primeats

I just over fill the charcoal baskets up to the top of the handles and I'm grilling at over 500 degrees in less than 20 minutes. A whole grate full of ribeyes(on my Facebook site) .

Best ribs, bar none, from any restaurant I've ever been to!

OC, that salmon looks terrific! Very similar to the salmon I smoke at the store. I also use a dry cure for about 1 hour or so and then wash it off before smoking. I see the white stuff on top of our fish from time to time as well, usually means I have overcrowded the smokehouse and as you stated hasn't dried properly to form the pellicle. I will be trying the method for the oysters very soon! I can't get enough of them( my wife can't eat them anymore due to an acquired violent physical reaction, she's satisfied with the residual effect )

With fruitwoods, in particular apple, the smaller branches have just a "skin " of bark on them. It would be pretty tough to peel that bark off, I've just been throwing it in the charcoal as is, same with my pear tree branches that Mother Nature has trimmed for me. Just my $.02.

Really nice work Sanny! Great color too. I'd give 'em the Gold as well!

I still say that story should become a movie!

I'll bring the steaks! And the invite is reciprocal!

And you still have a hummingbird feeder out!

Thanks for the pics Tony, I may attempt to work on my gas burner once again. I will also pass the pics or at least a link to my friend Mike who bought a cooker last year in northern Wisconsin. He's been having a time with his burner set up.

If those pics are current, green grass and NO SNOW...what the heck am I doing in Chicago! Here's another image website to shrink your pics... http://www.shrinkpictures.com/ Nice looking cooker...a few of us have that tile selection, great pics as well! BBQ on!

Mix it all in an old paint(brine) bucket first!

mguerra Surface reducer. What is it? Acetone works pretty well, with very little toxicity(wikipedia...so it must be true)

Kinda like paint thinner, it prepares the surface for adhesives or paint,stripping off any glue or grease

Kinda like paint thinner, it prepares the surface for adhesives or paint,stripping off any glue or grease

Careful with the easyoff, after torching it use a surface reducer,I think it should all evaporate. I use this when refinishing non porous surfaces. Just afraid cleaning chemicals may leave undesirable residue.

If those gaskets are soaked, you'll have a tough time burning it out. You may want to do an R&R with similar gasket material.

Sounds like a challenge!

I have noticed quite a bit of ,for lack of a better term, tar coming out the draft door this past winter, I just thought it was because the cooker wasn't level. I just recently leveled it out by putting it "up on blocks" . These have been mostly low and slows, except when I forget to check the fire and it gets away from me. I seldom use any wood for the birds, and sometimes use hickory chunks for the ribs. I wonder if a "smoke pot" like Szyz's would cure your ills Doc? Hey...I made a funny!

Tony, love to see a shot of your gas set up, I never really got mine to work as well as I'd wanted.

Pizza in Iowa I think my earliest favorites growing up in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area was Shakey's Pizza. We watched the guys throwing the dough, and had great pizza while watching old cartoons on a projector screen in the dining room. Not sure if it's still there or not. We live right across the street from Pierro's pizza in Wilmette, Il now. Between Malnotti's ,Pierro's and sometimes Domino's we're pretty blessed! Some of the best crust I've ever had came from my own KK! Ya gotta get one Bev!

Nice short cut for pastrami! I'm gonna try this next week!

righty-tighty;lefty-loosey,if you are looking down from the top, just the opposite. Another way to judge if it's at the correct tension is to keep the lid ajar and slowly tighten the bolt until it is almost all the way open.The spring can be affected somewhat by the cold weather, but not much. Don't tighten it so much that the lid pops up and rocks the cooker! That's too tight,you'll figure it out!

I think it was DJ that made the plugs,using some hi-temp silicone and a socket.

...and that was the last time it was ever that bright on the inside!! Way to go Tony! Enjoy those tenders!

First cook, use the main grill over the drip pan. Can't be beat! I've used the top grate when doing multiple butts and it works out fine too, sometimes the tru-tel probe hits the meat and throws off my sense for the pit temp.