jdbower

Re: Sam's Deal Nice find! Was in Lowes the other day and saw an 8.9 cubic foot chest freezer floor model, was $289 marked down to $150. Now I've got lots more freezer space

Great news on all accounts! Glad your surgery went well and congrats on the new cooker.

Think those pineapple will grow up in MA? Looks great!

Being from NJ I'm very familiar with that technique - but do you have to loan it money and wait for it to default on payment first? I live on a mostly wooded lot so I usually just pick up a nearby stick, but I'm guessing a chunk of rebar or a small pipe would be more efficient.

I prefer BBQ sauce, but to each their own

A lot of the cheaper briquettes have some pretty nasty binders and the ones impregnated with lighter fluid are a no-no, but these don't seem too bad with just charcoal and starch. TNW even has a review of them, probably not the best for a low-and-slow but if you just want to grill they should be fine.

This is great justification as to why you can't afford not to buy a KK, Pyro. Not only do you get the better grill area but look how much money you'll save in charcoal! Why, I'll bet an avid BBQer can have the KK pay for itself in just a few months with charcoal cost savings. And the extra value it would bring to your home is just gravy.

Nah, that's just an allergic reaction to your rabbits. Which, by the way, would make quite an interesting pastrami...

Shaws, the local supermarket, carries Nature's Mesquite, smallish bags compared to the Cowboy I found at Lowes but I'm happy. Of course, I'm mostly happy because I didn't bother to check the price There's a town at the end of the Cambridge subway system called Alewife, perhaps named after DJ's spouse?

Thanks! Every time I try pastrami I get a wad of flavored fat. I'll have to try your recipe sometime so I can finally get some nice lean pastrami of my own.

I kind of figured in the patio would be a bad idea. It's screened in with no glass so ventilation isn't an issue, but it's still probably a bit too risky and the stale smoke smell would be an issue (although I had toyed with a flexible exhaust system or even just a modified range hood). I'm sure I can find space nearby. Worst case it can live in the driveway for a while until I figure out the landscaping enough to decide where I want the outdoor patio.

This type of photography is called High Dynamic Range shooting, you want details in the flames but also details in the darker meat and sides of the cooker. An SLR is a better tool for this than a Point and Shoot, but someone proficient in Photoshop can get around just about any limitation. There are a few methods for doing this: 1. Use fixed lighting instead of a flash, if you can focus a bright light on just the meat it shouldn't wash out the flames as much. You may want to create what's known as a "snoot" - something you strap on a light source that focuses the light better. Here's a cheap and easy idea with black drinking straws. 2. If you can adjust the exposure, have a tripod, and access to a graphics editor you can use an HDR technique called blending where you first expose so you get the flames right (but everything else will be very dark) and then take a second shot without moving the camera where you expose for the meat. You can then use Photoshop to combine the two images. The simplest technique is to combine the two on top of each other and then adjust the transparency until you get the look you want, but you can also selectively edit the wasted parts of the images to reduce their look or take a few extra shots at different exposures. Some digital SLRs have a feature called "Bracketing" which will help this by automatically adjusting the exposure between shots. 3. There is also something called a center spot filter which will effectively put sunglasses over part of the image. It can be a little tough to figure out which filter will work best (especially with a non SLR where the sensor size isn't a standard). For more information about filters, take a look at page 35 here. 4. Of course, if you've got a decent Photoshop-like tool you can always try taking a picture between exposing for the meat and the flames then back down the exposure in post and increase the exposure of the meat. You'll be limited to the dynamic range of the camera, but it's not like you really need the flames to be crisp. TNW would also be a good guy to talk to, he's done a lot more cooking shots than me, I'm sure. Hopefully soon I'll be able to do some experiments, but since I'm in the middle of a move I haven't had much time recently.

Some of you may know that I've been trying to build a house in NJ. For three years now. Well, since the ordeal started I began working from home and my wife has changed careers to a location about an hour away - we were no longer tied to our location. So when the little lady decided a change of venue was in order she was wide open. With opportunities coming in from around the country she finally decided on one in Cambridge, MA. After about two months of searching and a false start on a short sale (when the sale price is less than what's owed on the house - a VERY long process that's not appropriate unless you've got patience) we finally found a place I hope we can stay in for quite some time. Three years in a 115 year old hovel waiting to build a new house means that this place is a dream - I've got a dishwasher and central air again! The down side is that the guys up here take their sports WAY too seriously and seem to have an inferiority complex about New York, but the neighborhood is quiet and since I work from home traffic isn't a big issue for me. I also finally have a permanent location for a KK! This screened-in patio seems like a great location for any-weather cooking, but I wonder what the smoke will do to the paint...

Always nice to have another New Joisian on board! I guess Doraemon is better than Domo-kun. Cook long and prosper

Don't worry, I occasionally keep him company over there. Although the primary reason I have a tractor is to lift the KK into place. He bought the right color tractor, but needs to read the brand name a little better. Food comes up often there, and when it comes up methods of cooking it come up shortly thereafter!

I guess that's one of the horrible consequences of being open about issues and having a history of rectifying things - reviewers tend to cut you a little slack when things go wrong even when your mistake is still among the best currently available on the market

I like the quote about the missing press conference on their website. Did they just come out and say they didn't release anything to the press because they wanted to leverage their position to make more money? In other words "the DNA testing we promised revealed it was actually my buddy Billybob who was wearing a bigfoot costume when we shot him, but we wants to be on the Tee Vee before they hauls us in" But here's the big question: Low and slow or seared steaks?

Given the recent news I hope you're in the Georgia better known for Coca Cola and Deliverance than the one across the pond... Luckily there aren't many things to decide once you've decided on a KK, Dennis doesn't nickle and dime you on accessories but you may have quite a chore selecting a color for your new cooker!

I could see how this design could be better for pizza than even a KK depending on what you like. By having an open area this would allow for more air circulation, something the KK tries to prevent because for low-and-slows you'd want to trap as much moisture in as possible. This circulation should dry out the crust a bit more and make it nice and crispy. If you're not from Italy or NJ you may not want that sort of crust and prefer a more bready texture where the KK could be a boon. And, of course, unless we can get a side-by-side taste test this is all theory. Is it worth $2000? Since it's much more limited than a KK (and not as nice looking to boot) I don't think so. Could you do the same thing with a KK? I think you could come pretty close by cracking the lid open a bit.

Congrats! Thanks for helping out.

I think the more important question is the source rather than the size. The 1/2" planks from a lumber yard may be commonly treated - a no-no unless you like special seasoning in your potatoes. The grilling planks you find at kitchen stores are pricey, but they're also designed for food so may be safer. If you know what to look for the stuff from the lumbar yard should be OK, but if not you'd probably rather be safe than sorry.

I wonder if Dennis can get the guy to mount a KK to this thing. A home theater in a trailer with a KK attached would be an excellent way to travel, or to set up shop at a BBQ competition.

I've gotten a slew of invites to sites with various "themes", many of them put together by individuals. Kind of scary since most people use the same login/password for a lot of sites that they'd sign up for smaller places like this. BTW: I've moved this to the MIsc section for better bookkeeping.

Another quirk of IR thermometers is that they can't see through glass. Still, they're fun toys to have around and it's a requirement that you use it to measure just about everything. I now know exactly how cold my wife's cat nose is and that my LCDs are a pretty constant 100F.

Very cool, thanks for sharing! My great grandmother used to make her own sausage in the basement at the farm. I say used to because when my dad and his brothers walked in on her and figured out what the casing was they wouldn't eat them anymore. Now I just convince myself that all the sausages today use an artificial casing and I'm very happy. Until my other grandmother cooks authentic Slovenian sausages and the illusion is ruined...