Jim Malter

Guys- I put the meat on when I start the grill for several reasons. First. I don't have to reopen the KK and get a lung full of smoke. Second, I think that a gradual warm up for a brisket is a good idea (see Cooks Illustrated for pork chop recipe-admittedly on a skillet). Third, the greatest amount of smoke and hence smoke ring occurs early. I use a variety of charcoal but all seem to smoke a lot right after ignition and progressively less. Based on all the above, I find it works well and gives a nice result by putting everything in, lighting the charcoal and getting to the right temp. BTW, I do it the same way whether I use the guru or not. Jim

Primo You might want to explore the final meat temp you prefer. I assume that you are cooking a flat only? If so, put the meat in when you start the grill. Stabilize to about 225 and go 10-14 hours. It varies by thickness, initial temp etc. For a bit moister result, take it off at 175. At 190-195, it gets drier but also more tender. If you cook a pork butt above it (on upper grill), the fat helps keep the brisket from drying out. I start them the night before (8-10PM), take them off in the a.m. and wrap and store all day. Makes it easier to deal with guests, adult beverages, kids. dogs etc at dinner time. Jim

To all- Tried a slight modification from the approach above: took it off at 175 in the flat, about 160 in the point. Again wrapped in aluminum and stored all day in a cooler. Probably a bit moister and equally tender as the one above. I suspect that a fair amount of additional cooking happened during storage. I might try cutting off the flat and cooking it about 2 h less than the point. A bit more work though. Jim

To All- Took the brisket (packer cut) out of the cryovac, trimmed extra fat off, covered with rub and left at room temp for about 4 h. Used Grove Hardwood charcoal in the KK, started with the gas (about 2 min), closed down the tophat to just snug, hooked up the guru and set for 225. Put a 17" clay pot tray on the lower grill as deflector, the brisket on the main grill. Started at 9PM. Came back at 7AM and brisket was at 175-180. Moved the thermometer to verify temp, cooked about 2 more hours. Removed at 190 (thinnest part of the flat), wrapped in heavy duty foil, placed in cooler with a few towels and left it until 6PM. Sliced it thin and served with tomato/vinegar based sauce. Probably in the top 3 briskets I have made. It was tender and moist. The point was modestly fatty and more tender. Big success. I recommend the Wagyu. The price is about 20% more (with shipping) than what I pay for an Angus brisket but easy to cook and very good. Jim

To all- A shameless plug for Teresa at Paradise Locker Meats (Kansas City). She just sent me several Wagyu whole briskets in cryovac by 2 day Fed Ex. These are like the famous Japanese Kobe but bred in USA. The prices are very reasonable (~$4/lbs plus shipping), well butchered with a nice but not excessive fat cap. I had tried these several years ago (from another source) and thought they were quite nice. I will cook one this weekend and report back. Jim

Hoops- I have no troubled getting a crispy skin with the 350 (dome temp, not grill surface temp as determined by a guru probe) direct approach. As Whiz suggests, you can try to finish over more heat. I usually burn it at those temps. Jim

Hoops- I cook over direct heat, main grill at 325-350. I cover the skin with a olive oil wet rub, butterfly, cook bone down for 20 min, flip, cook 15 min and finish with the bone down for 10-20min, depending on the chicken's size. Jim

I will join the chorus for spatchlocked chicken. I use direct heat, 325-350 on the main grill. I brine the chicken all day in 1 QT water, 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Rinse well, dry and let warm to room temp. I also use wet rubs (olive oil plus spices of interest to make a paste), apply under the breast and thigh skin as well as on top. Start skin side up, go about 20 min, flip, cook about 15 more, flip and take off when the breast temp hits 160-165. Rest the chicken for 10-15 min then serve. I find the best results with smaller birds (3 1/2 to 4 lbs). Once in a while I use a long/slow (225 degrees, indirect) for 5-6 h (varies by size of chicken) for something different. Jim

BWF- I use K extruded charcoal. Load 1/2 box. Light with the gas attachment. Get the KK to about 200 with the top and bottom wide open. Then close it down with the top about 1/4 turn open and the bottom wheel open between a dime and quarter. The temp will settle to around 20-240 but will vary depending on exterior temp, wind etc. Small changes in airflow will take some time to alter the temp. Try not to make too many adjustments and give the cooker 30 min or so to reequilibrate after a change. If manual does not work, consider a guru. It is pretty much foolproof. Jim

Re: Rotisserie Chicken I would brine it for 8-10 h (1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Qt water), rinse well and after drying, make a wet rub (olive oil and whatever you like fro spices), place inside cavity and over the skin. Cook direct at 300 or so until done (160 in breast). I also let the chicken get nearly to room temp before putting them on. While it is more expensive, natural birds no larger than 4 lbs are my preference. Jim

I have found the same thing. Fresh lump smokes for a while, I tried bread in a Mexi-K with fresh extruded coconut. It was inedible. I find 30-60 min preheat works well. jim

Re: Latch Adjustment Dennis. I adjusted the latch as suggested but still have some smoke escaping. I will try the rear adjust as you suggest. Jim

Anyone have any suggestions on a simple fix to reduce air leakage between the top and bottom lids? I have a decent amount of smoke escaping from the seal and am having trouble quenching charcoal at the end of a cook (by reducing all airflow). I have seen application of silicone sealant to the lids but would prefer an less invasive fix. Thanks Jim

RC BBQ- I live in Madison and have used a rivals cookers for 2+y and the KK for about a month. There are a few issues in the cold but none of them hard to overcome. 1. You do use more charcoal when it is colder. 2. You should open the cooker after the charcoal has gone out to allow condensation to escape. Otherwise, it can freeze on the inside, expand and shorten the life of the body. 3. I do not go to high temps (>500F) in the winter to avoid rapid expansion of the body-this killed my previous "ceramic" cooker. Along the same lines, I try to gradually heat up the KK when it is very cold. Otherwise, the KK works well and is a solid product backed by nice people who actually respond to your emails. Send me an email if you want to talk more. Jim

Even though it is heresy, the Mexi-K style coconut lump works extremely well in the KK. It gets very hot or burns very steadily for a long (24h +) time. Dennis, it would b great if you could import this stuff. Jim

I found the plug easy to push in with a phillips and light tapping. I could not get the guru tube in, though. I reversed (went in from the inside). The plate on the KK outside was a little off, blocking the tube. I filed down the plate from the outside and got the tube thru. The guru is a good match with the KK. It barely had to run to keep the cooker at 225. Jim

First, I live in Madison WI, a beautiful college town (home of the U of Wisconsin) located about 150 miles NW of Chicago. Winter has recently set in here and looks to be on an extended stay (like to April). I will take some pictures this weekend when I am actually home during daylight (730AM to 430PM) I was able to sell the Mexi-K for which there was fairly reasonable interest especially at my >50% off price. I was on my second one-the first was replaced after much hassle due to near complete detilation (??word). The new one seemed to be on the same trajectory. Hopefully the new owner will have better luck than I. So far, I have only cooked a pork shoulder roast. Tonite will be a butterflied chicken. I usually do these over direct heat at about 350, flip after 20 min, flip after 20 more and take off when breast hits 160. I brine these all day (1/4 cup kosher salt in 1 Qt water) and find it really improves the flavor and moisture content. I plan on a prime rib on Sunday, cooked at 250 direct for as long as it takes to get to 125-130. Thanks for the warm welcome. Jim

I am the happy owner of a Supreme OTB Dark Terra Blue. It is a lovely piece of work. I have cooked with a competitors model for 2 years but this is like moving to the majors after an extended stay in the carolina league. The cooker seems more efficient and has better airflow management. Dealing with Dennis has been easy and very business-like: also a pleasant distinction. Great job and keep making these things. Jim

FV- Could you provide a bit more info about your pizza? How long did you preheat the KK before putting in the stone and then the pizza? How did you measure the stone temp? Where was your deflector? Thanks Jim

Hi All= I brine all white meats-pork, chicken, turkey. I use 1/4 cup each Kosher salt and sugar. Usually I leave them in the refrig all day, rinse and grill. It improves the flavor and moisture content but does not make the meat salty. Jim

Theo= As Dennis says, the solution is lots of fuel and airflow. With 8 lbs of charcoal, start it with the gas until dome temp reaches 250-300 (3-5 min). Pull out gas and open up the top and bottom draft. If you use a low grill for steaks, make sure you have very good gloves on as you can do some serious damage. Good luck. Jim

Guys- The latest and best is what we all crave whether it be cars, computers or grills. I too have a K7, like what KK has done, but without a robust trade-in allowance will probably have to sit on the sidelines. Dennis, we need your help! Jim

I use the 3-2-1 method. Baby back slabs, membrane removed. Apply rub liberally. Leave for >4 h in refrigerator. Set up K indirect on main grill, cook 3 h at 225-250. Remove and coat both sides with apple juice with dissolved raw sugar and honey to taste. I use a brush. Wrap in foil, cook for 2 h more. Remove foil, cook on grill 1 h. Reserve the juices and reduce by 1/2. Brush on ribs. Works very well. Ribs fall off bone, have nice crust without much residual fat. Jim

Hi Guys- I burnt a significant amount of eyebrow away as a result of flashback. You can avoid it by burping the dome or letting the coals burn off the volatiles (>30 min). Wearing big mitts is also a good idea. Jim