Leaderboard

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This was my first standing rib roast did me on the KK. The lobster tails were done on my Vision grill. But the absolutely best thing was the carrot cake that I did on the KK. the smoke is such an incredible addition to the carrot cake. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@MacKenzie you & seafood is about the equivalent to me and snow. I had to put a jacket on after looking at that picture @Boom Boom nice cook. Smoked carrot cake sounds delicious

I do have PBW but this works better for me for regular cleaning. I clean my grates after every cook, usually the day after, when they are cool. A quick soak gets most stuff loose and the grates are out of the kitchen within half an hour. Soaking in PBW takes longer and I'll probably do that in the summer when I can leave the tray (or a paddling pool) out in the garden. One thing I have never done is to clean the grates down with a wire brush or spanner while hot. Given the sheer scale of the grates in the 32 it would make the indoor job easier if I had already got rid of some of the debris before I brought them in. One to do while the meat is resting methinks. My mileage varies. Often. 🤪 I could have looked up how to rig up a siphon but the benefit of having a husband who used to work in a ship's engine room is that I just have to ask and, mostly, a solution is found. It was worth marrying a Clankie just for that!

This finally arrived today: Srendi® BLACK Large Plastic Builder Children Kids Play Mixing Tray Spot for Cement Mortar Sand Plastering Toy Fun Game School Play Time Colour MIXING TRAY by EASY SHOPPING 4 HOME LTD Learn more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077SJ3216/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GFE6Fb2968KK3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 It works for me in that I can soak a 32 BB main grate in it indoors and in the warm. I can reach it from either side of the island to scrub. I was worried about emptying it but The Husband came to the rescue with a siphon. It took a while and then, when the water got too shallow for the siphon to work, I gently tipped what was left over into the sink. Happy with this solution.

Well done. Like the color of the square tiles, they cook the best.

Your my favorite Mexican restaurant that "I can't eat at", Troble. For shame, the pictures will have to do. Glad the center post worked so well for you and with such appetizing results. I remember some time ago watching on Youtube a gentlemen that traveled to Mexico in search of the best Adobada Tacos, to discover the best recipe. Once he surmised the ingredients his next trial was to build the cooker. He fashioned this out of a large beer keg split down the middle and opened, then fitted with a Roto and charcoal shelves to sear the meat as it turned in a vertical position. Nice to see someone shake the tree, yep, looks like a useful tool with umpteen applications for marinated meats. Sideways or vertical, spinning or sitting, I've been meaning to prepare this dish for some time, thanks for the gentle kick to get me started. Start me up as the Stone's would say. In addition your pictures reminded me of this quote; Pull up a chair Take a taste Come join us Life is so endlessly Delicious. R. Reichel

Great looking surf n turf boom boom. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Adobada Tacos/Tacos Al Pastor You probably know this dish as Tacos Al Pastor. I call it Adobada Tacos. Who is right? The answer is both of us are. In Mexico, the terms get used differently depending on the region and you will find further discussions about if it’s Al Pastor or Adobada depending on if it’s on the griddle after it’s been cut. The sensible answer to this is that Adobada is the type of sauce or marinade that is commonly found in many Mexican dishes. You will often see dishes served “in adobada sauce”. They call the pork on the spit Tacos Al Pastor. But in Baja California which is close to where I live in San Diego, we call it Tacos Adobada, and that is also fine. For a detailed discussion on this read this article https://frugalcooking.com/is-al-pastor-the-same-as-adobada/ Now for the dish. What exactly is Al Pastor or Adobada tacos? It’s the ultimate fusion food. It’s basically a Mexican version of Middle Easter Shawarma. But the Mexican people adapted it to their region and used their spices and pork instead of chicken. That’s it in a nutshell. For more info about this check out this article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor I live in San Diego, precisely 8 miles North of Tijuana, Mexico where their taquerias are legendary and Adobada/Al Pastor reign. I actually had a business in Tijuana for 2 years and ate at all the best tacos stands in the City and I consider this one of my areas of expertise so it’s always been something I wanted to cook at home, especially now in the Pandemic, when I can’t cross the border to get my taco fix. In previous attempts I have used the rotisserie on my KK to attempt this dish. (seen here https://komodokamadoforum.com/topic/2453-everyday-misc-cooking-photos-w-details/page/296/?tab=comments#comment-127969 I stacked the meat on the spit and then used a foil tray to act as a deflector over the coals. This worked, but it was hard to manage. Hard to cut the meat and eventually the aluminum tray would get super-hot and sometimes end up melting by the end of the cook which isn’t good either. So, enter the Trompo King. I saw this thing on the KK forum and thought that could be a great solution for what I am looking for. The Trompo king allows for vertical stacking of the meat, but more importantly it has a nice collector tray below it where the meat can be shaved and then cooked further which is key to executing this dish. The Trompo King can be found here https://smokeware.com/products/trompo-king Here is the recipe I used as a template for this cook. I think this recipe is pretty damn authentic, although I do think it’s a little heavy on the adobo sauce side and I may try increasing the sugar on subsequent cooks, but it is damn good to start to start with this and season as you see fit. There are a couple of key ingredients you will need to purchase to make this cook happen. I will list them below. 1. Dried Guarillo Peppers – available in any Mexican market but also on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Guajillo-Chiles-Peppers-Dried-Whole/dp/B087XBKNB7/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=guajillo+peppers+dried+el+guapo&qid=1609555947&refinements=p_72%3A1248897011&rnid=1248895011&s=grocery&sr=1-16 2. Dried Chipotle Pepper available at any Mexican market but also on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dried-Chipotle-Morita-Chile-Peppers/dp/B0821P2R3G/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=dried+chipotle+peppers&qid=1609556057&refinements=p_72%3A1248897011&rnid=1248895011&s=grocery&sr=1-5 3. Achioete Paste - https://www.amazon.com/El-Yucateco-Achiote-Red-Paste/dp/B0000GHNVI/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-nc-drs2_0?crid=3HZWBZNRY04XJ&cv_ct_cx=achiote+paste&dchild=1&keywords=achiote+paste&pd_rd_i=B0000GHNVI&pd_rd_r=a9ce6812-13a3-475f-9a3d-5cda389c772e&pd_rd_w=Dd06o&pd_rd_wg=3VpEl&pf_rd_p=a64002b9-9c26-4361-b8a1-b0f5a4835670&pf_rd_r=5AJEBBH4CTYWAQ63MXRR&psc=1&qid=1609556116&s=grocery&sprefix=achio%2Cgrocery%2C231&sr=1-2-38d0a374-3318-4625-ad92-b6761a63ecf6 The rest of the ingredients calls for Mexican oregano, Mexican cumin, Mexican Thyme, and Mexican brown sugar. You can use what you have in your pantry but if you plan to make this dish often there are subtle flavor differences using the Mexican herbs and sugar you can also find those on Amazon. When prepping the adobo sauce, I like to use my KK and cast-iron pan so it has more of that “smokey flavor” I generally cook something else the day before on my KK then make the adobo sauce while my KK is still going and prepare the marinade and meat for the next day. When prepping the pork butt, it helps to freeze it for 4-5 hours so you can make nice cuts prior to marinating. When you are prepping to cut the pork butt, trim off the fat cap, also make cuts that would look like they would fit well on the skewer. You want about ½ thick cuts. Take each cut and lather it in marinade and then refrigerate overnight. I like to use pineapple juice and orange juice in my marinade, but that’s up to you. The other recommendation I have for executing this dish is to make sure that as you slice off the outside layer of meat, spray the spit and meat on the tray with pineapple juice. it helps to caramelize it all. I cooked the meat at 375 and it took me about 3 hours to do a 7 lb. pork butt. In previous attempts on the spit, I’ve done it at 450 and it cooked faster, but in this last attempt I liked the cadence of slicing every 20 minutes as I could let the meat cook on the tray below and prep some condiments. The condiments to this dish make it all come together. It’s essential that you use you the following 1. Raw onion 2. Sliced radishes 3. Fresh cilantro 4. Pineapple chunks I like to make a creamy salsa verde but that’s also up to you. If you are so inclined one could use this recipe https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_salsa_verde/ (although I do add a 1/2 cup of Mexican Crema to this recipe because I like it creamy) Lastly, the final key is to serve this dish on a lightly toasted flour taco sized tortilla. This isn’t a burrito, find and source some small taco sized tortilla. The tortilla is really a key ingredient here and it’s easy to gloss over it. I don’t make my own because I live in San Diego and can go to a stand and pick up a fresh pack super easily, but if you live in another country or a place where getting fresh tortillas isn’t an option have you no fear. It’s upper easy to make and it’s a great skill to teach your kids to do for you while you cook. Here is a recipe to make fresh tortillas https://thecafesucrefarine.com/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/ if you are so inclined you can get a tortilla press to make it even easier If you’ve never had a fresh tortilla, I encourage you to try to once and see what you think. It makes a world of a difference in the end product. https://www.amazon.com/Estrella-Tortilla-Pataconera-Original-MEXICO/dp/B01LRDID2A/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=tortilla+press&qid=1609557105&refinements=p_72%3A1248915011&rnid=1248913011&s=home-garden&sr=1-7 Here are some photos of the latest cook using the Trompo King. If you have any questions on this cook please reach out, I’d be happy to help but it’s an amazing dish to cook for your friends.

Cooked beef ribs today got it a bit 🔥 to start with 320 so took it out for 30 mins to let it cool down a little to 280. And it sat there like a rock. The ribs were perfect after 4 1/2 hrs, took them off wrapped in foil and they were perfect. The coffee wood is so good for smoking.

Shame about overshooting your target temperature, wouldn’t have happened if you had bought pebbles instead of square tiles...🤪 great looking ribs!

@Troble just for you, buddy! The scene outside my patio doors this morning. It's called Rime ice (frozen fog). Not to be confused with "hoar" frost! LOL

Fabulous! Thanks for sharing @Troble

I’m also going to include this cook here as I feel like it’s almost an obligatory follow up cook to this dish. You should have extra tortillas because one never wants to run out of tortillas when making tacos so the following day you make breakfast tacos, using preferably applewood smoked bacon take the tortillas lightly toast it and upon the flip sprinkle a little cheese on there, before it’s fully melted take it off to rest and continue melting. Take some of your leftover Mexican oregano and make scrambled eggs. Serve with sliced avocado and my preference is siracha sauce on top. My favorite breakfast plate

@tekobo the taco chronicles are great. That’s a fabulous show. I would think you could find most of the ingredients in the UK. The real thing with Mexican food is the chilies and peppers. However if you are serious about your tacos invest in a tortilla press and learn how to make them, or find a local place you can grab them If any of you have any trouble sourcing peppers or ingredients let me know I’ll send you a package. They sell big bags of dried peppers at the markets by my house. I could easily send you a box that would last you a year if you wanted. Ingredients should not be the issue here

Well, It seems I have some shopping to do. Better get started before the rush.