jdbower

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.

I got your back. It was shot at 1/8" at F5.6 and ISO200 with the 18-135mm Nikkor at max zoom. Looks like she used a slow-sync TTL metered flash and was about 1m away from the subject, probably because she used the Night Portrait VariProgram mode. She may have also been using the MB-D80 grip with alkaline batteries - she should try NiMH rechargeables, they'll give better battery life. She may have also used a tripod with a 10s delay, a good idea for long exposures. There's also a setting to introduce a delay between when the mirror lifts and the shutter fires, that's nearly as useful as a Mirror Lockup (but MLU is only available on the D200 and higher from that generation). All in all not bad, especially for a first try. The flash pop is probably why you can make out the unlit coals.

Congrats! I'll have to keep an eye out for your smoke plume next time I visit my relatives in Halifax, PA.

Those look tasty, and much quicker and easier than the thighs Suzanne Somers promised

Nicely lit! A set of U2PLT's grinders are pretty high on my list of things to acquire.

I modified this from the Heinz website, we had extra apples and these looked interesting. 1 lb ground beef 1 onion (chopped) ½ cup breadcrumbs 3 tbs tomato sauce 1 apple (grated) 8 sheets phyllo pastry 1/4 tsp pepper Set the KK to 400F Mix meat, onions, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, and pepper into bowl. Grate the apple over the top and thoroughly mix. Divide into 8ths and wrap in phyllo pastry. Bake on a pizza stone at 400F for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 335F for 20-30 minutes. I'm guessing just setting the KK to ~335 for 30-40 minutes would also work, the O2 inrush when you add them should cause a bit of a temp spike. Sorry, these were cooked in a conventional oven - and an electric at that! These are great with a bit of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce drizzled over them. The sweetness of the sauce nicely complements the sweetness of the apples.

This is a thick, mildly spicy (except to Sanny!) sauce that's also pretty sweet. 3 tbs hot ground chili paste 2 tsp minced garlic ½ cup rice wine vinegar 2/3 cup water 2/3 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 4 tsp cornstarch 4 tbs chopped cilantro Combine everything except for cilantro into a small saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly Remove from heat and add cilantro. I've used red wine vinegar instead of rice vinegar and it also is pretty tasty. You can also adjust the chili paste to taste.

As for ordering, it's usually pretty pricey to get just a few boxes so most people try to share a pallet in the Charcoal Order Sharing Forum. I notice that there's an old thread from a Seattle sharing attempt, if you team up with Amphoran you may be able to save a bit. If you just want a few boxes and don't want to bother with a share just email Dennis and he'll get a quote out to you. He can also probably throw in some accessories to save on shipping. Emails are the best since that's how Dennis organizes his order information.

Hmmm.... You used to have a bird. Then you got a KK. Now you don't have a bird. The bird said "eek! eek!" I think I'm beginning to see why

I'm not sure about that, we've got a "soon-to-be" owner, I guess it's up to Roy to decide if he wants to allow "wannabe" owners

I think this is a great idea, I've moved it to the See a KK forum and made it a sticky so it's easier to find. Note that you don't have to open your home to people wanting to see a KK to put your dot on the map. Thanks!

Worst case I'm sure there's some level of cleaning and protection you and use to keep it shiny. When I first saw you had been waxing some tiles it had me thinking, my black car gets too hot in the sun for me to put my hand on it, I don't think the outside of a KK would get much hotter. Perhaps some of the same stuff they use to clean and protect chrome on a car would help keep the luster.

Too much bling for someone with a monkey pimp as an avatar? That's hard to believe! To be honest I'm not one for metallic objects either (I've pried a lot of chrome off my car), but the dark bronze isn't bad compared to, say, metallic gold tiles with rhinestone highlights I would also be curious to see how it looks in the sun, and how it looks a few years from now. I'm not sure if having the metal protected to hold the luster would be better or if it would be more interesting to have it fade to a nice patina.

Firemonkey (already exhibiting some poor taste in color selections) doesn't like the new tile color, but I betcha we can make a metallic bronze KK produce toast like this!

That is a different problem. I had thought about that with DJ's grill, but the best I could come up with was trying to get a very stiff clip thin enough not to disturb the gasketing too much (or just lay another gasket over top). But that still seemed a little cheesy, risky, and difficult. Other options were to have a ring around the entire lip (but I think there were issues with the rotisserie ports) or to dress a small child in an asbestos suit to hold it in place. Turns out you need to provide an oxygen supply for that last option, live and learn (why do you think I had to move?)

I wonder if one could devise a clamp that would firmly attach it to the main grill. I'm thinking a small, flat bit of stainless (perhaps with appropriately-spaced indents) that can rotate to fit through the grill and then tightens with a wing nut. I just don't know how long it would last in the heat - but if it's just a bolt and wing nut that needs to be replaced periodically that should be a small price to pay.