KismetKamado

Thank you! It was better than I expected. Probably just a touch over, as it was hard to keep it together for the slicing... but I was able to drape the sliced pieces over a finger without falling apart - just barely. Thank you! Rarely do I end up with anything that turns out this well, so I was really happy with it.

Thanks, @Aussie Ora! It was easy to wheel around myself. Didn't move it far, but it was no problem at all. Thank you, @tekobo! It was one of my best efforts for sure.

Brisket and ribs. Super windy but the KK held temp like a champ overnight and through the day. On about midnight Ready to wrap this morning Added some ribs. I cut the racks in half so I get twice as many edges - my favorite Moved the KK to the corner of the deck so it wasn’t taking quite such a direct hit from the wind. Brisket was probably my best to date - especially for only a flat (couldn’t find a decent packer)

I have really been enjoying my soapstone.... I ordered one for my Big Joe and it arrived broken. I got the replacement, but I've found myself using the small side of the broken chunk in my Akorn Jr. more frequently than the full piece in the Big Joe.

Welcome back to the states! And the J-Hole as my husband affectionately refers to it as..... (he can do that since he grew up there I suppose...)

Just shocked with the thought of another unique and unexpected ck & sk epic endeavor. You going to start making kamado's soon and give Dennis a run for his money?

Pizza looks amazing and so does the pork - glad you rescued it before calling it a night.

Apparently the kinder, gentler, more helpful, less snarky @cschaaf lives here.... good to know... @Chanly1983... I am new to the Tasmanian pepper berry game, but have found it to be good on just about everything. Have a nice dedicated mill and it bounces back and forth from the stovetop to the tabletop. Had to throttle my husband back and put him on a ration, he was getting a bit out of control... lol. I’m with you on the Staub. I have both as well and the finishing on the Staub is always top notch whereas the Le Creuset is nice, but often (at least in my experience) has minor imperfections. That dark interior can be a bit iffy to keep clean looking though. A quick wipe of oil will do the trick, or a nice acidic tomato based cook....

I have the Fireboard and I bought the pit viper fan for KK compatibility. I can confirm it works, although they gave me the "Void the Warranty" song and dance as well when I inquired... Haven't used it with my KK yet, but another reason I chose it was that I could get adapters for all my various kamado's that would work with the pit viper fan. I really wasn't sure how things would work with the square ported fan that Fireboard is offering as far as that goes. I have an Akorn Jr, Vision Classic B and Kamado Joe Big Joe all of which I can use that fan with (with adapters). Didn't see if they had one for the mini BGE because.... well that just seems like it would be silly. lol.

Looks great, Aussie! I'm definitely stealing that "bitzer" term. That describes very well quite a bit of what I usually do.... Depending on what day it is, could just as easily substitute the term "blitzer". LOL.

My vote is a full basket. But I’m new to the Komodo Kamado world (not new to the Kamado world though) and haven’t even done the venting yet on mine. But better to have more fuel than you need than not enough since you are in complete control of your fire with the vents in my opinion.

Looks like you have the perfect spot to land a 32" Big Bad now!

Great looking ribs, Aussie! I agree they look extremely meaty. I don't ever see any that look like that around here.

Well, an ABT is an "Atomic Buffalo Turd"... I'm sorry I had to type that out, but it is what it is... It's a Jalapeño that is cut in half, usually stuffed with a cream cheese mixture and then wrapped in bacon and smoked.... Dennis mentioned adding the champagne grapes to the filling for a little burst of sweetness. I have done mine with a bit of mango preserves for that sweetness before, but seems that the champagne grape will actually burst and pop as eaten... anyway, I was a bit overwhelmed with talking with Dennis and actually making a call I thought about doing a million times over for the past year or more.... so I might not have all the details right. But I know if we asked him, he would fill us in. We'll look forward to hearing what direction you decided to go when you pull the trigger.

Don't make me tell the Frenchman story.... because I'll totally do it.

Beautiful cookware - I had been eyeing these up as well after seeing some of the other posts. For now, I am content to have my KK sitting in the garage and will abstain from any further purchases. But I'm still going to be jealous...

I recently went through this dilemma myself. I called and talked it through with Dennis, and landed where I thought I would. I prefer the look and function of the hi-cap lid more and also the increased direct grilling area achieved with the grill shaped instead of round firebox and charcoal basket. Between that and the difference in price, I easily landed on the 21. Now, that said, there are some advantages to the round firebox and charcoal basket as well, since you can clock your basket splitter however you like depending on what you're doing (rotisserie you probably want coals banked front to back instead of side to side, for a direct sear you may want to be clocked at an angle depending on which hand you wield your tongs in, etc). I think the answer all of us can agree on is to give Dennis a call sometime and talk through what your personal cooking style is to see if you can determine which one is going to fit you best. You won't regret that you did - and you definitely won't feel pressured into making any sort of decision or purchase commitment. And you might walk away with some sort of idea for a cook you never dreamed of. If I ever see champagne grapes anywhere, I can guarantee you I am going to swoop them up and make up the most amazing and whimsically splendid batch of ABT's there ever was to be had in all of Wyoming after Dennis shared with me how he does them.

Now you tell me.... lol.

Thanks, Bruce! My joke over there was hoping that driveway tacos didn’t turn into street tacos! It was a little nerve racking. Lol. She definitely would have careened down the driveway into the street if we hadn’t chocked her up.

So KK delivery looked to be Tuesday of this week from my tracking. I checked it Friday morning and didn’t look like it had even left Utah yet. Was shocked silly when the freight company called me on Friday morning to setup delivery. My husband was off work and I was getting my tail kicked and couldn’t leave work. They said they would call 30 minutes out so I could be there for the delivery too. Well, they didn’t call and I get a text from the husband saying so much for a call with a picture of the crate in the garage. So... missed out on all the on the truck and being offloaded pics.... Anyway, I had given up on the idea of a KK challenge cook, so the early delivery really threw a wrench in my plans once @ckreef piped up and nonchalantly mentioned me getting up early, having Christmas in March and cooking in my driveway... which I of course thought was hilarious. I mean I pretty much had to do it after that... lol. And I’m glad I did. Loved every minute of it.

And I present...... Driveway Tacos: Made a satay type marinade as I was going for an Indonesian flair.... And thin sliced some beef and chicken - chicken not pictured since I don't touch much once raw poultry is in play. Thought a peanut sauce slaw would go well with the satay tacos.... was lazy and didn't make my own peanut sauce - but this wasn't bad.. Then onto my taco shells - used egg roll wrappers spritzed with oil and baked on my taco rack in the KK. Did the beef and chicken in the pan... honestly since it's not where I want it yet, don't really want to dirty it too much right now. My teaser photo from the KG forum. I had a lot of fun with my big reveal over there. @ckreef helped - I had been dropping hints all month long and he would comment on them. Cracked me up while I patiently awaited the big day when it arrived. Brought in and chopped up more... And I present.... Indonesian Driveway Tacos as my KK's maiden voyage....

I agree - it is stunning - that's about the best word I've found. It was an experience like none other in many ways and one that I will always remember. So happy to finally be here! Hope I can deliver on that Tony... I'm going to try my best. I think you're responsible.... so I owe you a "thanks"! My KK fever was reignited something fierce after looking yours over. Made that call and talked to Dennis and kind of confirmed that the 23" Ultimate wasn't my first choice. Sure hope you find the right home for yours - it's a beauty and a shame you have to give it up. Thanks - it's definitely unique! I love it. I wanted to wait until I had mine to get active over here... don't really know why, just struck me as the way to play it. LOL.

Jon - you asked the question, so... like it or not, you get the answer. But if anyone accuses me of being long-winded ( @cschaaf in particular ), I am blaming it squarely on you.... A few years back, my husband, older daughter and I went to a local BBQ store looking to buy a new gasser since we've always enjoyed cooking outdoors. They happened to be having an EggFest (crazy in the middle of rural Wyoming, I know). So, we were kind of wandering around not really too interested in the eggs, but sampling the food and such. Honestly I wasn't impressed with any of it. And knowing what I know now, the people manning the eggs didn't really know what they were doing either. Anyway, we went inside to look at the Weber gassers and gave our daughter a few bucks to entertain herself. They had some sort of game that you could play to win tickets for a drawing. Now, I can only describe this game as beer pong - though obviously there was no beer involved. So, by the time the event was wrapping up, she had quite the stash of tickets. Where she got the gift of being a natural at that game, I'll never know..... Long story short (kind of) - we walked away with a Mini Big Green Egg as a prize. It sat in the garage for months before I played with it one day out of boredom - think I did an Easter ham on it now that I think about it.... Anyway, I was hooked after the first time. Bought a Vision shortly after that, and then an Akorn Jr, and another Akorn Jr. (because the black came out and I can't stand red), and then I found a used black Big Joe last fall.... In any case, I totally fell in love with kamado cooking. And winning that Mini BGE is what started it all. So, I consider it Kismet - my lot in life - to have landed where I'm at, and that's how I came up with my username. I primarily had been using my Vision and more recently Big Joe, down on a concrete patio in my back yard over the summer. In the winter I have been using the Akorn Jr and sometimes Mini BGE (though it's tiny) that I can keep in the garage. But I don't like Akorn Jr. to get wet which isn't ideal because of snow frequently this time of year and the wind is atrocious as well..... And my back yard and deck is on the north side of the house, so my winter access to my concrete patio stinks since I have to go out on the deck, down the stairs and around the house. That's how I decided and justified a Komodo Kamado to myself (really it didn't take much to convince me) and my husband (that was a slightly tougher sell and we may have a full reloading setup showing up sometime soon in what appears to have been some sort of scheme to keep things "fair"). The KK will go on the back deck and be easy access for me year round. I wouldn't have felt cozy with any of the other kamado's living there. And it will join my husbands Weber Summit gasser and Traeger Timberline and our Blackstone Pizza Oven. There you have it... more than you bargained for in an answer, right.

I could only assume before I got it, but to put my hands on it, it's definitely everything I expected and more. Stunning!

Thanks @tekobo! I've enjoyed following your adventure getting your two KK's. Thanks, Aussie! You're the man - glad I came over here to see what the Outback Kamado Bar and Grill had to say about my acquisition. Agreed on both accounts - it's about time and I need to get going. BUT - I can tell you that driveway cooking is a little nerve-racking on a driveway with a slight slope to it. It definitely wanted to roll without being chocked up. LOL. I looked at your uncrating thread more than once. And I agree.... the new size made it possible for me as well. Glad to be in such good company! I like your style, @Tucker! Thank you! Thank Bruce! I can't wait to see it in the back yard, too!