jdbower

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.

How is this BBQ relevant? Stoker users will understand I was contemplating several methods for getting Ethernet out to my Stoker. One was just running a hardline Ethernet cable, I've got a temporary solution run now, but the problem is that my KKs currently wander between my driveway and my garage (where they hide from the snowplow). Not only would a permanent outside run be tough (I'd probably need to wait until spring to dig a trench) but finding a good location is difficult without a dedicated patio. Not to mention that finding a good weatherproof Ethernet jack is difficult in and of itself so I'd need to build a protected pedestal. And let's not get into the security issues with an outside-accessible RJ45... Wireless is an option. There are wireless game adapters out there that can turn a hardline Ethernet port into a WiFi adapter. I got one, but not only does it not accept the level of security on my network but even when I dumb down the security the range isn't long enough. I could try putting a wifi repeater for the other end of the house, but then it hit me. I need power for the Stoker, and I'd need another plug for this WiFi adapter. If I need power out there anyway, why not an Ethernet Powerline Adapter? I got an XE103G kit of two adapters and they work great. My router is between 75' and 100' from the power jack I use for outside, then I run through a 50' extension cable and there are two surge suppressors in between - but the Stoker comes up just fine through it. Granted, 85Mbps is a bit much for Stoker access but I'd rather have too much than too little. I think I can just add another wherever I need an Ethernet port, so that could help when I put set top boxes around the house. About the only thing I wonder about that I can't test is how it would affect some home automation technologies. Of particular interest are X10 signals (strictly powerline modulation) and Insteon signals (a hybrid of powerline and RF signaling). Either way this is a much more elegant solution to my 250' spool of CAT5.

I've got a report that it's getting closer, here's a picture I received from the Seychelles Navy. OK, a Photoshop expert I'm not

Does it really count as cooking when you've got a fully cooked ham you're heating? Fresh ham is hard to find in my normal grocery stores so I used a spiral cut hickory smoked pre-cooked ham. First of all, I was at Lowes looking for a spool of CAT5 cable, they were out but I found a 250' spool of pre-made cable which can probably be useful for a lot of things. Most notably running it down the bulkhead to my basement where my router is. It gets dark, and cold, pretty early up here so I'm always looking for ways to stay inside. I used StokerLog to remotely manage the cook; I can probably get away with about 15-30 minutes outside if I need to. Yes, I really need to do something about my "BBQ cart" I smoked it at 275 (indirect) for a bit, but I was using StokerLog's neat ETA (Eating Time, Approximately) feature so I adjusted the temps to finish around 8pm for dinner. I ended up around 325 which gave the first few slices a nice crisp, it tasted like really lean bacon and was delicious with the double hickory flavor. Even better, my wife doesn't like that texture so they were all mine. Inside was still juicy so she was also happy, especially when I heated the included glaze packet as a dipping sauce.

Corned Beef/Pastrami I was in the store the other day and saw corned beef (Boston has a lot of the Irish-Americans who spawned the dish so it's a year-round item). I had spaced a bit and forgot that smoked corned beef is pastrami so the experiment wasn't quite as novel as I had hoped. It came out OK, but it would have been much better if I had a meat slicer or the patience to cut it a bit thinner. Sorry, it was cold and I was too lazy to get my tripod so most of the pictures didn't come out. Cooked at about 300 for several hours (sorry, didn't take notes) until I reached 160 internal temp and, as an Irish dish, I figured some whiskey smoke was in order so I used some Jack Daniels smoke pellets.

Maybe it's an East Coast thing, in NJ they sell a "London Broil" cut which I believe to be a top round roast, I haven't checked here in MA if there's a similar cut.

The BBQ Guru is a nice product, it's very clean, feature rich, and professional. The Stoker, on the other hand, reminds me of a college roommate's computer that was running in a Styrofoam cooler filled with mineral oil to keep it cool. The Stoker has two features that make it unique: 1. An Ethernet port 2. An open architecture With these two you can do a lot of interesting stuff. Using the buttons to program the Stoker works, but the web interface is much easier. Even better than the web interface is Amir's very popular StokerLog which gives you the ability to graph your cook and even send yourself emails periodically. For people interesting in rolling their own code, I found this site which gives a wealth of information including that it runs on the TINI platform, the root password is "tini", and this post listing how to get into logging mode from the telnet prompt (although the astute StokerLog observer can probably see these commands be executed). There's also the Stoker Timers program which also allows for email alerts and has other functionality that I have yet to fully explore. Anyone know of any other interesting tools? Anyone have any of their own home-grown utilities that they've written?

I was at Lowes the other day and found some Grate Chef Fire Starters. They're sealed so they're not really suspect to being wet and inside is a hot-burning liquid paraffin of some sort. Just one in my charcoal basket and the extruded coconut lit up. Usually it takes a few attempts in my no-name chimney starter to get a fire going so I'm impressed. I don't know how much my Stoker helped as well, the constant airflow certainly doesn't hurt on startup.

Glad it fits, but you are of course required to post pictures once you get one. Some measurements are easier to make than others so I may be off by an inch or two, if something looks tight or just wrong I can doublecheck to make sure (I should probably roll it against a wall to make this measurement more precisely). Since I took off 20" from the measurement in question I think it would make just a minor difference in your plans Now the only measurement that should be larger on the 19.5" is the height of the bottom of the damper which is observable in the pictures.

These guys seem to be pretty well stocked with an interesting mix of BBQ and guitar items. They have a lot of BGE stuff but also Gurus, Steve Raichlen, rubs, sauces, and more. They've also got a newsletter and the most recent included a video on fried dried peppers that looks pretty tasty (even though he seems to be a heat wimp!). Maybe Conodo12 can check them out for us in person, they've got a storefront in Shillington, PA: http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com/ The website formatting is a little funky on my FF install so you may need to scroll down to see the useful bits.

Thanks Whizzy, that means a lot coming from such a prolific publisher as yourself!

Having always had a simple grill (be it propane or a Weber kettle) and generally only making one thing on it at a time I questioned the sanity of some of the members here who have multiple cookers. Then I moved into a house that had two ovens. At first it was a luxury item I didn’t understand either, then I started cooking in the new kitchen. Wouldn’t it be nice to have fresh bread along with the casserole? Or to bake dessert while still cooking dinner? I found myself using both fairly regularly and then I saw the light. And I had to have a matched set of KKs. First of all, sorry about the lighting and background. There isn’t much direct sunlight in the winter on my property. If I can find the “magic hour†I’ll try for some better shots. Or maybe I'll just do a long exposure once it gets dark. At first glance they’re identical, albeit slightly size disparate, copies of each other. Upon further inspection there are some subtle and well-thought-out differences. The cooking surface of the noticeably smaller 19.5†model is nearly the same comfortable height as the 23†model. This is thanks to a more narrow body as well as taller legs. This also raises the ash door slightly which would allow someone cooking on a terrace to remove ashes into a larger container – perhaps saving their downstairs neighbor from a smoky snowstorm. The casters are a bit smaller which make it a little harder to push around my crack-filled driveway. But this is also a blessing to the MTU-dweller who probably doesn’t want their KK moving about on their smooth balcony in the high winds found 9 stories up. Either way, both models have casters that are nicely proportioned to their size and weight. Aesthetically I prefer the 23†model’s sloping rear cover to the 19.5†model’s vertical lines. But those lines do accentuate the tallness of the 19.5†so even if it were technically possible to make a wider rear cover without affecting the internals I don’t know if it would look as nice as it does on the 23â€. Most of the accessory components are exactly the same size on the two of them. The same power draft port, rotisserie bearings, polder port and thermometer so anything that works with a 23†will likely work in the same manner on the 19.5â€. Only the draft door needed to be reshaped to allow for the tall-and-skinny body style. Another “quirk†is that the 19.5†is a bit too small to share the same gas lighter door of the 23â€. A reasonable workaround may be to use a 23†lighter assembly and manually hold it in the ash door until the charcoal lights. Of course, using a chimney starter, weed burner or any of the variety of other options available would also suffice. Internally the 19.5†is just a tall and skinny version of the 23â€. It’s nominally the same as a Gen II.2 23†model with all stainless accessories, high quality casters, and the beveled interlocking lid. The construction seems very similar, even down to a lot of the tile patterning. The grate bar diameters have not been downsized; it’s the same 3/8†stainless as the 23â€. The main grill even still has the same trap door design that I find so clever. It lacks a few features out of necessity. For example, there is no lower grill but the sear grill rests at the same level the lower grill would rest at so I don’t think you’re missing anything. Although Dennis was wise enough to include the rotisserie bearings even the 6†EZ-Que basket is too big for the cooker. I’m sure once an alternative solution is available Dennis will come up with an associated rotisserie kit for his existing users. Also missing is the ash screen, I’m sure if there’s enough demand for one Dennis can create one for us but I’m not sure it’s something I’ll be using even in the 23†so I won’t miss it – and the lack of a gas burner door means that I’d want to use the ash door to light my chimney starter form underneath anyway. The fit and finish of the 23†seems a bit nicer. Nothing major, just little things like how the tiles below the ash door on the 23†line up with the rest of the body while the 19.5†is offset slightly. It’s nothing I’d ever notice if I didn’t have the two side-by-side. And for now the 23†has a nice golden color inside while the 19.5†is a stark white. Both are definitely worthy of the Komodo name. Below are the sizes of the cookers, mostly from things I’ve gleaned off the forum from Dennis but I did have to fill in a few gaps. The weight of a 23†is 476lbs (216kg) while the 19.5†weighs in at 368lbs (167kg). Eventually I’d like to do some side-by-side Whizzy-style experiments. Things like starting each with a full basket and seeing how long they go at the same temperature; or starting each out with the same amount of charcoal to see which one is more efficient. I’d also be curious as to startup times; my guess is that the 19.5†will get to temperature faster but that the 23†will be a bit more stable. But really it’s the results that matter. I’ll hold off on using it a bit in case anyone wants any snapshots of anything when it’s nice and clean, but once I do I’ll let you know if there are any real differences in the results compared to Big Brother. My first impression: Both are excellent cookers, choosing between them is like choosing a favorite child (OK, choosing a favorite child when both of them are listening!). If I had a house or a large enough space for it I’d go for the 23â€. I like the aesthetics of it better plus I’d rather have the extra cooking space if I need it. If I had an apartment where a 23†wouldn’t fit or would be pushing the limits then a 19.5†is a clear choice. The 19.5†is cheaper (and much less money than it is less grill) so if it’s a matter of getting a 19.5†or nothing at all then the choice is made for you. Then again, regardless of funding, if you like the way the 19.5†looks and find it as unlikely as I do that you’ll be able to fill it with food (let alone a 23â€) then the smaller cooker may be just right for you. If I had to do it over again I think I like my decision. I believe that the mismatched but color-coordinated pair is better aesthetically than the potentially more useful pair of 23†grills (the same color or not). It adds a certain hierarchy to them rather than just a pair of equals that I find pleasing in a feng shui sort of way. If anyone has any questions about the two I'd be happy to answer them as best as I can. Edit: Minor correction to the "B" dimension for the 19.5" model