they look like when they are made up.