jdbower

There's the bottom-up school of thought which says you need to learn how the KK operates manually before you should look at automation. Then there's the top down approach which says you should go fully automated to get things running and then manually tweak what you need to. Photography is the same way, some insist on an old fully manual film camera to learn things while others say a digital point and shoot lets you get the important things like composition without worrying about the minutia. I like gadgets so I'm pro-Guru. Also look at the Stoker. In general the Guru is for Mac users and the Stoker is for Linux users (take THAT, DJ! ) - Guru has a very professional image with well-supported software and pretty much just works. The Stoker is a little more "hand-made" looking and may require a bit more tweaking to get it set up, but I think the Ethernet port adds a lot of power to the solution and it just seems more fun to play with. This, of course, comes from someone who has neither so take it with a grain of your favorite sodium-based compound.

I wonder if some thin, flat clips in the back to grab onto the rear lip would work to keep it against the rear wall? Just attach them to the rear bar of the grill and have them hug the rear wall of the cooker up to the lid. The big question is whether it would do bad things to the lid's fit or the seal. Perhaps a bit of gasket material would fix the seal, but if it would compress the existing gasket too much you may not want to remove the clips. If this is the case, you can make the clips a permanent fixture and allow the "baby grill" to be removed without removing the clips. Another option is to try cementing a retaining pin close to the rear wall, but I don't know how well high temp adhesives work. Of course the best option is to outfit a small child with a flame-proof suit to hold the grill in place manually during the cook, but there's a reason my sister doesn't let me babysit anymore...

It's all just that vast space between NY and California anyway, no wonder people get confused! Gas is far from a necessity, I actually like my chimney starter. If you decide on gas in the future, there are plenty of other options. From weed burners to one that uses superheated air.

And that's just because of the spicey jalapenos!

Any idea what the weight savings on the shorter version would be? If it's the same height, almost the same weight, and just a little smaller in diameter I'm not sure if being a little more coal-efficient for smaller cooks is enough to justify a 19.5" over a 23" (I'm also guessing the prices won't be too much different). I do like the idea of trying for a modular design and letting the user decide, but since the legs are more securely fastened than in the cheaper models I don't know if that's feasible (kind of the same as a supporting two 19.5" models from Dennis' standpoint). Maybe make the shorter version but also sell a little pedestal for it with matching tile? Or one made from teak?

It's a little pricey, but a fireplace vacuum is a handy tool to have around. Especially if you also have a wood burning fireplace or stove.

I love that comic, even if I did find a disturbing reference to my in-laws in it once... This one is probably my favorite since there are a lot of math teachers in my life.

And it can even be kosher for those Jewish rednecks. Shalom, y'all! When I was in college my now-wife was eating a salad with this really weird vegetable in it, turned out to be little squid.

Oh dear no, unless of course you're an unemployed artist of some sort is one of my favorites!

Well you just need to get a better browser Works fine on FireFox 3.0RC2

You could have taken him to the Korean BBQ by the H-Mart, I suppose

Did he let you drive his tractor? Curly's a great guy and I'm glad you had a chance to see a great part of our country!

Most hardware stores that sell propane like Lowes or Home Depot have a good selection of propane accessories, you can probably even bring the KK part and make sure they match things up.

And an even nicer "Mini-Me" with one of your covers over it! Do you have enough measurements to start cranking them out once Dennis goes GA on the smaller model?

Very good! My sources show the temperature is actually between 218-246C (425-475F).

I can see it now. From mysterious far eastern spirits infused with the essence of a venomous snake to "DJ's Southern Style Critter-Liquor".

Good old German food - if you can shove it into an animal casing it's edible! For my fellow New Jersey-ites there's a great German place in Howell called Fritzy's which is well worth the trip.

A great source for side dishes! http://www.thailandunique.com/ I'm sure the canned bamboo worms aren't as good as fresh, but what can you do? If DJ orders the snake whiskey pictures must be provided.

For low and slow cooks the wood mostly smolders rather than burns. When you get to high temp grilling (anyone remember the reason for the book title Fahrenheit 451?) soaking can extend the time it takes to heat the wood and keep the smolder going longer, but you'd be better off with a smoke pot to reduce the oxygen to the smoke wood. A nice side effect is after the cook you get a few more chunks of charcoal. FWIW: Wood generally only smolders 120-150C (250-300F), but rotted wood can ignite at the high end of this scale. Most wood ignites between 190-260C (375-500F). Granted it's hotter in the pit than the dome, but remember we're also restricting the oxygen flow into the cooker to compensate.

Willkommen! Wie gehts? You have indeed chosen wisely and it's nice to have another pin in the map. It would be interesting to see a mashup of where KKs live, I know you've got at least one neighbor in Switzerland. I can't wait to see pictures of your new cooker when it gets home, perhaps with a nice German Leica? Please tell us more about your existing cookers, we like hearing about those as well. Glückwünsche!

Personally I'd keep the Ultimate as a full featured product including all accessories even if it means an increased price. However, I could also get behind broadening the market with the other cookers by having "barebones" models with only the necessities. It may even tempt Sanny to upgrade

I actually recommend a WhiBal card, like a KK they're very durable.

The fact that the snow stayed on the cooker so long once it reached cruising temperatures is a testament to the insulation on these things. I'm impressed!

I've got a ThermaPen, it's a great instant-read probe. I also have a Maverick RF monitor that I picked up someplace, probably Amazon or Target. It works well enough and has two probes. Of course, once you start looking into this deeper you may find yourself wondering why you'd stop with just monitoring the temperature and go for a BBQ Guru or Stoker to also control the pit temp.

You're a cruel, cruel man for posting pictures like that without sharing - veal prime rib sounds delicious and tender enough you probably don't need a knife!