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G’day folks. Haven’t posted many cooks lately because I’ve been busy with a few things. Still cooking and eating 😳. One of my major distractions has just been eliminated 🤔. Another distraction has been building my time machine. It has the ability to look into the past! Here it is: Here it is looking at 2.5 million years ago: 2.5 million year old light. This is pre-processed. I’ll post the fully processed image later. Something streaked across the sky during exposure. Here’s a look at 7500 years ago. Also pre-processed.

Had a craving for a proper burger yesterday. UK is now in lockdown so we decided to embark on a homemade adventure involving the KK. We also decided to try 'tater tots', never had them and only ever heard mention of them on US television. So, we went to the cookbooks and found what looked like a good recipe. Had to make buffalo sauce and ranch sauce from scratch and also made garlic aioli and a quick pickle to go in the burger. Results below. Tasted good. Tater tots are like gnocchi meets a dirty nachos via American style spicy wings. We added pan fried bacon and chives. I realise that we need to get a burger press. We don't often do burgers from scratch but I could have done with the uniformity for cooking. Mrs BQ was the maker and the shaper. It made them a bit more awkward to eat but didn't impact the flavour. Now slobbed on the sofa arguing over whose turn it is to go and get another beer....

Piling on here - I'm 64 years old and I've NEVER owned a gas grill. With a charcoal chimney, you could get up and going in 10 -15 minutes for basic grilling. (I've switched over to a MAPP gas torch and air blower to start mine for a bit more control.) I just plan for about 30 minutes lead time to do my prep work in the kitchen and the KK is usually ready (or close enough for government work), depending upon target dome temperature. The notable exception is pizza - which takes hours to heat soak the KK and pizza stone to 450F. But, a gasser can't cook a pizza like a wood-fired oven - the KK IS a wood-fired oven. Cleaning out the ash is not a biggie. If I'm ambitious, I'll haul out the shop vac (with drywall filter) and can be done in 30 secs - easy, peasy. If I'm lazy (usually!), I'll just clean it out with a metal scoop. Takes maybe 3 minutes. @tekobo - the 42" KK actually has TWO springs for the lid! Dennis overengineering things again! You know, the KK makes a great chili pepper roaster, too! I just fabricated a cage with wire fabric (1/4") and insert it into the rotisserie basket. Key - use the half-moon of the rotisserie basket to your advantage and leave the ends of wire cage half open to make loading and unloading the peppers easy. Been using this thing for years now. Oh, the other trick - cut the stems off so that they don't get caught in the wire mesh.

Rah-stah time again, mon! 3 day marinade of the jerk chicken. Direct, on the main grate, smoker pot with pimento wood, pimento leaves and berries (aka allspice), 325F. Plated with "rice & peas" (Jamaican curry rice and drunken black beans). The surprise of the dinner was the garlic toast! Yes, really! Probably some of the best that I've ever made. I think that I stumbled on the trick - low & slow in the oven - 275F for 15 minutes and then shut off the heat and let it ride until serving time. Righteous, mon!

For what it's worth to your decision, I have had a top of the line (for when it was made) 48" gas grill since the mid-1990s. Still have it. Even with a gas grill one shouldn't immediately begin cooking, although it is possible. With my high BTU gasser it would take at least 15 minutes to get the grates (3/8" porcelain over steel) to cooking temperature, which really is important for grill cooking. Otherwise, it is similar to plopping a steak into a cold pan and expecting a sear. It just isn't going to happen. In 2016, I bought my first KK. I haven't used my gas grill for cooking since. It has been demoted to seasonally roasting chili peppers. A final thought. Work flow is important in cooking anything, whether indoors or out. Simply start your process by lighting the grill, then proceed with getting the rest of the cook together. Unless you had completely prepped the food earlier in the day, the KK will be ready before you are.

Don't forget the best veggie cook out there - local sweet corn!!

Absolutely stunning

VERY nice! One of the benefits of your new location, I assume.

@ KKash, thanks. I think I'll do this again. @Braai-Q, burgers look fantastic, skip the machine, if you press them too tight they won't taste nearly as good.

You can be ready to cook with charcoal in a KK pretty quickly. Five minutes is faster than my experience. But 20-30 is my routine. Light it, go prep the food, it’s ready pretty quickly. That said, nothing is easier than gas. KK’s are all about flavor and all around versatility. Grill, smoke, rotisserie, bake, pizza, etc. Gas is for fast grilling...and little more. But it’s very convenient for that.

I think if you get the KK and just see how it improves the taste of the food over a gas grill you won't want a gas grill after that experience. I've had both. The KK takes the taste of whatever you cook to the next level. Once you get your KK to a set temp. it is going to hold that temperature for the entire cook. When done with the cook just shut the vents, the fire will go out and you'll have lump that you just need to top up for the next cook.

Welcome @Siu. I always hate it when people start the answer to a question with - "I don't have the gadget that you are asking about but, in my opinion....". Please forgive me but that is how I am about to answer your question. I have never had a gas grill and I do not have a 42 so I cannot talk about either. What I have had is an Argentinian open grill alongside two KKs - a 21 and a 23. Lighting the Argentinian grill takes more effort. I use a fire starting chimney and then you need to build a decent bed of coals before starting to cook. You may even want to burn wood down to embers for extra flavour. Fun but not fast. The KKs are fast. I can get from lighting to cooking in 30 minutes for a steak or other such fast cooked item. Not as fast as turning a knob on a gas grill but I am guessing tastier and more fun. As for the lids? The spring mechanism that works the lid makes it easy to open the lid with the flick of a couple of fingers. I imagine it is the same on the 42 (with much bigger spring!!!) as it is on my 21 and 23. Maintenance wise, sweeping out the coal dust at the bottom every few cooks is fine and I choose to wash my grates after every cook but others just brush or burn off the residue from previous cooks. If you have the money and the space for the 42 I would get it. Just for the hell of it. You won't be disappointed.

I’ve just eaten, but now I’ve read your message I’m hungry again!!!!! Looks very tasty. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For home made burgers they look perfect! Uniformity is for machines!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@tekobo thank you for the excellent suggestions, and photos really help stir my imagination. Am now researching recipes and we shall where I finish up!! The 42 is glorious, cannot say enough complimentary things about it - strictly speaking much bigger than I need, but it's nice (luxury) to be cooking indirect and still spread things out.

Great photos Tekobo. Kkash I’ve found pumpkin really soaks up the smoke flavour so any roast pumpkin recipes can be adapted into you KK. This goes for any indirect roast vegetable recipe and also any direct grilled vege. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk