BBQKaeding

Ok, you've got the best cooker and the best charcoal, right? That's a given. But a great cook series like that takes more.

So I'd just like to point out that the only variable was you, the chef, and you did an awesome job!

1 hour ago, KevinD said:

Hi Dennis,

Forgive me, but I don't know what I don't know…

I didn't think aquarium pumps did well out of water? I know you would not lead us in the wrong direction so is it safe to say that you've run one of these for hours and hours and hours and had no issue with the aquarium pump? I gather that the black tubing protruding off to the bottom right side was leading to a pump that was out of sight, correct? 

Any particular brand or can we literally just go down to any pet shop and buy an aquarium pump as long it has the correct volume rating? 

Thanks!

The pump itself is exterior to the water for air intake, which is pumped though a small flexible hose into a diffuser stone in the water, if used in an aquarium, or into the intake on the cold smoker unit for this use (no diffuser needed for the cold smoker). Dennis (and I) suggest using silicone hose rather than PVC for this purpose because if its heat resistance. Hobby shops sell silicone tubing intended for model aircraft engines that works great - or you can get it online. I don't know if the pet store will have silicone tubing or not, but they will probably have a small barbed union for the hose that has a screw to allow you to throttle the volume of air - or it may come with the pump. This is nice for regulating the air flow/burn rate. Any brand will do if it meets the air flow specs.

Dennis, what is the internal diameter of the hose that's required? That pictured looks a little larger than what I'm used to. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing this product! I'm thinking it might be a good way to do small direct cooks on my 23", using the lower rack, for grilling just a couple of steaks. I'm typically only cooking dinner for my wife and I since my eldest boy has moved out and his younger brother has a girlfriend so he's rarely here.

Syzygies - do you think this would work well for grilling a couple steaks or chicken breasts without having to heat-soak the KK. I'd think it would work to sear or even do a reverse sear in a short amount of time if I started the charcoal in a chimney first. I would like your thoughts since you have one.

10 hours ago, Bruce Pearson said:

I think Those Mishi Kamados were the first to show up in the good ol USA. I had one when I was married about 35 years ago and loved it, cooked on it all the time. It got lost somewhere after the big D. but I never forgot about it and when I saw the Komodo Kamados a few years back decide I wanted one again. It took me till this year to full fill my dream. I love my KK one of the guys said its a cooker and backyard art. I'm glad I didn't buy a 23 or else I would have put it in the house as a piece of art work.

Man those pictures are wonderful!! everything looks so delicious. keep them coming.

Thanks so much for your reply. I was hoping there was some appreciation for heritage here .

My (short) story: My father was a career man with Hallmark Cards and was a recipient of the R.B. Hall Award - back when it mattered. He was the first salesman in Hawaii for Hallmark well before it was a vacation destination. One of his clients owned all the "Mark's Hallmark" card shops in the NW (David Lipman) and Mr. Lipman imported the original Japanese Kamados as gifts. He presented one to my dad when I was only 16. I fell in love with it but he wouldn't give it up even though I begged (he didn't use it much, at least as much as I would). He did grill the fresh salmon and steelhead that he caught before work quite frequently though, and occasionally steaks from our steers (he was much better with the fish though). He later told me he bought a knock-off from Import Plaza to appease me but sent it back after it arrived when he discovered it was an absolute POS. So he called David Lipman and asked a favor (very rare for my dad). The rest is history. I think I was 19 or 20 years old when I received that green Kamado. And I'll never forget the look on the butcher's face when he handed me a five rib prime rib custom cut on my request. He literally hesitated to let go of it and started mumbling some cooking advice! He thought that no kid had the rite to such a beautiful cut of meat. I only wish he could have tasted it when it came off the cooker, perfectly medium-rare with smoked aroma and delicate char. I was hooked - line and sinker. I still am.

Ok, thanks if you read this post. I'm tearing up now and GTG. I'm so glad that Dennis and all of you are keeping this passion alive. Cook low, slow and prosper!

Pardon the phrase, but you're stacked!

The texture on top of the potato is amazing!

OMG!!!! Thank you for your inspiration. Flank steak is a staple around my house but you've helped me realize that I've been complacent. This is the next, next, top level! Great job, I only wish I could taste. It'll be soon though

Ok, please no hate mail or bad reputation on this post, but my it's just my wife and I tonight and I have been preparing for a big brew day tomorrow so there wasn't much time. She brought home some pork tenderloins tonight and I felt I had to treat, just one, right. We've done this recipe countless times with chicken and pork tenderloin and it's among my very favorites. But because it was a small cook, I decided to use my original Japanese mushi Kamado that I've been cooking on for about 30 years. I know this is a KK site and I love mine too, but tonight I decided to spark my first love. She's petite by comparison and perfect for this dinner. I hope you don't mind and still enjoy the pics.

The exterior of the Kamado was refurbished by me about 10 years ago with Rust Oleum grill paints and lots of tender loving care. She has had probably a thousand hours of cooking already but was looking pale from being weathered in the great Northwest without so much as a cover. I'm fond of her, if you can't tell. I crafted the table in which she's mounted as part of the refurbishing project.

The tenderloin was marinated in a freshly made salsa with a number of additions, including soy sauce, sriracha, honey, scallions, etc. My wife hasn't divulged the complete recipe, but you get the idea. The magic of this cook is not just getting the meat done just right, but getting the smoke flavor into the salsa and keeping it on the meat during the cook. It's served tonight with a variant of sesame noodles that is infused with fresh squeezed orange and zest of the fruit.

So now for the pics. Start your engines!

A home-brewed wit beer and some oak ready to be added to the Lazzari mesquite lump charcoal. No, I drink the beer and don't add it to the fire unless things get really out of hand.

Another one...

Closeup of the tenderloin in the marinate. The tail of the tenderloin has been folded and skewered to allow for an even cook throughout.

Placed on the Kamado

I can't read Japanese, but a friend of mine who knows nothing about Kamados told me it said "mushi kamado", although she didn't know what that means.

Rustic?

Placing the marinate over the tenderloin while it cooks is key. If you're not comfortable doing this you can reserve marinate for this purpose but I'm always careful to make sure it it cooks though before the meat is done. The smokey salsa makes you want to dance.

Closeup of the tenderloin during the sear

Anther one, better centered .  It looks like a huge chicken breast, but it's not. However, I highly recommend this recipe for chicken breasts too!

After the sear, I shut down the Kamado and let the meat dwell, checking the internal temperature until it reaches 135 F, about 20 minutes. Onto the cutting board (note the skewer)...

While it rested, I refilled my beer. I let it rest only 10 minutes because it cools quickly and my wife and I are really hungry now. It's in no danger of drying out, trust me.

Closer. These pics are high resolution so if you're patient you can click on them, then click <<FULL SIZE>> and see it so close you can almost smell it.

Well, I guess I should be polite and slice it, egh?

Plated with the sesame orange noodles

Thanks for viewing!

Awesome name you picked and a fantastic looking cooker that will certainly live up to her name!

3 hours ago, 5698k said:

You probably won't eat restaurant ribs again!

Rob

Ditto that!!!! Well, except to compare and reinforce how good yours are by comparison (but it really sucks when you get the bill ) Don't take this as a negative on the KK, because it's not, but you should be prepared to get used to sub-par meals when going out if you order what you BBQ or grill on your KK, even if it's Ruth's Chris, Gouchos, wood-fired pizzas and even the most famous BBQ houses. 

My typical batch size is 20 gallons or 15 if it's a high gravity brew (>1.070) using a 25 gallon mash tun and 30 gallon boil kettle. My Blichmann Fermenator has 2 domes, one for 27 gal. capacity and one for 42 gallons. The (intended) 35 gallon batch was using the 42 gal. configuration of the Fermenator with myself brewing as well as my brew buddy who was using a 26 gal. boil kettle and 70 qt. mash tun and brewing the same beer. Big brew day for sure. We share my 55 gallon HLT when we brew together so I could do barrel batches if I wanted, using both mash tuns and boil kettles, but I don't really want 6 or 7  (5 gallon) kegs of the same beer because I only have 14 kegs in rotation. So we only do BBL+ batches if we're doing the same beer and share the fermenter and then split the bounty. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the setup on Friday. My Blichmann Fermenator sits in a commercial freezer where I have cooling, heat and data logging.

33 minutes ago, Shuley said:

My youngest (2) is fairly adventurous in his willingness to try new things....however his tastes are not nearly as adventurous as his brother`s. That's ok though. We just tell them both they have to try everything (even one bite) and they can't say that something is disgusting.

It's really weird because I didn't even like blue cheese until after I had my first child and had them paired with strawberries. I just kept trying it and then one day it clicked! Hopefully my youngest will get a little more adventurous with time. It's ok if he doesn't as well.

I hear you. Blue cheese is typically an acquired taste and I too learned to enjoy it with strawberries - on a salad with walnuts. I can't tell where you're from based on your profile, but I can tell you the best blue cheese I've found happens to be made in my proverbial backyard: Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue

The creamery is world renowned and has won many international awards. 

I saw the bacon and thought I'd share....

My wife started baking bacon on a cookie rack (instead of frying). It makes for great presentation and cooks just beautiful if you keep an eye on it. So, of course, it's got to be better in the KK!!!!

So I took a half-slab of thick sliced bacon (Costco) and peppered the heck out of it and smoked it warm at 320 F with hickory pellets (currently out of hickory chunks) on the KK for about 45 minutes. OMG!!! Give it try! I'm planning to slather some in brown sugar and/or AA maple syrup and do it again. It preserves great and adds smokiness to kitchen cooked meals and highlights salads too. Too much fun

Make sure to have a drip pan under the rack to catch the bacon fat (you don't want flare-ups or soot), but don't discard it. Reserve it and use it as a butter substitute when so inclined, like corn on the cob or my favorite: an omelette.

2 minutes ago, Shuley said:

My oldest son is such an adventurous eater! He loves pickled cow's tongue， will eat tons of blue cheese， loves mussels， clams， squid， and any kind of fish I can get a hold of. Oddly enough， it wasn't until recently that he started liking eggs!

You are most fortunate! My youngest is just starting to adventure beyond PB&J, Mac&Cheese, boring pizzas and burgers My eldest is quite adventurous though, but he just moved out .

I'm eager to get Dennis' cold smoker unit so I can start cold smoking cheese, steelhead, salmon, nuts and stuff again. I had one that fit my old #7 but that's been sold and replaced with Nimoy (23" KK).

Makes me feel young again! Your son has good tastes

Nothing like smoked cheddar, or gouda, or Parmesan, or any cheese!

2 hours ago, tony b said:

Crazy party, Bro! Serious eats and excellent pics.

Thanks for the extra details on the brews - as another homebrewer, I appreciates those! That IPA sounds excellent. I'm in primary with a Saison right now, that I'm contemplating dry hopping before kegging, maybe Ron Mexico (HBC-438)? Got 2 in Secondary - Belgium Golden to be finished with Matcha Green Tea and a Citra Smash IPA. Lots of beer festivals to pour at this August. Pouring at one this Saturday in the Quad Cities - a riff on Tasty's Janet's Brown IPA and Belgian Dubbel. 

Sounds great! I'm propagating yeast now, targeting 920B cells for a 20g. batch of my Stingaroo ale (Brown ale using Scottish Wyeast 1728).

The Freedom Ale '16 yielded 31 gallons, 4 gallons short of target but it's got a nose and taste that will stand up to the best, even Boneyard and the best NW micros. I learned that dry hopping even pellets in the Blichmann Fermenator is a PITA when it comes to dumping the hops. Long night, long story   Completely stuck when opening the dump valve, well, until it comes unstuck (up to 20 minutes later), and then I've got a 1" port with 34+ gallons of beer on top plus 4 PSI CO2. It'll scare the hell out you when it decides to blow and will dump 1.5 quarts in the time it takes to rotate the ball valve 90 degrees. Rinse, repeat.... At least I get a warning when dumping the yeast.

I'm a huge fan of the Belgian dark strong ales (not so much the blondes), but they're like cooking brisket rather than hamburgers. Getting the gravity and attenuation is tricky. I just kegged and bottled a clone recipe of the Chimay Blue Reserve' (15 gal. batch) that turned out great though. Let me know if you want that recipe.

I haven't tried Ron Mexico but I used green coriander seed in my Saison last time (in secondary) and it rocked. I had to ferment at over 85 F with the Wyeast #3724 to get it going right. I should have researched that yeast first That's another story though...

Pictured is the first stage yeast propagation on 3 stir plates that should yield about 320B cells, then I'll decant the spent wort (beer) and fill with the 6 quarts of fresh wort and spin for another day to get to > 920B cells.

2 hours ago, CeramicChef said:

@BBQKaeding - nicely done!  When I throw big galas over 20 folks, I tend to send leftovers home with guests rather than keep everything.  I'm not a big fan of that much hiding in the leftover bin.  That has changed a bit with my purchase of the Anova Sous Vide.  That makes rewarming leftovers a snap and it preserves the original flavor and texture.  

Thats a very nice gathering and an even better menu for them!  Kudos to you.

Yea, I need to invest in a Sous Vide soon. Is the Anova what you'd recommend?

I usually get a big pot of water and drop the FoodSaver bag in while cool and heat though to somewhere between 140 F and the original done temperature and then quickly broil to crisp up the exterior - extra sauce optional. It works as long as I remember to cut the rib rack in half before packaging, otherwise I have to thaw first.

Some folks left with leftovers but I'm stingy with brisket (what can I say?) and I had two rib racks that I kept for impromptu gatherings when I release a new batch of craft brew . Ever tried brisket Benedict for breakfast? whoooooo.....

The sangria sounds great - we ran out of ours rather quickly at our Independence Day Brew & Q bash even though I was serving craft ales . Peaches and cherries = WOW! (in my book)

Bourbon smoked chicken though? Are you keeping that one for yourself? Sounds awesome. Recipe? Please, oh please?

5 minutes ago, CeramicChef said:

@BBQKaeding - geez Louise!  That is some kind of GRAND plan on the KK, the Mushis, and on the table.  Looks great!  If anyone left hungry, it was their own fault, right?  What a spread.  how many folks were there?  I'm really liking that Hound's Tooth we've on your KK.  Very nice!  

We had about 35 guests in all and hunger was abolished! The pulled pork was wiped out but I had plenty of other left overs that I sealed in FoodSaver bags and placed in the freezer. We had a bounty of appetizers and not enough side dishes, but the protein menu would easily handle 50 people. It was my first brisket cook on the KK and it turned out great, although the temp dropped to 160 F while I was sleeping. All the juices that settled into the pan, which I primed with a quart of chicken broth, were cooled, fat skimmed, and the remaining gelatin was reintroduced into the sliced brisket for warming and serving. I do the same with the pork butts and it makes for incredibly moist and flavorful eats. I was amazed that the Mushi held a perfect 220 F all night long while smoking the pork butts - I've never done an overnight on that one but glad I gave it a shot. Thanks for the comments!

4 hours ago, Steve M said:

That all looks incredibly good. Did you have to rotate the ribs for even cooking?

No, I didn't have to rotate at all. I just make sure to place the heaviest ribs on the outsides of the rib rack where it's a bit warmer. All ribs were placed with the thickest edge down. This was a 220 F. cook all the way through at 6 hours, only opening 4-6 times for spritzing and pics. When they were near done I cranked the temp up high, pulled each rack out and laid over the top of the others and slathered with KC BBQ sauce (Jamison recipe), placed each rack back in it's slot and cooked until they appeared to be grill finished. This was the second cook with the rib rack and I really like it. If I'm only doing 3 racks, I'll usually foil wrap using the 3-2-1 method (grilling flat at the end) but with this many it would have been too much effort. I was pleasantly surprised that retaining moisture was no problem at all (all that meat!) - they were succulent.

It's a great rib rack. It cleans up like new after soaking in an Oxyclean bath for a few hours. I use a plastic storage bin for the bath.

Hi folks!

I didn't have time to do a proper documentary this time, but thought I'd share some of pictures from my Independence Day Brew and Q celebration. It was a great party composed mostly of my eldest son's friends, but I had a few friends too - two of which provided live music. Sorry I didn't have time to take and post more pictures, but I was quite busy cooking, cleaning and hosting.

I hope you enjoy the pics. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Protein menu

• 2 pork butts, pulled, using Kaeding's Classic BBQ sauce and secret rub
• 1 UDSA Choice Brisket done Texas style (Bill Jamison recipe)
• 6 racks of St. Louis cut ribs done Kansas City style (Bill Jamison recipe)
• 4 brined, roasted chickens cooked beer can style (Myron Mixon recipe - modified)
• Cowboy baked beans (Emeril Lagasse recipe) using my home-brewed Belgian dark strong ale

Equipment

• Nimoy (23" Kamado Komodo): Overnight brisket cook and ribs on the 4th
• Original Mushi Kamado #5 green: Overnight pork butt cook and 4 roasted chickens on the 4th
• Original Mushi Kamado #5 orange: Simmering the Cowboy Baked Beans in Dutch oven over mesquite lump and pecan wood chunks
• Camp Chef expedition stove: warm and serve

On Tap (all home-brewed)

• Freedom Ale '16 (NW IPA dry hopped with Citra and El Dorado hops)
• Wit (Belgian White with tangerine zest, juice and green coriander seed)
• Deep Sixx (Robust Porter style)

Pictures

Ahhh, Dennis!

Happiest of birthdays! You might be needing some hair of the dog by now, but I'm UTC +8 and hope it's not too late.

I want to thank you for being you, and especially doing what you do. When Richard Johnson could no longer get minerals from Rhodesia to make his original Imperial (Mushi) Kamados, I really wanted to jump in and do exactly what you did - make it better - with refractory. But I didn't have the resources or the entrepreneurial attitude, but kamado cooking has remained a significant part of my life, nonetheless. We share the passion, but you lead the way and I'm so happy you continue to be a trailblazer.

Joe

On 6/8/2016 at 4:54 PM, CeramicChef said:

As an aside, whenever I'm doing cooks in the 200-300 range, I just light one spot.  For cooks in the 300-400 range, I'll light two spots.  In the 400-500 range I will light between 3 and 4 spots. I just set my veins and latch the lid. TheBeast is always ready within an hour.

I do the same, but I found my old "hair dryer" cuts the time in half or better. Us unfortunate CPAP users would more likely call it a mouth dryer though .  I just need to remember to remove the hose from the Guru port before it gets too hot and melts the connector (it's not silicone, unfortunately). I thought about injecting oxygen that I have for oxygenating beer wort into the air supply, but decided that might make time too short - if you get my drift

Did you know that my member icon/pic is a kettle of wort over some overly excited mesquite charcoals? Believe it or not, it was an amazing beer.

Here is a recipe I adapted for the KK that was originally obtained from Sunset magazine (Oct. 1997). This is my first recipe post that I decided to do to get experience with this editor. I've had challenges managing pictures with prior posts but I hope to get that worked out today.

I prepared this dish on my 23 inch KK for Cinco de Mayo 2016. The attachment is a CPAP machine that I'm using as a billows to get the fire going quicker.

Preheat your KK to about 325 degrees. This supplies about the right amount of heat to obtain a simmer.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork shoulder or butt
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
• 2 can (19 oz. each) red chili or enchilada sauce
• 2 or 3 canned chipotle chilies
• 1 bag (1 pound) frozen corn
• 1 red bell pepper (3/4 pound), stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt - to taste
• 8 flout tortillas (10 inches diameter)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 cup (about 5 ounces) crumbled cotija or feta cheese
• 1 firm, ripe avocado (about 6 oz.)
• cilantro sprigs (for presentation)

Trim and discard excess fat from pork. Cut pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Alternative: It's much easier to cook the pork whole and then trim the fat. Target 165 degrees (F) internal temperature because we're not aiming for pulled pork yet, it will become fork tender when it simmers.

In a large dutch oven, combine pork, onion, garlic, cumin seed and 1/2 cup broth to boil for 10 minutes. Then boil, uncovered, stirring often as liquid evaporates and a brown film form on the dutch oven bottom, 5-12 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup broth and repeat. Add 1 can red chili sauce and stir browned bits free and then reduce heat to simmering.

Finely chop the chipotle chilies. Add the corn and red pepper and stir the chilies to taste.

Move to the preheated KK at 300-325 degrees (F), uncovered. I placed the dutch oven on a kiln shelf placed on the lower rack after adding mesquite wood chunks. The wire rack between the kiln shelf (heat deflector) creates an air gap provide more even heating around the dutch oven, and to prevent the mixture from burning to the bottom in the event the heat deflector gets too hot. Let the mixture simmer for about 75 minutes, then stir and add chopped cilantro.

Grill the tortillas on the lower rack of the KK and set to the side when done.

Assembly:

Remove the mixture from the KK. Pour the remaining chili (enchilada) sauce into a rimmed pan at least 10 inches in diameter. Dip 1 tortilla in in the sauce and place in a round dish, 12-14 inch diameter, that suitable for the KK. Cover tortilla with about 1/7 of the pork sauce, Mexican cheese blend and cotija (or feta) cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, ending with a tortilla on top.

Place the pie on the KK at 350 degrees (F) until the internal temperature reaches at least 140 degrees (F) - about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining Mexican cheese blend on the top and cook until melted - about 5 minutes. Remove from the KK.

Peel, pit and slice the avocado. Also heat the remaining chili (enchilada) sauce and drizzle about 1/4 cup over the pie and garnish with the avocado slices and cilantro sprigs.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes:

• Any oven-safe item is safe in the KK when using a heat deflector, but I like to wrap mine in foil to make cleanup easy and and my wife happy. 
• I found that I didn't need as many flavor wood chunks as I used due to the long cooking time. Of course it tasted great when done, after a long day breathing the smoke, but the smokiness was much more evident the day after (we had a guest cancel so there was a slice left). Next time I'll only add flavor wood for the final bake of the pie and rely on the great natural charcoal flavor for simmering the mixture.
• The consistency of the mixture should be like a thick chili when ready for assembly. Vary the liquid additions and simmer times to achieve this. You may need more broth or water because we're simmering with the lid off, but we don't loose much moisture in the KK anyhow and we're after flavor.
• When assembling the pie, try to keep it level for each layer and bias the amounts added toward the perimeter of the tortillas. This will help prevent sagging at the edges and loss of filling.

Well, that wasn't so bad! I figured out how to place the pictures but also, more importantly, I found out how to delete them. The "Remove this attachment" icon in the uploaded pictures (Uploaded Images pane) wasn't visible in the photo in previous posts, so I didn't know how to delete them. I see that option shows up as hover-text.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

I was able to view/record the first two episodes on PBS (Oregon Public Broadcast - OPB) using my local cable TV provider (Comcast), but the third episode didn't air or at least didn't record. I set the cable box to record all episodes and now no more episodes show in queue within the 14 day schedule window.

So I watched the third episode online and expect to have to do that with the rest of them. I have no idea why OPB would start the series and then take it off air after two shows. It could be a local thing. A search of PBS.org does show when they are supposed to air: Project Smoke Schedule