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It has taken me a year to get around to it but I finally made shrimp and grits for the first time ever. We enjoyed the dish even though I forgot to add the hot sauce recommended in Sean Brock's recipe. Used Anson Mills grits as recommended by @tony b Do again, for sure.

Left over KK rib on bone that my son cooked on the KK. Green peppercorn gravy, a little bacon, garlic, onion. Very rich between the beef and the cream. This was a slight error where I had left home after lighting the KK and my son who knew he was cooking steak, grabbed the bag of rib on bone rather than the thinner sirloin that would have been easier for him to cook. Anyway, although they were a little rare for my wife, they were pretty good.... and even better second time around. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very cold weather coming in for the next 10 days. Decided to use last night's moderate temperature (1°C) to cook up this tri-tip. Santa Maria seasoning over duck fat. Plated with salad, roasted baby potatoes and baguette. Accompanied by 2007 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon. I left it on the KK16 a couple of minutes too long, but it was still tasty.

@tony b did you hear me complain about the weather? I said it was a lovely night, it’s exactly why I spent so much damn $$$ on my yard. Wintertime outside, cooking, music, wine, hot tub.....& yes corn on the cob! 😀

Like @MacKenzie said, penalty points can be assigned for posting those corn on the cob pics this early in the year. I just snowblowed 5.5" of yesterday's snow off my driveway this morning and we're about to get slammed by the Polar Vortex for the next week (single digit highs and below zero lows). So, tread lightly my friend, with those outdoor pics and "complaining" about 55F weather! Nice job on the tri-tip. Hope you liked the Santa Maria rub.

@Basheryour son is gonna push you into early retirement if he keeps this up!

Cook and lights looking good Troble. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you @tony b, brilliant advice, great plan. I really do need a dry day. There should be one after the weekend. Can't wait to fire it up again. Many Thanks RD

As noted by @Braai-Q, 1st stock up on the adult beverages and settle in for a few hours. For temp control training, load up the basket with cheap lump (assuming that you aren't going to cook anything, so don't waste the good stuff!) and just start a small fire, and open the top vent just barely off the seat (just so smoke exits) and bump open the left dial to about 1/2 open (it doesn't control the temp, so it's not that sensitive to position when you first get going). Let the KK come up to its natural state (stops increasing) and make note of the dome temperature, enjoying that adult beverage in the process. Next, bump open the top vent about 1/8 of a turn and repeat. Have another adult beverage while waiting. Keep doing the 1/8 turn increments until you get to about 400F. That should cover most of your cooking range. These vent settings are very repeatable. If you want to keep going to do the burn in, start opening the top vent in 1/4 turn increments to speed up the process. You might want to top off the charcoal at this point, as this part will take a few more hours. You will also need to open the left dial/lower vent all the way. Keep going until you start to smell the solvent (typically around 550F dome.) Then stop the increase and just let it ride itself out until the smell is gone. Make note of any weeping white goop and/or lifting tiles. Have a rag handy to wipe off the goop (be careful as the outside of the KK will get very hot during this process). If you see any bulging spots, have a safety pin (or similar) handy to poke a small hole in the grout to let the solvent vent out. Keep tabs on the lifting tiles, (carefully inspect just about everywhere (except the legs) as you will want to remember where they are so you can press them back down into place as the KK cools off when you are finished with the venting, so they can re-set. Once cooled down, smear some grout around any tears that you see. It wipes off the tiles with a damp cloth. And, you're done - have another adult beverage to celebrate!

Hopefully @HokieBen we'll get a non-rainy day next week and I can do the burn in and get to grips with the controls & temperature- nice and slowly. Thanks for the 12 O'clock tip @tony bTony that will come make things easier - I think you've also advised somewhere on her how to do the burn in and log the temperature control. @Braai-Q - I have got a cover for it - I remember you talking about the sunbrella fabric and matching outdoor furniture that you have. It's a very good design and cloaks the oven right down to the ground. I like the way it's shaped to fit over the top vent handle - I think I must sort something similar for my WFO. It's MrsRD's birthday next week and she wants duck breasts cooked on the oven a la @tekobo , once the burn in and temperature control is sorted I think it'll be a low and slow that'll be another first.

I’m over a year old now! Havent I earned my stripes?

Troble, I realize you are new on the forum but you are not that new that you can post fresh corn on the cob until Tony and I can do the same, which is not until late July or Aug.

Those steaks look good @RokDok I'd call that a very successful first cook. I'm not sure if you have a cover but watch the teak controls on the vents, they'll deteriorate left wet so might want to dry before covering. You've tried the grill, assume a slow cook is up next? I trust you are taking @tony b advice and grabbing adult beverages and getting to grips with the air control first? Good to see some pictures of Mrs RokDok proving she survived the experience of acting as anchor too!

As I type this it’s 55 degrees at 7:40pm, feels like I haven’t cooked on the KK in forever so today I fired it up and did some chicken breast that I’ll use for quesadillas and chicken lettuce wraps the next two days, but I’ve been hungry all week so felt like some good read meat fortunately I just got a bunch of new rubs and spices that the venerable @tony brecimmeded to me so tonight I grilled a tri-tip indirect over coco char rubbed with Oakwood Santa Maria rub, over mesquite wood chips, served with slow baked sweet potatoe and Greek yogurt (quickly becoming my go to baked potato), along with seasons first corn on the cob, which could’ve been cooked longer and probably grown longer. Served with my favorite Fred’s Horseradish sauce also @Tyrus decided to break my dry streak for 2021 and have a nice glass of red wine tonight which was lovely. Meat turned out great, enough medium +/well done pieces for the misses and medium/- for me. Top it off with my friends Umphrey’s McGee doing a livestream concert sitting outside, capped off in the hot tub. Lovely evening

Simply amazing bit of kit. I thought I had understood what "the obsession" was all about. I didn't quite , but I do now. Absolutely perfect. Without a shadow of a doubt one of the best decisions we ( it was Mrs RD who found the site) have made. Many thanks to all for advice, egging on, joking and nurturing. RD

I don't normally post after I've had a couple of beers (stouts in this case) so please forgive the euphoria. To be honest, when it arrived I thought - ooooh that looks a bit bigger than I thought it would be - have I made the right decision -Should I have gone for the 23 ". What is Mrs RD going to say this time .... I've not got a good track record here.... One Sunday night I bought a top end Pearl Reference Series drum kit on EBay from Germany. I'd only got to grade four by then . Nothing wrong with that you may say ...except that I'd bought an identical one a couple of weeks before. What was going to be a simple brew kit - a couple of plastic containers rapidly turned into my making a mini brewery capable of brewing 280 litres in a day. A little clay oven .. full size Pompeii, we'll just put a couple of new doors on the kitchen units = full house rebuild taking 10 years and we have to live in our caravan on the lawn... So a little anxious at this point - you can understand.

You're right. It's chucking now but :

Thanks guys. It is a bit scary coming off the pallet - but just have to take it really steady and it'll be fine. @MacKenzie- you are welcome to a glass or two of stout. If you're heading this way in th next few years I'll keep one back for you. The reason why they put an extra pallet underneath is because the pallet that the KK sits on is customised and has a broader supporting section underneath. The forks of some of the pallet trolleys are not far enough apart to sit either side of this section. Supporting the ramp with concrete paver mad it pretty rock solid. Yes, I did go out last night in the dark and rain to check it was OK. Unpacked the tables last night - the quality of workmanship and engineering is just staggeringly good - something you can't fully appreciate from the photos. The neighbours have been round taking pictures of it ! Many Thanks All

That's the pub behind us by the way. Couple of pictures of it in position , one from outside and one from inside. Many thanks to folk on the forum who have inspired and advised. Truly wonderful bit of kit !! I'm going to wait for a dry, bright day for the burn in and first cook, meanwhile have to unwrap and figure out what all the extra thing are.

We got it through the hedge fine and then down the path between the two lawns, but we thought it safer to do the leapfrogging plywood trick alongside the house - I'dedisconnected the gas supply and moved the cylinders but the connection to the house was a bit proud and the house is built of stone and lumps of flint that also protrude.

Progressing nicely. Everything unpacked from the crate now. Baking stones etc in there garage. Did start to worry - thinking how is everything I ordered going to fit in here - have they forgotten the tables ? Of course they hadn't ! It's on a double pallet, so going to have to make a secondary ramp. It's not going to be slid off like this !

I know now what "blue balls" are - I had to google that one. It's not here yet - it's a couple of hours late and it's getting dark here. I've disconnected the gas bottles to the house and tucked them out of the way - the path is cleared, hedges trimmed, ply put on the gravel next to the path just in case we slip off. Had the oil tanker blocking the road for a bit but that has gone now. I did say this was a like waiting for the birth of my first child. This is torture - can't even get the forceps out to hurry things up a bit.

I was holding out for multi-cam tekobo style. I still chuckle about the delivery manager being brought to camera for a 'post match interview'. Easily my favourite Zoom call of 2020.

Sunday night; shrimp taco night. Moderate conditions compared to Tony's who is just a few hours north. Nonetheless, we persisted. Shrimp on the KK In process: Chipotle aioli, cheese, sour cream, cabbage, pico de gallo, cilantro, and yes, shrimp. All dressed up and ready to go

More fun. A two panel mosaic of three (3!) nebula. The Spider (upper right), Tadpoles (middle), and Flaming Star (lower right). In spite of appearing co-located, Tadpoles is about 12,000 light years away and Flaming Star is right next door -- only 1500 light years away.

Exactly right on the rabbithole. I though KK'ing was an obsession. Pfffft! That's nothing compared to astrophotography. Now I daydream about my next scope, mount, camera, filters...and whether I can sneak an observatory past my Homeowners' Association...and wife.

Just for fun.