AJR

Prime Ribeyes and Filets. I love this KK. Had it about 300 for the cook then cranked it to 600+ to sear them. It got to that temp faster than my old gasser would have. Fam said it was my best ever. Basted with a melted butter/Worcestershire mix.

Second all the mentions of plywood sheets. I used two to move my 23 by myself, and returned them to Home Depot when done. But the ground was almost completely level over gravel and grass. If I had any slope like yours, there’s no way I could have kept it from sliding where i didn’t want it to go alone. Getting it off the pallet alone was the scariest part, and I almost didn’t make it. I never would have tried a 32 alone. Good luck! And take lots of pictures.

7am, and it’s already 34 here. 47/117 yesterday. At 45/113, the charcoal just about lights itself. Terrific looking Brisket, Troble.

I’m going to need the recipe for the meatloafs, Mac. That looks delicious.

Great minds, Mcjudsten. Pork tenderloins with a maple syrup glaze. Forgot to get a photo on the KK.

Nice! Great to see something good finally come out of COVID-19. Can't wait to see your cooks. I love the SS side tables, but couldn't justify them to my better half.

Look at all that space! Damnit, I’m jealous again. Great looking cook, Troble.

The last of the brisket, sautéd with garlic, red peppers and onions. Delish.

Basher - those steaks...

Those steaks look amazing, Basher.

Burnt ends and the flat. The flat was definitely a bit dry after resting for 7 hours. But not a bad first effort.

Started out 13.5 lbs. I'll bet I trimmed off about a pound of fat. Checked it about an hour ago, holding at about 160 in the cooler. I plan to transfer the flat to my oven at 150, and cube up the point for the burnt ends in the next 40 minutes. Hopefully the flat doesn't dry out.

Only 8 hours in, and it was ready to pull for resting. Cooked way faster than I intended, but it jiggles like jello. I made the mistake of not watching the KK warm up. Before I knew it, it was at 450. Got it back down to 300 before putting the brisket on after midnight, but it never really dropped below 250 all night. Also made the mistake of not oiling the grates. Lost some of the bottom bark, damnit. Now I need to rest it for a good...7 hours. Wrapped it in butcher paper, foil, and a bunch of towels in a cooler. Hope it stays hot. I plan to cut most of the point off and do burnt ends this afternoon.

It’s time...

Agree with everything that's been said, especially on the saving charcoal by shutting it down after a quick cook. One thing that I plan to do when I light it up to do a few steaks or burgers - I'll throw on a couple of chicken breasts/thighs or pork chops for other meals later in the week. I cooked some ribs, and at the end I cranked up the KK, and put on a couple of steaks, it worked great to finish the ribs and cook the steaks at the same time.

Took some of the smoked pork butt from last week and made sweet pork quesadillas. I’m surprised at how much the smoke still comes through. Fantastic.

Damnit Troble. You are trouble. Going to make me break down and buy the Roti. That looks terrific. Tonight I finally got to make Hawaiian chicken on the KK with grilled pineapple. Absolutely awesome.

Exactly right. When you go to check out it will calculate it. He charges freight from California to the state you’re in. Mine was $218 to Arizona for my 23 and a whole load of charcoal and accessories. Everyone here recommends loading up as much charcoal as you can when you buy a KK since he throws it on the pallet and you don’t have to pay separate shipping for it.

Just used a magic eraser (somehow a damn bird left me a small present on the cap), a multi-purpose cleaner, and finished up with the CS3. Looks beautiful. Thanks for the tip, @Wingman505

I was in the same boat you are, Adam (my name as well, good name!) just a month or so ago (only ever used propane before my KK). For steak here's what was recommended to me, and worked well just this last week in a 23 - fill the basket with charcoal, and light it in four different places (I use a MAPP torch). Open the top vent wide (4+ turns), and pull the bottom vent out from the KK a few inches. Using that method, the dome thermometer was showing 450 degrees inside of 20 minutes (so closer to 600+ down by the coals where I put the sear grate), which is comparable to the pre-heat time of my old gasser. I was impressed. I've heard you can get it up to temp even faster with a blow dryer/leaf blower blown into the bottom vent. Once I got it to temp, I left the top open about 3 turns, and closed the lower vent but opened the left side to the most open setting. Make sure you've gone through the burn-in process (talked about elsewhere in the forum) before taking it to a high temp for a cook.

Here’s a before/after of my 10+ hour, 225 degree cook from today in my 23. I can’t believe how little Coco Char it burned. I am absolutely flabbergasted. Lit it in one spot, and you can see how little it spread. This is going to make getting a second basket a must so that I can preserve the Coco Char for long low and slow cooks.

Pork Butt. Dry salt brined for 18 hours, then Flavor God Honey BBQ seasoning for the rub. Forgot to get a picture on the KK. The KK held 225 like a champ for 10+ hours, zero adjusting, and I can’t believe how little Coco char it burned. So impressed. And the end product is absolutely awesome. My bro-in-law has been BBQing for years, and every family member that has had some said it’s better than anything he’s ever cooked. I just point at the KK and shrug.

I want my babyback, babyback, babyback, babyback, babyback...

Second what Mac said. But you can't go wrong with either. The Evo will be my next outdoor purchase as well (when I either win the lottery, or after I bribe my wife with a Range Rover...somehow), good choice. For pots, I've already thrown two different cast-iron pots and one SS pan on the KK. Works great.