Amphoran

outside by my new KK, the view is fantastic! Here are a couple of images 2:50 AM auto exposure just before totality 3:45 AM Looooooong manual exposure It really does look rare.....

I don't store videos (yet), but my video card has HDMI out if I want to. For video, I use an upscaling OPPO dvd player that works quite well. We listen to music a lot more than we watch tv. I have 1.2 T of audio on the server, which I do have backups of - stored on a bunch of USB drives, but it literally takes days to restore it all and rebuild the network. I didn't chose RAID 5 for speed, but for redundancy, and it paid off big time when one drive did fail. Actually, I didn't discover the failure for two weeks! when I rebooted the server and the array wouldn't come up. Slipped in a replacement drive, and the array rebuilt itself overnight without my having to do much of anything. I figure it paid for itself right there.

You could be right! It IS shaped almost exactly like a single-cylinder stirling I've been working on building, so I jumped to the kindred spirit conclusion. Wanna solve the mystery, Curly?

I built a server box to do the same thing, but after using a couple of network-connected storage solutions, and having them fail, I was paranoid, so the new box has a raid 5 array - which has saved me from having to restore everything once already. I set it up so that only I have write access, but anyone connected to the network can see and play anything. It took a couple of months to rip all the cds to .APE files (lossless compression), but was well worth it - we listen to a LOT more of our music now than we did from the physical media.

And I liked the stirling engine by the foodsaver!

That's true; I didn't order mine special, I bought one of the ones that was already on the ship, so the whole process has only taken about a month or so. Even more to the point, I still have a day job that seriously interferes with my life.... I'm looking forward to a long and happy relationship with this particular Q!

For the time being, it will sit more or less where it is. I've got to level a space under the grape vines behind and to the left in the pictures, and put down some patio blocks, then it will move up into a nice shady nook.

I'm with Sanny here; this is a lifechanging moment coming up! Taking it slow and easy; today I got some lump (and dang, THAT's hard to find in these parts!). I ended up having my choice between cowboy at Lowe's or BGE at the expensive BGE dealer. I went for the BGE, but will be looking for a deal on a pallet load, I guess. Thank heavens it stores well! I plan to smoke a turkey for the first item, as my prospective son in law, who eats birds but not mammals is with us for a few days. Soaking up some Jack Daniel's barrel chunks as we type.

Anticipation Over! So now I can say it really happend! Off the truck The first peek Almost ready! Now to run out for some lump and fire it up.

Thanks, that was the idea I was coming to. At first glance, it looked like it shoud fit inside the door but outside the cooker. However, that clearly would allow too much air in. The other thing I was surprised by was the metal tabs sticking out of the upper damper! I had seen them in the pictures, but never realized what they were. Totaly quality in the build - it shuts down tight just as the tabs come to 0 and 180 degrees.

Yeah, they say if you can remember the 60's you weren't really there..... It arrived today! I got it uncrated and mostly set up. Pictures will follow tomorrow (so it really happened). One question - how do you use the ash grate? Its too big to fit in the draft door. Is it intended to be put on the inside? Cheers, Mike

In a phone conversation, Dennis told me to seal the grout, and that a bottle of sealant came in the unit! I'll test it for beading up before I waste the effort..... Thanks!

Vegetable parchament stands up to the grease pretty well

Its on its way from LA! Hopefully I can arrange delivery Friday, so I can spend the weekend rubbing in the grout sealant (it rains a LOT here in the Winter), and smoking a turkey. I'll be sure to take pics

Which temperature it is (meat or pit) ought to be pretty clear from the context - at least after things are fired up. Only the very germophobic would savor meat at 275

Ooh - little flutes would be VERY nice! I keep a few shot glasses in the freezer for the same reason. It is indeed best enjoyed very very cold. M

It's normally drunk straight, at freezer temperature (~ºF), and may be knocked back or sipped. I'm sure that it could mix well with many things, but I've never seen a coctail recipe utilizing it. Mike

Yes, Sanny's right. Everclear is a common brand name (at least in the Western States) for 190 proof (95% ABV) grain alcohol. A common name in Europe is "Polish Spirit". I don't know about its availability in OZ, but you could ask at a liquor store. There are quite a few liqueurs that simply cannot be made without it, because it is a much more efficient solvent than 40-50% ethanol (aka vodka). Limoncello is one of them. The vodka-based recipes produce a pleasant beverage, but it is not limoncello! Cheers, Mike

Limoncello I just posted my favorite limoncello recipe in beverages. Sorry about the burn, Sanny, but thank you for reminding me of the medicinal properties of my favorite summer tipple! Mike

1 liter of Everclear alcohol 10-12 medium to large lemons 1 1/2 liters of water (6 1/3 cups) 3 lbs of sugar (6 1/2 cups) Wash the lemons with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any reside of pesticides or wax; pat the lemons dry. Using a potato peeler, take all the lemon rinds off of the lemons so there is no white pith on the peel. Place the rind-peelings in a large container with the Everclar alcohol. Cover the container and let it sit for seven days. On the eight day, strain the the peels from alcohol; discard peels. In a large saucepan, make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar; let it simmer "fast" for 15 minutes. Let simple syrup cool to room temperature. Add to alcohol. You are now finished and can drink it right away. NOTE: This same recipe works for arancello also. Use 10 large oranges. Makes about 2 1/2 liters. I've been using this recipe for years, and it is fantastic. NEVER ice limoncello; keep it in the freezer and drink it at freezer temperature. The Everclear (95% ethanol) is essential. May recipes have been published that use vodka, and it simply cannot extract enough of the flavors, and it ends up too weak to give that wonderful spreading sensation of warmth that comes about halfway through the shot glass. Enjoy! Mike

......pation I chose the mottled grey/brown that was on the ship. Initially, I leaned toward the dark terra blue, but the light grout put me off a bit. I also have a feeling that photos probably don't do justice to that particular tile - some of the shots look beautiful, and some look blah. The Q will be sitting amongst a lot of greenery, and the mottled grey/brown looked like it would complement that well. The more I pondered, the more I found myself leaning toward the simpler, more elegant look. What have I been cooking on? I've been grilling over a split 55-gallon barrel with an expanded metal grilling surface. Put 40 pounds of charcoal in it (barrel glows red hot), and it will stand up to 5 dozen big pacific oysters at a time. For slower cooks, I've been struggling painfully with an old weber propane genesis, which does what it does well, but doesn't do what I wanted to do - real pig pickin' barbecue and smoked turkeys! How did I come to KK? I have several friends who have and love big green eggs. I initially was looking to do the same, but did some internet searching, found that there were alternatives, and started reading up on them. I was immediately struck by the very high praise Dennis gets on this forum for customer service (and the lack of similar comments on most other fora). That impression was confirmed when I began discussions with Dennis. I'm looking forward to a very long relationship with the KK, and with this group of highly enthusiastic folks! I'll post some pictures when it arrives. Thanks for the warm welcome! Mike

Just joined the forum after several months of lurking, discussing with Dennis (and wow - you guys are right about his customer service), and am now waiting feverishly for the arival of my GenII sometime next week (all digits crossed). I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes I've been reading here, and to building DJ's burner mod. Cheers, Mike