Tyrus

So would I, however we're often interrupted with posts advertising wares/ideas or making suggestions without proper foundation and they're hard to ignore. We all have our direction pointing towards where our thoughts of charity or even mindset of money should go but we generally act act on it independently. He's right to recognise what's obvious but then again as you say he ain't cooked a lick too say so much.

Sweet salmon sounds so seductively sensuous. Romantic rooftop rendezvous? Probably not, looks like you cooked for a few.

Great lookin chicken with perfect color but almost out done by such clean grates you have. And you say,,,better to cook with my dear.

Glad you gave the KK to your daughter and didn't sell it, my daughter wouldn't ever let me live it down. Wishing you the best Bruce....if you lived in NEnglad the coal would be gone in a thought. Chime in on occasion, it's always good to hear from you. Peace

You have the original deflector in the pic...must be ancient days passed bye. Decorative piece, functional too....I like it.

Nicely cut squared pork with a plain weave coat....Sunday dinner?

This is product I stumbled over while searching for a new flavor to add to ribs other than the traditional rubs we use. It involves marinating for a few days with a baste of this product so the flavors can migrate and the salts can work to pull a bit of water out of the meat while sealed in a vacum bag. The technique and demonstration video/cook came from Pitmaster X on Youtube with a search definition into "ribs made with Ketjap Manis." I've made Korean ribs before and liked the results for something different, they do have similarities and was wondering what experience anyone has had with this sauce in applications. So historically this sauce has it's origin in the Thailand where many people contributed in making their own version of this sweet soy sauce using personal recipes. It flourished for some time until as always larger manufactures cornered the market and forced these smaller providers out. This particular one displayed is made in Denmark. Having sugar in the mix presents a small obstacle while cooking in regards to the sugars darkening and/or burning if your heat is too high. The preparation does require a basting finish sauce not very hard too make that sounds very tasty. So...what say you, what you think. The shears are just a local unexpected find at a 2nd hand/antique store, they look and work like new. I thought chicken bone instantly when seeing these and they are basically new sharp working condition, great to remove the backbone. They fold up, have additional tools as a leather man tool, nice find.

David, I hear the frustration, just the time to set all the equipment up and troubleshoot is time better spent elsewhere...possibly a Manhattan. I only use the Thermoworks probe, my eyes and intuition with a reasonable understanding of what's in front of me and how much time is on my hands for the cook...as it was in the beginning and forever shall be. I do have a probe that is set to an alarm for meat temp however it's still in the box, $5 yard sale, couldn't pass it up I guess.

How could you lose, the Big Bad looks like Superman, although I would of sat him profile with a cape and added a breeze for an action shot.

Nice meal Toney. Coincidently I was watching on You tube a video traveler commenting on your city, he mentioned many positive attributes surrounding it. Clean and still affordable was his emphasis, and all those storms passing by....make sure the your KK cover is secure. Stay safe

Nice looking utensil for preparation (ambience), like the food. What kind of stone was that, it must have some inherent qualities for cooking. It looks like a piece of gray slate, my guess? A few years back I pulled up similar looking stone from a walkway that was cracking in the yard and piled it up in corner,.... because I save everything for repurpose. No reflection of course but I'm wondering with a powerwash and some bacon fat I could have a new set of cookware. Love the concept David, keep the ideas alive.

Just whipped up a batch of Mussells Marinara, glad too see your fishing for delite.

Outstanding, great pic

Then he sat down and ate a whole brisket! Almost as good as Troble's Phish concert but a different kind of "amazing." This is still a cooking channel lol.

Kind of like IMAX but better. No need for the acid the effects are uncanny, you must have loved the show....thought I saw you in the top row. Definitely worth the price of admission, how do they do that, amazing.

I've always used wood chunks or tiny splits stacked inside the MSR, all thats left is charcoal pieces, have never used any screen and it's never clogged. Maybe with pellets because they have little continuity and once consumed only ash remains. Good luck

Whatever floats your boat David...light years ahead of those perforated cylinders that they place in pellet and gas grills. It checks the boxes, so is it reusable and how does the gasket hold up? What's up with the empty side? Longevity looks to be a concern, would it remain dimensional stable under heat and retain it's shape under a number of cooks?

Hate to be a pest Tekebo but I have to warn you about the leaves. Around here were allowed each year to burn outdoors before April 1st any accumulation of twigs and branches that have come down during the fall and winter season. You have to call into the fire dept for permission if you choose to burn, keep in mind there are rules. One of them is that leaves are prohibited, the smoke instant, thick, acrid and makes a quick flying ash that is dangerous and they fill the neighborhood with a thick smoke. I don't think any leafy parts would do you well and could spoil a well layed out cook. Now I know nothing of olive leaves and what bouquet they may in part, however those chips look good for the pot.

Have you a chop saw/miter saw? Slice the pieces to 1/2 in and keep them dry and allow air to flow around them. You'll be using them this summer,

Light and delicate is what I hear. Could be a smoke pot experiment? It's the tree that keeps on giving, why not smoke it..in the KK that is or maybe those leaves hmmmm

First I must compliment Jeff for the great pics and display for what his grill is capable of...good show and that's an understatement. On the flip side though I use mine for much smaller cooks or I'll have the Kamado helping me with another entree'. When I first started out looking I had in mind something smaller, versatile and capable of doing it all. I use wood, lump coal and briquettes depending on what I'm preparing, but generally I'm tossing in wood over the top in moderate amounts because my roof line is close & made of a polycarbonate overlap. I only use on most occasions one or two grate sections or a small fire centered below when using the roto, on some occasions I've used both...however nothing like Jeff is doing although if he'd let me borrow it for a weekend I know I'd love it too. So here are a couple of pics, they're self explanatory but show the roto and coal bed grate on mine, sorry I should have done so beforehand. So, they all acomplish the task, they get you to the finish line, just in different ways.

Pull up a chair Dennis, this could take a while lol. You know there are multiple Santa Maria's out there, each having something to draw you in..be it styling, size, design, options, budget, stainless vs steel, gauge of steel, mechanics, interpretation of quality, reputation or reviews, shipping, firebrick or not, weight, portability, and the list goes on. The main concern is, in the end it's what your happy with regardless of the confusion, there are so many factors to consider depending on your wants and desire. The pit I bought was called the Hooray Grill, it's manufactured here in the USA in Kansas, I'm not going to lie...it was expensive compared to the other manufactures. I liked something in each one but settled on a 36 inch/3 rack Hooray because I was first intrigued with the mechanics of how to lower and raise the cooking grates and simply how it locks in when you stop. Next was the rotisserie, it was 5/8" or 3/4" thick 304 SS with massive SS spits and it could hold and turn 80 lbs with the One grill motor. There's a little work involved when cleaning, nothing hard but involves lifting out the bottom coal grate by attaching forks and then raising it with the crank mechanism. At first unusual, a bit daunting but in the end once past the apprehension your safe to vac out. I also purchased the 3 ft grill because it fits my need, the Goldilocks syndrome so to speak. Would I change anything? Good question, like David mentioned earlier in a post concerning the dreaded rust and it's demise, well I'd consider SS...however it's wicked expensive, yah, sticker shock. This is how I look at it, if you do what you can to minimize this and in the end you get years of enjoyment from it then it's worth the investment. Besides, have you ever been outside on a sunny day near a SS grill, hell if your not wearing sunglasses the reflection going to blind you and then having those glasses on you can't see what your cooking. Toss a coin, I'd say. I'm thinking that ol'bbq bug bit your ear and whispered sweet nothings into it mentioning how much you need it and how well it's going to look parked in the backyard. He's right, you will love it, pull up a high chair, light that stogie, crack that beer and watch the rotisserie go round and round. Now look at you, living down there in Port St Lucie Fl and the other Dennis in Bali so warm and comfortable ....I envy you both, so if you see where I'm leaning, you my friend have all year to perfect your technique . Others here have there own, I hope they weigh in and provide their nickels worth. Let us know which way the wind is going to blow.

Charcoal is illusive, finding a store brand with the idea it's going to be a reliable source might be hard to match up to all your expectations in the KK. A fresh open bag vs one open and sitting to the humid air is a concern, but another of a better quality may give you better results. Also, positioning...taking the time to orient your coals so they catch from one to the other is sometime over looked for just a quick dump in the hopper. It's best to distribute medium size pieces to large for long cooks and adjust because your airflow is on your side.

Do you have any Poupon? Miss those commercials, nice sandwich...I know the feeling!

Everyone is chasing something Mr Natural, it's an itch that comes around every once in a while and you have to act on it. I have the 23KK myself and if I were to do it again I would prefer the 32 because of the true two zone cooking as your leaning towards, it's the better choice for checking all the boxes. Actually I have two other Kamado's, a Weber Summit and a Goldens Cast Iron...both eliminate the two zone issue, have a trailered Lang offset, a Santa Maria and a Gateway drum. I like choices and tinkering around for a challenge. The KK is a quality piece, it's easy to maintain, set it and forget it, built like a tank and pleasing to the eyes. If you pull the trigger it'll be all you need and it will be there for years on end, however it's not going to do a whole hog so I'd hold on to that pig roaster. You know there's nothing wrong with having one of everything when it comes to BBQ, variety is the spice of life. Keep us posted, so many colors and choice of tiles....................