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Just received my 32 Autumn Gold Flake and planned to unbox it this weekend. Studied many of the KK members' experiences preparing for its arrival. There is even a "Who Dat" out there sharing information. I am not much on posting, but I do want to convey my gratitude. All of your info has been invaluable! About Dennis – all I can say is ditto - there is nothing I can say about Dennis that would be surprising to any of you. Thanks Again, SJP

More ribs 😋 then put 2 chicken on the top grill for the last hour took off ribs and cranked it up to 400 to give chicken skin nice crisp, put on a bit more charcoal opened her up to 500 and finished off with cheese pizza no photo but was good.

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.

I am a confident and experienced outdoor cook, but I found myself surprisingly inept at building a proper fire in my KK and lighting it correctly. I also ordered all the accessories offered with my model and really wished there were a diagram of how to configure all of them for the various types of cooking. I encourage you to read, word-for-word, Dennis’ entire set of instructions, view lots of videos and keep in touch with this very helpful forum. There is definitely a learning curve, particularly if you have just graduated from a gas grill and a Traeger, but it is a fascinating journey and worth the effort!

I tried the logs and they lit well and came to temp well so, I added a small chunk of apple.(maybe I shouldn't have) I added a couple of chicken breasts and noticed some taste from the coals, not a bad taste but not what your use to from lump..different. Shut it down and the coals extinguished in good form. For purposes in a kamado coals of this make-up don't burn as cleanly as lump, if you starve them of air they do give off a bit smoke and if you like you food smoke free this, it might not be for you. As I understand these logs are made from the remnants of the coal briquettes, so as I said, the taste imparted to your food maybe different than what you have been accustomed too. I remember buying a bottle of scotch with peat notes smoked into the grain, I enjoyed it but the smooth single malt will always be the favorite

100% agree tony. I noticed they have taken some cooking tips from Mac and put the belly in the freezer while the jar was warming up. 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.

Today was the day to smoke my curing pork loin. I couldn't have had better weather for the curing period, temp. were perfect for me to put the curing bucket in the ODK all day and bring it in at night with a couple of water bottles that were frozen. Did most of the cook about 210F and near the end moved the temp to about 225F. Fortunately I have a pebbles KK and the temp. held rock solid. It was below freezing an my Smoke didn't like that so I set it on the flat part of the KK dome and it worked perfectly. This was the lightest colour I've ever gotten on my bacon but the meat was lightly smoky, tender, moist and flavourful. Once it's sliced no one is going to notice. Taste test coming up.

Who says I can't have a white out!

Can't wait to see the pics of the grand unveiling! Welcome to the Obsession!

Here's hoping everyone there gets well quickly. Stay safe, ya'll!

You are eating much better than me this week. Very nice! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Best wishes to all. Get well soon RD

Wishing a speedy and full recovery for all!

Our thoughts are with you all.

Sorry to hear this Dennis. I wish all of them a safe and speedy recovery. Stay safe over there! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hope everyone recovers quickly and to full health! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Salmon & quinoa

Alright guys, it finally happened. Ole Heavy is home and settled in. I’ve read all the previous posts about the day it arrives but it is difficult to understand completely until you live it. Fun day for sure and thanks to the forum so much, I was very prep’d for what was in front of me and it went super smooth. I did have surprises that I’ll share with pics. Here’s the beginning ...

My theory is that adult beverages were involved.

@Basheri love Noosa! Looks fantastic. Hope you’re relaxing @MacKenzieyoull have to cover your eyes but for every action there is a equal and opposite reaction. I’ve been eating a lot of meat over the holidays so it’s gonna be a couple of days of seafood for me. tonight it’s mussels cooked white wine, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, butter, parsley & thyme served with my favorite seedy sourdough baguette

Let's try that again...

Sent from my iPad using Tapat Duck gumbo..

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

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!

Troble's next door neighbout runs an Air B&B and I've just booked in thinking that I probably can get my breakfast at Troble's.

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

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

My dad, mother and brother all got COVID last week. Mom ended up having to go to the ER on 12/23 cause she had asthma and they were concerned about her breathing. After keeping her for 12 hours with no updates they diagnosed with her COVID pneumonia/fluid in her lungs. They gave her this Regeneron drug cocktail that Trump got and they sent her home. Whatever was in that cocktail worked because now a week later she’s almost completely healed. Scary stuff. I say this because today 12/31 is my Dads birthday and after they had to spend Christmas on quarantine they also have to do NYE and his birthday in quarantine, which sucks and they live two blocks away from us. My dad loves Prime Rib and had been telling me for 2-3 years he’d like me to do a standing rib roast for him, but I never had cause my wife likes her meat well done and we’ve never had the right occasion. I was thinking of doing it this year and having extended family over for Christmas so I could do multiple mains, but COVID stopped that so tonight after going through all this BS the last week I thought I’d cook my Dad a standing rib roast that he could share with my mom and brother. I did a baked potato rubbed in butter and garlic as well as ceasar salad kit, Fred horseradish sauce and Trader Joe’s lava cakes with vanilla ice cream. prime rib was rubbed with Worcester sauce, dusted with salt & pepper and roasted on the rotisserie at 350 with coffee char and mesquite wood

One last time, shout out my mantra for this year, as loud as you can! - F@ck 2020!!

This is an undoctored photo taken on the barrier reef..... saying goodbye to 2020. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I clean my gaskets with a plastic bristle brush before every cook to keep the bits and pieces out of the crease. Just a light sweeping will do if done on a regular basis. I'll also wipe it down from time to time. Like @tony b said older KK's have the top latch plate welded so only the bottom is adjustable. The welds are micro welds along the two sides of the upper latch plate. You have to look pretty hard to see them.

Oh, last thing for today and I love these surprises. I’ve notice other crate artwork on the forum and it’s really cool! After all the work setting up etc I just didn’t even think about looking. Then my daughter wanted to work on her new fort and we found this. How awesome?!?!?!? Neat note, I’m a huge motorcycle guy so this grill must have been meant for me. I’ve seen other crate pics with flowers etc so no telling what you might get, but this was very fitting for me. My daughter thought is was super cool to get artwork from Indonesia, I had to show her where that was on the map 😂

Decided to move it lil closer to the deck. Looked better here, wasn’t sure which area would work best but I like this spot.

More shots from the first viewing, it looked awesome.

Just wanted to let you know that last week, both Mimi and my accountant tested positive for COVID, on Monday 4 more tested positive. Only one is in the hospital (she's stable) the others are doing well.. we delivered their computers to their homes today and hopefully they will be able to work some tomorrow.. If you have/had goods going out, please excuse any delay.. we are working to catch up. Thanks for your understanding.