CeramicChef

MacKenzie - that is one beautiful slab of bacon. Wonderfully done. Attagirl!

WOWZERS! Beautiful cook. Great money shot! Thanks.

Wilbur - as always, beautiful cook. Wonderful money shots! Congrats!

Hank - CONGRATS! Welcome to the KK Family. You are going to absolutely LOVE Puff! I couldn't be happier for you. This is a great day and I love seeing that little Tow Headed Son of yours getting used to using tools properly and I"m certain you'll teach him the secrets of the KK as time goes on! Wonderful! CONGRATS again!

ckreef - wow! I see you've discovered apricot preserves. Try mixing that with some nice bourbon whiskey and you've got a heavenly glaze for ribs, chops, etc.

+1^!!!

biffer - I grew up with gas. My Mom would have nothing else. CI on gas is about as good as it gets in my book. At least for cooking imdoors. I fear however that in 5 years, induction will be the standard and edging gas to the back burner.

You're more than welcome! I only wish I'd been invited to a deck staining party at Chez MacKenzie with payment being burgers and beer! Maybe next time. LOL!

Looks really nice from the view here in OKC! Price?

Try your favorite cut of steak ... the difference will be striking! Congrats on the Anova! I hope you love yours as much as I do mine or even more!

tiny - ahhhh, that thing about burger king, ahhhh, I think that should be some a little less testosterone driven in MacKenzie's case. Now way she, The Queen, will ever be a king! LOL! MacKenzie, that is just a killer money shot. Seriously, that's the best pic of a burger I've seen in a very long time! Kudos!

I love $3 Chuck! Great wine, and at the cheap price point, it's a steal!

tony - that's some good looking pork you grilled! Beautiful money shot! Kudos.

WHOA! tony - that is one seriously tasty looking cook! Kudos to ya!

Thanks for all the kind comments my fellow KKers! Given the quality of cooks I've seen from each of you, I'm touched. This was an easy and delicious cook. But then, when you have a KK and a chuckie, what can possibly go wrong? Right?

MacKenzie - you're killing me! Simply killing me. Wonderful bake you did there! KUDOS!

tony - gorgeous cook. I really LOVE a good rack of lamb! I've never heard of Trader Joe's. I know all about Trader Vics! Use to abuse my lover and kill brain cells there all the time. I used to drink my sorrows away with the .... wait for it ... SUFFERING BASTARD! It worked!

I like what i'm seeing!

Hi Again, KKers! [i hope this is appropriate for this section of the KK Forum!] So last Saturday, SWMBOI is watching TV and "napping" in the bedroom while I'm Watching baseball on the Big Screen. All of a sudden, at a critical juncture on the ball game (doesn't every interruption happen at some critical point?) SWMBOI comes and switches the TV to an infomercials about the NuWave Induction Cooktop. AAAARRRRGGGHHHH! This had better be dadgummed good! She tell me to watch! SWMBOI knows I've been looking at induction stoves here for the house, but as little as we use a stove, I'll be dipped if I'm spending that kind of money on a new stove. (These things are the newest, latest, and great, but they ARE expensive!) I don't have to be an early adopter. Now I just HATE infomercials with an undying passion. I truly do. I just hate the "But WAIT!, there's more!" Here is this induction cooktop that is only $99 bucks. I've been thinking about getting a propane burner like you see on many breakfast buffets and used to do omelettes. The more I look at this induction thingy the more I think it just might do the deal on the patio next to Beauty! and TheBeast. I copy down the web address and back to the ballgame. I missed the dinger that put my team ahead! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! So later that day, after another ball game I go and log on to the website (which I don't remember, but Google. NuWave Induction Cooktop) and I fall for the "But WAIT! there's more!" O order a couple of these induction cooktops and some pans that SWMBOI wants and they thrown in a veggie steamer/fondue pot. Okay, it's not much money. Something under $200. If SWMBOI is happy, my world is wonderful. So this box shows up on Monday afternoon and I unpack it. These NuWave cooktops are more substantial than I thought they would be and the cookware is of better quality than I had hoped for. It's not All-Clad quality, but not much is. The instructions that came packaged with the unit are very well written and easy to follow. The Quick Start guide is written for idiots like me. Here is picture of the NuWave Induction Cooktop. Temperatures are easily controlled and there are preset temps for Low, Med Low, Med, Med High, High and Sear. There are also preset cooking programs so you can automatically cook something at 350F for an hour and then decrease the temp to simmer for 3 hours. Everything is customizable. I was impressed. So who can screw up breakfast, right? ME! If anyone can screw up breakfast on this NuWave Induction Cooktop, it's Yours Truly. So I'm off to cook breakfast and see what happens. Breakfast wouldn't be breakfast without BACON! Here's bacon frying in the new nonstick pan (it's no supposed to off gas at higher temps like teflon). One shortcoming to this cooktop is that the induction surface measure only about 9" on a surface that is about 12". In a 12" pan, as pictured above, is that the last 1.5" on each side will not get cooked. But for the price, I guess I'm happy. One of the hard things to do is cook a really good sunny-side-up egg after frying bacon. That's because of the residual heat in a lot of stove top heating elements and the pan. Not with this system. There is precious little thermal energy stored in the cooktop itself. I'd say that within a minute, two at the most, temperatures came down so that I could get a nice sunny-side-up egg. Here is a pic of the eggs in the new 12" skillet. Again, because the induction surface doesn't extend to the far edge, no cooking occurs in the last 1.5" all around the cooktop and 12" pan. You can see that in the photo above. The albumin just runs. Lesson: Crack the eggs in the center of the skillet running at a higher temp, or, move the edge of the pan into the induction heating area. That's eventually what I did. As always, here is the plated shot. As you can see I'm using my finest paper china for this inaugural cook! All in all, I'd call this a successful inaugural cook on the NuWave induction Cooktop as witnessed by the next pic. What I would tell each of you is that I'm really impressed with this unit. It does everything it claimed and more. The cookware that I purchased with the unit is pretty good quality. The handles don't feel as good to the hand as does my All-Clad, but that's not that big a deal. The included nonstick pans are also not as heavy as their All-Clad counterparts, but as I think about it, that may be by design. These pans respond quickly to changes in the temperature settings because they don't have all the thermal mass of my All-Clad. There is not much hysteresis when using these pans when used in conjunction with the induction cooktop. Before you go running out to order a NuWave Induction Cooktop and think you're going to use the cookware you already have, take a second and make certain your cookware will work with an induction heater. Simply grab a magnet and try and stick it to the BOTTOM of your cookware. If the magnet sticks firmly and tightly, your cookware will more than likely work quite well with an induction cooktop. If the magnetic attraction is weak, rethink your purchase decision. Finally, a note of caution. Induction cooktops use strong electromagnetic fields. These are generally strongest within about 2-3 feet of the cooktop. Strong electromagnetic fields can impair or completely disrupt the function of a pacemaker. Also, be careful of the jewelry you wear around the inductions cooktops. If any of it is susceptible to electromagnetic radiation, TAKE IT OFF! No sense in getting burned while you cook. This means, rings, watches, bangles, etc. So there it is. I'd buy this NuWave Induction Cooktop again. It's the really deal. Is it perfect? No. but it doesn't cost $15,000 like the unit I was considering for the house. This thing is just very good.

Howdy KKers! Monday evening, I looked in the freezer to see what I had for dinner on Tuesday evening. There was a chuck roast, almost the last of a cow my brother and I had slaughtered and butchered. I pulled it and thawed it. Below are the results of yesterday's cook. Here is a picture of the guest of honor right out of the package. I decided to lay some smoke, peach smoke specifically, on the chuckie. I got this at Academy. I only used a couple of pieces directly in the heart of the lit lump. I was doing this indirect, hence the heat deflector. I"ll be laying on the smoke at 250ish. No big deal as the real key to this cook is the braising which comes later. I always like to keep my kamados as clean as possible, so I always set a drip pan on my heat deflector. A clean kamado is a safe kamado; no flashbacks for this Okie! And finally here is the chuckie on the grate. The temp probes are to the new iGrill thermometer that operates on BlueTooth. Red for the cook; yellow for the grate temp. I seasoned with my Embarrassed Zebra rub. Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, paprika, and cayenne. As many of you know Beauty! has thermometer probes built in the side through which you can run probes and their wires. Curved probes negate that capability, especially those that have a collar (red and yellow in this case. Hence the probe wires sitting on the lip of Beauty! I smoked this chuckie to about 160F internal according to the probe. Following is a pic of the chuckie at the end of this smoke. Here is picture of the chuckie in a pan with a liquid of beef broth and merlot wine. The veggies are red skin potatoes, turnips, carrots, and grossly chopped onions. Braising is classically combination cooking technique that consists of a sear on the meat and then a lower temp cook in a vessel, generally with some liquid in the bottom. Many of you may know this technique as pot roasting, hence the term pot roast! And here is the chuckie all buttoned up with its foil covering getting ready to be braised at a temp of 350F. It's back on Beauty! for the duration of the cook. Here is a picture of Beauty! holding rock solid smack dab in the middle of a rain storm. Here's the iGrill sitting on the KK teak side table. It's sitting under a glass bowl to protect it from the rain coming down and swirling around. Notice the water on the table. All in all Iwas quite pleased with the performance of the iGrill temperature unit. I had little if any problems with the BlueTooth. This was the first real test and it went well. I can recommend it. This next pic shows the finished product still in the pan after about 5 hours in the roasting portion of the cook. Here is a pic showing that the bone in the chuckie just easily wiggled loose. And finally here is a plated pic of the cook; braised chuckie, root veggies, and a green salad. SWMBOI and I used some of the broth over the meat and on the root veggies. Scrumptious! The chuckie, which can tend to the tough side, was really tender. Total time on smoke was about 2.5 hours and total time braising was about 6.5 hours. Because of the braise, the chuckie was incredibly moist. All in all, this was a very successful cook. I normally would reduce the liquid in the pan and make a gravy. But, SWMBOI's stomach thought her throat and been cut and she wanted to eat NOW! So, ever mindful of who butters my bread ...! Thanks for looking in!

Very nicely done, MacKenzie! Beautiful color on those drummies.

jclarkhpa - I have also had real problems using the Amazing Tube Smoker, not only in the KK, but in every kamado. The owners of the Tube Smoker do not recommend using their product in kamados. As you surmise, the Tube Smoker doesn't get enough oxygen to sustain it. As the Cast Iron Dutch Oven smoke pot, I've never had one bit of trouble with it. I generally only use it for low-n-slow cooks, i.e. cooks below 300°F or so. I simply light my fire in a single spot, let the fire establish itself, set my vents, and let the KK heat soak. while the KK is heat soaking, I fill the smoke pot with chunks of the wood I'll use to lay on the smoke component of my coo, i.e. oak or maple or hickory, etc. Then when I get ready to put my cook on the grate, I nestle the filled Dutch Oven down in among the lit charcoal, put in my heat deflectors, put on the grate and then the cook, then the thermometer probes and I button up my KK for the duration of the cook. I've never had a problem getting smoke on my cooks. I always make certain that I nestle the Dutch Oven down in the lit charcoal about an inch or so. The Dutch Oven is an entirely passive system. It relies completely on the lit charcoal in the firebox of the KK for heat to produce the smoke. I'm not certain I understand you when you say that the "... cast iron pot has always gone out ..." as in this smoke pot system there is nothing to go out in the cast iron pot. You don't light the wood on fire in the smoke pot as you do pellets in the Tube Smoker. Hope this helps! If you have any more questions, just ask and we'll get you up and running in no time!

I hope you're not talking about me! I was just smart enough to get into college but not smart enough to stay out! LOL! tony - here's the deal. Hang around long enough with a lot of really, really smart folks and something is bound to rub off! That's my story and I'm sticking to it because it's true.

Have fun with the burn-in! Remember that the burn-in is hot dadgummed work. Make certain to stay well hydrated with the adult beverage of your choice! Also, what great about the burn-in is that you have a KK that is really heat soaked! Try searing some steaks, maybe do a pizza cook, etc. anything that you'd cook at a temp greater than 450°-500° is just begging to be cooked! Welcome aboard, congrats on the KK, and let's burn some lump!

Syzygies - good to see you here! And thanks so much for doing the pioneering work on this smoke pot. I habe used your idea to great success. My friends and I thank you fron the bottom of our DO smoke pots! I have this little 2 quart DO from Lodge that seals quite tight, so I've stopped using the flour paste after a single try. You are quite right in sticking to CI and Stainless Steel. Galvanized metal will off-gas zinc at the temps in the charcoal basket. Nobody want anything to do with zinc poisoning! Most alloys of just plain steel will oxidize (rust) quickly at high temps. I have seriously thought about building one of the stainless steel pipe smokers. I have several 5 gallon buckets of various pellets that were given to me by the widow of a dear friend. I think the stainless steel tube would work quite well for pellets. Any tips you might have that you'd like to share? Any pointers as to we're I could source one? I had a Buddy who tried the stainless cooking pots with the lids that clamped on. It was a real waste of money in his opinion. I think it's part of a landfill at this point. Ok, so I hear a rumor that it's your hand that did all the math notation in "A Beautiful Mind.". My compliments! I'm originally a Chemical Engineer with minors in my PhD of Math (Nonlinear Dynamic Systems Theory), Math Econ, Math Stat, and Econometrics. I'm kinda of a Quant Jock. I had studied a lot of game theory in grad school, so I related to quite well to that movie. I believe the Noble for Game Theory was awarded to Nash the year after I finished. What is your area of research?