cruzmisl

Re: forgiving cook Which is why you're an Ophthalmologist and not a Cardiologist

Re: Auto Controller Best money I've spent! All three relatives with Komodos have them and even my father in law with a POSK has one. Its just easier for nightime cooks. I don't like to get up, check on my cooker then hop in my bed smelling like smoke. Wife gets p!ssed off too. All I hear is "I just washed the sheets!"

For sure. Usually when I do a cook I slug Vernons Ginger beer and Woodford bourbon with a lime. Delicious. I'm sure things will stabilize and you'll be able to get some Z's. You'll be bombed but at least you'll fall asleep quickly

It will take a while to come up to temp after you open the lid. Be careful because once it's hot it never seems to go down. For some reason this year has been extraordinarily windy in my parts. Its a HUGE pita to control temps manually which is why I like my guru.

Looks good. I'd forget the smoker box and just toss the chips on top. Are you manually monitoring your temps?

Apparently mine had an oil control ring issue. They were too loose and allowed blow by. I spent $76K on that car at the time (boy did I get ripped but that was Canadian dough which was 50% of the greenback at the time) and I'll be damned if I'm putting a quart of oil in it every two tanks of gas. Your right though, many examples of used Z06's for ~$35K. Where you going to get a 195mph car for $35K???? If the economy shows a hint of stability I may bite the bullet again but I'm done buying new. Lose too much money.

Nice car! My forum handle comes from the personalized plate I had on my MY 2001 Z06. I loved that car but hated dealing with GM. I had one of the oil burners and it used 1qt every 500 miles. GM said that was "normal" They seemed to lower the service bulletin guidelines to meet their specs when they realized how big of a problem it was. They wouldn't fix it and I went WAY up the ladder and they essentially told me to pound salt. I got pissed off, sold the car and never bought another. Too bad because the new ones are really nice and some great deals can be had on the early models. I never had any problems with my 98 C5 though..... If I had the money I'd buy a new Z06. Spectacular car and a great value. Trouble is with the northern climate you really can't use it that much. The salt and winters just destroy cars..

For a milder smoke flavor I'd suggest reading the "smoke pot" thread. I find it very different than tossing wood on the fire. Just wait until you sear a good steak.......and rotisserie chicken or a roast. Yeehah!

Not to hijack the thread but I had a guy make me custom handles for my portafilter out of lacewood. The stock ones were resin made to look like wood Anyway, since the portafilter gets hot (nowhere near as hot as the draft door though) I'll ask him what he uses for the finish. I want to say its a catalyzed varnish which is more durable than a danish oil finish.

VERY nice!!! I hope they last.

I say BS without pictures

OK, did the burgers again a few days ago but just got around to posting pics. Here are 4 piles of meat piled in 6oz portions, GINERGERLY press them into patties and form the edges smooth. Then place in the fridge for 20-30minutes. Get your K rocket hot and quickly sear to medium then enjoy on your favorite bun or even plain.

Your ribs were overcooked for my liking but if I was at your house for dinner I certainly would have eaten them I find if your temps are stable baby's should be done in 4 maybe 5hrs hrs. When the meat has pulled back from the bone about 1/4 to 3/8" they're done. The beauty of the K is even food that is not "perfectly cooked" is more than palatable and definitely better than any restaurant or your neighbors gasser, as you have experienced. Having said that, "perfect" BBQ varies with who you ask. Its not like French cooking where the technique is very specific and if its not done that way its wrong. You cook it the way you like it. I was invited by a friend for dinner a while back. He decided to cook some ribs but he has a gasser and no idea about low and slow. Ribs were cooked in 45 minutes and served. Those had way too much "tooth" for me. It was like jerky on a bone. I think I went through 14 toothpicks after dinner. I ate them because I didn't want to be rude or labeled a food snob Have fun trying new things and finding out what works best for you and what your family enjoys.

Those are cool. I wonder if the seal is tight????????

Hi All, Next time your at the butcher ask them to coarsely grind some skirt steak for burgers. My local Mexican market has it for pretty cheap (<$4/lb) Take the meat home and salt it liberally with some coarse salt and gently toss it with your fingers. Then lay down some parchment and pile 8oz of the ground meat in a pile and gently press down forming it into a patty. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or so to let them set up and then put them on the grill. You need to treat these burgers GENTLY otherwise they'll fall apart. Once cooked on one side use a spatula to flip them and then wait until the desired doneness is achieved. Let them rest for 5 minutes and place on your favorite bun. Tons of flavor and a nice change to the usual pre-ground beef. I still have a pound left over so the next time I do it I'll take some photos. Joe

What's the diameter?

I wish. With all the pill seekers out there my Dr is VERY reluctant to prescribe any opiates.

Brine was 1 C of kosher salt, 1/2C sugar and 4 quarts of water. Brined them for an hour. In the smoke pot was 1/2 hickory and 1/2 apple wood

Thanks for the well wishes. Unfortunately the ribs didn't make it for a camera shot. I had both hands full of sauce and pork fat. There was no way I was stopping for a photo

Hi All, First let me preface by saying I have been cooking on ceramics err, concrete and ceramics for almost a decade. Some results are great, most are really good and very few if any are poor. Tonight though was a magnificent display of everything coming together to produce world class results. I had some minor surgery and decided I needed some baby backs to make me feel better. I buy my ribs by the box from a local restaurant owner (friend). They are perfectly trimmed and come two slabs per cryovac package. I let them thaw out and decided to brine the ribs before cooking them. This is something I have done for chicken and pork loin but never for ribs. I read about it on CI. Pulled them out of the brine, dusted liberally with Dizzy dust coarse and on the K they went at 250. I also used my new smoke pot too. Five hours later they are true specimens of BBQ. I painted on some Butch's Smack Your Lips Mild BBQ Sauce and let them dwell for another 10 minutes. These ribs were without a doubt the best ribs I have EVER eaten (and I've eaten ALOT) Truly world class. In fact, if I were in a restaurant and they told me they were $50 a slab I would have paid it. I'm not sure if it was the brine, the smoke pot, the rub or the sauce but it all came together to produce a phenomenal rib. Man, I need a cigarette (and I don't even smoke)

Will do. Give me a few days though. Having some surgery this morning so won't be able to Q for a bit.

I use trader Joe's briquettes, royal oak lump, Whole Foods lump and an unknown mesquite lump from Paraguay to mix it up. I always like to try different lump/charcoal to see how the flavor profile changes.

Re: Bronze #580 Reporting for Duty I showed my wife your cooker and she said it looked like Ali G's barbecue

I used a standard drill bit NO problem. Its remarkably soft.

How many holes should I drill in the bottom of my pot? How big should they be? I got my pot yesterday and excited to try it out.