Amphoran

I did a web search once, and found a site that showed how to add an antenna to the transmitter unit - evidently a lot of them were manufactured without attaching the wire loop inside the case..... However, when I opened mine up, the circuit board inside was different than the one shown in the pictures. HEre is the link to the thread, which runs several pages. The picture links alas are long dead. http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tp ... 051153/p/1

I've got a redi-check remote, and my main complaint is the VERY limited range. 50 feet across the back yard and through one wall, it frequently loses the signal. As long as the signal is held, it works GREAT, and you can set your alarm points anywhere you want, for both the pit and the meat, or for two different kinds of meat. I've been thinking about trying to rig up some sort of external horn antenna for the transmitter, but haven't gotten there yet.

click on the "back to product page" link below the picture, and it says that that is exactly what it is! Remove the "oven attachment" (the upper half), and you have a charcoal grill. M

Yes, its truly amaaazing what people will give you in exchange for a six pack of homebrew.....

CLEVER! No, I don't believe you had mentioned that, but it makes perfect sense. Swagelock is soooooo pricey

Could be my failing memory.... You really haven't left much to improve here, that is one very elegant design. Is there a spec or trade name for the heat-insulated wire you've used to extend the piezo circuit? That doesn't look like a Home Despot sort of item...

I'll make one this week! One thing that hasn't been explicitly mentioned, but I think is clear, is that by rotating the tank, you can pretty much get a full sweep across the bowl of coal, right? Limited by the length from the first 90 to the 45? Cheers, Mike

THANKS!

I learned to cook carnitas while spending a year in Mexico much longer ago than I care to dwell on... You cut the pork into chunks about 1x1x2, mostly along the grain, then put in a large skillet with sliced onions, a little garlic, any other aromatics you care to use. Fill with water to just cover the meat, then turn on to medium heat and let 'er rip. The meat simmers to tenderness as the water boils away, the fat renders out and you end up frying a bark on in the renderd fat. Pop in a strainer to allow the excess to drip off, and they're wonderful. Only really needs an eye on it during the last fifteen-twenty minutes whey creating the bark.

Hey Jasen, Could I ask you to put dimensions on the photo of the single torch rev 2.0? I'm thinking of lengths between bends on the bracket and the tube. That would be a big help to those of us trying to follow in your giant footsteps. Thanx, Mike

Gorgeous!

Beeeyutiful! You're gonna enjoy your Summer. Mike

I hadn't thought of cayenne! That is not called out as a separate ingredient, but one line is: "1 bottle hot sauce (optional)". Dry mustard, black pepper and chili powder are also in there. It looks like a hybrid between a Kentucky-style "black sauce" and a tomato(ish) sauce. I'll make some up and give it a try, then we can play twenty questions.....

I've recently been given a very old (1957) secret BBQ sauce recipe, which is very different from most modern ones (much thinner, and looking to be very sour). It was ostensibly the secret of Two guys in rural Louisiana, who were so good that Texas oilmen used to fly them to the oil fields for the weekend to do their parties. I've been sworn to secrecy, and had to go to the crossroads at midnight to get it..... Anyhow, one of the ingredients listed is "BBQ Spice". Was this any sort of a standard ingredient back in the 50's? I've tried all the search engines, and come up with a lot of rub mixtures, most of which are mixes of most of the other ingredients already in this sauce. Ther is also a good dose of "gumbo powder", which I assume means gumbo file. Anybody know what the BBQ spice means, or if I'm wrong about the gumbo powder? Thanks, Mike

Our Ace doesn't. What I've discovered is that although they all have access to those things from the national organization, what they actually carry is decided at the local or regional level, and freight and local demand play a huge part in the decision. The issue with charcoal here in the Northwest is that it comes all the way across the country, and freight is a killer. I've found a source of Lazzari Mesquite here, but they won't order the oak unless I purchase a whole pallet. In answer to the question, that was a 15 pound bag of cowboy..... Now that its spring again, I'll go back to the Walmart's supercenter thirty miles south and see if they have any royal oak hidden in the back, but I asked the manager last fall, who had never heard of it. He did have the briquettes.

Walmart and Home Depot do not have these universally. My local Walmarts NEVER have lump coal; the closest they come is royal oak briquettes. Tiny bags of smoking chips. Home Depot in this area doesn't have any chunk smoking wood. I'm stuck paying $25/bag for Pete's wicked or $22/bag for BGE. Cowboy at Lowe's for $15 some of the time, not year round. I was on a business trip to Alabama a couple of monts ago, and asked everyone I met (and stopped in every Walmart I passsed) where I could get some lump charcoal. Everybody said "Yeah, I know what you're looking for, you used to be able to get it everywhere, but I haven't seen any in years." I never found any on that trip.

wow! Your times are a lot shorter than mine. I've been doing butts (in pairs) at about 225, and they take about 20 hours to come up to 190 internal. (which is where I came up with the half time comment).

We use kiln shelf in the glass shop for laying up cane. It is very resistant to thermal shock (goes in and out of the 2700 degree glory hole a lot, but is fragile if dropped. When it breaks, it doesn't shatter in to little pieces, but breaks a large chunk off. The stress concentration of drilling might make that worse, but you'll never know until you try. The material its made from seems similar to what Dennis uses for the heat deflector, so it certainly seems worth a shot! As I make it, this butt took about half the regular time, right? That would be worth pursuing. Mike

kiln shelf Here's one source. $26 for 15" diameter by 5/8" thick. Mike http://www.tracysworkshop.com/p-4415-ki ... teid=10050

I had the issue several times late last week, but everything has been good the last several days. Whole threads simply wouldn't load, hanging IE, while others (including many with pictures were just fine)

The Bernzomatic is also available at your local Lowe's or Home Despot, often with a mapp gas cylinder in the package. There is also a more powerful version available with an adjustment wheel on the stem. It puts out about 40% more heat on full. Overkill for lighting charcoal, but necessary for some brazing and glassblowing tasks.

My probe wired darkened up to look like the inside of the KK after just a couple of uses. Could that be all?

Butterflied leg of lamb, tandoori style. Grill is heating up towards the magic 700 degrees even as I type. I'll try to get pics! Mike

Yes, Chanterelles are one of the safest mushrooms to send a neophyte out after. They have a unique body structure, a pretty unique color, and grow in pretty specific types of locations. One of the things that make them easy is that they have low ridges, rather than gills, running down their outside. If you study the difference, you really can't go wrong.

For year-in, year-out all around eating pleasure, I find it very hard to beat chanterelles. Unfortunately, they've gotten too popular, and spots where I used to be able to go and reliably pick 10-20 pounds are often swept clean ( They grill up really nicely!