Krypto

Hoping the community may be able to help me out here. Let me start by saying that I apologize for posting this question in the Cooking General, I hope that somebody here can give me some ideas on how to keep on truckin' in the world of ceramic cookin'. Moderators please move the post if necessary as I am asking for help with a "competing" unit (not that I think it will ever compete against Dennis' awesome product) About 2 years ago I bought a slightly used #7 and there is one major problem that I have noticed, the coals basket is disintegrating. I noticed it this summer when I took it out t clean the ash and do a bit of maintenance on the unit. I applied the furnace cement on the cracks etc... but next time I checked it big chunks were coming off and the entire basket is barely keeping together. I placed the basket back in it's spot and right now I am afraid to move it. Do you know of how I may be able to fix the problem? I wrote the manufacturer a number of e-mails asking if I could order a replacement but no response so far. If you know of a workaround please let me know, I noticed that Dennis is building his out of thick wire. At this time I am scouring ebay and the web for replacement parts if they ever come available but that's about as far as I got in addressing the issues. I am afraid that I will be left without a cooker with the holidays approaching. Regards,

One of the members here mentions the use of a "smoke pot" vs. wood chips mixed in with the coals. Could you please expand on why you prefer using this method and perhaps how you've built your "smoke pot". thanks

smoking wood chunks We usually take a trip every fall to one of the apple farms in the Asheville, NC area. I take a couple of boxes with me an after we're done with the apple picking I ask the owners if it's okay with them to grab some of the wood from the pile of clippings/trimmings they have as a result of the tree maintenance etc... They are actually happy somebody is taking some of that wood off their hands as they just let it go to waste. I am sure that other farms would be more than happy to accommodate in the same manner. Whenever I use my smoker for salmon I always use the apple wood as I really like the taste. As far as the hickory chips... just keep an eye on construction sites, here in Greenville SC there's plenty. Lots of the trees down are hickory and the developers are glad to give you a couple of logs. Then you can chop them and break them into manageable chunks for the grill/smoker. For some reason I can't get myself to pay $5-6 for a bag of mulch...

So... Last weekend I did 2 big ol' butts (no... not that kind) They came out great, were done for my neighbors kid first b-day party... so there were mostly adults hangin out drinking beer and eating my que... lots of them said they really like it but I thought something was missing and that was the smoky flavor... I did throw some hickory chips on top of the coals but I guess not enough. So here's my question to the pro's: How do you get that deep smoky flavored bark? Also... do you trim the fat off the butts before you put them in the kooker? I didn't and there were some rather large chunks of pork fat ... Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000 ( Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000. © Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171. Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health Human Services. Now think about this: Guns: (A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million..) ( The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups,is 1,500. (C ) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188. Statistics courtesy of FBI So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners. Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.' FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Funny thing is I did read the nekked man's review on flashback and still got burned... but I thin it was not the flashback, rather the steam from the cooking meat... I had the damper opened wide... then cracked the lid and slowly opened... held it there for a second or 2 to make sure no flareups... then wham... this hot air/steam... chilling my nuckles... Live and learn, I ain't doin' that again without a glove on

Wow... so some peeps actually go diggin' through the bag and sort the coal pieces based on size... now that's what I call dedication. Dunno if I am that comitted.. typically I have a couple of soothing beverages on board by the time I start the Q up so the deciding on the size may slow down the startup process... Now, last night I started my toy up for some steaks and lit up just a couple of coals on top of the pile then tried to keep it under 300.. it worked... then I opened it up to get it hot for the sear, burned my fingers opening it, let out a yelp where my neighbor gave me a funny look... he's still amused by the urn in my back yard. So, all in all I think I am ready for the big cook this weekend and as a precaution I just got back fm the sote with a nice pair of welding gloves.

Thx primeats, I hope I can keep the temp below 200. Saturday my goal is to do a butt and I would like to keep the temps below 250 for that cook... If I can master that then I will go for the lower temp required for the jerk cook

Can you guys post a recipe and instructions on how to do a batch of beef jerky... I need something to do on Sunday

Thank you for all sugestions... Thank you all for the welcome and for the coal suggestions... Will stock up this weekend as I am planning for a big pork butt cook all Saturday long If I get it right I may even post some pics...

Beer 'n Q... now what could be better... Sanny, thank you for your welcome and hey there DJ... We have some good friends in Augusta and they DO hate the Master's week... lool.. glad somebody figured out how to get through ... beer and q... awesome. I recently also got a PDA 1, another hobby that I have been wanting to explore and guess what, I got started by clicking on a KK forum member's sig link, I believe he goes by Amphora Man.. or something like that... so, in a short while I will have the Q going while slowly collecting some of my own basting sauce...

My favorite was the pulled pork that came frm the butt cook... maybe 'cause that was the only thing I didn't mess up too bad ..lol The chicken was allright but a bit on the done side... ended up chopping it amd made a killer salad The ribs were definitely in the jerk variety, funny thing I had the neighbors over to show them what the "thing" in the back yard can do... loool; but surprisingly they said they liked them much better than the sloppy fat things Sticky Fingers sells (who knew huh?) Also made a great ribeye steak... now that one turned out pretty darn close top perfect. Quick question... I have just about every grocery chain outlet within driving range, including one brand spankin' new Whole Foods. Where do I get the best charcoal?

Okai, Sorry about the yelp up there in the subject line but I truly am one happy camper. Recently got my hands on a ceramic cooker, I believe in the inner circles called a K7 (thank you Majestic). Had it for about a week and just about every night I got it going with something on it. Already did some steak, chicken, and a small butt... Next I am doing the turkey legs that somebody posted a couple of days ago, then beef jerk, then some ribs... so many options, so little time.... Keeping my fingers crossed that I won't be having the problems typically associated with the K brand but for my first time trying cooking with on a ceramic grill I am very happy with it. Besides, I have had my eyes on a KK for about 3 years and now that I know what these things can do with food, I can't wait to upgrade... lol This forum is a great place for info and now that I actually own a grill I will participate in it more often... transitioning from the lurker status to active participant.