tekobo

I love a bet, particularly when I win. Mark has no culinary training and is a marine engineer. I asked him about vacuum sealing liquids in our chamber vacuum packer. Golden keys: 1. The liquid sits in the bag at a lower level than the sealing lip. You can make sure that you achieve that by taking out the white block that you see in the picture below. 2. You shut the lid, which lightly grips the edges of the bag together while the vacuum packer evacuates the air from the chamber and also from the bag but without drawing out the liquid. 3. The sealer engages to seal the bag. 4. The vacuum packer lets the air back into the chamber and, under atmospheric pressure, the bag collapses a little further. I asked about hot and cold liquids and he could not understand why that would make a difference. We make (he makes) about 7 litres of stock at a time and usually leaves it to cool before bagging it up in these really cool stand up bags. Which live tidily and conveniently in these stand up trays in our freezer. I sometimes think @Syzygies and we were separated at birth. @MacKenzie, if you want to go shopping, look out for one of these. I found it on eBay and had it refurbished as a birthday present for Mark last year. It is smaller than the huge pot he used to use but that means he is more likely to make stock more regularly and the tap at the bottom is a game changer when it comes to separating the stock from the bones without too much hassle

Ha! I see a KK shopping channel excuse here. We have a chamber sealer which does liquids no problem. Having said that, it's The Husband's job to seal up bags of stock so I will need to ask him how it works and why he doesn't have trouble with liquids. I shall return...

That looks fantastic @jeffshoaf!

Tee hee. Just a bit of needle. Pebble folk think tiles are all wrong and tile folk think they are the best. I started off with two pebble KKs, sold them and moved on to three tile KKs. They all cook great but I have to say.... tiles are the best!

What a great invention! Sounds like you had a great time and I loved the pic of your dog, peering round your arm hopefully. I look forward to attaining that hallowed retirement status - one day. I am not totally sure what the key to crispy skin is. I cooked my at just a slightly higher temp than you (you were at 300F and I was at 180C=150F). When the piggy came out of the KK the skin was not particularly crispy but it attained a very satisfying crunch by the time we came to cut through it. I rested it for just under an hour with no cover over the top. Thanks @Troble, we keep on keeping on learning....

@C6Bill, really looking forward to seeing some pix of your cook. Good luck!

I blame @Basher The Husband and I made good on my promise to go and visit @RokDoklast weekend. We got the full RD and Mrs RD experience in the space of 36 hours: 1. One full evening of cider tasting - loved them all. Just my style, dry. 2. Wood fired oven pizza - yum! RD kept them coming and we ended on a sweet pizza with Nuttella. 3. Got drawn down a rabbithole - if The Husband hadn't restrained me, a really expensive apple mill and hydraulic press combo would be heading our way about now. I still have the links.... 4. Watched RD drumming at a gig - super fun. We got to be roadies and groupies all in one arvo. 5. More cider, wild beer and stout - The Husband declared RD's special black stout stupendous. His elderflower wine was also delicious. 6. Cooked on RD's KK - yay! Fun fun fun. We had marbled port, followed by chicken schawarma and we were just plating up the perfectly cooked steaks when... 7. RD and Mrs RD were called away for medical emergency - the neighbouring pub needed help with someone who had collapsed. Ambulance service was a shambles. I put the food straight back into the KK and dialled temp right back. We finally ate the steaks about two hours late. Tasty nonetheless and good to hear that the patient is now back home. 8. Came away with a new baking stone for my 32 - RD received an extra baking stone that was marked as a "second". He kindly gave it to me because I didn't order one of my own and need one for my big bread cooks. Hurrah. We had a blast. It was lovely to meet RD and Mrs RD. I read back over the rest of this post and laughed again about their trials and tribulations with choosing a sofa. I can confirm that they still have not chosen a new one. I did not test the existing sofa for comfort but I am guessing must be too comfortable to force them to make the change. It was hilarious being introduced to friends as "someone I met on the internet" and we laughed a lot when the RDs told us that the oldest RokDokette was horrified that they were entertaining us. She thought we would be scammers, looking to empty her parents' house out. Tee hee. If you get the chance to visit a KKer you think you might like, my advice is: don't hesitate, do it!

The high insulation and the way the air is driven through the charcoal basket leads to: 1. Predictable temps - this is key. I have cooked everything from low n slow, rotisserie chicken, a whole pig, little tofu skewers to souffle in the KK and I can rely on the temperatures holding to within +/-10C of target temp for the whole of the cook (if I don't fiddle unnecessarily with the vents ). 2. Versatility - if you have the 32 you have a great multi-tool. All the grates that come as standard give you a massive range of things that you can cook at different levels and direct or indirect. 3. Ease of lighting/saving fuel - I cook so much more often on my KKs because I can get them up and running fast and because, when I shut off the vents, the charcoal is snuffed out quickly and available for future use. More cooking = more practice = better food. 4. Lots of fun - I have never owned a BGE and I imagine you can have lots of fun cooking on one of those too. I am just glad that I did not waste time and money on the intermediate step of owning a BGE. Have fun!

@jonj, that is a LOT of pork. Glad the cook went well and thank you for the blow by blow account of how the kit performed. As always, I am tempted by the prospect of shiny new things but I know I am unlikely to really need this as I do not do long low and slows very often. I will bow deeply in gratitude for this expose and step smartly away from the “add to cart” button.

@C6Bill, sounds like a great way to enjoy the start of your retirement. I like the idea of sharing the experience with one special other too. Enjoy! And take photos.

I sort of guessed that. After I had worked out that PNG was not a type of graphics file but a place called Papua New Guinea. Great to have friends like that. May you both live a long, adventure filled life.

Ah, like Mac I don't have anywhere safe to put a hot fire basket down and I do my clean up the opposite way round to you. I take the basket out between cooks, clean out and top up coals so that I am good to go when I do want to light up for a cook. Still not sure why the charcoal would ignite 10% better in the garden bed but I am guessing you had your tongue firmly in your cheek when you quoted that stat.

That's the funny thing. I think we all come to this with our own method and don't tend to change. I finally migrated from my original roofer's fire blower because the huge gas tank was a pain. The MAPP torch, as recommended by @tony b was a great substitute because it uses so little fuel. I think I change the bottle once every year and a half or so. I also moved onto using the mini leaf blower because I was riled by the fact that @MacKenzie said she could get a fire going quicker than me. She was right and I have upped my speed game for when I need it. I was skeptical of @Syzygies's use of isopropyl alcohol in his Solo stove but I find a few isopropyl soaked charcoal cubes give me a nice, quiet and foolproof way to get the fire in my KK going. What I don't understand is why anyone takes their basket out to light it or uses a separate chimney. The KK works like the perfect chimney for me with the vents wide open at bottom and top, drawing the air through the fire basket and accelerating the fire. Oh well, as @Basher said: each to their own.

Late to the party as usual. Belated happy birthday @Basher! Had me puzzling about PNG and nappies but I'll go with the flow... @jeffshoaf, lovely looking pork chop and apple meal. Giving me inspiration for a nice weekday dinner tonight.

Awesome @DannyG. I agree that you can do a lot with the upper grate sat on the firebox and even your "normal" cooks likes burgers and steaks will benefit. The other grates are good when you want to go low and slow (main grate for me, sometimes with firebox splitter) and hot and fast (upper grate - plain for chicken and with pizza stone for bread and pizza). No rush, you have a world of fun to explore and I expect you will build your KK repertoire over time.

Now you've created a dilemma for me @jonj. We are off to visit @RokDok this weekend and I was going to take a small tri tip that I have sitting in my dry ager as an offering to his 32 KK. You know, a little snack for all to enjoy while we wait for whatever he has planned for us to eat. Now I am thinking that I might just have to keep that tri-tip for myself to eat when The Husband goes out for movie night on Thursday. No one will ever know....

@Basher I have been busy all day and didn't have time to comment earlier. I am beside myself with excitement. That looks like a beautiful piece of kit. What fun you and @jeffshoaf are going to have as you explore this type of cooking. Looking forward to seeing more on this thread. And, yes, yes, yes, I love those v grates.

I'm loving my current method. I keep a jar of left over part burned fuel (coconut briquettes or charcoal) soaked in isopropyl alchohol. When I need to light the KK I drop a few of my pre-soaked lumps into my pile of coals, light with my MAPP torch and walk away. With top and bottom wound right open, the fire is established really quickly and reliably. Depending on the cook I either wind everything close to closed for a low and slow or leave longer to build up for a high temp cook. If I am in a real hurry I use my mini leaf blower but I generally don't need to rush and I love the fact that I can leave the KK to get going while I am doing other things.

Wings, steak, pig and burnt end burgers. Yes! Great cooking all and I am now desperate for my lunch.

I think I will always be stressed by brisket - first or hundredth. It holds even more promise and mystique than any piggy. I look forward to seeing your cook. @Bruce Pearson, lovely to hear from you. Yes, it was fun surprising our friends and it made for a lovely afternoon. @MacKenzie, you are welcome at my table anytime but I am guessing a long haul flight doesn’t win against the draw of Moncton. @Basher, the quail cooked in the pig were soft and yielding. I preferred the quail that had been grilled outside of the piggy. Each couple was allowed one of each. Next time, if there is one, I might revert to the pig kidney stuffing. Not sure about the weight - approx 12 kg. All, thank you for your likes!

I had to keep this cook secret because it was for a surprise party for a friend last weekend. I am really pleased about how it turned out. Like @Syzygies, I have a soft spot for the chef Fergus Henderson. Ever since a friend gave me The Book of St John a couple of years ago I have wanted to make Fergus' quail stuffed suckling pig. It was part of a banquet menu that started with a huge and comforting cucumber, butterhead and lovage salad and ended with strawberries in wine. Everyone enjoyed everything but the pig was the star of the show. I picked up the pig from the farmer a few days in advance and had it hanging in my dry ager. I felt rather sorry for it and promised to make its death worthwhile. On the morning of the party I seasoned and browned the quail Then covered them in a 50:50 mix of creme fraiche and dijon mustard. Fergus' way of "seasoning the pig from the inside out". After the trouble that I had with keeping the first piggy that I did sewn shut, I asked the farmer to cut out a bit of the rib cage to make it easier to sew the pig up at the top end. I managed to get 11 quail into the pig. Sewed it up with a specialised butcher's needle and string. Was easy compared to my previous attempt with upholstery gear. Had to do a bit of manhandling to get the piggy's legs going in the right direction. It had been prepared for a hog roast and, apparently here in the UK that sees you having the legs sticking out. The pig was to be cooked in a pool of apple cider, topped up through the day. The ground under my KK is uneven and so I ended up turning the pig around and topping up with a full bottle of wine to keep the liquid from burning too much at one end. It cooked for 4.5 hours at 180C. After resting for about an hour, the piggy was ready to carve and eat. It was spectacular, having my friends cut it open like a wedding cake - sounded a bit different to a cake as the crackling crunched beautifully - and surprising them with the fact that there were hidden treasures within. Well worth the effort. Served with extra grilled quail.

Sounds like a great experience! Definitely a recipe for me to try soon. Looking forward to it!

And I would bet my bottom dollar that you wouldn't say that. 🤪

The brisket burger turned out great. After seven hours cooking I finally gave in and wrapped it. Came out looking mighty fine. No smoke ring but I only used a handful of pellets in the smoke pot. Remind me NOT to try to be fancy by laying my brisket in two different directions. Of course it was difficult to eat. The home made kimchi seemed a fitting accompaniment to the Wagyu. Today we will be eating the left overs with Nigerian jollof rice and fried plantains. Just the right size of brisket for two.

All fantastic looking cooks on this page. The winner for me is...the octopus! And the no-cook winner is the ceviche. Yum!