CeramicChef

Bryan - old man my happy tush! I hope I'm doing half as well when I hit your number!

Rob - beautiful steaks! Gorgeous med rare. Dry aged beef is really something else, isn't it? Takes beef to a whole new level. Wonderful cook and mega kudos to you! The only reason I don't do this is that I don't have the patience you have. My motto: I want it, I want it right, I want it right now! Like I said, no patience.

Tomahawk - nice color on that yard bird you spun! The KK rotisserie system is really nice and you'll love cooking with it. Congrats on the new papoose! You're gonna have to let us know when s/he shows up. Please. Understand babies know absolutely nothing about due dates. They just don't read those memos! My daughter was born 9 days late and they had to induce labor at that! Here's wishing you and your lovely bride a boring, uneventful, uncomplicated, and short labor and delivery!

MacKenzie - gorgeous pizza pie! Left over yard bird never looked better! Kudos to ya.

Bryan - I remember so well Dennis actually talked me out of a rib rack when I bought my KK BB! He told me to keep my money in my pocket. He said with the 32" BB I'd have more than enough room for lots of ribs. He was so right! It's so very refreshing to have the owner of the company tell you to hold off on an option that you can always add it later. Dennis did the same thing with the rotisserie. The arsenal of accessories for a KK is truly impressive and at first, it can be daunting. Listen to Dennis when you order. He simply doesn't steer you wrong.

Dennis made me a heckuva deal on the Coconut charcoal and I have never regretted ordering 80 boxes. Now I wish I'd ordered twice as much. For anything low-n-slow, it's the only charcoal I use. For high temp cooks I use only FOGO. I ordered the baking stone and I highly recommend it. It's great for pizzas, breads, and cobblers and pies. I also have the teak side tables. Indispensable for my style of cooking. They are incredibly well made and works of art. People marvel at them. I got a second charcoal basket for switching out between the regular lump charcoal and the KK Extruded charcoal. Well worth the money. I only got one basket splitter and it's a keeper. I also have the rotisserie and love it. Unlike Rob, 5698k, I don't have the double walled drip pan. I don't know why, but I imagine it would be a worthwhile addition to my KK arsenal. The drip pan that came with both my KKs are simply beautiful and do a really fine job. Either way you go, you'll be very happy. Every KK accessory I have is just like you'd expect: very high quality, heavy duty, incredibly well thought out, and they add to your cooking in ways you have never thought they would. Case in point. The baking stone is massive. The thermal mass means you can cook successive pizzas without having to even think about letting the stone regain heat so the crust on the 2 or 3 or 4 pizza won't be a mess. There is simply nothing else like it.

Anne Burell is just about my favorite FN chef. I love the way that lady cooks. She's sexy too, which is never a bad thing. Even thought she and her girlfriend are a long term couple, she's still sexy as all get out!

I can't wait to see this and get your take on the dry aging process. This should be good.

Charles - thanks! I appreciate the info.

Tomahawk - thanks! Whenever my Father was out of town, which was often, and Mom felt like BBQ, she thought liquid smoke in a braising pan did the same thing as my Father's smoker. Of course she was wrong, wrong, wrong, but I sure as hell wasn't about to tell her! Neither was anyone else. She was raised in Toledo, Ohio. Enough said!

Montana - no survivors, huh? So I gues asking about leftovers is a stupid question? I've gotta try this recipe. The potato flakes are an interesting riff! I've never heard of that before; what made you think of that? Nice cook. Kudos!

tomahawk - looks as if you've got this Sous Vide thing very well in hand. So what's your take on the liquid smoke on that brisket? I never thought about doing that. I'd like to know the details of that brisket cook.

ckreef - what was the total time on smoke for your salt? How much salt did you smoke? I used to smoke salt a few years back. I made a contraption using porch screening, some 1x1 s and a couple of hinges. It put a lot of smoke on a fair amount of salt in about an hour. I also found that people are willing to pay absolutely ridiculous amounts of money for smoked salt, about the equivalent of $30 per pound!

qundoy - wow! First off, great score on those butts! At that price, how could anyone resist? I love that shot of all 8 on your at once! Here's toma great cook. I can't wait to see the updates here!

Tomahawk - WOWZERS! What a labor of love that cook was! And that's one beautiful money shot. You'll love that ANOVA. And a great score on the vacuum sealer. Now all you need is the KK to finish off the deal! Now that SWMBO is on board, what color are you considering? The 21 or 23 will serve you beyond your wildest dreams. I'd urge you to get the 23 because it's a larger size and to me, size matters. Is better to have the size and not need it that to need the size and can't get it. Further, the 23 has a 3rd grate that doesn't come with the 21. Either 21 or 23, you won't go wrong! Have you started the conversation with Dennis? Welcome to the world of KK. There are some amazing KK Chefs here and I learn something every time I log on here.

Poochie - I'm a pebble guy. Both Beauty! And TheBeast are both pebbled and it's the pebbles that are real conversation starters at every single party. Pebbles make for a really striking presentation of the KK. People are in awe of TheBeast when they first see him. He is huge and the pebbles .... people can't help but touch TheBeast. As for Beauty!, she is a cute little petite thing with these gorgeous deep gold colored tiles. People just look at her and smile, especially the kids. And kids love cooking their burgers or dogs on her. The reason I tell you this is to let you know that while KKs are striking, no matter the covering, I feel based on the reaction of my guests, the pebbles make an even bigger statement. Nobody has ever seen anything like a pebbled kamado, but couple the beauty of the pebbles with the KK itself and the fact that people love the hand laid finish, and to me, a pebbles KK makes a huge statement. Now, this is not to say that the tiled KKs are stunning. They are. Every time I look at the bronzed tiled KKs that sit in 5698k's, Rob's, outdoor kitchen, I always take a second look. Every time I see the cobalt blue tiled KK Big Bad, I'm sorely tempted to call Dennis and say "I can't stand it anymore! Send that cobalt blue in every size you've got!" No matter what you choose, it's going,to make a very real statement about you and your life and the value you place on world class quality. Your kids will fight over your KK when youre off to your great reward. Get the style that you love. You'll have it for a very long time! I wish you all the best and welcome!

MacKenzie - YES!

MacKenzie - one word: Stunning!

Ducati - I can heartily recommend a Big Bad 32". It's a KK, it can accommodate huge cooks, it's incredibly easy to use, and best of all .... it produces the best BBQ you ever tasted. Butcher paper or not!

Frogs - I have the same Hi-Cap dome on both Beauty! & TheBeast. It is a great feature. Ill put the second rack on the main grate whenever I want to get pizza high in the dome. I've also used the second rack for adding a second layer for big cooks. I've cooked numerous (5) butts using the second rack. I've also smoked a lot of chickens ( 8 ) at once using that second rack and the high dome. Doing a couple of 16 lb. briskets is absolutely no problem with the high dome. The high dome really does allow, at least for me, a very high degree of flexibility in not only the quantity of what can be cooked, but the types of cooks that you can do. I've found that on big cooks for parties, the Hi-Cap dome is indispensable. For doing pizzas, nothing beats that high dome. I get the KK up to 600° and heat soaked with the baking stone on the top level. Pizzas come out perfectly done every single time. Given that the pizzas are high in the dome and the KK is heat soaked, all the ingredients are perfectly cooked and the cheese has an ever so slight brown crust to it that I do so love. Further, because the pizzas sit so high in the dome, and the KK is nicely heat soaked, multiple pizzas can be cooked in succession in rapid order. I love the Hi-Cap dome. It really does facilitate large cooks like no other kamado. The heat soaked high dome makes cooking multiple pizzas in succession a breeze. To me, the Hi-Cap dome is one of the great unsung features of the new line of KKs.

Tony - I hear that fallow BBQ gear makes for nice planters and storage! So what's the Grill Dome ... planter or storage?

Robert - congrats on a really nice brisket cook! Nicely done. Wonderful looking bark on that brisket. So, I'm assuming you'll be wrapping your briskets again on future cooks? Kudos on your patience and a very nice brisket!

Tony - WOWZERS! What a beautiful cook. And yes! I love zucchini blossoms and yours look wonderful. Very nicely done. An absolutely killer money shot there if ever there was one. Very nicely done cook from start to finish. Kudos, kudos, kudos!

Poochie - Check out MacMenzie's post of her new KK. She has a 21" and it's a sweet looking unit. My advice is to go big or go home. I'd definitely buy the 23" Ultimate. In my mind, it's better to have the size and never need it than to need it and can't get it. As you say, price isn't an issue at this point. Understand my point of view ... I own a 32" Big Bad, so of course I'd say go BIG! That said, you won't go wrong either way. It's a KK and that says it all.