Greg_R

Re: Pallet or more, share Portland Oregon area.

I'd be interested as well.

Greg

Re: Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

http://lacajachina.com/

I've cooked some pigs in these boxes and it's a great way to quickly cook a pig and end up with incredible skin. However, you will -not- get much smoke into the meat. You can counteract this with smoke flavored injections but it's not the same as a 14+ hr pig. Different flavors IMO but both are still delicious.

Re: Full size KK cabinet with Cobalt Blue tile insert

What temp can the tiles/grout handle? I'm thinking about what could safely be placed on the surface...

Re: Komodo Kamado on Facebook

I got a notice saying the KK facebook page was going away because it was still in the "old group format". Whoever owns this may want to update it to the new format...

Re: Bison

I've done brisket at 225 and 300 with similar results. IMO the best way is to keep it low for the first few hours then foil & ramp up the temps to finish (at a certain point no more smoke can be absorbed).

Re: Pepper Mill

Michael,

The Santos 1P is the best that I've seen but it's very $$$. I am not a fan of blade grinders because they do not grind evenly. Most hand grinders will only process peppercorns or other hard spices (no dried peppers, etc.).

Hopefully someone has a good all-in-one option that results in an even grind?

Re: Bison

Yes, I've smoked a bunch of different bison cuts. As mentioned above, the cut is very lean which means you'll need to do one or more of the following:

1) Inject & soak with marinade

2) Wrap in fat (fat netting, bacon, etc.). Note that you won't get any crust on the meat with this method.

3) Limit air movement around the meat (KK does a good job with this, other smokers not so much)

4) Foil after the first few hours; include 1/2c or so of marinade or other mixture in the foil (essentially braising at this point but the meat has already absorbed maximum smoke). Again, this will soften the crust of the meat.

If you've successfully cooked Select grade (versus choice or prime) beef brisket before then do the same with the bison & it will turn out well.

Note that bison has a stronger flavor than beef so it can stand up to stronger seasonings / flavors.

Re: Newbie 101

Congrats on your purchase, welcome to the club.

IMO, grilling (high temperature cooking) is easier because maintaining the temperature is fairly simple and does not rely on your fire building skills. I cook burgers and steaks at high heat, typically on the lower rack right over the coals. Once the dome thermometer hits 500° or so then the lower grate will be at the right temp. A long pair of tongs (and maybe oven mitts) is important, you can't hold your hand in there for long periods of time! With beef you want to sear the outside, that caramelized protein is an important flavor component.

The Virtual webber bullet website & here both have some pretty good how-to posts, videos, and guides. The key thing with BBQ (low temp cooking) is building and starting the fire correctly. If you end up with a lot of lit coals then you will never be able to achieve & hold the low temps. There is a lot of information on this specific topic. PLEASE NOTE: there is no reason to run out and get a Guru, Stoker, or other computerized blower. Correctly setting the top and bottom will get you to 225 every time.

+1 on the pork shoulder recommendation. They are almost impossible to screw up, my first one was cooked at 300+ degrees most of the time and it was very tasty.

Also, you can get any color and then buy some Techflex. It's a braided shield and it comes in a variety of colors. McMaster-Carr and Partsexpress both sell it. You'll want to finish off the ends with some heat-shrink tubing.

http://www.tejassmokers.com/NatGasHoses.htm sells 15' hoses at a decent price. They also have the stainless steel over-braid versions if critters are going to try a gnaw on your gas line.

I have found Royal Oak briquettes at Ace Hardware but NOT their lump. I'm going on the assumption that briquettes have more filler (less burn time, more ash). Please correct me if I'm wrong....

Well, my local BBQ store recently closed down. I would go there to get Big Green Egg lump charcoal which was the best option in my local area (decent quality but expensive). It seems like there is no KK charcoal available right now (based on the posts in the forum). What is my next best option? I'm familiar with the Whiz site but have not been able to locate some of the more common options (Royal Oak lump, etc.). I could get Real Montana lump shipped to me @ $1/lb (but it's supposed to be excellent).

Does anyone live in the Portland/Vancouver area and know of a good place to get lump charcoal (at a good price)? Any tips or help would be appreciated! Right now I am reduced to using Kingsford lump...

The electronic sensor/blower package seems like an incredible add-on, but it looks pretty difficult to install. Is this really necessary, or can you with reasonable practice get the grill to maintain a low temp for many hours the old fashioned way? Also, I thought I read somewhere Dennis was installing the port tube now (can someone point me to the right place and/or elaborate)?

They are extremely easy to install. However, buying one does not guarantee perfect fire management. It will take awhile to get used to with any new cooker.

Is the shipping curb side or do the delivery guys unpack and put the grill where I want it in the back yard? In other words, how many buddies do I have to invite over the day it arrives?

I unpacked and installed the entire thing myself but would not recommend that. You will need at least one other person, 4 people should be more comfortable.

I've noticed a lot of the pictures show people putting the grill on slate tiles. I have a concrete pad in the couple places I was considering putting it. Is that fine for placement, or do I need something substantial for underneath?

You'll want a firm level surface, no need for anything fancy.

One of the main reasons I am interested right now is the possibility of getting really high temps for steaks. Would either size KK be fine for this.

Either will work. You can achieve extremely high temperatures, especially on the lower grate. For example, a 2" thick ribeye takes just a few minutes to cook and the thick grates give it a great sear.

I sold my wife on one by allowing her to help pick out the tile and grout colors. Also, I threatened to buy both a gas grill (for high temp cooks) and a smoker (for BBQ). One smaller (in terms of footprint) KK all of sudden seemed much more attractive

I also use the chimney to get things started (with gas torch to get the bottom few coals going). For slow cooking I only light a few lumps and then dump that onto the top of the pile in the KK. This ensures that only a few coals are lit at any one time (no run away temperatures).

In this case, it sounds like a DoS or DDoS attack.

Those kinds of attacks would generate significantly more traffic than an extra 200 hits.

Here in Oregon they have demos showing how Lewis and Clark's expedition boiled seawater for salt (it was a lengthy process). So yes, it can be done but I'd think it would be easier and cheaper to ship in a large bag.

I was asking about the temp as I would like to get up to around 1000 degrees for tandoori style cooking and making breads/pizza.

I have had mine up that high in the dome area (much hotter down near the coals of course). However, I've found that 750-850 degrees is the sweet spot for real pizza (2-3 minute cook). I have not done Naan bread yet but have cooked Tandoori chicken and that has been a more direct cooking method (right above the coals).

One great thing about the KK at these high temps is that the exterior remains much cooler than other ceramic or steel offerings. Definitely read up on flashback (an issue with any grill at high temps).

About the only thing I wonder about that I can't test is how it would affect some home automation technologies.

I can tell you... it will NOT work. Any other 'signal over power' technology will conflict with the other. I had similar jacks for phone lines in the house and the Ethernet over power did not work while these were plugged in. However, the product worked well when it was the only plugged in signal-over-power technology.

I use direct (no heat spreader) when using the rotis attachments. I've cooked beef roasts, chickens, and turkeys using the rotis. For direct heat, I've done veggies, pizza, & various meats. For pizza use a high heat and cook it quickly unless you like a smokey crust.

I've been using the Shun carving and Shun boning knife (VG2 versions) for the past year and have been very pleased with their longevity. The boning knife in particular is great for prepping meat for the KK...

Here's how I use my Stoker on a low and slow cook:

1) Completely fill the large basket with charcoal. It looks like you've got a small basket on some ceramic stone? It's hard to see in the pictures. I assume the stoker port has a clear shot to the fire (no spreaders blocking the path of air, etc.).

2) Add _small_ wood chunks if wanted. Remove 7-8 pieces of coal and get them completely lit (charcoal chimney, gas torch, etc.). Dump these onto the top center of your unlit charcoal pile. This procedure is also known as the Minnion method.

3) Open your top vent so it's 1/4 turn open. Open your bottom (twist) vent so ~1/8" cracks are visible. This will slowly bring the KK up to temp.

4) When you are within a 5-10 degrees of your temp, turn on the Stoker and close the bottom vent. You are now under stoker control . I've found if I just light the bottom of the pile (or entire pile) and have the stoker bring the KK up to temp then I end up having a blast furnace (there is no way to have that amount of coal burning and keep the temps under 300 degrees).

5) If you need to open the lid (saucing ribs, etc.), turn off the stoker, wait for 3-4 minutes after you've shut the lid on the KK and then turn it back on (the cold air hitting the probe will cause the fan to go full blast until the interior temp is back up to 225). Too much fan will cause a lot of coal to get lit and make it hard to maintain those ultra low temps.

I have not yet used ECC but perhaps there is an issue with your coal stacking method (coals not touching enough or too much?). It also looks like you need a lot more coal (even though you burn just a little bit of coal you still want a large pile so the fire can spread easily).

I'm in Portland and am looking for a group to buy some of the EC. I am willing to wait until the corrected charcoal becomes available.

I'm in Portland and would be interested if I can't find a group to share a pallet down here in Oregon.

I just finished cooking 45lbs of pork shoulder on the top rack of my KK so I'd image you could easily load it up to 75-80lbs (pre cook weight). Portion control is going to be a big issue, especially if you are not there to supervise. I don't know if you've ever had experience in the food services industry but customers will constantly try to take advantage of you (taking 100 napkins, using a gallon of ketchup on their fries, etc.). Having said all that, I used to sell pit beef when I was growing up and made pretty good money. My biggest problem was dealing with leftovers caused from poor turnout or bad weather (pit beef needs to be served fresh, pulled pork can be vac sealed). With the number of workers that you're talking about I think it would be a pretty good idea to test the waters. Talk to the owners to see what they need for you to sell on the premises.

Ed: For those who don't know, Pit Beef is the sandwich to have in Baltimore, MD. You basically take an entire beef round or other large cut and marinate it constantly as it cooks. Once the outside is cooked, you slice it off and make a sandwich (good horseradish, salt, pepper, and sometimes onions can be added). This is great for a slow steady stream of customers... it doesn't work that well if everyone wants a sandwich at the same time.