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Reverse seared ribeyes at 450⁰ topped with chanterelles simmered in a garlic butter sauce. Steamed and grilled the corn and broccolini on the Napoleon grill at medium heat for about 15 minutes. Pulled the ribeye off the lower grate at 128⁰ internal temp and it's perfection. YUMMM!

This pic was 4 hours in, I wrapped it 3 hours ago. It should be done soon and the finished product 😁

Hi all, I was just posting a few other things regarding our BB32 and scrolling through some other posts, and I came across the Forum Members section. Even though I've read many posts on the forum and gleaned a lot of info over the past 5 years, I've never come across the new owners' posts on this thread. So, I figured I'd write a very late intro. We have a BB32 black pebble that we've had now for about 5 years, ever since we built a new house on an island called Waiheke (pronounced Y-heck-ee) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, about 30 min.s ferry ride from downtown Auckland. First photo is the BB sitting on its new home deck. We built the deck to specifically take the weight of the BB, so that we can position it where-ever we want, by decreasing the spacing of the joists and stringers and beefing up their size. Hopefully we won't end up with the BB falling through the deck one day. When choosing the BB I involved my wife from day 1. She agreed to the model and chose the colour and pebble vs tile. Then it turned up and she said: "holy crap, I didn't agree to something that size", so it's just as well that Dennis doesn't have photos that put the size in true perspective, otherwise I'd never have bought it. Then, after I figured out how to cook on it, she said: "I'm really glad that you bought it". And now, after 5 years, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Our two kids (6 and 9 years) call it the dinosaur egg. We've mostly cooked low & slow stuff on it: lamb shoulder (a New Zealand speciality), pork ribs, whole beef oyster blade (which I think rivals brisket), whole beef OP ribs, rotisserie chickens, etc. She also cooks sides beautifully: whole corn, baked potatoes, asparagus, etc I've just started doing pizzas on it, finally after 5 years. It cooks beautiful pizza, and 2 at a time, which is great for the kids. The second photo is our setup for pizza, cooked at about 280 deg.C (540 F). Our kitchen oven maxes at 280 also, but the BB cooks the pizza much better at that temp. I would like to thank Dennis and his crew for advice and support over these 5 years: Dennis has always responded promptly to my email questions. Also, thanks to the members of this forum who have shared info that has been very helpful to me over these years. Now that I'm reasonably versed in some areas of cooking on a Komodo I'll try to chip in knowledge for others where I think it'll be helpful. Cheers, and happy cooking. Paul.

We had a public holiday here today/ and had old friends over for lunch. 7kg brisket, cooked for 11.5hrs, 4hr rest. Meat church holy cow. Plenty of sides- smashed roast potatoes, no-kneed bread, coleslaw, espresso BBQ sauce, horseradish cream, spicy smoked salsa. Very happy guests, and very happy me!

After 6 years of wanting a KK, I finally pulled the trigger. Sold the Yoder ys640 pellet grill and my Louisiana Grill kamado for this upgrade. Just did my first cook tonight: baby back ribs. Overshot 225⁰ and was chasing temps afterwards...gotta better learn the top vent positioning, but am excited to learn. Cheers!

Some more pics of the setup. After years of neglecting the Yoder smoker and not treating it the way I probably should have, I built this gazebo just for the Komodo kamado. My space is tight here (8'x8'), so between these three workhorses, I should have all my needs covered. Additionally, I modified the Napoleon propane grill as well, so I removed one burner and replaced it with an infrared burner that gets over 1000⁰F in 30 seconds. Between that and the Ooni pizza oven, I will never have the need to cook with hot temperatures in this Komodo kamado, and that will preserve the longevity of this beautiful masterpiece.

This weeks local crop share had an abundance of fresh fall related items that went well in my KK slow cooker. Adding all the ingredients into a deep tray along side a marinated tender chuck roast all wrapped in foil and time prepared a hearty tasty meal.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’s that time of year… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had 2 pounds of lean ground pork that needed to be used. Decided on a meatloaf but thought it might be too greasy. Chanced it, added the kitchen sink and here it is. Not at all greasy, tasted lovely, would do this again. The carrots were just in from the garden, so roasted those and added a baked potatoe and added some broccoli sprouts to the plate.

Simple cheeseburgers here tonight- wagyu patties from a local butcher, cheddar melted on top, swipe of relish and some pickle on toasted brioche buns- so simple, so good. Some chicken satay and lamb skewers and veges to add some interest.

Today I combined a good Italian marinara with a Tomato jelly and made a finishing sauce for a rack of ribs and then covered it all with mozzarella. I've made ribs every which way from Sunday using various rubs and sauces but I wanted something different. Now I had my doubts, but after I combined the two and heated them on the stove I knew they belonged together. You can vary the amount of jelly if you want for the marinara to come through more in the end or sweeten it to your liking....it's all good. Rubbed the ribs with meat church Gospel rub and sat them overnight in the frig. I did a wrap during the cook and used the sauce which had thickened after it sat and cooled for some time, then I spread a good thick coat on the ribs when the ribs were close to coming off. The sauce stayed in place, didn't run off the edges, they also set well with heat, then add the cheese to melt. Let the ribs cool some before you slice to keep everything entact and looking good.

It was a large pot, about 4 gallons. I give an amount away, but fortunately, gumbo freezes beautifully, it’s actually better after frozen. It’s a tradition in this part of the world, one I’m proud to be a part of. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

@Justin MulweeI used the half grate last week for my reverse sear ribeye cook. Check it out! I found that it's a great (no pun intended) size and I wouldn't want it to be smaller. I cooked the ribeyes on the half grate til about 100⁰ and then I threw them on the lower grate to sear and pulled them off at 128⁰. Perfection!

As Fall is encroaching upon us, I cooked some Italian Sausages I picked up from a local sausage maker yesterday and paired them with acorn squash with parmesan flan on the KK tonight. Perfecto!

Exactly. I do hope it was a noticeable thing, them ribs were truly good. Thanks for cropping the picture, didn't want any competition.

No, use the splitter such that you’re using a half ish basket. I suppose it doesn’t matter that much because you’re only going to use whatever it takes for a given cook, whether half basket full or full basket. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to The Obsession! Best way to learn temp control. Fill up the basket with coals, Light a small spot, Open the top vent 1/4 turn and bottom vent just barely open (pinkie). Sit back with a cooler of your favorite adult beverage and watch the temp. Once stabalized, make a note of it, bump the top vent another 1/4 turn and have another beverage. Again, once stabalized, take notes, bump the top vent again and maybe open the bottom a bit more. Keep doing this until the dome reaches maybe 450F, as almost all your cooks will be below that temperature (except the burn-in and doing pizzas). The vent position/temperature correlation is very repeatable, assuming you have enough charcoal in the basket. Secondly, DON"T CHASE THE TEMPERATURE! If the KK is heat soaked, you're not going to be able to lower the temperature easily if you overshoot your target. Also, it's BBQ, not rocket science. Plus/Minus 50F off your target is nothing. Just roll with it. You won't notice any difference in the results, only the cooking time might be slightly affected. Good Luck, Post Pictures of that all-important virgin cook!

As my "partner in crime" battling the spammers, I'll give you a PASS on the No Pic, Didn't Happen rule.

I forgot to take pics while cooking as these are done so hot and fast but for my first time having this i have to say it was really good !!!!

I was inspired by @remito make some roadside chicken for dinner last night.

Just remember, any time you ask for tips you'll get a lot of them and you'll need to figure out which ones work for you. That's why BBQ forums are full of references to Try-Tips. I'll see myself out...

In case you don't have a thermometer:

I'm a gadget guy so I like using my FireBoard and Pulse, but the ThermoWorks RFX came out just after I committed and I may have chosen them if I had to buy new today. Still, with a decent UI both for local access, web, and phone the FireBoard is pretty nice compared to my previous Stoker (now out of business) where I had to build my own web UI.

I use the Thermoworks Signals with wired probes. I like it a lot, especially being able to view the cooking temp profiles on both the app and on a computer via the website after the fact. I struggle to remember approx cook times for different cuts and just reference back to the saved histories of prior cooks so I can time things correctly. I also really like cooking by internal meat temp. For long low temp cooks, especially in strong wind conditions (where temp can fluctuate with big wind) and/or overnight (where I can't be bothered waking up to check on things) I use Thermoworks' Billows fan connected to their battery and the Signals. It doesn't need AC with the battery and the Billows always keeps a rock steady 107 deg.C (my preferred low & slow temp). I did see that they brough out the wireless probes a while back (as per JonJ and SteveL's comments), but they didn't integrate with the Signals then so I didn't buy any. I will check again as wireless probes would be somewhat easier. I also have two Meater + probes (the single ones) and I've had a terrible time with dropouts and being unable to reconnect. They're great when they work, but that's only about 1 time in 10 in my experience. I've stoipped using them. Cheers, Paul.

Looks really tasty. 😁👍👍

I just ate and that brisket is making me hungry again! Excellent job!

Remi, you nailed that dinner. 😁 👍👍

I have a brisket thawing in the fridge right now, your's looks great !!!!

No, I just make an appropriate fire, no splitter. I do own two charcoal baskets, which facilitates saving extruded coconut fuel in place, swapping in other charcoal for e.g. a pizza or bread cook. I store the other basket on a "box store" terra cotta plant saucer.

Thanks @Tyrus I appreciate that. I thought of cool names to name it, but nothing stuck. I remember reading a forum article here years ago about how a guy named his KK "Puff" for the dragon, and that's always stuck with me. However, all of the dragon names seem like too much and unrelatable so instead, I've decided to refer to it as "The Forge." I think that's pretty badass/medieval sounding as well, and very fitting for me as I have 3 different flamethrowers and tend to cook with 900°+ high temperatures on my other grills. Now I just gotta get a sign that says "The Forge" to place above it. Thank you very much for the inspiration! Love it!! One question. If I want to speed up the process to get to 225°, and I leave all of the vents open, at what temperature should I start closing the vents off to be safe? 140°? Last time I overshot it, I was around 160°-180° or so (I wasn't paying too much attention) before I closed it off to 1/4 turn + 3rd hole open at the bottom and I landed at 250°. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who does this expedited airflow process to get to starting temps, and I know that these KKs heat soak like no other. Thanks in advance.

Very nice setup!

Hey everyone, I’ve been experimenting with different meats on my Komodo Kamado, but I’m still trying to figure out the best way to cook beef — especially steaks and brisket. I love that smoky, juicy flavor the Kamado gives, but sometimes my beef turns out a bit dry or overcooked on the edges while the middle stays too rare. I’ve tried both direct and indirect heat, but I’m not sure which setup works best for thick cuts. So, how do you all cook your beef on the Komodo Kamado? Do you prefer low and slow for tenderness, or high sear and then rest? And what’s your favorite seasoning or marinade that really brings out that beefy flavor? Would love to hear your methods I’m always trying to improve my grilling game! Thanks,

For slightly tougher cuts of meat, I recommend a soak in Shio Koji (paste is better than the liquid). But you should cut back on the amount of salt that you use to compensate for the extra umami of the Koji.

I've found what works for me is letting the meat soak in the marinade for 18-24 hrs as long as it's not one the accelerates the break down of the meat tissue as say pineapple juice, vinegar or wine...then your time in the soak is much less. Sweet and savory marinades do well longer, I soak my Tri-tip whole for 24hrs in a savory worcestershire sauce base having garlic and onion powder and other herbs, I find it at a local meat shop. It's kind of like brining a turkey, the process is long but the result is what your looking for. Chicken wings and thighs do well in a good soak of Buffalo or Peri Peri or Teriyaki for that matter. Some may not prefer it that way, experimenting with duration may be one's choice, you've got to find your comfortable niche. I do like those McCormick quick packages for chicken on the grill, best to follow the directions here or try a Product called It's Incredible by Heaven Made Products, an alternative to salt and pepper for some things. I really should be better at writing things down, I've probably forgotten more than I can remember but if the time and effort of preparing countless cooks have taught me anything I believe it would be just having a understanding of what goes with what. As far as methods are concerned...I stick to what works and evolve from there, like most folks.

This! The top vent open 1/4 on my Big Bad is also about 225-250 and 1/2 is about 300 with the bottom vent open enough to fit a finger in it.

Congrats !!!! 225 is only about a 1/4 turn of the top vent with the bottom vent only being open enough to get your little finger in there. Dennis has some good videos on that, i'll see if i can find the links This will get you a good temp for ribs And this one is everything you need to know about the 32

I’ve been looking for a good meat thermometer because cooking meat perfectly has always felt a little challenging for me. I want to make sure every meal is cooked properly and safe to eat. I’ve checked out several options online, and while many have glowing reviews. I’m still not completely sure which one would be the easiest and most reliable to use. Alpha Grillers Meat Thermometer Digital https://www.amazon.com Alpha Grillers Meat Thermometer Digital/dp/B00S93EQUK AMMZO Digital Meat Thermometer Digital https://www.amazon.com/dp AMMZO Digital Meat Thermometer Digital/B00S93EQUK?&linkCode=ll1 Has anyone here bought a meat thermometer for home use? Which one do you recommend? Can this prove to be effective, or are there better ones to compare it with? Thanks in advance.

get a cheap one for $20 with a bottle opener, temp chart, f/c toggle switch, easy battery swap. thermoworks just reads faster, better IP, and more $$$

The best way to cook beef Zoee lies in the preparation, sometime a day before it finds the grill, a well known fact. The heat part, you have the best cooker out there, how could you fail,.... impossible.

For particularly tender cuts like filet mignon, you can also try to sous vide the steak to warm/cook it, then do a high temp sear just to add a crust for texture. I've also done tougher cuts in a balsamic marinade (balsamic vinegar, water, garlic, and whatever spices I'm in the mood for), the vinegar starts to break down the meat and makes it more tender while adding some fun flavors. And flavorful cuts like a ribeye can handle a light rub.

For all kinds of beef, salt, pepper, garlic is hard to beat. Brisket is always best low and slow, i like anywhere between 225-275. Steaks I like to cook hot and fast, direct. 600-650, lower grate, 3ish minutes per side for a 1.5” ribeye. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I second what @5698k (Robert) said. Thermoworks rock. Accurate, instant read. What more do you need? There's a whole different discussion about "wireless" thermometers for the rotisserie. More new ones coming out all the time.

Thermoworks has the best meat thermometers out there. They’re on the pricy side, but worth it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What @tony b said.

https://komodokamadoforum.com/topic/2505-roadside-chicken/

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.

So unfortunately I have a personal issue which will unable me to use the kk. I will be letting it go. It’s under a year old. Like new. Comes with side tables, cold smoker, rotisserie and cover. If you’re in Canada or willing to make the drive, I’m 20 min away from Barrie. here are pics. any reasonable offer will be considered. Email me if interested. [email protected] or text 4163181033 merry Christmas and happy new year to all you fine kkers

42" Teak Lid Removal Handles. It's big, it's heavy how ya going to lift that lid?