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Finally a chance to smoke Beef Plate Ribs. These are insanely rich and flavorful. Did these @ 275 for about 7 hrs. Kept smoke generator going most of the cook with Hickory chunks and coffe chunks .

Last night I got out two frozen chooks that my Italian butcher had spatchcocked and deboned for me. Per another post on this forum, I tried dusting one of the chickens with baking powder to see if the skin came out crispy. Heat soaked the 32 to 250C and cooked the chickens on the top grate. IMG_0175.MOV That fat came out of the chickens. Soooo delicious. The chicken on the right was the one with the dusting of baking powder. It came out a little browner but no real discernable difference in skin crispiness. I also cooked dessert on the KKs. Roasted strawberries with sugar and black pepper followed by a few drops of rose water at the end. Then I cooked some chocolate fondant Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their KK cooked dinner! P.S. The starter was not KK cooked but it is worth a mention. Sous vide cooked octopus legs, compressed in a meat press for making ham, cooled and then sliced to make octopus carpaccio. Game changingly delicious with a drizzle of good olive oil.

Memorial Day brisket(s)

Salt, pepper, Butter, olive oil, garlic, lemon chicken

Here's a smoked/rotisserie chicken over a pan of beans. We gave it a cajun style dry rub and basted it with a cajun-bacon compound butter towards the end of the cook. Also made a tangy jalapeño slaw and cornbread. Everything came out great but the beans (pinto & black) with the drippings, bacon, poblanos, coffee, etc. sort of stole the show. I used the heat deflector as a shelf for the pan to keep it off the direct heat.

I honestly LOVE Aron Franklins process 50/50 course cracked pepper and kosher salt. Not going to lie I like a little blackening seasoning and cayenne also. Cook at 275F for 7-8 hrs no wrapping to really keep the Bark intact . Did these a couple weekends ago just melted like butter in your mouth . Used the big double bottom drip tray with beer and rosemary to protect from direct heat. Oh forgot chilled them in the freezer to cool em down and cold smoked em for 2 hrs (Hickory/Pecan) the day before thats the 2nd picture with no seasoning .

We hit 80s today, so had to grill out something special for the occasion. Sirloins marinated in Shio Koji and spices. Grilled veggie medley of spuds, poblano, onion and asparagus. Served with a side of shrooms and a nice Napa Valley cab (9 years old). Steaks on the lower grate. Plated.

Here’s some pics of recent cooks. I’m obsessed with my "grill friend!"

Last night was pork short ribs and corn on the cob. Don't know where the corn came from, definitely not local (not til late July). It was sweet, but a bit tough (age?). Pork was cooked indirect at 250F for 3 1/2 hours with smoker pot of hickory and apple wood chunks. I was busy in the yard, so I used the Guru to manage the cook. Plated with salad and hush puppies (air fryer).

There was a pkg of spice lying about, I wasn't sure what was inside the pouch but when I opened it up I discovered it was a Mexican blend of some sort. Instantly the black Columbian clay pot came to mind with a mix of rice and chicken. Using this pot first up top in the KK and finishing down low over the fire always makes a delish and easy meal. Cut carrots, onion, stringbeans, celery are added to the rice using chicken stock preferred to water, then some chive and parsley and finish with a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles. Brown the chicken first for a better presentation, nothing fancy but a tasty alternative. Here's a new selection Campbells has come out with, mix this with rice & peppers and some chicken...the next time. One pot meals, can't beat them

Wanted something tonight with a little bite, riding on the side of light. 3 Skinny zucchinni, half an onion, one tomatoe all chunky diced, some parsley, chive, linquica, tiny potatoes split, a ting of thyme, a tab of butter, some "That's Incredible spice" (a mix of S&P, onion salt, and garlic etc) with Hot wing sauce, yes and stir. Used the perforated deflector shield down low and cooked up top to a nice tenderness uncovered, then topped with a Mexican cheese for 15-20 minutes @ around 310F. Had a nice zing, and would easily compliment as a veggie dish as a side. Leave out the linguica (portuguese sausage) add polish kielbasa or your local favorite. I used a creamy hot wing sauce, find your own proportions yet don't over do it on the HW sauce...it's an easy but tasty side once balanced. An idea to ponder. Bon appetit. Additionally, I did partially micro the potatoe to coincide with the veggies.

It was a gorgeous day here so I took advantage of it to fire up the KK and do some chicken drum sticks.

But today was a good day 😁 A nice little 3 pound tomahawk from Snake River. I was in the mood for rare tonight 😉

I bought the 32” Rotisserie charcoal splitter just over a year ago. I have just started using it and once you get the charcoal figured it works very Nice! Here’s the 10lb Pork Belly we split,stuffed and rolled. Then rotisserie for about 4 hrs. IMG_2182.mov IMG_2183.mov

Hope everyone in the US has a great Memorial Day weekend, with lots of great cooks! Everyone else, have a great "regular" weekend! I kicked mine off with smash burgers on the cast iron griddle on the sear grate (upper grate upside down on the charcoal basket handles, for those who are new here). Being a Southern boy, I had made a batch of pimento cheese (or 'minner cheese as we say back home!), so onto the final burger it went!

My start to our long weekend here in the UK was a semi-fail. I struggle to get reliable crackling on pork in the KK, just because the KK keeps everything so moist. So...I decided to light the KK and get it to settle around 180C and, in the meantime, I blasted my leg of pork in my home oven at 220C for 30 minutes. It came out with a good crust and here it is, ready to go into the KK. At the end of the cook there was some crackling on the pork but a fair bit had softened up again. The meat was of course as moist and delicious as ever and I had the benefit of the smoke that I had added in the KK but not the reliable crunchy crackling that I get in the home oven. Any tips or tricks that others would recommend? Here is the pork at the end of the cook. The potatoes had only just gone in, which is why they are looking so anaemic. I wonder if I should have turned up the temp on the KK for the last half hour of the pork cook?

We now have both available. You ask and you shall receive..

FYI, all from a longtime lurker. . A GREAT vid on easy to follow unpacking of the 38". Dennis, I look forward to ordering from you in the very near future.

Size Queen! 🤣

Ohhhh, now i want chicken 😋

I really need to get out and cook something !!!! We have had so much rain it is hard to schedule anything outside. But today looks promising !!!

Everything is coming out perfect. The KK is a breeze to use. I absolutely love it!

I am so stealing that !!!! Today would be a great day for a nice warm meal. Feel like winter again

The basket splitter and half grate go hand and hand for grilling a thick steak. I use both for doing a reverse sear. I'll invert the upper grate over the coals so it is only a few inches above and put the half grate up in the cooler side. I'll run my temp at about 250 until i get the internal temp i am looking for. Then you take your steak off to rest for 15 or 20 minutes and then open the damper up to get those coals red hot. Then you sear on the lower grate. You will love the results. I do the same for prime rib. Welcome to KK steak cooking

Hey there, it is soooo delicious. I bought some at our local salumeria in Padova and really wanted to work out how to make it. Turns out it was relatively easy, just needed a sous vide machine, a meat press, some patience and a meat slicer. I will post full details in the sous vide recipe section when I next make it from scratch. Yeah, it was a full on dessert night. The non-lactose intolerant folk had deliciously wobbly, slippery elderflower panna cotta, which was the original choice to go with the roasted strawberries.

that looked absolutey fantastic. Have never bought cooked or eaten this cut of beef. But now I'm gonna get one and follow your instructions! Yum!

So true. One of our members (ckreef) actually did an experiment where he intentionally tried to dry out a whole chicken on the KK. It was impossible.

Long time 23" Ultimate owner. I've experimented with many approaches to "radiant heat". I wouldn't double the basket splitter. I'm a big fan of the 23" ULTIMATE DOUBLE BOTTOM DRIP PAN. It makes a great heat deflector, and an easy to clean drip pan when lined with foil. (Some people use the drippings for gravy, where the double bottom helps prevent scorching.) I use it as a heat deflector for pizza. Using any ceramic cooker as a pizza oven, one needs to confront the "heat from the bottom" effect. Wood-fired dome pizza ovens don't work this way. The best deflector helps here. Long ago, I'd get several years at a time out of a giant unglazed plant saucer (no lead risk) lined with foil. Again, leave several inches around the outside. The real art to radiant heat is to time the fire's arc. Cook on the return from "low earth orbit" when the fire is waning but the dome remembers.

Savage steak there C6Bill and an awesome bark Troble.

@Tyrus there's always a jug of sweet tea in my fridge! And right now, I'm a fixin to go out and do some yard work.

Thanks, @Tyrus, aka The Hippy-Dippy Weatherman!

All this cold weather is coming from a Canadian low, not to be confused with a Mexican high. Heat up a can of the Buffalo soup, it should put a spark in your step.

Work the edge of a knife to clear and widen the area so you can get optimum penetration for a good seal. Nice a nd slow, don't be a Ninja.

I'm happy to report that my KK has been rehomed - it's served me well and I'm sure it's ready for another few decades of use!

@tekobo Our resident expert on multiples lol

Woo hoo! Our Mexican neighbour helped with making the tortillas. I think her expectations were low and this Al Pastor recipe far, far exceeded her and her husband's expectations. Hurrah for @Troble. I made fish tacos to start, followed by Al Pastor and then finished with pineapple and ginger sorbet. I was touched by the fact that she has not been able to get to Mexico for a while (looking after sick old dog) and so was super happy to have the taste of Mexico brought to her. And her husband loved rolling the meat in the fat that accumulated in the bottom of the pan.

I'd eat that !!!

Just in time for the Abba reunion I have discovered something really cool about my money. I have been saving £2 coins for years. The pace has slowed recently because we use real money so rarely these days. A week or so ago I thought I really ought to count up the coins to see how many I have. I counted and weighed the first ten coins and then twenty to callibrate and then weighed the lot to see how much I had. £562. Hmmm. What to do with it? I can spend that easily with a few clicks online but spending real cash feels like a greater responsibility. First candidate was a medium Korin and some Binchotan but I am not sure if that is quite symbolic enough. No decision made yet. In meantime, I happened to mention my piggy bank to my greengrocer. His shop is one of the few places where I still spend and receive coins. He told me that some £2 coins are worth more than others. My curiousity was piqued and I found an article online this morning: https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/3524236/rarest-most-valuable-2-pound-coins-designs/ What fun, searching through my pile of coins. I wasn't aware of the different designs and the stories that each represent. The majority of my coins are the least valuable. But I have a number of different designs across the spectrum. And one of the most valuable on the list. This £2 is worth £40. I know this has nothing to do with KKs but I was so excited that I had to share this with someone and you were here. I like playing with money.

Yep,,along that line the 32 would be a Prince or Princess, the 23 a Duke or Duchess, the 21 an Earl or Lady....etc etc. Can't slip anything by you Toney, no matter how well disguised. So the 42 is King....long live the King.

There might be a slight bias to the 32 remark there C6Bill, but I'm only speculating. I have to concur and would think he may have seen the error of his ways. I believe his honorable membership should be reinstated.with all dubius honors for having such a big unit. Indeed,I'm jealous.

Every video you put out is exceptional. I recently purchased the duck hanger on your recommendation and it’s my new favorite toy!

@tony b Thanks for the tip! I can see how that could happen. My issue with the Meater probes is that you have to push them in so far that for a bird this size the tips would be inside the cavity if oriented the way you suggested. I could flip the bird (ha!) the other way, but there’s that Steve Raichlen/KK video where he recommends this orientation for even cooking. In retrospect I probably wouldn’t use them again since it’s practically impossible to dry out a chicken on a KK anyway.

@NapDogg - nicely done. One observation. You have MEATER probes inserted into the chicken perpendicular to the rotation. I've had experiences where the juices/fat (especially with your butter basting) run down the probes and burn, which actually coats the probe and throws off the readings. I now try to put the probes in parallel to the rotation to avoid that situation. YMMV

I've owned a 23" KK for a while now (2012). I've never had an issue with the rotisserie motor not handling the load, but I've never taxed it near its limit either. I generally only use the basket splitter when I'm using the rotisserie. I like the food to rotate in/out of the heat zone. I arrange the basket so that the coals are in the back of the grill. I have on rare occasions used it in a left/right arrangement for a non-rotisserie cook, but in general, if I want indirect cooking, I just use AL foil on the lower grate with the regular basket (no splitter). This allows me to use all of the top grate area; whereas if you use the basket splitter left/right, you've lost half of the cooking surface. This arrangement does come in handy if you're reverse searing just a few steaks. YMMV

As for the second question in regards to durability and longevity all I would add is, why would you. The motor is strong enough and capable of turning a 50lb load, more than enough for a 23 inch span. You'd be hard pressed to reach those limits with food and equipment accessories, adding anything bigger would be overkill and unnecessary IMO. I've had my unit for some time, approx 7 years I believe. It's something you find useful but you don't use it all the time. I didn't like the chore of removing and installing the unit so I ended up leaving it on the KK while covering the unit with a piece of foil and a waterproof cover. The cost today is $67.99 for a 13 watt motor, nothing lasts forever but it's all you need. I have used the basket splitter with a deflector resting on the two bars of the charcoal basket with adequate air flow to maintain a fire. If you were to use foil on the lower grate above the fire you air flow would be even better. I believe that was your question, if not that's how I interpreted it. All I will add to that is, the first set up on the handles has limited airflow so reaching higher temps can be difficult when using in tandem with the basket splitter.

wineman, I believe she is using the 16.

Now I want one of those to see if it is easier lol I used my half grate yesterday

Great looking ribs !!!

A little optimism goes a long way, things should settle after a few months. Cant't say, but Dennis might have shipped a few over here to his warehouse in anticipation of such an event, an event it is...grand scale theatrics to level the playing field. It's ain't over till the fat lady sings.