jdbower

Interesting question. I found a place in Hawaii selling Guava and Kiawe (a tropical flavor of mesquite). Pimento apparently is also a tropical wood suitable for smoking. Most fruit trees seem to be OK, but as you've found out it may be wise to do a little research before you try anything. Some people use non-wood items as well, herbs, grape vines and corn cobs seem possible if those are easier to obtain.

It's supposed to drop down to 6F tonight, the "RealFeel" is -16F. I think another few degrees and the electrons will start spinning into their nuclei - no wonder MIT does a lot of superconductor research up here! I managed to dig it out, it's fun trying to be delicate with the front end loader. I got pretty close with it, then a little closer with the small snowthrower (that the rest of the snow laughed at), then finally dug it out with a shovel. No damage to the cooker, but the "cover" I was using (the plastic shipping bag) had split down the middle and filled with snow - luckily Johnnyboy to the rescue and he shipped out a proper cover today. I think I'll be storing it in the garage during impending snowstorms from now on so it doesn't get plowed in...

That stuff stopped falling from the sky today, do clouds get dandruff? I spot checked a few places and I think I'm edging up on 18". I moved the KK off to the side so the plow wouldn't damage it. Well, it's not damaged. As far as I can tell: No, it's not behind the snowbank. It's in it. I'm glad I shook off the tractor after the bulk of the snow fell on Saturday, this is just what came down on Sunday: Can I move back to NJ now?

Dennis has been waxing the matte finish ones with Meguiar's car wax (one of the wipe on/wipe off varieties, not positive which one though) so it should be OK with the grout and the glazed ceramic tiles are pretty tough. A polish tends to be a bit abrasive so I'd probably avoid it since it may wear down the grout a bit. Since a KK even at high temps really only gets about as hot as a black car in the sun I don't see the harm, but you may want to be careful about the type of wax and how it's applied in case it leaves a white residue on the grout. I intend to wax mine every so often once the weather warms up a bit, if it ever stops snowing here

If the chili isn't making you sweat enough you're not doing it right

You're thinking too much like Dennis, see a problem and find a solution. Lodge is probably thinking more like a corporation, if they cay it's OK and you cut yourself on a burr on the nubs or spill hot paella all over yourself because there isn't a full handle they may be able to be held liable - or at least spend money defending themselves in court. If the handles were part of the mold you should be fine, but they may also be worried if they're welded on that the grinder vibrations may loosen the welds. "No" is always the safe answer for modifications but it's nice to know it's working for you. At least in your imagination (hint, hint!)

The wheels on the KK are much larger than they probably need to be. This not only lets it glide across my driveway but also helped me jump the little ice dam that had built up around it from the last baby snowfall. Something tells me the plow will be coming tonight and I wanted to remove the KK from harm's way

Done. Chefjeff, if you object just let me know since it's technically your thread

Welcome aboard! You should be able to post pictures after a few more posts so make sure you've got some ready! Which color did you get?

I think the included cover for the KK works great, but could use a few alterations - I don't think Johnnyboy has much competition. We had our first snowfall last night (not much, but things are white). It turned this: Into this: Sure, Dennis cover isn't much to look at but I guess it gets the job done I was worried that I'd lose power, be confident in my ability to cook anyway, and walk out to find the KK encased in a block of ice so I couldn't open it. For those who are a bit more paranoid about ice storms the plastic bag that the KK comes in makes a great temporary cover.

What, you guys don't wash down the insides of your KKs after a cook to keep them looking new? It's really because I'm a lazy photographer when it's cold. OK, I'm lazy most of the time but it's even worse in the cold. I was using auto-everything so the metering system focused on the light colored chicken. Metering systems try to make white things into light grey so they tend to under expose with light colored scenes (lacking any other input, this is why it can be hard to shoot snow scenes unless your camera detects them). IIRC it was sunny in the first picture as well, creating more shadow and a brighter bird, this led to an underexposure issue that enhanced the smoke coloring in the cooker. The second picture had a darker bird and was a bit more overcast. This meant that the exposure for the bird was better and the lack of shadow removed some of the depth of color for the cooker interior making it look clean. If I had bothered to examine the picture or used a more deterministic spot metering technique they'd be much more similar. Sadly, the second picture is closer to reality when it comes to the inside coloring - but it's only my second cook!

Ah, I had underfilled for my first cook so I just lit a few more and added them. I didn't stir the pot to see if the old stuff was still active. I'll nab a closeup shot of the joints tomorrow, in the mean time they're much more clearly visible here.

I did save the bread before it totally deflated and just sealed the bag Dennis stopped putting on the veneer because it tended to flake of as the expansion joints, well, expanded. I've got visible joints in the base (6 if I remember correctly but I'd have to count) and lid (three) and nothing flaking off. Technically they're filled in with air, nature abhors a vacuum as much as I do but that's why I have a Roomba. I was using the KK extruded charcoal for both cooks. There were a few dying embers in the morning, probably sucking every last bit of O2 it could through the polder port that I forgot to plug. I didn't notice much less coal than I saw when I shut down the night before so if it was hanging on through the night it was doing so very slowly. I'm not sure about the next cook, I've got enough leftovers to last me a while - through the week at least. Maybe I'll use it to toast my bagel in the morning I do need to pick up some regular lump to compare and contrast, and hardwood chips. And getting the Stoker running would be nice but that would mean pulling another Ethernet cable and getting power there... So many projects, so little time!

Small turkey, about 14lbs. Brined in kosher salt and sugar for quite some time (I was going to cook it last night) with Dizzy Pig's Tsunami Spin and my wife's stuffing (she's still experimenting, mostly sourdough bread, celery, onions, and spices). It looks awfully chilly in the cold MA air: Now it looks toasty! Very moist and tender and I imagined a deep smoke ring (in fact, I was worried it wasn't done because the first slice was pink!). I cooked for just under 4 hours at 325-350 or so indirect with the drip pan and the deflector dish, again with pitifully little for me to do during that timeframe (please make the next generation a little less user friendly so I can turn some knobs every so often!): I overcooked a bit (the Maverick's range doesn't quite reach the house - have to get the Stoker up and running!) to 185 but it still turned out well. The skin was very crispy and yet everything else was very moist. The drip pan had enough in the collection plate for some nice gravy to go with it. Lessons learned: The KK is well insulated, it was still 100F when I put this on about 16 hours after my last cook. I need to start pulling my meat off before it gets to the target temperature. The GrillFloss works like a charm. A spare KK grill makes a good emergency wire rack for cooling some unexpectedly large french bread loaves (made in the regular oven, I'm afraid). The FoodSaver, even on Gentle, should NOT be used on french bread

No need to be in suspense, it was a little brother to the big guy (there aren't that many products that Dennis sells!), but they accidentally shipped the wrong color. If only I had bought from a company with good customer service, then there would be a new cooker rushing to me as we speak. Oh wait, I did! And it is! Needless to say Senior will keep me more than busy enough while I wait for Junior to arrive.

Minor snafu with shipping, I always get the bad luck with shipping. I think it may have to do with the local literacy rates - they think a calzone is just another word for "hot pocket" up here. You'll find out what's in the small crate soon, or at least what should have been in there

Something you can't really appreciate until you've actually bought one are all the little touches Dennis puts into the packing of these things. All the accessories are individually tightly wrapped in foam to protect them. All the tools you'll need are included, a prybar is marked on the corner of the crate and a socket for adjusting the springs is inside (OK, so you may need something to undo the lag bolts, but I'm sure putting another wrench inside the crate wouldn't be a very good option ). All the movable parts are blocked off with a dense foam material so the lid doesn't pop open (even when someone at the shipping company drops the crate ). The accessories box is also labeled with the contents to help you figure out what everything is. But probably the nicest feature are these: At first I thought the green ropes held the KK to the crate, but then I noticed they weren't attached (it's the yellow tape that holds it in place). They're pre-tied lift points to help out move the KK around in case you don't have a rope and to protect you against a bad knot. Even though the useful lifespan of this rope is only a few weeks and one use they actually taped the ends to prevent fraying. Just slip a 2x4 (or pallet fork ) into the loop and lift the KK off the pallet. It's almost like Dennis has actually given some thought to unpacking these things. About the only thing that would be better is to make the crate out of hardwood and include a small wood chipper!

Kind of a small first cook - and not the standard pork butt. Still, it came out very well. The most disappointing thing was that I didn't get to DO anything but wait. The ECC was a bit tough to light, but a chimney starter and a few sheets of a catalog got things going. Once I got to about 300 I cut down the air supply (blasting "All Out of Love" was getting annoying ) and things settled to 325 for most of the cook. After a while I decided temps weren't climbing in the meat fast enough so I decided to up things to 350-375, sure enough the next time I checked on things temps had climbed to about 360. Near the end new bits of charcoal must have lit, or the drippings, but it could also have read my mind once again. I cooked direct on the main grill for roughly three hours on the 4.23lb tenderloin to get to about 160 internal temps. The hardest part was not peeking - and it paid off. Some bits even stuck to the grill for me - I love the cook's payment! Sorry, too excited to remember the before shot, but here's a during: I didn't use the Stoker this time around so that's my Maverick hanging off the right side. The neighbors must think I'm crazy, wandering in and out to cook stuff in the cold, dark night: Here's the finished product: Mmm... The best part! Sliced and ready to eat (this is about half of the tenderloin): The only problem is that my wife was a bit slow to make the asparagus side so it got a bit cold and dry between slicing (very moist and tender!) and eating (only as good as the best I've cooked in an oven), live and learn. I'm thinking turkey tomorrow

I like the idea of using the rotisserie, I'll have to try that eventually. I also read about using an "X" on the shell, but I've never had any issues with a slit (granted, I twist the knife a bit to make sure it doesn't reseal). Anyone have any exploding nuts with just a slit? And Jackie, I've always done the oven roasting technique and my wife's been happy with the results, do you like the stovetop method better? I'm guessing that the KK indirect would be like oven roasting but KK direct in a cast iron skillet may be more like stovetop. I guess I can start to experiment myself now

A slate black 23" Gen 2.2 and matching 19.5" in Framingham, MA. Shoot me a PM or email and I'd be happy to schedule a visit.

Tougher than Teamsters I think Dennis' new tagline should be "Tougher than Teamsters". I was a bit concerned about my 23" Gen2.2 given the state of the pallet (looks like someone dropped it) but it came through with only a loose top gasket - a very easy fix. The pallet itself is a work of art, better built than most of my furniture it provides a ton of protection for an already heavy duty product. It's a little bit naked without the thermometer installed, but the Tel-Tru was inside awaiting calibration at the time: I've got several more pics to share, but this is just a taste. I'm outside in the dark grilling up a pork tenderloin for a late dinner (and confusing the neighbors to no end I'm sure - they saw me lugging the crate up the driveway with the tractor yesterday and now I'm outside grilling on a, what the heck is that anyway? ). By the way, there's got to be some sort of a scam going on. I decided I wanted between 300 and 350F so as the ECC came up to about 300 I randomly repositioned the dampers. The temperature magically settled at 325 as if it read my mind.

I've been drooling over Dennis' functional artwork for over a year and a half now. I've been postponing my purchase mostly because I had been trying to build a house first, so as soon as I gave up and moved to a real house in MA I placed an order. As luck would have it I was away when it was originally ready to be delivered but I'm back now. Of course, the delivery guy ran late - 12-4 turned into 4:30 as things started to get dark. After unloading the truck and getting the pallets up my driveway it's now too dark to see what I'm doing - well, too dark for decent pictures at least. So to tide you over, here's a sample of things to come. The rightmost pallet doesn't look too happy () but from what I can tell it's just the shipping pallet, Dennis' packing pallet seems to be doing just fine. You'll have to excuse the image, rather than use a flash I decided to go with ambient lighting and a 6 second exposure at a noisy ISO800 - it's really much darker than it appears in the shot. Yesterday I stopped by Costco for some dead animals and a FoodSaver, I've already got the Stoker ready to go, and there's a turkey brining as we speak. More tomorrow - if I can sleep tonight knowing it's out there waiting to be used!

I'm not sure about multiple layers as I've never tried it. I'd imagine it would work, but you may want to try a single layer to make sure you know when they're done. It wouldn't surprise me if a large quantity would need stirring or more time, although if you heat them indirect (which you're already mostly doing by cooking them in something) I'd imagine the stirring wouldn't be needed. Since the chestnuts really cook in their shell the container you use to cook them probably isn't all that important. You may find cast iron would do better indirect since it will transmit the heat a bit more, but you may also like that it could burn the bottoms of the shells a bit. Of course this may not even be an issue, I haven't tried on an open flame before. I created a new thread in the techniques section for you since it's a more appropriate location instead of hiding this little chestnut of information in a Happy Camper thread (pun, sadly, intended)

These are pretty easy. First, obtain some chestnuts. Around us there are huge bins of them in most grocery stores around this time of year. Then you'll need to puncture the shell of the chestnut so steam doesn't turn them into miniature hand grenades. They're pretty soft and I use just a regular knife, but you can also look into a small hooked chestnut knife or other specialty tools (you can probably find lots at a local kitchen store. You'll want to roast them at about 400F for around 20 minutes. I just put them on foil but a pizza stone would work as would a cast iron skillet or any specialty roaster. They'll become more tender when they're done. After that put them in an old, clean towel and use the towel to roll them around and break the skin. Let them rest in the towel for a few minutes so they can cool. Then peel, eat, and enjoy! I've only oven roasted them (so far!) so I'm not sure which type of wood would impart the best flavor but I'm sure you'll have fun experimenting.

If you can have a KK as a stocking stuffer you must have HUGE feet, I don't think I could even fit one under the tree! Glad you're enjoying your new KK, I'm sure you'll find it very useful for all sorts of Christmas goodies from hams to chestnuts and you may even find some cakes and cookies taste better with the very mild flavors Dennis' extruded lump imparts.