tcoliver

One trick I learned was to put the pork in a ziplock bag, boil some water and drop in to heat. This way it does not dry it out. You can pull it all right after cooking this way.

Dennis, I would ask you this personnally but I think everyone would benefit from the answer. I probably should have asked this before my first cook although I did not go above 300 deg. but I thought I remember you saying that since you kiln dry all your grills that there is no low temp. break-in period. Is this true? If not what is recommended? Thanks.

Going to HH Thanks for the offer. Actually I am going to HH this weekend and driving right by Augusta, maybe I can meet you on the way and you can fix it up and then I can pick it up on the way back next Sat.????

My Redi Check is finicky however if I put it in certain spots it will work. The range is not so great on it. The seal is two gaskets one on the bottom on the outer edge and one on the top on the inner edge. Works great.

I missed out Yes unfortunately I missed out on the new design. It is kind of awkward trying to lift the grill especially since the swing part does NOT lock in place. Maybe Dennis has surprised me and included the new version in the shipment of accessories I am getting. Otherwise I may find a way to lock down the swing gate on my own, or order the new version. Thats what I get for being a pioneer. Drat!!

Ears The ears are simply for making it easier to turn the damper top. Very cool.

Ok, folks finnaly got around to making my first cook. I have to tell you this grill is TIGHT!!!! I did not see any smoke leaking from the seals (and I looked hard) Can you say no more STUPID band adjustments yeeeeehaaaaaw!!!!! Can you say no more jamming dowels and washers into the rediculouse prop tubes waaaaahoooo!!!! Can you say my polder wire went throught the hole and I did not have to lay over my seal yiiiiipeeee!! Ok, got a little excited there. Oh and did you say you want more pictures? Ok, ok Decided to do shish kabobs since I didn't have much time: My temp gauge is still in transit so I used my Redi Check through the supplied hole. Here is a picture of the DOUBLE seal, I had thought it was one seal on top of the other but this is slick, its actually two seals side by side. As I said before this thing was tight as a knats ass: All I can say is it was an absolute pleasure to cook with this grill, I can't find a flaw with it yet. But I'll keep looking. Tony

Rotisserie Samantha, I did not get the rotisserie however it will most likely be one of my additions in the future. Yes the OTB is not round, I guess you would call it Pear shaped. Lots of room on the surface. Love it!

OTB Larger than K7 I was talking about the cooking surface. The design of the OTB makes the dome and overall grill width a lot wider than the K7. It takes up a lot more space on my deck. As Gerard says you have to stack two kids in a K7 but can fit them side by side in an OTB. I can't really tell if the dome is the same height but I know the overall grill height is the same as I had to take carefull measurements of both to get them in and out of my garage while in the back of my pickup, they both just barely made it. As you say the grill is placed lower so I would imagine that the dome height would be the same or higher. Actually, come to think of it the KK was on a pallet so it may be shorter overall than the K. I will learn more as I cook some turkeys as they usually take up the most height. I know I can definately get more food on surface wise. I'll keep posting pictures.

Finely Tuned Samantha, welcome. One of the things I really wanted to test was the precision of this product. I have to say it is finely tuned. The way the latch for the top is designed and the precision with which it opens and shuts/seals is amazing compared to my K7. No need for ridiculous band adjustments or prop tube spring adjustments such as jamming washers or dowels into the tubes. No wobbly damper top. No need to cut the seal for polder wires. The draft door is at floor level so you can actually use it to scrape the ashes out. The fire box being in two pieces to minimize cracking. You can tell Dennis has put a lot of thought into what would make it easy and efficient for the customer and better than the rest of the ceramics. Just the fine details such as the cotter pin in the damper top screw, the included tile repair kit, the wrench for the spring tensioning. These things cost a little more to do but it makes the customer feel like someone really cares. I have to say I was impressed. Tony

Side by side cooks better. Well this is GA and after being screwed by RJ I can't afford no steak!! I think kids cook more evenly side by side, all the more reason to get an OTB.

Ok, I picked up my new KK this afternoon. At first I was very concerned as when the forklift driver picked it up it was wobling from side to side in the crate and there was a board that looked damaged: I carefully inspected the tiles at the terminal and found no damage so I accepted it and just hoped everything inside was in one piece: Once I got it home I was pleasantly surprised that everything was in perfect condition. Here I am uncrating the beast: And here is my ramp made of the crate wood to get it from my tailgate to the den to the back porch: Here are all the parts carefully packaged: Here is the final resting place, time for a bigger deck. I can't believe how much bigger this thing is than my K7: And here is my first cook, BTW in case you were wondering kids taste like chicken: I must say I am thrilled with the quality, the upgrades and the workmanship of this product. When I first ordered I wondered if it really was worth all the effort of selling my K7 and going through all that I did to move another 600lb. cooker. I must admit it was WELL worth it. This grill is absolutely a beast. Lots of cooking space and as heavy duty as it gets. I have to tell you the easy open lid is worth it in itself. No more rediculous prop tubes and T-bars. Waaaahhhooooo!!!! The polder tube is an awesome upgrade, no more cutting the seal to get the wires across the lid. The top damper is very cool, just a few turns up and down, Dennis even thought to put a cotter pin in the bottom so you can't accidently turn it all the way off and have it fall to the ground. There are two ears on the top so you can easily turn it. How cool is that. I also have to say the beefy ceramic cart makes it look a whole lot better than the weak one the K7 had. Dennis even thought to package a tool to adjust the spring AND a repair kit for the tiles just in case. That is attention to detail that way if there is a mishap you can fix it immediately and not have to beg and wait for a repair kit to be sent several months later. The pizza stone is awesome too, the thing is thick as hell. All in all everything is just as advertised and I am as pleased as can be. I am also exhasted from the uncrating process but wanted to post these pictures. Dennis congratulations on manufacturing a great product. Unfortunately I don't have time to cook anything but that is coming and there will be more pictures. All I can say is that if your on the fence, get off and take the plunge. You'll be thrilled you did. Tony

Mine is at the UPS terminal in Atlanta and I am picking it up tomorrow. Wahoo!!! Unfortunately I went on a golfing trip this weekend so I couldn't get it then. Pics to come this week.

Dusty Cover I think that thing that is covered up with a gray cover is going to get dusty

How is the research going? Dennis, I have many people interested in the status of the charcoal, any update??

Maybe that has been my problem I have actually taken them off too early and not let the connective tissue break down and that is why they were tough. I will try this again and see what happens. It may be my first cook on my new OTB. Thanks for the insight. Tony

I cook at around 250 and usually it is babybacks. How do you tell the difference between done and tender.

Warning for newbies Just a warning to non professionals. I have tried doing ribs for 6 hours and I know many people do it on a regular basis with great results, however I can't seem to keep them going that long. 2 - 3 hours is the max I can cook ribs before they get overcooked so any non-professionals should check them after a few hours to be sure.

Just got my delivery confirmation, my new OTB supreme should be here Friday. Unfortunately I am going away for the weekend but there will be lots of pictures next week. Thanks Dennis for making the process of ordering, shipping and delivery as simple and painless as could be humanly possible.

She gets the floors, you get a new KK, what a trade off!!

Unfortunately I am K-Less this weekend and won't be able to kook anything This is the weekend I give up my old K, I hope it isn't long before I get my new KK, I feel naked without a ceramic cooker. I guess I need to also change my Avatar

Beddie, I regularly use my K to cook quick items such as hot dogs and Pizza (where I don't want the charcoal taste). Although I don't have one of Dennis' products yet I think you will find that you can reach temps in the 350 range in less than 5 mins. , don't worry the powerfull burner will allow heat to reach the main grill or you can use the lower grill if you want things seared. With Dennis' superior construction I think you will have better results than I with heat retention. This grill is the all around cooker and I have not found anything that I can't cook on it.

Like I said I only used it once however this use involved going up a customers back porch with about 50 steps, the steps were made of wood and we did split a few. Fortunately the customer was a big guy and he had also solicited two healthy neighborhood kids. We took our time but when the steps started splitting it did get a little scary. I think the stairclimber would work great if the steps are secure enough.

Damn Dennis, I love that color. Almost the same as what I have now. Oh well maybe down the line I can swap out.

Re: It is written Nator, Just give me a call, I'd be glad to help. It will be nice to put that Escalera to work again. Only used it once and was told by RJ that it was neccessary. More money wasted. Was going to sell it but now I may see a need for it in the future. Hint, Hint Dennis....