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I have approximately 10 or so roti sessions on the Performer Basket you see above. Sometimes I spray the basket with oil (sunflower, safflower, etc.) before placing the meat in the basket and sometimes laziness takes over I am happy with the basket...no gripes. Generally, cleaning it thoroughly is a two step process for me: After the roti session and after the basket system has cooled down I'll pry the leftover small protein globs off the basket tines...if any exist. Then it goes in the dishwasher using "power scrub". If the roti session was a lower temp spin then it usually is 99% clean coming out of the dishwasher. OTOH if the roti session was done at higher heat (~350*F+) then I usually have to do a little light/easy scrub in the sink to remove/clean the remaining char film from the basket system. All in all its not a big deal to clean up. BTW: This basket is the 100% stainless variant. Like the KK roti cradle I like the fact the piercing tines have been eliminated. The meat stays much more moist compared to my former fork tine style roti on our former grill. Unfortunately and now regrettably I didn't snap a pic of the finished bird. But save to say it was a beautiful golden brown with a perfectly crisped skin! I really believe, having done too many roast chickens in my lifetime to count, the big difference is being super OCD about removing moisture from the inside/outside of the carcass. And liberal dose of salt all over the inside/outside of the bird. Next time I will cook the chicken in the identical manner...except I will try Judy Roger's tip about prepping the bird, including salting (not brining though) and leaving it in the fridge for her recommended 2-days prior to cooking. FWIW: Her roast chicken recipe didn't use or mention using a rotisserie...that was my own doing and I will continue to roast my birds using the roti.

Dang...^ looks great!

^ I must be still 1/2 asleep as I meant for this to go under the Chicken and/or Accessory thread... Mod: Feel free to move it as you see fit.

I'm a big fan of Chef Judy Rogers. For those of you outside the San Francisco Bay area she was the owner/chef at the long-tenured SF hallmark: Zuni Cafe. Sad day we lost her last year from a brain aneurism. She was all about simplicity and reverence for the product; her simple roast chicken was no different. She was adamant about getting the bird's carcass, inside and out, thoroughly dried before seasoning. And although I didn't have her recommended 2-day rest in the fridge and salted exterior I found her advice spot on! A couple hours before going to the KK with the small fryer I washed and thoroughly dried the whole chicken. This definitely was the first time I soaked up every last molecule, or so it seemed, of moisture from the bird...especially the skin side. I placed, again per Judy's instructions, a sprig of fresh garden rosemary under the skin on each side of the breast and a sprig of fresh marjoram, using the same method, under the skin of each thigh. No oil or butter is required but instead a liberal sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper all over the exterior and interior of the bird...including under each wing, behind each leg, etc. I decided to roast this bird using the rotisserie attachment on the KK. Built a fire using some Lazzari mesquite lump and several large chunks of pecan for additional smoke and flavor. I let the bird sit out at room temp for about an hour before moving it to the 500*F KK. I let the bird roast for about 20-minutes at 500*F and then damped the temp down to about 400*F for the remainder of the roasting period; 1-1/4 hours total cooking time to 175* thigh temp. A 20-minute rest under a loose foil tent before carving and this roast chicken was flat out the best I've ever made. similarly thought it was the best she'd tasted too. Stealing yet another roast bird tip, this time from Thomas Keller, I opted to remove the wishbone during the raw bird prep stage. This makes it super easy to remove each breast when its time for carving. I have to say this simple tip will be apart of my prep for all birds from here on out. A pic of the KK chugging along...and the roti'd bird on the front side of the roasting process. Sorry...no pics of the finished bird but save to say it looked as delicious as I described above

Nice! Have a good buddy that catches super tasty Kokanee out of Sierra lakes...ditto for big Macs too.

A buddy just gave me a sous vide set-up as a gift(!) that uses a crock pot...making this type of food prep/cooking very affordable for home use. The key to this set-up is the Dorkfood DSV controller: http://www.dorkfood.com/ Although I've only prepared salmon fillets in it...the results were incredible!

Love doing pizzas on the KK! Matter of fact I have another batch of Italian sourdough Neapolitan pizza dough doing the slow rise in the fridge as I write this. Tuesday will be another pie day for the KK here. Nice post Parrothead72...and welcome to the insanity

Hope you are not in the path of lava flow and/or ash column Dennis! Dan

Dennis, How do you keep your grates so new looking? Good tease pics on the ribs BTW

Yes you need to compress/squeeze the spring clip while removing the stem (of the thermometer). You'll figure out how much to squeeze...as you're pulling on the thermometer. FWIW because I swap out the Tru-Tel with a thermocouple, for certain types of cooking, I don't use the spring clip anymore...

I owned two Cookshack smokers, similar to the linked smokers rwalters pointed to. Although not necessarily inexpensive they can be found with shipping deals for ~$400 USD. Plus it served as a back-up slow-oven/warming/keeping oven at party and/or holiday time so its use extended past smoking only. It probably boils down to how much smoking your friend is going to do. If just once in a while you can follow Alton Brown's relatively simple and inexpensive clay flower pot and electric plate burner patio smoker...gets the job done.

That sucks! I've read Apple has had significant issues in their Macbook series with SSD failures. Not sure about all the details and reasons but as a current shopper it gives me pause.

Celebrated NYE with friends in Sacramento. Anytime we're in/near Sacto stopping at Corti Brothers Italian grocery is a must do. They're the only place I can find prime grade in most cuts...including chuck and tri-tip. Santa Cruz Chili Powder is another must have in my pantry. I've been all over the chile and chile powder world but unless you've tasted/used SC chili powder you can't relate http://www.santacruzchili.com/products.htm Yesterday I thoroughly rubbed the prime grade beautiful fat capped tri-tip roast with the SC chile powder, kosher salt and liberal grind of black pepper. Tonight over Royal Oak and 2 nice chunks of Red Oak filets I put the tri-tip on the rotisserie. About 40-minutes later at an average dome temp of 375* I pulled it and let it rest about 15-minutes. Crazy good. Sorry no photos...you'll just have to put your imagination to work Cheers and Happy New Year folks!

I just used a foil pan...set the roast in the foil pan; then foil over the top to seal; then into a cooler; then towels to fill in the air space around the foil topped/wrapped roast. Works great and you'll be surprised how hot it keeps the roast for hours! Never tried it with fowl.

Nice looking butt! You probably already know but I'll throw it out just in case: Thicker/bigger pieces of wood at the beginning or adding your smaller chunks again at about 3-hours will add to your smokiness. Smoke adhere is also better with dry meat...compared to moist/wet surface of meat. I find the flavor from the smoking wood to be much better if you char it/let the nasty white smoke burn off before putting the meat in for smoke session. For all my smoking so far I use large chunks, typically 3"-4" cubes, and light them in a chimney starter until black...then I put them in the KK or smoking pot...keeps the acrid smoke taste at bay. You have the twin to my KK!

I prefer the resulting texture of low and slow and without a rest wrap. The wife prefers the tenderness advantage of the wrapped rest...go figure.

As a recent new-owner of a 23" KK myself I completely agree!

Dave, I have two OneGrill motors (a DC/cordless unit and the dedicated KK motor unit) along with their Performer Basket system sitting here at home waiting for the rotisserie connection parts and motor mount from Dennis. Hopefully I'll be able to provide real world feedback in a week or so... FWIW: Brian at OneGrill strongly recommended the cordless DC motor. Given its relative low price I bought one to try along with the 120v unit; he assured me I would not, even given its low price, be disappointed. The cordless/battery powered unit can turn clockwise or counter-clockwise depending how the batteries are installed. This could be a "win-win" for current KK rotisserie basket owners in need of a motor... Dan

Get your lump to the gray stage; it also helps to have the KK more or less heat soaked before letting it go overnight/all day. I use an MSR lidded pot (I drilled holes in the lid) per another thread here...to contain my smoking wood chunks (I pre-charred/burnt the wood chunks in a chimney to burn off the white noxious/acrid smoke before adding them to the MSR pot...and then atop the hot coals). For a ~12 hour smoke I fill the basket about 3/4 full or so of lump. I generally, for ~225*F, set the dome damper so that its 1/8-1/4 turn tighter after contact with the fire rope. The bottom vent is just cracked so the widest portion of the 'pie slice' opening is about 1/4" and sometimes less. I've used the ceramic heat diffuser resting atop the charcoal basket and also the next higher position atop the smaller diameter main grate without issue. My KK has kept 225*F rock solid for 14-hours with plenty to spare for longer if/as needed.

Hmmm and mmm...oysters slathered in garlic butter and flamed. Will try!

[TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: wysiwyg_table_wysiwyg_table_td1]Yesterday's lunch fare... There's a guy that has a small ceviche and fresh oysters & clams booth at the Monterey Peninsula College Farmer's Market every Friday. Its become my 'must have' every Friday. For me I always prefer slurping the bivalves raw...the clams are like a candy dessert(!); but the little lady likes them BBQ'd so every once in a while I oblige her . I BBQ them a myriad of ways but this time did a pseudo Rockefeller version using chopped spinach, prosciutto and a splash of Pernod and then topped with grated parmesan cheese. With a little chopped smoked habanero the BBQ'd oysters and clams were tolerable We've also done this by stopping at Hog Island Oyster Co in Marshall on our way to a oyster feed frenzy camp-out on the north coast of California...so its something we actually do when camping too...not on the KK though hahaha [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Congratulations on your decision! You will discover, as I have the past several months of KK ownership, it is easy to get the KK to hold a steady temp for smoking or low-slow cooking with ease. 14-hours at 225-250 degrees is a walk in the park for the KK! Members promised I wouldn't miss my $$ stainless steel propane fired BBQ and electric smoker...and they were right!

One Grill Rotisserie Motor for KKs are available! Brian from One Grill e-mailed me this morning informing me they now have the correct direction spin motor for KK's rotisserie basket available: http://www.onegrill.com/Electric_Rotiss ... pm05kk.htm He also let me know they intend to eventually design their Performer Basket system for our KKs but no ETA currently. I'll update this thread about the Performer Baskets as I get fresh news. Dan

Re: Smoking wood Trying Red Oak for the first time this morning in the KK: 6.5lb prime grade chuck roast + big chunks of Red Oak I charred before putting in a closed off foil pan in the KK.

Got my Terra Blue XA 7163 23" a couple months ago...recently added the teak cabinet from Dennis...and all is good: All things BBQ! Kudos to Dennis and forum members for answering all my pre-purchase questions! Ditto to Dennis for my post-sale questions n68809