jdbower

My guess is you've got three things going for you: 1. Most of the KK's here don't have huge cracks in them 2. Propane is a fairly simple molecule consisting of three carbons and a bunch of freeloading hydrogrens. Natural gas is a combination of gasses obtained as "waste" products from petroleum refineries but also they have a large component of methane which has one lonely carbon atom surrounded by some mean old hydrogens. This makes the natural gas lighter and able to dissipate faster than the propane alone. 3. Propane tanks generally have a higher pressure than natural gas lines. This means that a propane burner may produce more BTUs than an equivalent NG burner but it uses more fuel in the process (although typically there would be a different flow restrictor to help equalize this for big appliances like stoves and water heaters). A natural gas burner may simply send in less fuel per unit time so there isn't as much to build up. Just some guesses, but they kind of make sense before I've had my coffee.

A Big Green Egg Mini can be had for ~$250. It's probably rather uncomfortable as a primary cooker but could be useful for a campsite cook or some appetizers after the upgrade to a KK. My wife likes the chicken at most of the good Indian restaurants around us because it's tender and juicy, so I just explain the similarities between a KK and a Tandoori. Of course, the spouse is the one who needs to pick out the color scheme for the "yard art" aspect. "Accidentally" overcooking and drying out meals on a gasser or kettle cooker couldn't hurt, either

At least the fan was on, but dude, if it's coming out all your openings you really need to change where you get your meat from. Or at least cook it a little longer!

Re: First Cook on the KK - Brisket They are good, aren't they? I've yet to find one that I don't like!

Very nice! It looks a lot less...massive...than I thought it was going to be - this is a good thing for apartment owners.

Re: Check out my new toy.... Is comparing a beer to water really a good thing? That'll get you shot in Germany or, even better, Belgium!

One quick addition you may have gleaned from Sanny's post, but times aren't exactly a precise measure when it comes to low and slow cooking (high temp grilling is a bit easier). Things like the composition and type of meat, the shape of the cut, direct vs. indirect cooking, minor changes in the actual temperature, and a host of other factors could have an impact on the duration of the cook by hours. For this reason we never just set a timer and pull the meat out when it should be done, but rather it's better to cook using temperature probes as a guide. So instead of saying "It'll be done in 12 hours" we typically say "It'll be done when the internal temperature is xxx" (depending on how well you like it done).

That's my wife's runner-up color choice, she likes the black textured best but that "terra-cotta look tile" is a close second. Enjoy and have fun, you've started out right with some pictures!

Or it could turn the gas burner on high automatically, blue flames of death instead of the blue screen of death

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".