tekobo

@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.

Phew. Pleased to hear the we have not missed the big reveal @Braai-Q. As for the pebble v tile debate? Let's see what @SSgt93 goes for when he gets his second KK.

I concur that pebbles are good BUT, scientific proof is required. The Husband vetoed one of my choices - one KK in black tile and one in black pebble. I now wish that I had stood my ground. Someone else will have to do that test. And deal with the wrath from the losers. I am concerned that your reference to "recently" implies that you have sneaked a new KK into your ODK without proper scrutiny. I hope, for your sake, that is not the case.

Congratulations. Thea May looks so peaceful. I like the way you said "first daughter". Here is to many more - boys and girls!

Tee hee. Yes, the Southampton Costco does stock tomahawks and I was tempted to join and drive over to see if they have them on offer. Then I remembered the amount of meat I already have, stockpiled in my freezer. Decided against. I just searched for grits on the Costco UK website and it came up with a big bag of horticultural grit so I might be out of luck there.

I am ignoring all references to third degree burns and hope that you do try your version of this dish sometime. It is really cooked "to taste" and is very tasty. Smoked rice is definitely something I want to explore more. As for grits... I have never tried them but my local Texan friend has some, I think. Will see if she is willing to share in return for a taste of @tony b's recipe. Failing that, an American friend with a card took me to the Costco in Southampton a few weeks ago. It seemed to be an outpost of America so I expect they sell grits there. Thanks @MacKenzie. I was resisting an early lunch but now that I have seen the picture again I think I might go for the last of the leftovers...now!

Way to go Paul! Looking like PVG is going to serve you well. Those porky burnt ends look delicious. Care to share the recipe and method? Yum.

Hey Tyrus, it was safe. Not too hot. This time. Just want to lull you and your screen into a false sense of security.

So, was this steak one of the Piedmontese animals? Or do we have that pleasure to come?

Wow. Just wow.

Yes @rick, I will keep the bark on any trimmings from fruit trees. One of Lumberjack's selling points is that they keep the bark on so, like Tony, I'm going with the pros.