WoodieB

Cool, thanks for the tips, Jeff & Firemonkey. Hopefully the mesquite lump I'm going to get is Lazzari or similar. FM, a question. Every review I've read about mesquite lump puts it's burn time as "low". Do you find you can do long (18-20 hr) cooks with one load of mesquite lump in your K? It is certainly the best bargain I've found here, can't believe a 20 lb bag of BGE lump is going for $21 before tax. I can mail order Wicked Good WW blend for about the same. But $15 for 40 lb. of the mesquite lump is more like it. I guess I should get a bag of everything I can find locally and see which one I like best. WB

Hi All, I figured I'd start a new thread rather than continue hijacking the "lump briquette" one. So, first of all, thanks again to everyone for their help & suggestions. Secondly, just got a note from Dennis saying my new OTB will be in the LA warehouse by today or tomorrow, and hopefully shipping soon after. Now it's not that far of a truck ride to Utah from LA, so I have high hopes of it getting here maybe even by next week!! OK, so to the point. Got home from work last night, (I work a 14 day on, 14 day off rotation) and started calling around. So far, this is what I've found. Casual BBQ (Thanks Porkchop) carries BGE brand lump. $21 for 20lb bag Ace Hardware (Thanks Sanny) doesn't stock lump around here. Then, I looked in the yellow pages, and called some local firewood supply places. I found one place that stocks mesquite lump, generic brand or whatever, he said he gets it from Mexico. $15 for 40lb That seems to be the ticket, I'll just have to see what the quality turns out to be. Do you think the mesquite lump will be too strong flavored for everyday use, or in general if you don't add raw wood for smoke flavor, it will be fairly neutral? Thanks, WB

Thanks ya'll! Thanks for all the help & suggestions, everyone, PC, Sanny, et al. I know there are several Ace Hardware stores in SLC, so I'll take a look there. And the BGE store, etc. Salt Lake, like a lot of the mtn west, is home of the big outdoor kitchen with built in large, expensive gas grill. Thanks to you all, it was only by the grace of your fanatical devotion to ceramic cookers, and I include all creeds and makes here, that I was saved from an eternal gassy hell. Well, they are pretty handy for a quick burger Jeff, congrats on your KK order! Race ya to the first pork butt! I feel like part of the family already. If anyone makes it out to Salt Lake, drop me an pm, I'll hook you up with some fine homebrewed beer, and some KK cooked buffalo. I bought half of a young buffalo this past winter, a work acquaintance has been doing it for a couple of years now, no hormone, alfalfa cube fed yearling. Makes for pretty good eatin', very lean, can be a little dry, should work out perfect on the KK. Woodie

Re: Lump in SLC, UT Hey Thanks for the heads up Porkchop, I'll check it out. I haven't looked around that much yet, as I just ordered my KK, and I'm at work at the moment. When I get back home I'll shop around and see what I can find. There are plenty of big box stores here. Naw, don't think there's an etiquette breach there. Now if you had tried to talk me into buying a BGE, maybe. And honestly, I'm sure they are a fine cooker, but like I told Dennis in an email, I look at the KK I have ordered as a functional piece of art. Hope it cooks as good as it looks. I haven't cooked on ceramic yet. I grew up in Kentucky, home of hickory fired pit BBQ. I wanna be able make a low & slow pork shoulder! Woodie

lump charcoal in utah Hi All, Been following this thread with interest, because as I posted in the "forum members" thread, I'm about to become part of the KK family and get my very own, shiny new R2 OTB Supreme Plus, etc, etc, etc. Ooooo, it' s gonna be so nice sitting on my patio. However, I'm not sure there are many (any) sources of good lump charcoal in Utah, (Salt Lake City). I checked out the online charcoal store, but ouch! $15.95 per 22 lb. bag of Wicked Good WW blend, plus another $10.00 per bag shipping makes it pretty steep. I've been PM'ing with another forum member who lives south of me a ways, and he has been using extruded coconut stuff. If there are any other Utah ceramic cooker owners out there, maybe we can band together ala Sanny & friends and order a few metric tons or so to share:) If you have a ceramic in the SLC area, chime in! Dennis, hurry up with that charcoal bidness! I'll be your mountain west distributor! Just waiting to hear from Dennis now on when my OTB will clear customs in LA and head my way. Maybe I'll start standing on a downtown street corner with a sign around my neck saying "Will cook for Lump":) Woodie

Oh Yeah! SWEEEETT! OK, it's a done deal. PayPal just processed my payment, and Dennis has already taken my baby off of the inventory page, an R2 Supreme Plus, Dark Terra Blue, Terra Brown, Grey. What a quick response! Now I just have to locate a source for good lump charcoal in Salt Lake, and wait for my Christmas in May! DJ, looked at some of your brew pics. I'll have to post some of mine as well. Been brewing since about '82, use a 3 converted keg setup w/mag drive pump, immersion chiller, stainless conical fermenter, etc. I usually buy grain 300 lb. at a whack, whole hops from HopsDirect 10-20 lb. I've been lax and the only thing I have on tap at the moment is a Barley Wine, so I've got to get brewing and stock up my remaining dozen kegs for the 'Q parties to follow when my KK gets here. I grew up in Kentucky, with traditional hickory fired pit barbeques, and my little brother still runs a small one man sawmill cutting hickory, so I'll have to get some real Kentucky hickory to flavor my cooks with. Pics will be posted when my baby arrives!! WB

Thanks for the well wishes, guys. Paul, as for getting it in place.......Well, at least I have pretty good access to my back yard/patio, but from the end of my driveway where I presume the lift gate truck will drop it off, it's up a fairly steep incline, then around the back of my house. After the driveway, it's pretty smooth, mulched landscaping. One of my good friends gave me a Radio Flyer red wagon for my 50th birthday recently, but I doubt it's up to the task of the 500 lb. or so, so I think I'll rent an appliance dolly with big wheels, or WAIT a Minute!! The company that delivered my hot tub had a giant wagon thingy with big wheels that easily rolled the 1000 lb. plus tub around the very same path that my soon to be happily chugging smoke KK cooker will travel. Maybe a promise of some authentic 'Q will persuade them to lend it to me. Once it's around there it's cake, as it's a concrete paver patio, so I can uncrate it at or very near it's final resting place. Let's see, a 500 lb. crated cooker, a wagon and a steep hill. Sounds like lot's of homebrew is called for, and I'm sure hilarity will ensue. Pics will be posted. WB

Hi All!! After reading everything I can find about "ceramic" cookers, lurking here for a week or so, and corresponding with Dennis a few times, I'm going to pull the trigger and order my new KK today or tomorrow. I was going to go for a top of the line built in gas grill like a Lynx, etc, then started checking out stuff about the BGE, which led me to the Mexi-K, etc. etc. I'm really impressed with the effort to address & improve the problems with the "other" cookers that Dennis has made, and it's obvious from the photo's that they are a work of art, so.......if things go right, this will be mine soon! (16th photo from the top on the new inventory thread) R2 Supreme PLUS OTB KKSPOTB281 JRE 40s 7 Drk Terra Blue, Terra Brown Grey Just waiting to hear from Dennis for the payment details. This baby is in LA so the wait won't be too long. I was thinking about a Gen ll Ultimate, but just can't wait that long! I'll post photo's as soon as it is in it's honored place on my patio. Drunk J, your avatar looks familar. Are you on the MoreBeer forum as well? I have been there since the beginning as BengalBrewer, but haven't visited in a long time. Too busy, but still brewing. Anyway, just wanted to say Hi, salivate over the photos, and await my new baby. I think maybe I'll be the first one in Utah! Cheers, Woodie B.