CeramicChef

Did you hear about the Aggie that was found dead with 32 stab wounds to his fave? After a thorough investigation, it was determined he was trying to learn to eat with a fork!

I'm running so scared that my fingers are trembling! And it's that tremble that you people have induced that makes me hit the wrong reputation vote. Thus I'm not to blame ... it's your folks fault! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I've been known to get a package of the Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch, mix it with Panko bread crumbs, run the chicken breasts through an egg wash, then the Panko, and repeat. Gives a great crunchy coating, just the right amount of kick to it, and it's a favorite around here, especially among my guests. I have also been known to run the chicken breasts thru a butter milk wash the second time instead of the egg wash. That gives an interesting depth of flavor that leaves folks guessing.

Poochie - I did my PhD at Texas A&M. You must have been an Aggie to know so many BAD jokes. And I love them all! Sad to say, behind every Aggie Joke, there is an element of truth involved! Aggie 1: Did you head about the fire at the A&M library last night? Burned to the ground! Aggie 2: No! How sad! Aggie 1: Yeah, burned both books and the real tragedy is that only one of them had been colored in! Q: Do you know why they don't serve ice water at the dorm cafeterias at Texas A&M? A: The guy with the recipe graduated! They go on forever.

Poochie - that was so very BAD! And I loved it!

Nanuk - congrats! You'll absolutely fall in love with your KK! As for accessories, that you haven't mentioned, I'd recommend the baking stone. It's the best thing I've found for pizzas, breads, and deserts. You may also want to consider the rotisserie. I love mine and have done a number of different cooks with it ... chickens, Cornish Game Hens, rib roasts, etc. the basket design is unique and keeps the food quite moist. It's very easy to master. The rotisserie adds a whole new dimension to your KK and my guests and I love the food done on the rotisserie. I'd also recommend, as did Robert above, getting some KK Extruded Coconut Charcoal. It's a real game changer for low-n-slow cooks. If you get the Coconut Char, I'd also recommend getting a second charcoal basket ... one for your regular lump and one for the Coconut Char. That second basket makes changing out charcoal so incredibly easy. You'll want to conserve your Coconut Char for low-n-slows, special cooks where you want a neutral flavor, i.e. deserts, breads, etc. All the best on your new KK!

I've done everything from starter cubes, rubbing alcohol drenched cotton balls, cooking oil soaked paper towels, to MAPP torch. By far the best is the MAPP torch which is what I use. I can't imagine changing to anything else.

Tony - those money shots are just killer! I just got back from dinner and I'm drooling like a fool looking at the pics of this cook! Very nicely done. Kudos all over the place to ya!

MacKenzie - I didn't fat finger that one! I'm living proof even a blind pig finds an acorn every once in a while!

Nice cook! I'm afraid I'd be voting for the pork rinds myself. Anything baconie gets my good eats seal of approval! Kudos on a nice good, good write-up, and killer money shots! And I didn't fat finger the reputation vote! Yea me!

Tony - ouch! Dadgummit, I'm gonna stop my fat fingering. Did I mention I'm blind in one eye and can't se out of the other?

+1^! Mixing all tose chemicals made me shudder!

Tony - I'm certain your ribs were a major hit! It certainly looked like a wonderful beginning, so a great finish was in the bag! +1 on Rob's advice. I'm looking forward to seeing that brisket cook. Take pics to make us jealous.

Interesting. It's not for me, but it's interesting.

I'm the proud owner of the Black Thumb of Death to all things green. I can't even grow hair! How the hell am I supposed to grow plants?

Wilbur - congrats on a great looking brisket! Wrap that puppy in foil, then some beach towels and stick it in a cooler. It'll be perfect at dinner time! So, being the scientist you are, will the next cook cleave the difference and be done just as the guests are entering the driveway? Seems like a logical implication of the preceding two cooks! Oh, and as to the invocation of Mr. Murphy, y'all do know he was an optimist, right?

Tony - first off, GREAT brisket cook and those money shots have me drooling like a fool! Wait, that didn't come out right! Forget the fool part Mega kudos to you! Really a very nice cook! As for the FOGO, I don't know what to tell you. I've never had any problems such as you describe in that nice write-up. I basically just dump handfuls of lump in TheBeast until full, create a little well, fire up my MAPP torch and stick the nozzle in the wheel, and 10-15 seconds later I'm done. I leave the lid open and 5-10 minutes later come back and shut the lid, set the vents and I'm good to go after heat soaking.

I named my 32" TheBeast because it just seemed to fit. My 19" is named Beauty! because that, too, just seemed to fit. Some KKers name their KK after dragons, a la Wilbur's Smaug, and then some are like me and the name just seems to fit the KK. You'll know the name of your KK when you hear it. I hate to go all Zen on you, but you'll know your KKs name because it just fits. PS - I don't think using that picture for illustrative purposes wads up anyone's knickers! Somebody is sticking their chest out and saying "There's my KK!".

Poochie - I hit Beauty! &TheBeast with the auto detailing product after every cook. That keeps everything looking like the day my KKs arrived . My Father taught me a long, long time ago that if you take care of your tools, your tools take care of you! And he's absolutely right. For maintaining my grates, I can't imagine anything taking the place of my Grill Floss. After every cook, especially the low-n-slow types, I do a high temp burn that keeps the inside of my KKs as clean as possible. Then when things have cooled down, I take my Grill Floss to my grates. I don't think that the Magic Eraser is stout enough to clean grates. I think you'll find that there are as many way to detail your KK as there are KKers.

Tony - I'm on my way out to fire up Beauty! For the first time in quite some time. We're doing burgers this evening; poor man's steak! That money shot of yours is incomparable. Simply beautiful. Major kudos to you up there!

Nanuk - with a family of 4 and sometimes friends, I believe I'd be inclined to get a 23" Ultimate. It will serve your needs with respect to your family quite easily and wil give you plenty of room for bigger cooks when company shows up. You can easily cook on two levels, you can do two zone cooking, and you can set up to sear. The 23" will accommodate pizzas on the upper grill. You'll also want to get the baking stone for pizzas, breads, pies, cobblers, etc. the 23 also has a basket splitter which is quite handy for smaller cooks. Hope this helps. The real guy with the real insights is Dennis Linkletter, Mr. Komodo Kamado himself. Give him a call and tell him specifically what you want to do with your KK. He's forgotten more about helping you make the best choice for your circumstances than I'll ever know. All the best. Please let us know what you decide.

And I'm betting that lunch was some kind of tasty! Kudos! How much longer before you can put down roots and start burning some lump? This nomad thing has got to be getting very old.

The woman has the widest mouth on television! You could fit two 8-track tapes in there!

Hey! Speaking of Canadian, eh? I had my first dose of Poutine yesterday! And just as I suspected, down here in Oklahoma, Poutine was served with white cream peppered gravy! I've gotta say, this Poutine was wonderful. I also dosed it with a few dashes of Tabasco Sauce and that really kicked it up a notch. Okie Poutine is the bomb! Now, back to Breakfast with MacKenzie!

Please don't tell me your fave is Bobby Flay!