jdbower

Very interesting! A USB port is nice in that you could feasibly include a lot of different drivers (for example, an Ethernet interface or reading a cook profile off a USB memory stick or even just powering a USB grill light), but I'd much rather see a native Ethernet port and/or WiFi. Then again, if they can interface with my EVDO USB modem that would be very interesting indeed. It's also not quite as expandable as the Stoker with only two cookers and two food probes (or maybe one cooker and three food probes?) but that should be enough for most people. All they really need is an open source software architecture so they can let their customers come up with all sorts of neat utilities and we'll be all set

On a Weber it does get too cold to grill, both from a laws of physics and labor of love standpoint the KK doesn't seem to have the same issues. I'm just depressed because it's snowing and I don't want to put my baby outside to get nicked by the plow when it comes so my rib roast will have to "age" another day.

I've been pretty much exclusively using the KKEC in my KK and after a little experimentation I figured I'd post my results. I don't have all that much to compare it to, but I did have some extruded coconut from another company (2007 vintage if memory serves) that I burned in my Weber. Since changing fundamental cooker technologies kind of invalidates most tests, about all I can say that the ash production from the KKEC seems to be significantly lower than the stuff I used in "the before time" even though the production of this stuff is more than Dennis had anticipated. As mentioned in previous reviews, the ash has a curious orange tint to it and it can be a little hard to light in the dead of winter with a chimney starter (but my paraffin starters have no issue with it). The good news is that it's very stable burning. Prior to using the Stoker I'd generally have to make one damper adjustment once the KK gets heat soaked and after that (or for the hour or two beforehand) every time I check the temperature is spot on. Unlike many lump charcoals out there I've never heard a single snap, crackle or pop nor have I really seen any temperature spikes from pieces that crumble in the cooker and expose a lot more surface area to the heat. Even though I'm not using it to the best of its ability I'm very happy with its longevity. Ideal for long low and slow cooks I've been "wasting" it at 350F with short cooks that burn lots of fuel just to get to temperature. Still I've barely cracked my second box after about 6 cooks and I try to keep my lump basket full. Usually I just toss in a few fresh bricks every time I start the old girl up to keep things populated. As for flavor, "neutral" describes it very well. Without any additional smoke source you can tell the food was cooked over charcoal, but the taste is very mild and slightly sweet. When you cook with smoking wood these chunks give the lion's share of the flavor/smell to the meal. The KKEC really lets the primary smoke flavor through and doesn’t overwhelm it in the slightest. So, for what it's worth from an admitted ceramic cooking newbie who's been using it for purposes that probably aren't a great test, I think it's pretty good stuff and very easy to work with.

Yep, direct to try (successfully, I might add) for a nice caramelized crust of special sauce. Thermapens are great - especially when trying to measure a rotating bird. I'm also very proud of only needing to use it twice, once read 160 and the second jumped to 185 in a surprisingly short period of time.

So I recently had a failure as described here. Well tonight I managed to turn things around. I even tightened the rear spring Not sure what was up with the rotisserie last time, I installed it in the light and it worked just fine without any fuss - probably just didn't align the driveshaft in the dark. I tightened the rotisserie basket enough, was able to brine the chicken in a salt/sugar mixture, and even made LarryR's Roadside Chicken recipe (with the exception of necessity forcing a bold change to balsamic vinegar). The results? The wife says it was much better than the last chicken (which I thought was the best I'd had) and even juicier than before! I overcooked slightly because you can't use a temp probe with the rotisserie - I spot checked with the Thermapen and got to 185. I used some apple wood smoke and I even stole the idea of using an old shaker bottle (in my case an empty soy sauce bottle). Of course, turning the chicken wasn't necessary for me One thing I did notice is that when you're constantly opening the lid and all the Stoker can do is blow frigid air into the cooker it does take a while to get back to 350F! I'm not sure about the rotisserie thing. I believe it was the brine and constant basting with LarryR's sauce that made things juicier and there are some downsides to the rotisserie. The basket needs to be cleaned, you can't use a meat temperature probe, you need an extra power outlet, etc. I'll try next time without the rotisserie and compare the results. Whether or not the rotisserie helped, dinner was delicious!

My wife brought home a pair of chickens from Costco on Saturday, I imagined I cooked one of them but for reasons that will become obvious shortly I have no photographic record of such a theoretical cook. A comedy of errors ensued. First, it was afternoon so it was getting too dark (seriously, to use the local vernacular it gets dark wicked early up here!). There also wasn't enough time to brine or otherwise marinade the chicken, I figured a quick rub of Dizzy Pig's Ragin' River would have to suffice. And then I noticed that they were probably sitting next to the cooling element in the fridge, my fresh chicken was partially frozen so I thawed it in some hot water while I lit the grill. Lighting the grill actually went smoothly. Other than hovering around 10F outside, that is. First of all, being so cold and just having been used a few times I really should adjust the rear spring - the lid is a little droopy. Being lazy I figured "one more cook" and then I'll pull out the socket wrench to make the adjustment. I tossed in a Grate Chef starter, added a few fresh coals on top of it, and a quick hit with the lighter got me going to 350F in no time. I had the Stoker running and got to monitor the progress from my PC using StokerLog. I figured this was a great time to try out the rotisserie. I loaded up the basket in the kitchen and brought it outside once the KK was temperature stable. Blindly feeling around for the bearings in the dark while pushing the lid up the last few inches with my head I finally got the basket installed. I thought. It flipped forward and dumped the bird onto the coals. I made a sound very similar to Doc Brown from the Back to the Future series whenever his experiment caught on fire and spent a lot more time debating running into the kitchen for the silicone BBQ gloves than it would have taken to actually get them. I finally reached in with bare hands and rescued the poor guy without injuring myself. As a word of advice, using the lower grill may be a good thing for rotisserie cooks. Mea culpa, I didn't tighten the thumb screws enough on the basket and I should have checked it in the kitchen. I replaced the slightly injured bird in the basket and tightened it down. I then put the basket back in the KK and watched it turn. Or at least waited for it to turn. The motor was going and turning the main drive shaft, but the basket was just sitting there. I still haven't fully figured out what I was doing wrong but rather than standing out in the cold and dark trying to make sure both drive shafts were actually properly seated while the lid was open and the Stoker was blowing (remember when I said I was lazy? That also applies to turning off the Stoker when I open the lid) I decided to forgo the rotisserie and just use the trusty main grill. Admitting defeat I grabbed the main grill and a Stoker meat probe and cooked direct for about 2 hours or so until I got to 170F. The result of this disaster? An incredibly moist and tender bird with very crispy skin and only a few singe marks from the coals (given the looks and the anticipated results I was hoping to forget this cook rather than capture it for posterity). When even self-created failures like this come out so well it's kind of hard to learn lessons. One more lesson I should learn is to check the weather forecast. I woke up the next day to about 6" of snow and was outside early in the morning to pull the cooker back in the garage before the plow came. A little forethought and I would have been able to do this late last night when more properly attired for such an adventure

I haven't noticed it myself, but I've only been doing comparatively short cooks. I'm wondering if the 10CFM fan is a bit of overkill for a KK and if the 5CFM would suffice as well as help prevent this (I've got a 10CFM now, but a 5CFM on order for the 19.5"). Something you can try is to find a 90 degree plumbing elbow large enough to fit over the inducer tube, assuming it protrudes into the cooker wall enough. If you redirect the airflow towards the floor it may disperse enough to more evenly burn the coals. If you get a heavy iron elbow it will probably last longer and you may not need to fasten it to the tube at all.

There are two big issues with low and slow direct cooks. First you've got less even heat, this may mean you need to turn the cook in the middle or you could have the bottom of the meat charred while the top is still under done. This could be a good thing if you've got people who like "burned to a crisp" meat and others who like "bloody as hell" meat. Second, the drippings can make the fire difficult to control. Flareups at high temps don't matter much (well, unless they endanger one's eyebrows), but low and slow is a constant battle with keeping the fire under control. Dripping flammable fats and non-flammable juices don't help, but it can be done if you need it to. The only direct I've done is a pork tenderloin. It came out well, but it was at moderate temps and not true low and slow. The bottom was singed nicely (which I liked) while the top was untouched (the wife liked that).

There's a report of a Gen II running 85 hours on a single fueling, the really scary part is that Dennis STILL isn't happy with the quality. If this is the bad stuff, I can't wait to see how the good stuff performs!

One more I forgot, when you open the lid the Guru probe sees the outside air and turns the fan on high thinking there's a massive temperature drop. Whenever you open the dome you should disconnect the Guru fan or otherwise pause it - I think the DigiQ II has a lid open detector of some sort but I don't know how it works.

Which damper did you adjust, the top or the bottom? With a Guru/Stoker you should have the lower closed and the upper only needs to be cracked - let the fan do all the work. Some reasons why your temps climbed after you added the meat: 1. If the lower damper was open there may just have been more airflow through it for whatever reason. It's also possible that a very open top damper can allow air to leak in. 2. Opening the lid lets an inrush of O2 in, this can cause more coals to ignite and increase the temps shortly. 3. The KK may have become fully heatsoaked about that time, after a few hours a minor temp spike isn't uncommon because the walls of the cooker no longer absorb much heat at all. 4. If you've checked the dome thermometer it may be different than the pit probe, either through calibration issues or just because the pit probe is closer to the flames. 5. Drippings from the pork may ignite on the coals, or cause other coals to ignite. Whatever the reason (except for #1 and maybe #5) the Guru should compensate and back off the airflow to smother the fire a little more. I'll let others chime in on their direct vs. indirect experiences, I'd imagine the results would be different but the Guru should be able to maintain temps as long as the fat doesn't drip too much.

Customs is fun, back in the early days my company sold some stuff to a telco in Central America. Since the contract mentioned dates and lead times we decided to test things out by sending a pallet of stuff down. We figured bricks the same weight as the equipment would be a good choice, roughly the same size and weight so if it takes a week to get through customs it should be about the same for our stuff. It ended up taking well over a month and just about all the bricks were smashed as customs looked for the drugs or whatever we were smuggling (who ships bricks internationally?). To make matters worse we got on a list and when we shipped the real equipment they drilled holes into the boxes to inspect it. And by into I mean through. And by boxes I mean the boxes and the enclosed equipment. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gear that now had a "Guru Port" built into it... Luckily we've wised up since then and use local importers so things go much more smoothly.

Knowing a little something about the habitat of the animal ribeyes are SUPPOSED to come from I wonder what exactly you bought at that seafood store...

Congrats! I kept getting weird reactions from people when I told them I got a grill in the beginning of winter, if only they knew how well it cooks even in sub-freezing temperatures!

It depends. In the US most of the time Dennis will order liftgate service where they'll be responsible for unloading. It depends on the driver and the carrier's insurance whether you'd be able to get on the truck or touch it since it's still their responsibility, my guess is that most would rather have you watch in case you get hurt. I was able to save a bundle on shipping because I have the forklift, in that case it was my responsibility to get the crate off and the driver didn't do a thing (granted, I didn't ask him to). I'm guessing each country has its own hurdles, island nations are probably the worst.

A discourse on thighs and monkey pimps A minor diversion spawned by this post:

I can buy the iodine theory, but I think I'll group it in with wine tasters. I'm sure some people have palates well-trained enough to distinguish some of the subtleties of these flavors but the vast majority are likely faking it to seem more cultured So instead of using Kosher salt people are really just using non-iodized salt. And because Kosher salt has unique properties outside of a fully dissolved brine it's useful to have on hand anyway so there's not much reason to stock fine crystal non-iodized salt. Sea salt would also suffice for the iodine-sensitive, but it's usually more expensive and the subtleties of the sea salt flavor would likely be lost (although if you're able to discern the iodine in regular salt maybe not...). For those interested in trivia, Kosher salt is not salt that's been slaughtered under the supervision of a Rabbi - it's no more Kosher than table salt. The UK term "Koshering Salt" is much more appropriate since one of the uses is to rub on meat to draw out the blood. The large crystals don't dissolve like finer table salt crystals would and it helps the meat to become Kosher.

Just remember to empty it out and take off the lid for all you boys whose equipment isn't big enough to handle a KK Removing the top not only lightens the load but also lowers the center of gravity to make it more stable. It comes with ropes around the feet so you can slip in some 2x4's to lift it as well.

I've noticed that a lot of people specify Kosher salt in their recipes and I was wondering about the reasoning. Kosher salt seems to be non-iodized large crystal sodium chloride, essentially the same as table salt (with the possible exception of iodine). I can understand Kosher salt in rubs, the large crystals will prevent it from dissolving completely. But do people who use it in a brine use it for a reason or just because it tends to be sold in larger boxes (in which case, is it really cheaper if you consider that 1Tbs of salt is about 2Tbs of Kosher salt)? Just curious, I grabbed some a while ago and tend to use it for things where the subtle flavors of sea salt would be lost.

Sanny is alive! It is a little hard to have pity on someone who lives here, but I can certainly approve of the Tabasco sauce reference

My boys at the IEEE had reported on this over a year ago, maybe it'll be closer to reality today. For those interested in the original paper, you can check this out. It's interesting stuff, but it may be a while before a) it becomes powerful enough to power a laptop, laptops become efficient enough to use it or, most likely, c) a combination of the two.

In my experience there are two types of laptop batteries, those that don't last nearly long enough and those that almost last long enough

It may not be THAT much colder (usually only a few degrees different), but there's a lot more snow and I'm pretty sure it gets darker a lot earlier than it did in NJ. Today official sunset was 4:29 here, but 4:47 in Howell - it may only be 18 minutes but it sure seems to get darker faster after sunset. That's OK, it means that in the summertime I'll have plenty of daylight. I've been lucky enough to have only needed to visit Stockholm in the summer months, there the sun kind of gets low around 11pm but it never fully sets. It's really odd eating at an outdoor cafe in broad daylight at 10pm. Of course it's gorgeous there (about 70F all the time) but all the Swedes decide to take that month off to head to Spain - don't they know they should do that in the winter when it's 40 below and you get a peep of daylight for lunch?

It's about the size of a large power brick. It's two-prong with a fixed connector (having a passthrough outlet or three built into it would be nice...) but I have plenty of 6" "extension" cables (liberators) I can use. It measures 3"x4"x1.75" but I'd imagine there's a lot of dead space inside if you want to crack the case to save space. JB, I'm sure I won't need the Stoker by the time I'm done getting things set up because I'll probably be dead before I stop buying gadgets and changing things around Of course, one of the downsides of this solution over the WiFi solution which is not evident now is that not bathing the KK area with WiFi can impede the use of laptops. I've got an EVDO wireless broadband card so I'm not too concerned for myself, but it's something for some people to consider.