Amphoran

Yeah, mine's smaller, too. Yours would make one HECK of a dry-hopped IPA, though...

That is a nice looking chamber, Deej! Except that it wants to be dry, it looks a LOT like my hopback.

Dennis specifically mentioned that "sometimes they got rained on"

When I asked him whether it was a heat deflector or pizza stone, Dennis told me that the stainless was to diffuse the heat on the underside of the deflector. He said that there was some history of plain stones getting wet and then cracking when placed over the coals.

Thanks, Firemonkey! I was looking at it more from the point of view that the deal was not having to pre-soak the wood. I'll have to play around with it and see what happens.

Cozy, After some searching, I found a source of 1 quart cast iron pots - Cajun Cookware. The lid does not make a good seal, but is reasonably tight. Is there a reason to prefer the smoke to come out of the bottom, or should I give this pot a try as is before drilling holes in it? If I DO drill holes in the bottom, and the lid does not seal well, might that not create a draft, which is what I wouldn't want? Thanks in advance for any wisdom you care to share! Mike

The rub was one of may compromises made this week due to the shortage of time. It was Stubbs Chili Lime rub, and it was very fragrant while being rubbed in, a couple of hours before they went on the grill. Don't get me wrong, the ribs were delicious, but I couldn't taste the chili and lime in them. I've got a half-dozen rub recipes I'd like to try out, so my next step is to put in a Penzey's order for some nice fresh spices.

And here is the result of the first real cook. 6.5 hours at 250 direct. Falling off the bone, with a fair amount of nicely crusty bark. Couldn't taste the rub, though. Either I used too little (about 4 oz for the 3 racks), or the flavor just evaporates over the course of the cook. Any comments on that? Hot off the grill cutting up

350 has worked very well for years on the old steel gashog - after letting it run up to 500, then kill the middle burner and turn the other two all the way down. With the lid closed, that stabilizes the internal temp right at 350. The rules are clearly different with the ceramic, and I'm learning! Thanks, all. The ribs are in for the afternoon cook, and I'm trying to bump the heat down to the 230 range. Here's the picture as they went in.

Thanks, Curly! Is that on the lower grill, or the main one? I can see it will take me a bit longer than I thought to internalize how this thing heats up. Now that's a challenge I can really dig into!

OK, OK, I wimped out. What with visiting relatives, work and everything, my first cook was simple direct burgers - both salmon and beef patties. I filled the basket with lump (cowboy), got the top going with a weed burner, opened everything wide, and the grill was reading 400 in about ten minutes. So far so good. I shut down the lower and upper dampers and the temp stabilized quickly at 350, so I put the patties on the main grill. They didn't act like they were at 350. Instead of the normal 4-5 minutes per side, they took almost twice that long! (the beef burgers did develop a beautiful smoke ring, though!) and everything tasted great, once done. So here's the question - do I need to let it ride up to 500 or so on the initial heat up before choking off the air, in order to get the grills nice and hot? Should direct quick cooks be done on the lower grill? Second (first REAL cook is all afternoon today - 3 big racks of St Louis ribs. Pics will follow!) Thanks, Mike

Speaking of burns, I got a small but nasty one last night from a 500 degree roasting pan. I tried Saucier's vanilla trick, and it works! No immediate pain relief, but over a half hour it went away, and this morning there is almost no blister.

There's a reason that sauce is named "arrabiata"!

They had two pallets of the 40#, and a dozen or so five pound bags. I bought one of the small ones, because I've always felt that mesquite was a bit much for pigs and birds, which I cook a lot more often than I do cows. I will cross-test one of these days soon, though. My thermometer came today, so I'm pretty much ready to rip! Mike

Good idea, though the three people I know with eggs all use briquettes... I have been checking around, and got a bag of cowboy at lowes (it is an eight+ pound bag, and cost 4.95. I found a huge supply of Lazzari mesqite at a local restaurant supply, but they don't (and won't) carry any other variety. I'm working my way back up that chain, may just have to special order a pallet! So now I have a bag of BGE, a smaller bag of cowboy, and an even smaller bag of the mesquite for doing some steaks. First cook will be three racks of spareribs on Monday!! Thanks again, all, Mike

Good idea, though the three people I know with eggs all use briquettes... I have been checking around, and got a bag of cowboy at lowes (it is an eight+ pound bag, and cost 4.95. I found a huge supply of Lazzari mesqite at a local restaurant supply, but they don't (and won't) carry any other variety. I'm working my way back up that chain, may just have to special order a pallet! So now I have a bag of BGE, a smaller bag of cowboy, and an even smaller bag of the mesquite for doing some steaks. First cook will be three racks of spareribs on Monday!! Thanks again, all, Mike

Curly, pm me your mailing address, and I can send you a little bottle. They only cost a buck or so - no big deal.

Yes, our Lowe's has the Cowboy, and I will try a bag. I have a bag of BGE, but boy is it spendy;! ($20 for 20 pounds). I'll also try the UPC thing at WalMart and see, and continue looking. Thanks for all the tips, folks!

That I don't, Sanny - perhaps he is acclimated to hot sauce. A little dab of pepper oil works wonders for racoons in my neck of the woods. No trash cans overturned for a couple of years!

WalMart had lots of charcoal - five different brands of briquettes, but no lump at all. I think that they stock geographically. I specifically asked for "lump charcoal" and "real wood charcoal". They looked at me like I was from Mars when I made the first request, and then led me to a tiny bag of smoking chips when I made the second one. The search goes on...

Curly, You can stop the plug chewing cold by getting a little "hot pepper oil" at the asian foods section of a well-stocked super market, and smearing a dab on the top of the plug. critters hate it!

I believe that these claim to be 20# bags that Lowes has. I guess US charcoal will always be more expensive up here in the top left corner, because retailers have to freight it too. What I'm finding frustrating is the almost total lack of choice. I took a look at the link you provided, and will be contacting them. Maybe I can set up a virtual restaurant!

I suppose you're right - the proof is in the trying it. I was put off by the Naked Whiz's review, so I pretty much rejected it out of hand. I guess its worth seven bucks to find out for myself!

No lump of any sort to be found at the WalMart Supercenter in the Seattle area, either. Looks like the only readily available products here are Cowboy at Lowes and BGE at the BGE dealer for a dollar a pound. Looked into freight for a pallet of Royal Oak - ouch! twice the cost of the charcoal to ship it!

Check out a homebrew/winemaking supply store - they ought to have silicone barrel bungs. One of those ought to do the job perfectly. They cost about $7.00.