tekobo

Let that be a lesson to you Mac. Don't go buying food that you don't like!!! It just ends up sitting in your freezer for ever. Although, I would love to cook you a seafood feast to see if I could convince you to like a wider variety of underwater food. No eyes, I promise.

Welcome to the blue pebble family. That's the big sister and mother to my two, rolled into one!

Very beautiful indeed. Congratulations.

Where is your sense of adventure @Tyrusand @Steve M? Ignore all the helpful online advice in English, rig up your phone with Google translate, point your camera at the foreign text and prepare to be entertained. The instructions are much more fun when translated, badly, from foreign into English.

@Tyrus turned me on to this really well written article about Nigerian food: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/24/dining/nigerian-food-yewande-komolafe.html I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the recipes - there is never any set way to cook any of the dishes anyway - but the pictures certainly remind me of home. In other news, Texan friend has turned up with a box of grits. They are 5 minute Quaker grits. Are they "authentic"? She says I will love them and that I am to add cream. I will see what @tony b's recipe says. I have told her I will return the rest to her if it turns out that I don't actually like grits. Shrimp and grits, coming to a house near me soon.

Ha ha. I solved the problem of sparking char very simply. I just stopped using the catering charcoal as my fire starter. Part burned coco char briquettes from previous cooks work well as a starting point for a new fire and doesn't spark. So, no ridiculous jousting attire here anymore @T. Having said that, for old times sake, I went over to Amazon to look at the welding apron that I had contemplated buying. They now have this rather fetching BBQ apron with sleeves https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ailihan-anti-splash-fireproof-protective-dedicated/dp/B07LG8S418/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=fireproof+apron&qid=1561878840&s=gateway&sr=8-8. Not on my Christmas present list.

You won't believe the challenges I have faced with trying to get hold of lumberjack pellets. The UK supplier only had one variety in the end, beech, and all other suppliers wanted lots and lots of money to ship to the UK. I then remembered that The Husband was going to be in NYC this week so we checked with his hotel and they were fine to receive a parcel. I got these nice people to send their seven variety sampler pack of 1lb bags: https://www.bbqpelletsonline.com/index.php/products/buy-individual-bags/Lumber-Jack-1-Pound-Variety-Pack-7-varieties-Free-Shipping-p69201136 Happy days. Will now have to figure out how to rig up the smoker.

All part of the fun, eh? Did I forget to mention that I am jealous??

Excuses, excuses. I thought I was safe with "anytime soon". If I were your wife I would hold out at least until the autumn. By then I could reasonably be judged to have won the bet.

Good looking set up and the cover is a great bonus. Looking carefully at the grill bars I think they have missed a trick and that you may want to rectify it with a DIY solution if/when Mrs skreef lets you near the cheque book again. One of the awesome advantages of an Argentinian grill is the way the v shaped grill bars collect fat and drain it into a removable box gutter that runs along the front of the grill bars. That really cuts flare ups and makes it a great grill for cooking hot and fast or even low (in this case raised high above the coals) and slow. I'd hate you to miss out on that feature.

@Tyrus, your shelter is whimsical indeed. Good to see your Coca Cola cooler making an appearance too. I hate to bring everything back to money but I would be prepared wager a princely sum that you won't be moving your smoker or any other form of BBQ into that space anytime soon.

I can't wait to see your new toy installed and working. I couldn't help looking up the Kalamazoo site to figure out what would warrant a $25K price tag. Their grills do look very flash but they take a big part of the fun away by installing great big gas burners to start your wood fire. I don't think you are missing anything by not buying one of those. And yes, a cover would have been a good idea for our grill.

No flies on @MacKenzie. Correction, there are flies at this time of year in Nova Scotia but Mac is indeed a smart woman. And you are a very lucky man. Our old Argentinian grill, which we gave away to make space for the KKs, was relatively cheap and came direct from Argentina. It was also a rust bucket and needed regular re-painting. Looking forward to seeing yours and hoping, one day, to find the money to buy a better quality replacement for grilling here too. I am so jealous that I "reached out" to Ox Grills, as recommended by @Braai-Q, to find out what they can do. See what you made me do???

Funny on a couple of fronts @Tyrus. First, I didn't recognise the thread when I saw that @subseaaggie had quoted me. Good to be reminded of the fun that I had grilling in February last year soon after I got the KKs. Second, we are even stevens on picking winning teams so no funny comments there. I cannot tell you how sweet it was, after all those years of waiting, to see Philly win the Super Bowl. Yay!

You are pushing the boundaries with your use of suya pepper Mr Tony B. I don't think I have ever seen a beef rib grilled in Nigeria, let alone with suya pepper on. How did it turn out? Did you marinade in advance or was it a late dusting?

Oooh. I shall be so jealous if it is!!!

Hey there @subseaaggie. I looked up your profile and previous posts and see that you spent some time in my home city, Lagos, Nigeria. I hope we treated you right. Thanks for the recommendation re: Ginger Pig. My Nigerian bulk buying gene means that I very rarely go into a butcher's. My current plan is to get a hind quarter of a dairy cow sometime soon. It means I will get my rump, sirloin and all the fun bits in between but I think I will miss out on the short ribs. Next time.

Tee hee. I didn't think you would be getting much sleep with a KK to get home. Drive safe.

Hi there and welcome @Scottishhammer. I wouldn't talk you out of the 32 unless I could talk you into getting two KKs instead. There is great versatility in having two KKs and I am very happy with my 21 and 23. Maybe you could sneak in a 16 alongside a 23 or 32 if Dennis still has the 16 available for sale? Accessories. I have not yet tried my hot/cold smoker but I get the feeling it could be a game changer for me. Having the ability to pump in smoke when you want it and for as long as you want it is making me giddy with excitement. Just waiting for The Husband to come back from NYC with my Lumberjack pellets in tow. I would say the smoker is NOT optional. If you get a 23 then an upper rear grate is a must to go with your charcoal basket splitter for two zone cooking. My favourite non-Dennis toys are my welder's torch and mini leaf blower for starting fires. I was never in the girl guides and was no good at fire, until now.

I am so happy with my new rear grate on the 23. I have now set up this KK semi-permanently with a half load of charcoal in the front so I can either cook indirect on the rear grate or rotisserie with ease. I have had problems cooking pork in the past. A thin drip tray over the coals never held enough water to stop the smoke from the dripping fat for long and it was difficult to manoeuvre, filled with water. Today I set a pork shoulder to smoke on the rear grate, over a pan of water with smoke pot at the front. Smoked over apple and alder. It tasted great.

I like it. Going and fetching your KK is a great way to avoid all the hassle of waiting on a delivery company to get it to you when they say they will. I bet you'll be up at dawn to drive that baby home. Good luck! Looking forward to the pictures.

Hey there Bruce. At least one person has reviewed the MEATER block on the forum and they were happy with it. I am very keen to get hold of one because the MEATER is the only thermometer I use (for simplicity and lack of wires) and I would like not to have to rig up two phones to get the signal into my house. The only problem is how long it will take them to deliver. I am still waiting for mine, a year and a half on. It would be good to hear from others who have also ordered the block.

OK. Good news, Keith did respond. He said his website is under re-construction but you can get in touch with him direct to buy. His contact email is on the website and the details of the products are back on there: http://octoforks.com

You are so funny Mac. Your next challenge, if you will accept it, is to try out a robust fish like a red mullet. They are soooo tasty (and fishy!) when grilled. The other option is to pat yourself on the back go back to cooking things that you actually like.

Hi David. I just took a look and the Octoforks site is there but there don't seem to be any products advertised for sale. I dropped Keith, the owner, an email but given it is at his octoforks address that may well have been a waste of time. Will revert if I hear anything. Having said that, although Octoforks are really helpful for some non-standard roti cooks they are not essential and many people don't have them.