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I'd eat that! It was 83F here yesterday, so I got to eat dinner outside on the deck for the 1st time this year!! Since I had been hanging out at a buddy's brewery in the afternoon with friends, dinner had to be a short prep one. First a shot of my buddy's beer - a very nice watermelon sour (Berliner Weiss). I also brought home some of his excellent blonde ale to go with dinner. A couple of snags (cheddar brat and apple & maple brat - the split one). Direct, main grate 325F, with apple wood chunks. Plated with homemade potato salad, spicy German mustard and that very nice blonde ale.

Nice skewers and meal @tony b @jeffshoaf good looking butt! I made tri tip tonight, really been leaning on that cut as it allows my wife to have the more well done end pieces and I can have the medium pieces in the middle marinated the tri tip in soy sauce, garlic powder and Montreal steak seasoning for 2 days. Cooked it indirect with mesquite wood then finished on lower grate. Turned out perfect for both of us slow baked sweet potato served with Greek yogurt grilled asparagus with olive oil, salt, black pepper & garlic powder I had some leftover beef broth and a small package of leftover mushrooms that I’d be throwing out in a day or two and since I’ve been on a sauce kick I decided to wing it and make a sauce and see what happened. Let’s call it a Au ju. Beef broth, red onion, mushrooms, garlic, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, brown sugar and black pepper, finished with a bit of meat juice after slicing. Turned out good!

Overnight Boston butt with smoke from hickory chunks in the big msr pot. My inventory of lump was pretty bad - ended up using the bigger pieces of jealous devil and royal oak with one piece of coco char. Now i have a few pounds of jealous devil and royal oak smalls and 2 or 3 pieces of coco char left. Regardless, the butt was tasty! So tender it feel apart when i picked it up.

Better go with the 42” then [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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@Saucier, having lived in KC for more than four decades, there have been a lot of great BBQ joints here over the years. The originals are Arthur Bryants, Gates (still held in the family) and Rosedale. These three fought it out for the KC BBQ title for decades, are still standing and basically serving their original style of Kansas City BBQ. Bryant's for cayenne and vinegar-based sauce, Gates for a spicy tomato-based sauce and Rosedale for a sweet tomato-based sauce. If you want a true Kansas City experience, you would go to one of these. Newer places, but still in the Kansas City tradition, are Jones, Big T's, R.J.'s Bob-Be-Que Shack, BB's Lawnside, Smokin' Guns, L.C.'s BBQ, Joe's Kansas City, and Wyandot Barbeque. There are a bunch of newer, upscale restaurants like Q39, CharBar, Fiorella's Jack Stack (Martin City!), all of which serve very, very good smoked meat, fish, fowl, etc., and where I happily eat from time to time, but I wouldn't call them actual Kansas City BBQ. Jack Fiorella's father's BBQ joint, Smoke Stack BBQ was one of the greats but, sadly, no more. Once of @Troble's articles mentioned Harp Barbecue, a place I haven't yet been due to this past pandemic year. It seems to be more Texas-Tennessee BBQ than Kansas City, but I appreciate his mention and homage to Henry Perry, the one true father of Kansas City BBQ. Here's a screen grab from a local television story last July 2 - Henry Perry Day - in Kansas City showing part of his original advertisement: We probably won't see his like again anytime soon... Seriously, any of the above places would be a great experience. It depends on what kind of BBQ experience you are seeking, only having one shot at it. Best wishes and good luck!

Can't go wrong with the Burnt Ends at Arthur Bryant's!

Dono once you remove the outer packing, you can rock it off the box supporting underneath and straight onto the ramp and off the crate. 2 blokes, no problem. They are surprisingly robust even though your brain tells you it’s ceramic. Just don’t hit it with a hammer. [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's a reason for that - it's KETCHUP!! 😝

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A simple but tasty looking dinner, Tony.

Your suggestion is Plan B. Using the pallet jack to move the crate to the backyard patio will be easier than moving the grill by itself. One way or the other, it will work out. This will be exciting. The KK grill will be next to a 60 year old Imperial kamado clay pot (from Guam) and a 10 year old BGE - a study in evolution. Thank you for your replay.

Sorry, no help on the crate size, but I'm curious - why not uncrate it first and just roll it to the backyard patio?

@Basher I remember that one!

@Troble, you'll just have to come back!

WOW,, this is getting tougher! LOL.. before I thought of writing on this forum, I found there was a Gordon Ramsey restaurant in the Harrahs where I am staying and booked a table there, but heck I can get that in Vegas, as a BBQ nut, if I am going to be in KC... I am going to eat some KC BBQ, reservation at Gordy's cancelled !! LOL

My wife informed me that I will be buried in my KK, so I'm adding the cost of a coffin as part of the ROI, based on that, I'm now ahead of the curve!

The company I work for is based in KC. I have spent many months in that town over 20 years. I loved BB Lawnside. https://bbslawnsidebbq.com/ Looks like the local blues bands are off the schedule due to covid. Another good one is https://smokingunsbbq.com/ in north KC. I am certain you'll eat well regardless of the joint you choose.

LOL!! hammer....copy that! Appreciate the info Basher. It does sound pretty simple. Just had these visions of it rolling end for end off the ramp.

My experience was that you can easily do this and not to be worried about it. I broke down the box, prepped everything, removed everything even the ropes (although I’d recommend leaving this on for later) on my own before getting a helping hand to roll it off. There is a small bump to get over, but I used some of the would broken off the box and crate to lay a path and make it a small bump. Me and my 60 yr old neighbor had it off in less than a minute and safe after we got it started. The moment of tip from flat to ramp is a nerve racking one of course, but as many people that have asked, I haven’t read a story yet where anyone had it happen. The only thing that is a must is don’t pull up or hard on the lid handles to push it and definitely don’t try and lift it by that. That has big potential for bad news. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was going out to KC once a quarter for work for about 18 months and got taken to many of the best BBQ joints by locals. Most locals swear by Joe’s which was great but I preferred Q39 personally. Here’s a decent list to get you started https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/food-and-drink/kansas-city-bbq--6-top-picks-you-wont-want-to-miss heres another solid list https://www.kansascitymag.com/the-10-best-kansas-city-bbq-spots-we-ate-at-50-plus-spots-to-pick-em/

Barbecue means different things to different people. If you're looking for a lone guy who'll show us a trick or two, he'll be roadside sixty miles out of town. The most famous KC bbq (when I was there long ago) is a local chain that keeps McDonalds at bay. Different purposes, but good grub. Edit: Joe's, in Troble's post below, is where I believe I ate.

I’ve had high quality ketchup at the hipster Gastropubs in San Diego. There is such a thing.

Always nice meals tony b. And this one looks particularly awesome!

Cheated and used Trader Joe's pre-marinated Carne Asada for last night's tacos. Skewered, on the main grate, post oak & mesquite chunks, 350F. Plated, with tortillas, green crack sauce/guacamole mash-up, salsa and cheese. (Ended up not using the sour cream.) Cuban black beans and rice on the side.

Love wings…I probably eat them once a week whether I cook them or not. My go to at home wing sauce is simmered Franks Hot, with some kerrygold butter, and a spoon full of chili paste. Definitely recommend. Franks and butter for the flavor the chili paste for a slight afterburn. I usually eyeball the measurements, but can take a more scientific approach to share next time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a good friend who grew up in Alberta, perhaps a bit north of you. He said the hardest thing about the bears was that they wouldn't leave through the wall they used for entering.

Pizza night. Two large pizzas with pepperoni, canadian bacon, mushrooms and black olives, please. I make 14" x 16" pizzas because it is the maximum size my baking steel will take. KK at 500°F, steel at 480°F, 6.5 minutes per pizza.

Nice cook Aussie. Here’s a rack of lamb Greek style with garlic, olive oil, little chilli, rosemary, lime rind and lime juice marinade for only a few hours. Forward sear And finally eaten. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tri tip with seasalt purple crack and gunpowder Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Bone in Duroc pork chop. Rubbed with olive oil, Peruvian pink salt, black pepper, garlic powder, brown sugar & rosemary roasted baby potatoes with olive oil, truffle salt, black pepper & thyme Iowa sweet corn w/butter, salt & pepper roasted baby carrots with Momofoku savory seasoning served with balsamic Pinot noir red wine reduction sauce

Surf & Turf tonight. Prime grade rib-eye cap, marinated in Shio Koji, lots of fresh cracked black pepper and roasted garlic, then rubbed with a mix of Gunpowder and Dizzy Pig Cow Lick. On the lower grate, post oak & mesquite chunks, dome around 350F. For the "surf" part - CostCo tempura shrimp, done in the air fryer with classic cocktail sauce from Wegmann's (wonder where that came from??) and a house Japanese dipping sauce of shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar and wasabi powder. Twice baked potatoes (also in the airfryer) with the secret trick of putting the Peruvian green crack sauce INSIDE the twice baked potato! Sautéed mushrooms for the steak and a nice side salad with homemade blue cheese dressing.

@Braai-Q is correct. Dennis is always looking for improvements in the design, many of which come as suggestions from current owners. the good news is that he often makes some of these upgrades available to us owners of older models. I have replaced the gas door in mine with the threaded rod version to properly seal it up so it doesn't become an unexpected source of air in-leakage. I also upgraded to the dual dial front door. I've added the 2nd gasket. Not to mention adding accessories over the years as they've become available, such as the half grate, double bottom drip pan, cold smoker, and various rotisserie parts. There is no "planned obsolescence" in KK world.

I think the KK is like the Porsche 911. If you're not a car guy, this probably doesn't mean that much but the essence of what it is remains present in all evolutions of the vehicle. If you get what it's about, it doesn't matter which one you have, you'll still enjoy the experience. I don't see what comparing the history of the models offers you if I assume that you're looking to make a purchase decision? My 32KK which I bought a couple years ago has been updated to include a steel trace around the lid (apparently people were leaving tools on the side and shutting the lid on them and breaking tiles off for example). Doesn't make a difference because it's not a mistake I've ever made and well, just be careful. Dennis has obviously had enough issues to deal with that he felt it worth addressing but I don't think the fundamentals have changed that much.

Exactly. And charcoal is like wine, you can taste the difference, into price stratospheres you'd rather not know about. (I'm the one who devised the smoke pot and let my wife taste the difference. At least that mod isn't costing me money!)

Congrats Dono, a choice well made. Unfortunate you loosing patience with the offset, it is time consuming and a game that involves one's all. You'll appreciate the break, and the unique pleasure a KK can offer from the constant care of the offset, but I doubt you'll forever depart, yet maybe entwine the two for a useful marriage. They'll be no disappointment in performance with the 32, it covers the bases...I just hope you chose tiles, don't be dissuaded, stick with the original and your path is certain