CeramicChef

EGGARY - just saw your post. Sorry for that! In answer to your questions, there is plenty of smoke at 350°F. Between the pecan wood smoke and the grapeseed coating, the skin is perfect, at least in the estimation of my guests. After all, that's what's important, isn't it? I like pecan on fowl. It doesn't overpower the birds like a hickory or a mesquite. I have been know to use fruit wood for smoke. Oft times I'll use apple and in conjunction, I'll stuff the bird with apple slices, aromatics, and some cranberries. That's just killer! For a very lite smoke I'll use alder for the smoke component. It's a very light smoke and people ask, what did you smoke this with? It's just a hint of smoke ... what is it? I love a maple syrup brine. I always brine and inject my birds. My injection is butter, garlic, some powdered thyme and rosemary, and maple syrup. Leaves your guests wanting more and saying its the best turkey they ever tasted. I've even been known to baste the bird with that injection liquid the last 30 minutes of the cook. That adds a richness to the color that is amazing. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Oh, BTW, I'm with you on the Traegers.

Parrothead - that 275° you saw was on the way to about 500°F. As for time, I'm going to have to give myself a "Bad Dog! No Biscuit!" because I never really time burger cooks anymore. I love burgers and used to own a restaurant that specialized in burgers. I go mainly by color. I've cooked so many burgers I know exactly what exterior color gives me a Medium center. TheBeast, my KK BB 32" does such an incredibly on something so prosaic as a burger it's not even funny! If people only knew!

Dennis - I'm glad you've successfully met these challenges and I hope and pray they are permanently behind you and your family. I know this was a wonderful Thanksgiving for me personally. TheBeast, that KK BB 32" that you sold to me was my best use of funds this year! Why I ever waited is beyond me. That said, Dennis, you and TheBeast are killing me. People who have tasted the cooks that come off TheBeast want me to cook for them! I'm starting to run myself ragged, and it's all your fault! LOL! I'm really looking forward to you new website, the new products, some of the new products I've heard you have in the pipeline! It's been my great pleasure getting to know you! You're aces. All the best to you and your family!

I've used Cast Iron skillets, Dutch Ovens, Griddles and not so much as a hiccup. I use them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner cooks. The CI griddles makes a nice surface for breakfast ... eggs ... while I'm bringing TheBeast up to temp for a Saturday rib cook. Bacon works very well on the main grates. There is really no need to do bacon on the griddle except for the fact that you may need/like a little bacon grease for the eggs on the griddle. I've used Dutch Ovens for just about everything imaginable ... cobblers, cakes, stews, chilis. Very versatile piece of CI. I've been known to use a skillet for deep dish pizza. CI lends itself very well to the KK, IMNSHO.

jmagaram - as I tell my friends "Welcome to The Addiction!" I take extra portions to the local Police and Fire Stations. Those guys kill for Q. I also have been known to take care of my butcher! I'm always bugging him for special cuts of better cuts or deals and I always make sure to take over a mess of ribs or pulled pork by 10:00 AM. The guys LOVE it! They take care of me and I take care of them.

Thanks Frog! I appreciate the kind words. KKer's, on another Forum, I posted this cook. There the other BBQ fanatics told me I should have pulled the popups and cooked the birds the way I wanted and then put the popups back in the bird after dipping them in hot water to get them show done. I told them that my Mother, having been President of The Altar Society for years at out church, would know immediately something was amiss. So too with the Altar Society ladies where I now attend Mass. They would know and start asking questions. I spent years in Catholic School. Never lie to a Nun. Don't ever lie to the ladies of The Altar Society! They are connected with a MUCH higher power. Even the priest can't forgive that sin! LOL!! It's so good to see that the KKer's are much more honest and so much less duplicitous than those others. Of course, we're KKer's and we don't roll that way, RIGHT!??? LOL!!

LarryR - everytime I see this vid I learn something new. I really like icing the breasts before putting that bird on the grate. Smart. Thanks for all your videos. In fact, it's because of your vids, and the rest posted on YouTube by KKer's that I bought TheBeast! Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

KKers and Potential Customers of all stripe - Well I just got off the phone with Dennis Linkletter, the gentleman who owns KK. I sent Dennis an email this morning about a problems I thought I might have with TheBeast, my KK BB 32". I attached pictures. Dennis knew I was doing some cooks over the next couple of days. No more than 5 minutes later I get a call from Dennis. Dennis could have easily replied by email. Would have been absolutely fine by me. Remember, he's half a world away in Indonesia. That's 13 hours ahead of my time here in OKC! It was late at night in Indonesia, WAY beyond anything normal business hours, and I get a call in response to my email. Kamado Kookers, I know that there are a lot of good kamados on the market and Kamado Joe, among its devotees, is hailed for its customer service. But when the owner of the company personally calls you in the middle of his night to make certain you know there is no problem with TheBeast, that's the single most impressive customer service experience I've ever had. I had heard the tales of very good customer service from KJ. And it is well deserved. I like the KJ product line. But nothing in my experience has prepared me for the level of service I've gotten from Dennis Linkletter and his company, Komodo Kamado. It is so far beyond anything posted here I just had to post this. I built 4 companies based on excellent customer service and that made me quite comfortable. But as good as my companies were at taking care of customers, I NEVER went the lengths Dennis does to make certain we Komodo Kamado owners know we count above all else. KK owners know how valued they are by KK and Dennis specifically. I can recommend KK without any reservation. What's amazing, each and every KK owners has a story just like mine. To any potential KK customer, your KK will come with a level of customer you won't believe! Buy the KK you're looking at and you'll never regret it one iota.

+1^. That combination of herbs/spices should really rock, especially the star anise. The cavity stuffers will add a nice subtle flavor. Very nice post, tony b! Kudos!

Wilbur - thanks! There was room for a lot more fowl on that grate. And If I had use the upper cooking rack .... As for the brisket gig ... remember that no good deed goes unpunished and "Dude, you're screwed" has become my new mantra!

Glad I could help, Dennis, but those are not Chamber of Commerce looking turkeys. But, The Altar Society ladies MUST be kept happy! Hell hath no fury like an Altar Society lady pissed off! I know ... my Mom was president of The Altar Society for years. When those ladies make up their mind, even God stands aside!!!!

DUH! Dennis, I'm an idiot! Wilco on the next pizza cook! Anything I can do to help ...

Wilbur - the amount of things I can't do or haven't done far and away surpasses my meager experience in life. When you can't do anything well, as is my case, you have to be able to do a lot of things just to make ends meet. Don't tell anyone, but the reason I've done so much in so many areas is I kept getting fired! LOL!! If evidence is to be believed, the one thing I can't do in life is stay in a relationship! Two divorces. After my second divorce and until SWMBO came along, my idea of a long term relationship was a 3 day weekend! I think I'm getting this phase of life figured out.

LK - I've done several turkeys on TheBeast, a KK BB 32. Every one was easy peasy. No problems at all and it's dead simple. I brine my birds AND i inject. Yes, both. Starting two days ahead of when I want to eat the bird, for my brine I generally use salt, sugar, some herbs ... rosemary & thyme come to mind, some citrus peel ... orange and lemon, and let it sit overnight. I then pull the bird and let it dry in my refrigerator for a day. You want the skin bone dry. Then the day of the cook I oil the skin with a high temp oil, generally grape seed oil and I inject with butter, garlic, onion, and powdered thyme or rosemary or sage and some maple syrup. Notice there is no stuffing in the bird cavities. I will also ice down the breasts so that they are done around the same time as the leg'/thighs. I bring TheBeast up to 350F and let it heat soak a couple of hours. Then it's on the grate with some maple wood for a light smoke. At 350F it takes a 20# bird something like 2:45 - 3:00 hours to reach my pull temp of about 155F. Thermal momentum will carry it to 165F easily. You'll get a nice crispy skin on a turkey with the 350F and grape seed combo. I don't do low-n-slow on turkey ... the temp doesn't get the skin temp high enough to crisp up. Also, most meats only absorb smoke until the outside of the cook hits 170 or so. Nothing much happens after that, so a long low-n-slow doesn't gain you very much. Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!

Hi KKers! Last Friday evening I did PaPa Murphy's in the belly of TheBeast! Quick and simply and delicious. Here's the set-up ... baking stone (YEAH! That thing is HEAVY!) on the extended cooking grate over the main grate. No diffuser. Dome temp at 425F per PaPa Murphy's direction. I normally do pizza at higher temps, but PaPa Murphy's dough is literally engineered for 425F since most home overs don't get above 500F. Here are a couple of pics of the unbaked pies with a few extras from the refrigerator here at ChezChef: The first pie is thin crust the second is regular crust. Both pies were augmented with jalapeño andouille and spicy litallian sausage cooked on TheBeast and some more low moisture cheese. Here are pics of the two pies after their being cooked: The frist pie got too close to the edge of the KK baking stone and I was a minute or so late in pulling it, hence the burned edge. I wasn't about to let that happen on the second pie! Both crusts were crispy and the pies were delicious. For store-bought pizza, this was the best I've had in some time. Quick and easy peasy! The beverage of the evening was a relatively new ale from Shiner ... The Wild Hare. Very good tasting and I heartily recommend it!

WIlbur - GREAT burger! I'm a sucker for burgers and that looks sumptuous! You know I used to run a burger restaurant - I'd hire you and Smaug anytime to develop a great menu! Love the beans too! A very healthy meal. KUDOS to you and Smaug!

Dave - please accept my condolences. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my Mom's passing. There isn't a day goes by that I wouldn't give 5 years off the end of my life for one more family meal at her table. The acute pain goes away, but there is still an ache. When the ache comes, remember the laughter, the good times you had together, and revel in that! Oh, BTW, nice cook you did there. Stay in touch.

Wonderful job on that salmon filet! I really like your idea of weight ... Newcastle Ale! You rock! Great color on those filets! Kudos to ya!

Hi KKers! Yesterday was the BIG Thanksgiving Feast at my church. I volunteered to help cook some turkeys. In fact, I signed up to do 6, was told to expect to do more, but was only given 2 due to so many others wanting to cook the birds. OK, no big deal. I went out and bought a CyberQ WiFi unit to help with the cook seeing as I thought I had so many birds to cook. Well, the cook ended up being no big deal, but I think I screwed myself. More on that at the end. Early Saturday morning was cold and wet! I'm not a cold weather guy and I"m certainly never going to like being both cold and wet, so I was looking to spend as little time outside as possible. The CyberQ helped me stay dry and roast toasty. This WiFi feature is simply wonderful! Bluetooth has some inherent limitation that are easily overcome by WiFi. Here's a photo of the CyberQ all plugged in and ready to do its work in a hostile environment: Here's the PitViper fan ready to do it's thing in the rain: Neither until is waterproof so I had to figure something out. I Buddy of mine has drilled holes in Tupper Ware that he runs his cords through, but I didn't have that luxury. SOOOOO .... I made do. I had to anchor down the little storage bin covering the Cyber! unit with anything I could find ... these Oklahoma winds were nasty that day. The PitViper fan I covered with aluminum foil wrapped around the neck of the fitting that goes into The Beast. I secured it with a two twist ties tied together. Talk about Red-Neck engineering! But it worked and that's the important thing. Two 20# turkeys fit on the main grate with lots of room to spare: Now normally, I'd truss the legs and wings, but I was given strict instructions not to. The ladies who run this event told me not to put smoke on the bird, not to truss, no dressing, no oil on the skin for crispness, and cook until the pop-up thermometers popped up. I wasn't about to argue, so no smoke (except I did put on a little maple!), and I cooked the bird the bird until the pop-ups popped up. BTW - know what both pop-ups were set to? 175F! How do I know .... because the thermometers showed that temp on the CyberQ! In any event, here's a pic of the birds right after the CyberQ registered 155F, the temp I'd normally pull this cook. You can see the pop-ups on both birds in the back right hand quadrant: We did this cook at 350 and the CyberQ kept it nailed on that temp! Total time in the belly of TheBeast was 2:45: The finished birds ... notice the popped up thermometers ... 175F according to the CyberQ. I was instructed to cook until the pop-ups popped up and that's what this far rat did: Not too bad but could have been soon much better. BUT ... I'm not running that show, I just work here, drive a truck, and sweep the warehouse! Here the birds are foiled right before I took them to the church. Notice on the far right the bird tried to escape --- he didn't get far! To the church he went. The car smelled incredible for the trip! So all in all I'll give this cook a 3.5 Star Rating out of 5. Now for the I'm screwed part. I take those birds into the church kitchen and everyone starts oohing and aahing. How did you get that color on those birds. I said cooked 'em on my Komodo Kamado! The head of the Knights of Columbus perked up and came walking over to me and said, I never knew you had a kamado, like a BGE! I said, I have a kamado, but its MUCH better, IMNSHO, than the BGE. He said, so how come you're not signed up to cook for our brisket feed!? Now I've been a Knight for a LONG time and I never knew we had a brisket feed! The head Knight said, Well now you know and you just signed up! How big is your kamado? I told him it was large enough to fit 4 turkeys like the ones he was looking at. He said --- You're my new head bbq chef and walked away. We cook and sell over 75 briskets. I'm screwed! No good deed goes unpunished! I knew I should have listened to the Nuns!

LOL! Something tells me you're about as nuts as I am!

Tony - when I was down in NOLA some years ago, I bought sausages and a turducken from them. Very good. I've got to smoke a medium sized turkey to take to SWMBO's Mother's house this coming Thursday. I'm thinking turducken instead. Thanks for jogging my memory! If I do this, I'll post the smoke in the appropriate forum. Tony, you da man! Thanks!

Years ago I moved halfway across the country. The moving company Humptied my POSK. I made a claim and they offered a dime on the dollar after taking months to get back to me. I told them that offer was unacceptable. Sue us they said. I informed this moving company I'd go them one better ... I'd write a case study, i was an academic in a business school, about their tactics and lack of customer service. I said it would be in their best interests to get reasonable as hundreds if not thousands of students would see this case study. They said they'd sue me. Go ahead; I've got receipts, I've got your offer, I've got your written correspondence. Please sue me! I gave them 5 business days to get back to me. They got back to me the next day and gave me enough to replace the average sized POSK with a medium. Still not optimal, but you gotta know when to fold 'em and take the money off the table. I hate insurance companies. They're the first ones to take your money and then when you file a claim, they find every way to deny payment. Then they cancel your policy or raise your rates. Bastards!

Parrothead - I'd love to see that recipe for pig candy. The last I made sounds quite similar to yours ... Thick cut bacon, maple sugar, cayenne pepper, and some butter. I've also used a brown sugar rub that's gets me there as well. Thanks in advance!

Tony - I LOVE turducken! I used to live in NOLA and I have eaten turducken about 5-6 times during the holidays. I think that would be an interesting cook on The Beast! Thanks for the pointers!

Frogs - I found the turkey roasts! Out of desperation I tried a small specialty grocery and there they were right in the freezer case! I'd be cooking one right now but for the fact that I've got two 20# turkeys in the belly of The Beast right now. Out big Thanksgiving blowout at church is tomorrow and I offered to cook turkeys. So, after searching like a mad man I found the roasts and once again, I can sleep! LOL!