Pequod

@John A- Where in Virginia are you? If you're near NOVA we might be able to collaborate on future charcoal orders.

@ckreef-That's good out loud thinking and along the lines of my thoughts as well. The "cold" smoker is really an external smoke generator with controllable flow and smoke intensity. If you dial that in first, then anything else you do with the lower vents would be to dial in temp on top of the base temp from the cold smoker. I'm really looking forward to playing around with the cold smoker. Just waiting on the pump.

That's a phenomenal jump! Other than Labor Day weekend, can't imagine what it is. At least one of those was me checking to see if the goat was now a listed accessory.

I think I ordered everything but the rib rack and Sunbrella cover with mine. Deferred on the cover because I can roll mine under cover and out of the elements for now. Also, I'm expecting a second KK and possibly a teak cabinet at some point, so am waiting on that decision to figure out what I want in a cover. Will be ordering a boatload more charcoal with the next one.

@churchi-Fill the pot with any combination of chunks, chips and pellets, lid on tight, and set it on top of the spot you lit in your coals. That's it. The contents will smolder and release their goodness via the three holes on bottom.

@churchi- I have tube smokers I've used for cold smoking in other grills and they are great for that purpose. I've not tried them in a Kamado with heat, but from what I've read people who have tried them have been disappointed with the results. The low air flow tends to snuff the pellets out. I haven't tried it yet (waiting on the pump), but I imagine the KK cold smoker would be a different story since it draws air externally. You can control the amount of smoke independently of the KK vents.

D'oh! We got carried away and missed out on the plate pics. I'll make up for it with the ribs I'm doing on Monday.

@MacKenzie-Nicely done and glad you enjoyed. Very easy to tailor and make your own. No rules on this one!

@churchi- It's in the belly of the beast cooling down at the moment, but it is this one with three 1/8" holes drilled in the bottom: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008GKDU

Probed tender at 7 hours. And ready for slicing.

Four hours in. Looking good, but bark not quite set yet. Let it ride a bit more before wrapping.

Same here. I love Paprika.

I got to the point with my insulated cabinet that I felt I was getting close to that Texas offset smoked flavor (frequent work trips to Texas keep my brisket palate calibrated), but would never get all the way there - an 80% solution. Good enough. I keep checking my KK, expecting I have to tweak something, but there it is pegged right on 275 and pumping out thin blue smoke. Don't have to refill the water pan, add more fuel or chunks. It's boring! Lol.

I got my start on a WSM, so many of the techniques on the Virtual Bullet site are where I started. Great stuff there. There's a guy on the BBQ Brethren who goes by the handle of Bludawg that preaches a similar method that is very repeatable. He runs in the range of 275-325, wraps in butcher paper after four hours, then starts probing at five hours. Takes 5-7 hours to cook and another 1-2 to rest. His method is very close to Aaron Franklin's (who preaches 275). I tend to run at 275 and get great results, usually done in that 5-7 hour window.

Lol. I was making fun of @Aussie Orafor his grates being too clean, and there mine are all shiny! Brisket today and ribs on monday, so this is the last of the shiny grates.

Loving the smoke pot. Putting out consistent, thin blue smoke.

Sorta low n slow. I like to do my briskets at 275. Lots of firsts: first use of coco char, smoke pot, and using the double bottom drip pan as both heat deflector and to attempt to capture some drippings. Coco char: Running up to temp. I've been using my Maverick lately to measure grate temps and compare with the dome therm. Dome therm is usually close enough, so I'll not likely use the Mav for grate temps much anymore Brisket rubbed up with Meat Church Holy Cow. I don't monitor temp on my briskets, so will let it ride for four hours then check the bark. Stay tuned.

@Bruce Pearson-Thanks for the heads up! Bagged one from Dennis.

Would this pump work for my cold smoker? Or suggestions on another? http://www.petmountain.com/product/aquarium-air-pumps/11442-614553/coralife-luft-pump-aquarium-air-pump.html

@Aussie Ora-Overall, I tend to agree that planks don't do much for flavor. They're a convenient way of loading/unloading the fish, provide a bit of a heat deflector, and help contain the messy glaze a bit, rather than have it gunk up grates and fall into the fire. Otherwise, planks are definitely optional in my book.

@churchi-I use a maple butter glaze at the end which tends to crust up the plank, so one use and toss for me.

Looks good, but why do your grates still shine!? My grates are pretty much black after 3 cooks!

Correction. Wife tells me I cooked Coho!

A bit of Sockeye

I save things to OneNote, which is slightly less clunky than email. However, I usually want to save only a single post and exporting to OneNote sends the entire thread. Would love to isolate single posts, but haven't figured out how to do so.